"Shit," Avelon muttered, her breath hitching as they dashed through the labyrinth of towering shelves. The library's door loomed ahead of them, while dark tendrils of living shadow slithered behind, hot on their heels. Avelon's heart felt as though it could leap from her chest.

It felt surreal, like a twisted dream for Avelon. The guttural roars of the Quillshifter echoed from the depths of the library, a primal sound reverberating through the air as it fought against the encroaching darkness threatening to consume everything in its path.

"Do you think Balor knows we're looking for more information on his experiments?" Brianne gasped, her voice shaky between laboured breaths, struggling to keep pace with Avelon's frantic strides.

Avelon shot a glance over her shoulder at Brianne, ready to shout that she did not know, but the sight behind her froze her in place. Brianne froze as well, but for entirely different reasons. A shadowy mass was creeping up Brianne's legs, tendrils curling around her ankles like icy fingers.

"Brianne!" Avelon's voice was laced with worry and fear as she lunged for her friend, grabbing her hand in an attempt to pull her away.

The warning came too late. The shadows latched on, dragging Brianne down with a sudden force that sent her crashing to the ground. Brianne's shout of surprise was filled with pain. Avelon did not stop, her heart pounding like a war drum, even as the darkness began its slow, deliberate climb. The darkness hissed as though it was tasting Brianne's flesh as it rose. Avelon felt the weight of dread settle in her chest.

"GO Avelon! Take the tome and fucking hide it!" Brianne shouted, her voice strained as she struggled and fought against the shadows clasping her feet. Brianne's eyes blazed with determination, but her body fought against Avelon's grip, desperate to break free and send Avelon back to their room.

Avelon's eyes darted around, panic tightening her throat as the shadows inched closer, swallowing the light around them, inching up to Brianne's knees. Brianne yelped aloud, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. The shadows were somehow harming her.

"No!" Avelon shouted, gripping Brianne's arms tightly, trying to pull her free. But Brianne was like a statue, solid and unyielding, her eyes pleading even as they flicked downward in horror.

""Gods!" Avelon cried, anxiety clawing at her as she scanned their surroundings for anything—anything—that could help.

Use yourself, child.

Avelon froze, her heart racing as she locked eyes with Brianne, recognizing the urgency reflected in her hazel gaze. The voice was not hers, and it was not Brianne's either.

Avelon took a deep breath, frustration mixing with desperation.

You're not exactly helping me, little voice.

Warm laughter rippled through the air, sending a chill down Avelon's spine. Brianne's eyes widened at the sound, making Avelon's thoughts empty out completely.

"You heard that?" Avelon whispered, disbelief tinging her voice.

Brianne nodded slowly, her face pale and overwhelmed with fear.

Avelon still stood frozen, contemplating her next move and wasting precious time. Avelon was momentarily sidetracked by the urge to tell Brianne of all the odd voices she had been hearing since she arrived at Vexar.

Focus. Use yourself. The voice snapped with urgency.

Avelon groaned in response, frustration bubbling beneath the surface as she tried to make sense of the voices' words. Use herself? Avelon's eyes narrowed as she tried to find a way of using herself. Was she supposed to jump into the dark herself?

Images of Balor's experiments flashed before her eyes—water, air, elements she barely understood.

Water and air.

Avelon furrowed her brow, her concentration sharpening. She had no clue if Balor's experiments had given her any power.

Good, now use yourself. And I am not little.

Avelon almost laughed at the audacity of the voice, but Brianne's pained cry yanked her back to reality. Brianne's face was scrunched in pain as she squirmed. The darkness had been steadily climbing and seemed to be draining all the colour from Brianne's body- draining her, killing her.

Time moved in slow motion as Avelon watched Brianne in horror.

"NO!" Avelon roared, fury igniting a primal instinct within her.

She would not let Balor win.

Avelon felt her skin prickle with energy as she envisioned blasting the darkness away. She narrowed her gaze at darkness, gathering all the anger within her and channelling it towards she shadows. Silently she prayed to any entity that would hear her to help her work with the power that now, somehow, lived and whirled inside her.

"Avelon, GO!" Brianne screamed, her voice rising in pitch as the shadows slithered toward her chest.

Balor and his shadows were going to kill Brianne.

