❝𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙥𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙙𝙤𝙢, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙩.❞
｡˚ ✦ ┊ Corrupt, evil, and fatal. That is how people define Shadow Wielders in the kingdom of Lucinda.
Huang Suyin is a peasant who lives a simple life...
Suyin didn't know where she was or if she was alone. All she understood was that this darkness...was familiar. The black tingled her fingers, almost gnawing at her thin skin.
A blast of light vanquished the total black in Suyin's vision. Suyin whipped her head over to a sudden light source, revealing a dark-cloaked figure facing her. Suyin couldn't believe what her vision displayed. She recognized the white lining of his veil and the white embroidery that matched the color of a pale skeleton.
This cultist never stopped haunting her dreams since sleeping at the queen's castle. They were the same as the one she saw in Ivory when the rest of her team failed to believe her.
The two stood inside a hollow stone-walled room. Suyin's instinct forced her to escape. She mustered shadows into the air, projecting them at the mysterious man. However, the cultist flicked his hand, and a silver light darted at Suyin like a flame.
"Extraordinary," He whispered, observing how her shadows dissolved in the air.
"You're the one," Suyin scowled, holding her palm up as a warning. "You're the one I see in my dreams. You're the one I tried to catch in Ivory but made a fool of me."
"That's true," He simply responded.
The man was as still as a corpse. Suyin could almost hear his breaths underneath his veil, and each one fed her swelling anxiety. "What do you want from me? Who are you?" Suyin interrogated.
The cultist unfolded his arms and slowly crept forward. Suyin's breaths quickened, and she slashed her arm out. Her weak shadow was redirected by a glow of light, advising her to behave.
Suyin furrowed her brow. Her breaths had steadied to save her composure. Suyin's eyes trailed over his white-themed attire again. "Your robes...they're different from the other cultists," She pointed out.
The cultist glanced down at himself, brushing his black drapes. "My name is Lucius Sterling. I'm a loyal follower of the Cult of Umbra. I rank higher than a common cultist–someone who performs special tasks directly from my leaders," he shared.
A cold sweat broke out on Suyin's forehead. Suyin wondered, Leaders? Were there multiple leaders, including Leader Ivan? Her muscles tensed up into stone. "So...why am I here? What do you want from me?" Suyin inquired again.
Although his eyes were shielded by his black veil, Suyin could almost catch a glimpse of his eyes. Lucius pinched off his right hand's leather glove. His bare hand summoned a light ball reminiscent of a glorious sunrise.
"Your powers turn sour when you least expect it. The shadows feel different at times, don't they?" Lucius said, watching his own light.
Suyin wished she had found him crazy, but she understood what he had described. Her shadows had gone colder, evading the familiarity they had built when Suyin trained for long hours. "Do you have something to do with it?" Suyin asked.
