Makaela stared up at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep in the silent darkness of her room.

Her mind was busy thinking about the mission to hijack the central portal spire in Gibraltar. She, Amora, and the Shades a part of their squad would be leaving for their task in the morning. This was her chance to impress Thorian and win his trust. She would be able to learn more about his master plan that way. She might've even been able to tell her friends how they could stop him.

But she had to carry out the mission first.

She held the Illumio—the Eldenarian artifact belonging to her house, House Lumai—up to her face. The ring's golden gemstone pulsed through the night. It had been in her possession for a decade, yet she still had no what its full capabilities included. According to Remy, they were the most powerful relics in the three realms.

That was great and all, but she still didn't know how to use it.

Makaela frowned at the ring, poking at it as if that would cause some sort of reaction. Of course, nothing happened. Her frown deepened into a scowl, her eyes narrowing.

''Come on, you stupid thing,'' she muttered. ''Do something.''

To her surprise, a small pulse of golden light flared from within the gem. Her eyes widened. The light continued to grow. Golden rays protruded from the gem and bathed her walls with yellow luster. Its glare stung her eyes, forcing her to turn away.

She covered her eyes with her free hand and stole a peek at the angry ring.

The Aurelian crystal had cracked open, its luminosity having died down a bit. Multiple rune circles floated in the air, spinning slowly as they displayed their untranslated messages. She had seen images like this in her father's spellbook. However, she hadn't fully learned the old language before she was forced out of her home all those years ago.

Great, she thought. I finally open the damn thing but now I can't read it.

A fleeting thought crossed her mind and she wished it hadn't. However, it may have been her only chance at figuring out what the message in her ring said. She'd have to ask Thorian about it. His ring—the artifact belonging to House Tenebris—was almost an identical copy of her own. If anyone would know what was going on with the Illumio, he would.

Sighing, she decided she would ask him when she returned from her mission.

A lot was riding on the completion of the task the man had given her and his daughter. Despite the differences the two girls had with each other, they would have to put them aside and finish the task at hand. That was easier said than done, though.

Footsteps came from the corridor outside her bedroom. