YUVEN

Monstrous shadows slithered onto his bed and licked at his cheeks, straight through his skin to reach his bones. Twisted and malformed, their smiles dug deep with malformed teeth to drag along his throat and ooze out rust past his lips. Until a radiant light burst through the darkness, and he screamed at the flash of pain when a shape rushed through with the power of wings. He fought to flee his greatest enemy, but he found himself wrapped in warm arms instead.

"Yuven, it's okay," soft, melodic Navei whispered. "You are safe."

"Stop it! Stop!" Yuven screeched and writhed away from the chains. Knocks rapped across the wooden walls and floorboards when he tried to push himself into his magick, which refused to obey his one command. Furniture quivered, from his desk which caused his quills to clatter off, to his bookshelf which caused his precious books to crumple onto the floor. "Go away!" He threw his hands into their chest.

Jaws of darkness squeezed his throat tighter and stole his song. "Don't make me go into the dark," he begged his pale-haired, sapphire-eyed enemy for cruel mercy. "Make it leave me alone. I want it to leave me alone." He sobbed into their cotton nightshirt, his throat tightening to create pitiful squeaks past his lips. "Make it leave me alone... I don't want to go. I'll be good, I'll study hard, I won't be a monster — I'll stay out of sight..." Just make it leave me alone.

A hand patted the top of his head. Snowy magelights eased out the ferocity of the light and the cruelty of the dark to create small, softer spots of safety. Each one attached themselves to the crimson spiderwebs, and Neven slipped out of his grip to scatter more of the snowy pieces of warmth around the room until it glowed a soft, sapphire blue. "I'll be right back," the ice siren sang out across the sea, though Neven was on the border of his room with a smile on his face and he disappeared into the corridor.

Don't say that. No one comes back for monsters. You'll leave like all the rest, or you'll melt.

Through the waves of crimson, a golden crescent blade forged itself out of the viscera. Neven returned, both hands full with the hook in one hand and a book in the other. Yuven tucked his knees against his chin with his resented, unwanted tears when Neven set the book on his endtable. "If shadows are bothering you... I am a light in the dark."

"I don't want to be afraid of the dark... I hate being scared."

Neven curled his lips to reveal his much sharper fangs of an adult to match the pale-haired shadows of his nightmares, but the expression remained soft. "Can I tell you a secret, Yuven?"

"A... secret?" Yuven investigated the book Neven brought for high-shelf knowledge, but grimaced at the painted cover where an ice crown splashed across its front. Gemstones lined the spine and glittered with winter might. "Let me guess, it involves storybooks?"

"Well, I was hoping you'd give it a chance, but if not..." Neven tucked his hands together. "My big secret is that I'm scared of heights."

Golden light continued to burn at the crimson until there was nothing left in his peripheral vision. "That's your big secret? I know that already."

Neven winced and chuckled. "You're afraid of the dark. I'm afraid of heights." He stretched his legs out and tilted to the side with a grin. "I come from a great city, full of towers and spires. You could see across the mountain-carved walls on the tallest one. It set one's imagination alight to think of what our wyvern ancestors experienced with their ability to fly — and the sky they saw back then."

Bloodbound tendrils cracked spires in half. Yuven hugged himself when it crawled across claws of a cradle, but he jolted when Neven's voice shifted the picture, all alone.

"I went to the top one day and I could barely step out of the lift. I was so scared of what I saw, or couldn't see." Neven let out a wistful sigh. "Sometimes it's too much to bear. It saps your strength." He unfurled his fingers. "There are those who believe strength is in endless, ceaseless bravery and boldness. Found in the heart of the absolute fearless." Unheard echoes of music raised his down against his ears when Neven slid the crescent blade into his lap with a soft smile. "I used to be that person. Used to think that way of strength, but I've learned... I've learned that strength isn't the absence of fear, it's a part of it. When you feel your strength has left you, when you can't go forward anymore, when you're trapped and unable to move... I believe that's when you'll find it." Neven faced him. "And that's my secret."

Snow whispered past him. Tundra flowers bloomed underneath the fields of blood, and he sank at the flutter of worn parchment; what he hid from the pale-haired shadows underneath his cot. Ice Knights upon the backs of wyverns, with gleaming glaives and thick shields. Wyvern wings flapped with a soft wind. He reached out to the pictures, but found it reaching back when Neven set his hand on his head with a smile.

Yuven sniffed and choked on his tears as he grabbed onto Neven's side to fly too. "It won't leave me alone. They'll come back, they always come back. Make it leave me alone," he pleaded.

"How about this?" Neven questioned. "If the shadows start bothering you, come to me... I'll take care of your fear until you find your strength again."

"Why?"

"I am a Storm Warden, I am a shield against the darkness and a blade of light. I will always protect those who need it."

"But... I'm not light."

"What makes you say that?"

