All Chapters of SHADOWS OF THE BLOODLINE: Chapter 21
- Chapter 30
54 chapters
CHAPTER 21
Author's POVAeris shook his head, managing to slow his mind down. He stared at Wilder with bewilderment and slight fear. For a moment he hadn't been sure what would happen. Because it looked like Wilder had been fully letting go. He indicated for Wilder to come closer, “We won't be using your powers for a while. Why don't you wait by the side, for now. We'll just practice fighting," he pointed towards the equipment. He looked at Kaladin as he said it. Kaladin would join him sooner as well. They both needed it. Rune stared at the scene in front of him. He couldn't believe it was really happening, what he had just witnessed. That these powers were real and that he was manifesting them, including the people around him. Zayan was the one left along with Kaladin. They were still trying to feel the power and stop its control. All eyes were on them, everyone watching to see if it would be any different. Zayan could feel the strength surge through his body. It felt so much like a recall
CHAPTER 22
Author's POV Rune would have stayed there longer, but he began to hear them moving around. He knew that Aeris would come out soon and the last thing he needed was to be caught. He held his breath for a moment and waited, listening again, “What do you mean?” He heard Aeris ask. He would have waited a while more but then footsteps began to approach the door. Rune quickly rushed away, as fast as he could, to hide behind a pillar. Once he was safe there, he rested against the wall and waited. The door opened, footsteps moved farther away, and then silence. He knew he was alone again. He leaned forward to check and he was right. Once it was clear, he rushed back to the dining hall so that Aeris didn't get there before him. They didn't pay too much attention to him when he took a seat again. It was almost as if they hadn't even noticed that he was gone. Rune was grateful for that. When he slid back in his chair, he looked up and met Zayan's eyes. Zayan didn't say a word, but Rune could
CHAPTER 23
Author’s POVThe loud thud seemed to break the deafening silence that embraced the room as everyone stared at Rune’s motionless body, collapsed on the cold floor.The blinding light that had engulfed the entirety of the room had disappeared, replaced by a faint glow that emitted from his skin, a shimmer too visible to be missed.“Rune?!” Aeris called out, a crippling sense of dread lacing his tone as he rushed over, flipping the boy over on his back.His skin glowed faintly, the light dimming only as the minutes went by.The others took cautious steps as they drew closer, each pair of eyes fixed on the two figures on the floor. The room was quiet and everything seemed to have paused alongside time. You could almost hear the faint beating of hearts.The room felt heavy with anticipation; everything felt heightened.He held the boy’s wrist and felt for a pulse, a sense of relief flooding his features when he realized he was still alive.“What’s wrong with him?” Eilish asked, her voice b
CHAPTER 24
Rune’s POVI slowly opened my eyes, and the overwhelmingly bright light around me felt like a thousand knives stabbing into my brain, causing me to wince in pain.Everything was hazy, and my head stayed pounding like crazy. I blinked, forcing my eyes to adjust to my surroundings. It was bright, almost too bright. I placed a hand over my eyes, trying to shield them from the blinding lights.A jolt of pain shot up my arms, and I noticed for the first time just how much everything seemed to hurt.I tried to remember what had happened, but my memories seemed to be shrouded in a thick fog. I vaguely recalled a training session, but the details were sketchy. I carefully sat up, my eyes scanning my surroundings. I was in a brightly lit room, with cold, grey walls that seemed to close in on me.I stretched out a hand when my body threatened to lose its balance, letting the wall hold some of my weight as I battled to remain on my feet.My body was hurting in places I didn’t know could hurt, th
CHAPTER 25
Aeris’s POVThe phone was pressed against my ear, my heart pounding in anticipation as I listened to it ring.The last couple of days have been overwhelming in every sense of the word. I could use any hope I could get at this point.“Hello?” Charis’s soothing voice poured in from the other end of the line.“Hey, it’s been a minute.” I sighed, my fingers drawing lines against my temples as I struggled to avoid a budding headache.“I was going to call, just got busy with a lot of things.”“I understand, I’ve been busy myself.” I paused, hesitant to let the next sentence out, “Any good news yet?” I held my breath in anticipation, suddenly conscious of everything around me.My heart sank when I heard her sigh, “Nothing. I wish I had better news for you.”When I said nothing, she asked, “What of the boy?”I pressed my eyes shut, shaking my head even though she couldn’t see me, “Nothing so far. It’s scary seeing him like that. I don’t know what to do right now.” I could feel the mask of cont
