Lily of the Shadows

Chapter 9

Location: Earth

"Hey." Vaskin said, trying to break the tension after the night before.

"Get away from me!" Manx snapped like a wounded animal caught in the steel jaws of a trap. She stormed down the halls of the school, trying to avoid all social interaction.

"Manx! Wait! I'm so sorry about last night! Please, just give me a chance!" Vaskin said forlornly, chasing after her.

"Are you really sorry? I don't think so. And I've already given you your chance. Now leave me alone." Manx replied.

"Please, just listen!" Vaskin pleaded. He looked so pitiful, and for a moment she was tempted to forget all that had happened the night before, seeing how low he was now. But she couldn't.

"I've already listened to you before. You think you can just keep crawling back, after everything. I thought you had changed. But you're still the same paraglisp boy who ran away with the Diamond lily, and then ran back only for protection from the trouble you caused. Just leave me alone." Manx coldly replied. She noticed how all eyes were on her, and she felt threatened and vulnerable.

"What are you all looking at?" Manx yelled, as a wave of fear passed over all the onlookers. She felt a twinge in her injured arm, and realized that somehow she was using some aspect of her powers she had never unlocked before. She saw Vaskin on his knees, cowering like a stray dog.

"What...what have I done?" Manx gasped in alarm, before turning to run down the halls to find somewhere less crowded. She finally came to an abandoned stairwell and sat down in relief of the solitude. Just as she thought she was safe, she heard a voice speaking beside her.

"It's called shadowfear." Khashmyr said. Manx jumped in surprise, before inching away from the cat.

"GAH! How far do I have to run before I can finally be alone!" Manx groaned at the cat who was in her true form this time.

"Pretty far, I'm afraid. But keep it down or you'll get us noticed." Khashmyr replied.

"W..what's shadowfear?" Manx asked quietly.

"It's another part of your silver helix ability of shadow. You know how many creatures fear the dark or that which lurks within it? Well, shadowfear temporarily causes all those around you to have a sudden unexplained fear as if everything in the darkness is creeping up on them at once. How it works is basically you're reflecting all your fear onto your attacker, or perceived attacker in this case. It'll wear off as soon as you leave." Khashmyr replied nonchalantly.

"D...did your cat just talk?!" Someone said in surprise. Manx cowered in the corner of the stairwell and Khashmyr made a choking sound.

"Hey, It's okay. I think I'm used to this kind of thing. You don't have to hide." The human girl said gently.

Khashmyr continued to hack and wheeze, and Manx gave the cat a sharp elbow in the side to say "cut it out."

"Is...Is your name Manx?" The other girl said.

Manx narrowed her eyes and replied, "How did you know?"

"You...you seem familiar. Everything around here feels so distant, but somehow I think I know you." the girl said with a look of confusion on her face. Manx looked into the girl's eyes with suspicion and noticed that her eyes were a vibrant shade of ice cold blue.

"Of course you know her!" Khashmyr piped up, her two tails twitching excitedly.

"Empress?" Manx said aloud, suddenly realizing who she was speaking to.

"Huh?" the girl said, as if she didn't know.

Khashmyr put a paw over Manx's mouth and said, "It's best we take this slowly. Overwhelming her with what has happened will not help anything."