Ethan held his sister's hand tightly as they stood in the crowded plaza. Her palm was completely dry. That small detail felt strange to him because every other person in the massive crowd was sweating from pure terror. Today was the annual Awakening Ceremony. Every eighteen-year-old in the kingdom had to stand before the holy rulers and touch the Dawnstone. If the stone turned gold, you received a divine spark. You became a noble mage and left the dirty slums forever. If it stayed grey, you remained a poor servant for the rest of your life."Are you nervous for me?" Ethan asked, looking down at Lily.He was eighteen, but his younger sister was only sixteen. She had used her small size to push through the crowd so they could stand in the front row right next to the stage.Lily looked up at the towering white walls of the palace, then turned her gaze to the thousands of poor citizens pushing against the heavy iron gates. Her eyes were very wide, but they did not hold any fear. They were

A sharp claw missed my nose by an inch, leaving a deep scratch on the stone wall behind me.I threw myself to the left, rolling across the cold ground. Three more Abyssal Ghouls leaped into the spot where I had just been standing. Their yellow teeth snapped together in the dark. The cavern was completely alive with the sounds of heavy breathing and scratching feet. Sixty-seven monsters wanted my flesh, and they were closing in from every single tunnel."Stop panicking, kid," the old voice spoke inside my head, sounding totally calm. "Your veins are fixed now. You have level eight stats. Stop running like a coward and use your right hand."I scrambled to my feet and looked down at my right arm. The purple shadow hand moved perfectly when I willed it. I could feel a cold, raw energy flowing through the fingers.Two ghouls lunged at me at the same time. One aimed for my legs, while the other jumped toward my chest.Instead of backing away, I stepped forward. I thrust my new shadow hand s

Lily held a golden ring up to the light, turning it slowly between her fingers. A small red gem on the band pulsed with a faint light every time the carriage bumped against the stone street."This artifact tracks the exact mana signatures of everyone who leaves the lower tunnels," Lily said, her voice completely smooth as she looked directly at my fake face. "But for some reason, Julian, your magic flow looks completely different right now. It is rougher. Why is that?"The countdown timer at the edge of my vision flashed. Twelve minutes left.My right hand, hidden completely beneath the long silk sleeve, remained tight. The shadow fingers were ready to form a blade at any second. Sitting three feet away from my own sister inside this small, moving box was the hardest thing I had ever done. She looked beautiful in her new black dress, a massive contrast to the ragged clothes she had worn just yesterday morning. Her betrayal had purchased this luxury."The ghouls attacked my guards," I

A heavy iron collar snapped around my neck, pinning my head flat against the freezing stone wall.The two mages kicked my legs out from under me, forcing me to my knees. They attached heavy chains to my ankles and my left wrist, pulling them tight until I could barely move an inch. The glowing golden net that had burned my skin finally dissolved, leaving behind deep, painful marks across my chest and shoulders."Do not bother struggling," the older mage said, adjusting his white robes as he stepped back toward the thick iron door. "These walls are lined with sun-stone dust. Any dark magic you try to use will be crushed instantly. Enjoy your last night, demon."The heavy door slammed shut, and the sound of three metal locks turning echoed through the quiet cell.The only light came from a tiny magic crystal set high into the ceiling, casting a weak white glow over the damp room. I slumped against the wall, my breathing heavy and shallow. My right shoulder throbbed where Malakai’s light

The glowing arrow left the bowstring with a sharp snap.I threw myself flat into the mud just as the light projectile ripped through the air above me. It hit the iron grate behind me, exploding into a shower of white sparks that singed the hairs on the back of my neck."Run, kid!" Kaelen barked in my mind. "The high hunters use heat-tracking weapons. He does not need to see your core to find your position!"I scrambled to my feet and leaped down the rocky cliffside, sliding through dirt and loose stones. Behind me, another arrow struck the rock I had just used for cover, shattering it into tiny pieces.My physical stats were level seventeen now. My legs felt much stronger, moving faster than they ever had when I was a simple mine worker. I leaped over a five-foot drop and landed hard in a garbage-filled alley of the lower slums.But the hunter was incredibly fast. I heard the heavy thud of his boots hitting the ground right behind me. He was already pulling a third arrow from his quiv