Yuven retreated into his blankets again and tried not to squeak like a baby. "I'm tainted... Is that why you're doing this? Are you here to make sure I don't hurt anyone?"

Neven frowned. "What do you mean, why do you think you'll hurt someone?"

"...I've hurt people." Those giant, piercing spires, full of light... torn asunder by the shadows.

Neven sighed and hauled himself off the bed. "I'm in the next room if you need anything, Yuven."

Left in the gentle glow of winter, Yuven listened to the crack of wood and the silence which followed. He swung his legs out of bed, but stopped when another magelight floated above his head. I want to be strong. Yuven reached up to grab it into his palm and pull it to his level, then frowned at the wall opposite of his bed. Fenrer's room. His spatial distortion licked the corners, and he frowned at the echoed sounds of his pain. Light close to his chest, he peeked through the boundary of shadows. Nothing more than a ghost, between two worlds. Fenrer tucked himself in a corner with his head tucked in his knees as he clawed at his temples with near silent whimpers. Another inch closer when his friend jittered in place, raking his fingers through his scalp as if trying to scoop out his own mind.

A Storm Warden, a shield in the dark and a blade of light.

Fenrer smiled at him, a monster and reached out to him without fear.

Unable to find his voice while Fenrer coiled in pain and torment, he held out the snowy magelight out of the ghoulish boundary. It spread its warmth further into the room, who stilled in one motion and tore his gaze upwards. Tears cracked down his cheeks. Green swirls danced around his pupils when he sniffed and rubbed his cheeks. "Yuven?"

"Sorry," he blurted out in Common. Spiderwebs clung onto his throat and he rushed away from Fenrer and left the magelight behind. Back under his covers, he waited for morning; for Neven's promise to turn twisted and gnarled.

It came without crimson.

Despite Neven's painted words, the pale-haired shadows sneered down at him and pushed him closer to the shadows. A false sense of security, but it was better than rust. Nooks and crannies gave him an overview of his battleground with the attic providing a safe space to read his high-shelf books on Glyphic Theory and all things magickal.

Kemal questioned where his books went, and when Neven shrugged, Yuven tasted victory. Perception empowered him, and the older Hanekan asked too many questions.

He peeked out of the wall and noticed a familiar, slumped shape on the couch.

Neven.

The golden crescent was nowhere in sight to pierce the shadows. Superior to a blizzard born sentinel. Better than a false Ice Knight in storybooks who rode wyverns and wielded glaives. Yuven left his security to round the couch. Neven sprawled across the couch, his arm draped over his eyes. Annoyance swept down his spine. Shadows failed to disturb the older Avaerilian and jealous icepicks shoved themselves into his bloody throat. Why is he sleeping? Such a waste of time. Yuven hesitated near his head. What good Storm Warden wastes time with naps? Unacceptable.

Neven failed to stir when Yuven poked his arm. Yuven folded his arms, but frowned at their shared fair colored hair. He raised his hand to squeeze at a single wavy, white strand before letting it go. I know all the good spots to hide. I'm ready this time. He won't cheat his way out of this one.

With a bit of effort, he climbed onto the couch which caused Neven to shift. Yuven waited for the movement to cease until he grasped the clump of feathers. On the count of the harbor bells, he gave a sharp tug. A shrill, birdlike chirp echoed through his eardrums when Neven waved his hands. Ready to fight the beast within its own den, Yuven bounced away when Neven rubbed the side of his head, the other set of feathers thinned against his ears. "Why are you sleeping?"

"Ai..." Neven gave one last scratch of his feathers. "Where are Kemal and Fenrer?"

"They went for a walk." Yuven pointed at the door. "You said you'd teach me ice magick."

Neven's fangs slipped over his fangs with his wince of pain. "I thought you weren't interested." Yuven sent his fist into his knee, but Neven failed to react. "I'll teach you if you ask correctly."

"Ask what correctly?"

"Please and thank you, Yuven?" Neven tilted his head. "It's proper manners."

Yuven stuck his tongue out.

"Manners." Neven poked his brow through his spatial distortion and defied reality.

Yuven sucked his tongue back in. "...please."

Neven brushed out his frayed feathers. "Good enough. Did you not want to go out on the walk with Fenrer?"

"Why were you sleeping on the couch?"

Neven hesitated, then chuckled. "You have me there. Let's go."

Into the backyard, Yuven studied Neven when he stepped across the creek's flowing surface with ease. On the shaky edge, Yuven placed his tiptoe onto the ice patch Neven left. Knees locked, he slid across it and fought to keep his balance when the water lapped with hunger against the edges. He jumped when Neven reached forward to steady him by the arms. "I don't need help!" he snapped and swatted Neven's hands away. "I can do this myself!" He stomped onto the ice, to make it obey, but he gasped when it cracked and he fell into the endless depths. His own tears drowned him when he sat up, fallen off the log again with all the judgemental faces of the warriors above him.

