Shadow

"How… Just, how?" Serena asked, stumbling over her words. "You, this. This shouldn't be possible. The tests are 100% accurate."

"It just awakened later in life," Malcolm shrugged. He decided to keep his system a secret. A woman knowing that he was aiming to make her fall head over heels for him would be that much harder to woo.

"And how did you learn a Technique?" she continued, confidence returning to her with every word she said. "A farmer shouldn't be able to afford one, much less learn how to control their Crimson Fire."

"I just… did," Malcolm said hesitantly, scratching the back of his head. He was starting to think it wasn't such a good idea to tell her this. "One night, it just came to me."

Serena frowned, her red eyes scanning his face for any trace of insincerity. But as she realized that he was telling the truth, at least in part, she could only calm as she accepted the fact.

"All right. What Affinities do you have?"

"Just Yang, for now."

Her eyes flashed. "For now?"

"I mean, you can get more later, right?" Malcolm corrected himself hurriedly, feigning ignorance.

"In extremely rare circumstances," Serena said slowly. "All considered myths and legend."

She shifted on the plush seat, placing her hands in her lap as she affixed him with her gaze. "So, you're a Martial Ascended. That changes the way you'll have to act around others."

"It's less complicated than if I wasn't one, I hope."

"It is, yes. It's much different for mortals in Vahl City than it is in Udren City. While the Ascended back home treat you like people, it's safe to say that the Ascended in Vahl City… don't.

"That's partly why Endrey's decision was so foolish, and why I came with you."

"Endrey?" Malcom asked.

"The Ascended woman with the fan," Serena said distastefully. "She enjoys toying with others, but she pales in comparison to the cruelty of Vahl City.

"Around mortals in the city, you can act however you wish. No one will bat an eye even if you sever one's neck from their shoulders or extort them of all their coin. It's the worst place for a mortal to live."

Malcolm's expression darkened. It sounded like Endrey wanted him to get himself killed.

"As for other Ascended, so long as you are not untoward with them and treat your elders respectfully, you should be fine. Be sure to bow to those stronger than you.

"The deeper the bow, the more respect you show them, but any bow is acceptable as long as you do so. You know how to sense the strength of others, yes?"

"No," Malcolm replied. "I'm self-taught."

"Close your eyes," Serena ordered. "I'll teach you while we have the time."

Malcolm obeyed and closed his eyes.

"Find the Crimson Fire within you. It's like a heat rushing through your veins and filling you with strength. This step should be easy if you've already learned a Technique."

Malcolm furrowed his brows, turning his focus inward as he searched for the heat she spoke of. It didn't take long; as Serena had said, it flowed through his veins. He nodded lightly to let her know that he had found it.

"Next, imagine it as a candle's flame. Every flame casts a shadow, and your Crimson Fire is no different. Release this shadow now, allow it to spill out from your body."

Malcolm exhaled slowly, imagining the shadows of his Crimson Fire expanding outward to encompass the carriage.

Instantly, he saw Serena, or more specifically, her Crimson Fire.

Her fire's light disturbed the shadow of his own, and through this disturbance, he was able to feel her strength.

Her Crimson Fire's light licked at the edges of the shadows with the strength of the Torch realm, and through these subtle nudges, Malcolm realized she could kill him as easily as snapping her fingers.

"My wife is scary," he muttered absentmindedly.

[Affection increased!

Serena: 39%]

Having completed the exercise, he opened his eyes, finding her staring back at him.

"What?"

"You learn fast," she said. "But you need to keep practicing until you can do it without thinking. Close your eyes again."

Malcolm huffed but did so, and they spent the next three hours teaching him how to do it instinctively.

.......

The carriage stopped, and the driver opened the door. Malcolm stepped down, followed by Serena with the aid of the driver's hand.

Malcolm straightened his red robes, toying with the sash around his waist. Udren City's crest, that of a chicken resting on a dragon's head, was emblazoned on the chest, and Serena wore matching robes.

They had changed into these shortly after arriving. Once Serena learned that Malcolm was an Ascended, he had to be outfitted as such, and she herself hadn't been wearing them because she found them uncomfortable.

Together, they looked up at the looming walls of Vahl City.

"It doesn't look that bad from the outside," Malcolm said quietly.

"Wait until we get inside," Serena said. "Follow."

She started walking toward the city's gates, and after blinking once, Malcolm followed.

No guards manned the gate, and it was perpetually open, which Malcolm didn't think was particularly safe. How would they defend against an attack like this?

But his thoughts were stopped in their tracks once they stepped inside, where they were assaulted by a horrible stench. He quickly realized that it was the smell of feces and trash lining the streets.

His nose crinkled in disgust, but Serena just motioned him along.

"There," she said, pointing toward the center of the city. Above the houses, Malcolm could see the shape of a second wall within the first, and the gates of this wall were kept firmly shut. "That is where the Ascended of Vahl City live."

They picked their way through the filthy streets, past haggard and dirty people who avoided their gazes and tried to make themselves as small as possible, before arriving at the gate.

A guard stopped them, leering at them as he fingered his spear. "Halt. What be your business?"

"We're Ascended on a diplomatic mission from Udren City," Serena said. "Let us in, mortal."

The guard's eyes widened and he bowed as low as he could, to the point Malcolm thought he might snap in half at the waist, before yelling "Open the gate!"

The rattle and clank of chains sounded throughout the city, and the guard ushered them in with a subservient smile on his face.