With clammy hands, I slowly raised my arm to the large oak door. I still felt a tinge of anxiety every time I touched a door, or leant against a wall. I was still getting used to the shadow powers I recently obtained, and didn’t want to phase through one again like I did when he first gained my Macero powers. I took a deep breath and gave three knocks. A pause. 

After about thirty seconds, a shuffling approached from the other side. The door carefully inched open, and a small, pale girl with jet black hair poked her head out. With the dark circles around her eyes, and her white dress draping down her entire body, she looked almost like a ghost. “Who is it?” her voice pierced my cloudy head. 

“Um, hello” I replied.. “My name is Krys Armska. I’m here to talk to Master Dalure about becoming a shadow warrior.”

The girl stared blankly back.“Follow.” The girl robotically stated. I had to step back to avoid the front door which suddenly lurched open, revealing a long, dark hallway. 

As he trailed behind Ghost Girl, I started taking in the oppressive atmosphere of the hallway. Doors lined the two walls of the space, and dark, gothic lights paneled the space between them. The wooden floors and claustrophobic walls reminded me of my own home, with Father sitting at the kitchen table wiping sweat off his brow. Would Father finally smile again once I avenged Mother? He certainly wasn’t excited to hear that I wanted to join the war, but I knew I had to do something to kill those menaces.

The lachrymose hallway opened up to a large, circular dome. More lamps, just as depressing as the ones in the hallway, lined around the room. Ghost Girl floated down next to a large, dark chair, where a shadowy figure sat. “State your purpose” The figure boomed.

“Are you Master Dalure?” I questioned.

“Did I ask you to state the obvious? I said, ‘state your purpose!’” 

I’m here to become a Macero warrior!” I yelled back. “I need you to train me!”

Silence. I could hear the nothingness press against my eardrums. Suddenly, clouds of black irradiated from the concealed woman, enveloping my surroundings until I could see nothing but myself. I felt like a needle in the endless void of the night sky. From behind me, a whisper echoed through the darkness, “Why?”

I thought the question was absurd. “Because I have to destroy the Ferlyds!” A surge of anger appeared in my throat. Why else would I be here? Those monsters took so much from us!  What other purpose would better help people?

“Why?”

My arms burned. “Why? Because they want us dead! They try to slay us any chance they get, and harbor nothing but ill will to us!”

“Now why do they think they want us dead?” the voice mockingly replied.

That was my last straw. I was tired of being insulted with such cruel and stupid questions. Was this master really this foolish? Or were they a traitor to us? I could still visualize the room with its dark lights, and the throne on it. I knew that if I just ran forward, I would eventually reach her throne and engage with her. My heart racing, I rushed forward, with no sight to see, no sound to hear, and no floor to feel.

I thought I would have reached the chair in seconds, but after a minute, I was still going at a full sprint. I thought that the void I was in was just an illusion, but it truly seemed endless. I was too full of rage to stop, however. I had to punch that traitor. So I kept running.

And running.

And running.

After about five minutes, the floor underneath me gave way. As I fell toward the ground, I saw the blackness replaced with the familiar wooden floor, The darkness lifted away from the room, and this time the lamps in the room shone brilliantly and lucidly. The figure in the throne spoke, her oppressive voice replaced with a silky, quiet tone. “Congratulations, you passed.”

Winded and defenceless, I could only look up. An old woman with curly gray hair down to her waist smiled down at me. Her dark eyes gave a look of passive friendliness, like we had known each other our entire lives. “I apologize for the cold welcome. I knew why you were here, I could see it in your eyes, I simply wanted to know if you had the will to train to become a warrior. So few people these days have the ability to.”

“Why do you think I have the willpower?”

“I’ve never seen someone with that much animosity in their heart.” She said with a humorous smirk. 

“Wouldn’t that be a bad thing?” I felt a tinge of anger resurface again. I didn’t understand why she would want someone who she thought had such bad qualities, and was insulted that she thought of me like that.

“Not necessarily. I believe that everything exists in duality with another. Take shadows, for example. We both have the power to become shadows and to control the shadows, but shadows cannot exist without light. Without the sun, the moon, or the lamps around us, shadows would disappear. The same exists for your hate. Your hate does not come from a place from negativity, it comes from compassion. You’re seeking revenge for something, aren’t you?”

I felt a surge of shock pass my body. I thought of my mother that day the Ferlyds invaded all those years ago. “How did you know?”

She let out a shrill cackle. “The eyes tell all, Krys. I’m happy to have you under my wing now. It’s so rare these days to find a shadow Marcero, let alone one who is as willing as you to learn how to become a warrior.” She waved her hands over at Ghost Girl. “You’ve already met Bede, right? She’ll show you to your quarters.” She pointed a blue colored nail back toward the hallway. 

I trailed behind Bede once again, until stopping at a door marked with the number twelve. “This will be your suite, Mr. Armska.” she hollowly stated. I slowly crept open what would be my home for the next few months, and quickly shut the door behind me. Bede was creepier than a pile of clothes stacked in a humanoid figure in the middle of the night, and I was not entertaining the idea of getting caught off guard with her. I located the oak bed, layed down on the hard mattress, and dozed off before I could even take a good look at the rest of the room