"Yuven." Neven, unwavering and endless. "You can trust me."

Yuven crawled onto the bank. "I don't want to learn here."

"Where else would we learn?"

Yuven pointed to the distant beachfront. "There. I want to learn real magick. Not this..." He kicked his heel into the ice. "Waste of time."

Neven shook his head. "Yuven, the ocean is a different beast. This isn't a waste of time, it's a foundation for you to start. You are not ready for—"

"I don't care! I'm powerful! I studied hard!" Yuven demanded and gave the pale shadows nothing less than perfection. "If you show me it I'll understand!"

"Okay," Neven whispered after a long stretch of silence. "Promise me you won't get too close."

"I promise." Though I don't see the difference. Water is water.

Neven guided him out of the backyard and onto the dirt path to the beach. A mountain jut shadowed it with a small mouth of a cave revealing a tiny tidepool. It arched into the deepest sea. His boots sank into the sand, and he came closer to prove his perfection, but stopped when Neven placed a hand on his shoulder. "You promised me, Yuven."

Imperfect, Yuven hung back on the shore when Neven drifted onto the water. Ice followed his footsteps, and the Storm Warden refused to falter at the rough waves. Yuven kept his attention on the whisper of magick and its expression when Neven glanced back at him. Show me a Storm Warden's strength compared to the shadows.

Sapphire glyphs spun around Neven when he raised his arms up. Droplets leashed through the air and scattered mist. Each small drop formed into larger spheres full of water. Frost twirled deep in the depths, and Neven pushed the glyphs forward into the spheres. Focal points blazed to life, a mix of magick and they exploded into beautiful icy shards. Suspended in the air, Neven raised smaller glyphs in his hands to throw them at the next, rough and tumble wave. Neven leaped over it, sliding down its crescent to bring up another frosty shield to break the next one apart. Mist slipped out of his nose, and Neven faced him once more. "There, is that satisfactory as a demonstration?"

Yuven tread closer and pushed the borders of his promise. "How do you keep your balance?"

"Stop fighting it." Neven pointed beneath him where he remained immovable though the waves continued their constant push and pull. "You need to understand the relationship between water and ice. Not enough ice and I will sink to the bottom. Too much, and I will find myself on unequal footing. When it comes to ice magick and its expression on the flow, inner balance is key. You need to be adaptable, but solid enough to remain standing."

That's simple.

Promises broke apart when he rushed out to catch up to Neven, whose feathers raised with a crinkle of a hiss. Sapphire waves tightened when Yuven pushed ice from his boots in large patches. Waves roared around him, but he stumbled back when a different shadow lunged for him. A barrier bubbled around him, and Yuven screeched when the force of the wave carried him right back to the beach to stumble into the safety of the sand.

Water stilled.

Neven was nowhere in sight.

Yuven crawled onto his knees and tried to find the sapphire glyphs again. A squeak left his throat, but it stifled in pain when Neven surfaced again with a sharp inhale. He swam back to shore. Water soaked his clothes and matted his hair when he stumbled away from the water. Yuven rushed for him, but slipped when Neven grabbed onto his arm with a rattle of a hiss leaving his throat. "I said to stay on the shore," Neven bit with his fangs slipping past. "You promised me." Yuven wriggled free when a glob of water slipped past his lips with a hack, and Neven fell to his knees to spit out the cruelty of the ocean. His eyelids fluttered when frost overtook the sapphires.

"I can do it!" Yuven argued. "It's just water! I can swim! I have the same magick you do. I can do it!"

"I didn't say you couldn't do it, Yuven—" Neven coughed and waved his hands at him. "Come on, let's get back to the house and get dried off."

Yuven dragged himself behind Neven and longed for the safety of the garden and a stone full of names. Back into the house, Neven swept a glyph over himself to squeeze out the moisture in his clothes. He stumbled back to the couch and slumped back into its cushions with a huff of exhaustion.

He's a golden warrior that battles shadows, why is he so tired? Yuven inched closer to him. "Can you teach me anything else?"

"I'm... tired, Yuven."

"Why? It's not even dinner, yet."

Neven leaned on the arm of the couch. "You said you liked books on high-shelves. I got you some new ones."

"I do better when I see it in action."

A soft smile crawled up Neven's lips with no hint of resentment. "Well, your magick sense is far superior to mine, Yuven."

"I still want to learn. You must've read a lot of high-shelf books to do that magick."

Neven slumped into the pillows with a wheezy cough. "If you let me have a nap, I'll teach you more — at the creek," he added, and Yuven deflated from his perfection. "Everything takes time."

Annoyance swept through him when Neven closed his eyes and said nothing more. All he does is nap. I have better things to do! Yuven turned his back on the time-waster and shimmered back to his nooks and crannies.