Taking a steadying breath, Avelon released Brianne's hands, a fleeting moment of relief and despair flickering across Brianne's face. Avelon knelt, palms pressed against the cold, unforgiving floor, closing her eyes to focus.

"I will not leave you." Here voice settled into a deathly calm as she shot her gaze toward the darkness looming behind Brianne.

She envisioned the darkness being obliterated, continuously praying to herself, the voice and all the Gods. Brianne's voice pitched as she continued to yell at Avelon. Avelon blocked out the sound.

The coldness of the floor seeped into her bones, the world fading away until only the ringing in her ears remained.

"Blast the shadows away. Use air and blast it away." Her head buzzed as she repeated the words silently, chanting them like a mantra.

Time stretched as the prickling sensation intensified before pouring out from her hands. Avelon's breath quickened as ice-cold air surged around her, lifting her hair, a wave of potential energy. When she opened her eyes, Brianne's shock mirrored her own. Air swirled around them, creating a mini tornado. Avelon gasped in awe, lifting her hands from the ground as she leaned back to sit on her legs.

The moment her touch left the ground, the air grew angrier and faster- intensifying before barrelling towards all the shadows surrounding them. Avelon's mouth hung open as she watched the air- air that she conjured, pummel dark shadows into the walls. Instantly obliterating them.

Good, now go before they return.

The voice echoed with satisfaction, startling Avelon as she pulled back, her heart racing.

Brianne dragged her eyes from the evaporating shadows, toward Avelon. She flinched as she struggled to sit up, her body marred with angry welts where the darkness had touched her. Avelon's throat tightened at the sight, dread pooling in her stomach. She could not exactly decipher whether the welts were similar to burns or scratches.

"You have an affinity?" Brianne whispered, her voice almost ethereal from the strain. Avelon forced her gaze away from the terrifying view of Brianne's wounds.

"Apparently?" Avelon replied, her hands twisting together anxiously as she darted her gaze between where the shadows disappeared and Brianne's battered form.

"I wasn't entirely sure, but I guess the voices in my head are good for something." Brianne's face was the epitome of worry as she tried to comprehend Avelon's words.

"Voices?" Brianne held her hands in the air, "Did you hit your head?" Concern laced her words as she eyed Avelon warily.

Avelon smiled, knowing that she was portraying the perfect image of a deranged Fae.

"No, I'm fine. Look, I don't know exactly who or what it is. Maybe it's my inner voice, but I heard something or someone say that I should use myself- and that's exactly what I did."

Brianne winced, pushing herself to her feet, concern etched across her features. Avelon groaned, aware of her friend's unspoken worry.

"It happened when I almost drowned too. I'm not crazy." she insisted, wiping a shaky hand across her brow, deliberately avoiding the thought of the other voice lurking in her mind. She refused mentioning that the voice was different from the one she was hearing in the library. Judging by her friend's reaction, she did not want to raise the suspicion that she was in fact losing her mind.

"Okay." Brianne nodded slowly, processing the weight of Avelon's words. "So you have an affinity, and your hearing voices which technically might even be another affinity."

Both of them stared at each other in loaded silence- both of them considering the possibilities. The shadows that nearly killed them, momentarily forgotten as air still swept through the silent shelves- not even the hoot from the Quillshifter sounded.

"You can get out of here. You have an affinity- you can even go back home. You basically went through the awakening without the killing part." Brianne's voice was filled with hope, but Avelon felt a pang of distaste at the thought.

"Technically," she replied, rising to her feet, "I think I might have killed those shadows. Does that count?" Avelon chuckled, humour masking he racing thoughts.

Everything Brianne had said was true, she had an affinity- which terrified and thrilled her all at once. She could go home, tell her parents she awakened and go on with her life, but why would she go back to the parents that gave her up like a piece of trash being surrendered to the elements of the world?

"You don't want to go back home," Brianne stated, her eyes softening with understanding.

Avelon bit her cheek, the unsaid history of their lives hanging between them. They had never fully opened up about their pasts—Brianne knew little of Avelon's family, just as Avelon knew only that Brianne had been born into slavery.

"Of course not. I'd rather stay here, bust us both out, and live on a hilltop somewhere in Talamh," Avelon replied, sweeping her hair back dramatically.

Fallon. Avelon's shoulders sagged as she thought about Fallon's piercing blue eyes and bright smile.