CHAPTER 26
Author’s POVAeris took center stage in the room, his hand spread out as he addressed them collectively, “The last couple of days have been scary for all of us,” he paused, looking around as if to make sure he still had all their attention. Satisfied, he continued, “I know what it feels like to be on the brink of losing someone.”This wasn’t some random pep talk, you could tell it was personal from how tight his voice grew when he spoke and the small pauses he took as if to collect himself.“But the enemy we are to face doesn’t sleep or take rest, and time isn’t on our side either.” He let his hands drop to his side, the noise echoing around the room momentarily, “As much as I want you to put in your best efforts, you cannot, under any circumstance, push harder than you can manage.”Zayan snickered, nudging the edge of a chair until it scraped loudly against the floor, drawing everyone's attention to him, a grin plastered on his face.He looked surprised at first when he noticed the at
CHAPTER 27
Author’s POVThe room was dead silent, and everything seemed to happen in a split second, leaving almost no time for anyone to act.Aeris knew if he didn’t intervene, something terrible would happen. So, without thinking, he launched forward, pushing the boy who was clearly too stunned to move aside, the two of them barely escaping the flames unhurt.The heat of the flames forced him to shield his face with his open palm, wincing slightly as it brushed past them.When he finally put his hands down, he looked over at the wall, watching the wide patch of black that covered it. A small flame still burned, but it quickly died out.He sighed, realizing just then how much energy that theatrics had taken from him. He had collapsed atop Zayan, successfully pushing the boy out of harm's way, but he could feel the stinging pain at his sides.Atleast, the boy was fine, that was all that mattered. His eyes wandered towards Eilish; her shocked expression told him that she hadn’t meant any of it.
CHAPTER 28
Author’s POVAeris’s office was small, with boxes littered in almost every corner. The smell of old books seemed permanently suspended in the air, and brown pages of books tainted by age stuck out of almost every box.It was a wonder how anyone managed to keep up with anything in here. But somehow, you could tell Aeris did, effortlessly even. He moved around with ease, reaching for things blindly, like he could pin point the location of anything blindfolded.Rune let his gaze sweep through the entirety of the room, taking in everything as he walked towards the large brown table placed in the center, different files covering a large percentage of its surface.“Please, do make yourself comfortable,” Aeris said, his hands gesturing towards the leather chair opposite him.He collapsed into his chair, letting out a loud sigh of relief, his eyes pressed shut momentarily.Rune sat still, unsure what any of this was about but patient enough to give the man time to comport himself.When Aeris
CHAPTER 29
Wilder’s POVThe door creaked open and I looked up briefly, watching until a limp figure made its way into the room. It was Rune, he looked exhausted, rightly so. But there was something else. He looked upset.I watched him make his way towards Eilish, the both of them exchanging a small smile as he sat beside her, his anger waning thin as their inaudible whispers floating throughout the room; too low to understand, but audible enough to disturb the quiet I was enjoying.A low grunt of frustration escaped my throat as I reached for the book beside me, staring at it briefly before tucking it aside. Reading was an easy thing to do, but now, it felt like a chore.It was difficult to concentrate on anything for more than a fleeting instant. I felt constantly overwhelmed and irritated, and that was why I kept to myself mostly.The last couple of days here has been weird, especially for me. Being here, in a confined space meant I had to face my problems head on, something I have ran away f
CHAPTER 30
Aeris’s POVThe silence that plagued the room seemed suffocating, a physical weight that pressed down on me like an unseen hand. It seemed to have a presence all its own, an unusual absence of sound that was almost deafening.I sat behind my desk still, my eyes fixed on some invisible point on the wall as I tried to escape the crushing emptiness that had been following me for weeks.Lost in thoughts, my hand moved of its own accord, reaching blindly under the desk for the familiar shape of the bottle that sat there. My fingers closed around the cool glass, and I pulled it out with a quiet clink.The amber liquid glowed in the dim light of the office as I stared at it, my one source of temporary relief from the weight of my thoughts.I poured a generous measure into the cup that sat on my desk, the liquid flowing smoothly into the glass with a soft gurgle.Once content with the quantity, I raised the cup to my lips, taking hurried gulps as if trying to drown my sorrows in a haste. The