A Dance of Ruin | ONC 2024

Chapter Five

"That could have hit me!" My heart thudded in my chest as I glanced between the blade and the death assistant.

"No, it wouldn't have. Get on the mat or you'll risk knocking the weapons on the walls when we practise," he replied, motioning his head for me to join him.

Picking up the dagger, admiring the swirls engraved into the hilt that looked a little like light sigils, I walked to the middle of the room and prepared myself for whatever Fenik had in store.

Raising his hand and curling his fingers, Fenik's shadows swarmed to the middle of the room and began to forge into a familiar shape. From the placement of the bones sticking out of its back to the arrangement of its honed teeth — it was an exact replica of the shadow beast that had cornered me the other night.

The Draxinite snarled, the ripping sound echoing off the walls, and it lunged towards me, just like it had that night.

I raised my arms to shield my head, preparing for an attack, but nothing arrived. After a moment, I lowered them again to see that the beast was frozen in place above me. The sharpened claws formed from the shadow were only inches from my face.

"This is only a practice, there's no need to be afraid." His gaze softened as my heart felt as though it might tear through my ribcage. Fenik approached the illusion and waved his hand through the Draxinite, the image dispersing and reforming as he did so.

I reached up too, poking the faux creature with a finger. The instant the shadow touched my skin, my light magic screamed in response and a repulsive nausea rolled through my body.

"A Draxinite's weakest spot is on the underside of its belly," he began, returning to his position on the edge of the mat. "It's a wide area to attack, but not the easiest to reach. They're also fond of pinning their prey to the ground before making a kill, so using your legs to hit this part is also effective."

I stepped to the side before the beast could continue its leap, not wanting another shadow to accidentally graze my skin. Once the Draxinite landed and spun around to attempt another attack, its lifeless eyes staring at mine, it froze in place again.

"The next best places to aim for are the eyes and the base of the neck. They're smaller targets, but they're just as effective." Fenik walked the edge of the mat, circling me and the creature.

I already knew about the eyes and neck of a Draxinite — the convent taught us to use them as a last resort if our sigils didn't work. If we could kill it by cutting open its neck or even buy a few moments by blinding it, it was worth forgoing our light magic.

"Try and hit one of the places I mentioned." Fenik waved his hand and the Draxinite resumed its prowl, judging how to capture me in its grasp.

"This doesn't feel fair." I gripped the dagger tighter, watching the beast's every move. Every breath, every flicker of its eyes, and every hair that stuck to its body. "Aren't you controlling the illusion's movements?"

"This is just so you can get a feel of where to hit. I won't make it difficult, I promise." Razie crawled up his sleeve and settled on his shoulder, as if she was passing on a message. The cerulean shine to her body made her even more unsettling to watch.

Rolling my shoulders, I prepared to take on the Draxinite. It was a lot less threatening now that I knew it couldn't actually touch me. I placed my feet so my weight was evenly balanced and waited for the right moment.

As soon as the beast moved, lunging into the air once more, I slid down to the ground to dodge the pounce and position myself underneath it. I dragged the dagger over my head so that it cut through the shadow, gutting the Draxinite from its neck to its navel. The illusion dissolved above me, the shadows returning to their owner.