"Also, I'd like to kick Balor's ass, among other things, and set my friend free." Brianne's eyes sparkled at the thought, defiance shining in her expression.

Memories of Fallon's distant screams haunted Avelon, fueling her resolve. She had made a promise to rescue her.

"We'll find her and get her out of here. In fact, all of us will get out of here and stop Balor and his crazy fucking shadows." Brianne's hand rested on Avelon's shoulder, a comforting squeeze grounding her. She offered Avelon a warm smile.

Brianne winced, her pain evident with every move she made.

Avelon's eyes stung, she could only hope that they could make it work. "We should leave before Balor somehow sends more shadows. Also, we should watch our backs, if he knows we've found information, he might just kill us anyway."

A loud hoot cut through the tense silence, causing them to whirl into defensive stances. The Quillshifter regarded them with its fierce gaze, a deep gash marring its neck. Avelon gasped at the sight. It cocked it's head to the side, switching it's gaze to and from her and the tome.

"I'll bring it back once I'm done, and I won't use it to harm anyone," Avelon promised, stepping back cautiously as the creature advanced.

The Quillshifter regarded Avelon, its intense gaze softening at her words. With a sudden, radiant flash of light, the creature transformed, its massive form shrinking and reshaping into it's more familiar owl form. The air shimmered around it, and Avelon blinked in awe as the creature's golden feathered wings spread wide, casting intricate shadows against the library walls. The sight of shadows made Avelon's skin crawl.

"Thank you," it hooted softly, a melodic sound that resonated with warmth before it took flight, soaring toward the high windows.

Avelon's mouth hung open as she comprehended the fact that the owl had spoken. Brianne looked unphased, rising the suspicion within Avelon that only she had heard the owl speak.

Avelon's heart raced with adrenaline and relief. "Let's go," she urged Brianne, and together they bolted toward the exit, the heavy door swinging open with a creak that echoed through the stillness.

They rushed up the spiralling staircase, their footsteps pounding against the stone, keen on getting out of the library and away from any potential danger. Avelon's mind raced, the events still swirling within her like a thunderstorm. She could hardly process the revelation of her affinity and the strange voices in her head.

"Game plan- what if Balor is waiting for us?" Avelon cracked her fingers as her anxiety clawed it's way up her neck. The halls were completely silent as they neared their room.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I hope we can sleep before he kills us." Brianne's attempted humour fell flat, her strained tone betraying her pain. She limped, grunting silently as she moved, trying, but failing to hide her discomfort.

"When we get back, I need to fetch some fresh water to clean your wounds." Avelon clasped Brianne's hand, guiding her along, wishing she could take away her pain.

"What if Balor is waiting for you? You can't go." Brianne croaked, her eyes fluttering from the effort of staying awake. The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving her exhausted.

"I'll manage. Focus on yourself." Avelon reprimanded, guiding Brianne around the corner.

Avelon felt a rush of relief when the door to the room was within sight. They entered their room and Avelon felt even more relief when she was able to lay Brianne down without protest. Brianne drifted to sleep within seconds. Avelon took a shaky breath, processing the day's events with a shake of her head-s grateful that at least they had survived.

Avelon leaned against the door, her heart still pounding. The tome hung idly in her hand, dangling as the quiet of the room enveloped her, stilling her thoughts for a moment. She glanced at Brianne, whose face was relaxed in sleep, though the bruises and cuts marred her skin. Avelon felt a surge of protectiveness wash over her. Moving carefully, she set down the tome on her bed and gathered the bowl that stood by the base of Brianne's bed. She was surprised to find that it was already filled with water. She had planned to go out and gather water from the stream and some ciorra to give to Brianne to relieve some of her pain.

She would gather it after wiping her friend's wounds. With a deep breath, Avelon took a cloth from her bed and dipped it into the water. As gently as she could she pressed it against Brianne's wounds. She winced, her friend's brow furrowing slightly, but Brianne remained asleep.

After tending toBrianne, Avelon sat back onto her own bed, fatigue pulling at her eyelids. Sheknew sleep would not come as she stared at the shadows cast by the flickeringtorchlight, her mind racing with possibilities. Balor was powerful andrelentless; they could not afford to be caught off guard again. She only hopedthat the shadows' presence was coincidental and not planned, for it Balor hadsent them they would be disposed of by dawn.