Caleb walked down the hall towards his father's throne room. His brothers, Sam and Wade, were already there. Small lights adorned the walls, so the shadows could creep along the halls.

Entering the throne room is always an amazing experience. First you see the huge black throne at the end of the room. Then you see the ceiling, or really, the inability to see the ceiling, because the shadows make it seem like a never-ending gaping hole in the universe. After that you see the marble floors, deep black speckled with white, with gray lines running throughout. You will hear the echo of your footsteps, making the room seem even bigger than before.

The one thing in the throne room that held Caleb's attention, however, was his father. His beard was practically white, with only a few black specs remaining, and his head was bald. But his eyes were the same. Cold, calculating, and the same dark eyes that one could get lost in and never find a way out.

"I'm sorry I'm late, father," Caleb kneeled, waiting for a strict scolding on how one of his lineage should act.

Today it did not come. Instead, his father only smiled. Both of his brothers were just as surprised as Caleb that he had not been chastised.

"Boys, I have called you here to decide who will be my heir. Of course, as the oldest most of the kingdom expects you, Wade, to take up the mantle. However, I want you to all have an equal chance of becoming the esteemed leader of the Shadow Dancers. So, you will all go out, and with your shadows to guide you, find something... Rare. I want you to find something that no one has seen in years. Once you come back, I will choose an heir based on what you brought," He coughed, then shooed them off to fulfill their task.

Caleb left the palace through the tunnel to the surface. He melted into the shadows in a nearby alleyway, reappearing right outside of a sandwich shop in the campus of Aril University.

Maybe food first, Caleb thought. He strode into the building, and caught the eye of a woman around his age, 19. He was startled by her eyes, blue with swirling bits of green, like the ocean in a storm. He did a double take, blinking a few times. He suddenly was not hungry anymore. His father devoted most of his time as ruler to hunting her kind down.

He sat down in the booth across from them, watching as she interacted with her peers. She wasn't what I was expecting when I met one of her kind, Caleb reflected. He was deep in his mind as they got up and migrated to the back, until he shook himself out of his thoughts and followed them.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just don't want to talk about it, okay? Can we forget this ever happened?" The redhead just slowly shook her head, looking straight at me.

"I was hoping I could speak to you. Alone, if possible," Caleb forced out. He didn't seem to realize how hard it would be to confront her, especially in front of witnesses.

He realized she was looking at him, and made himself as tall as he possibly could. And yes, he was also looking at her mesmerizing eyes again.

"Can we do this some other time?" She growled, obviously irritated.

"Fine. Your eyes are interesting. Like the sea churning in a violent storm. I'm told that's what your father's eyes looked like too," Caleb turned with a smirk and stalked off, knowing that if she was who he thought she was, she would be steaming. He stole a quick glance on his way out, and she was in fact furious.

Well, I'd better enroll in Aril University, Caleb thought.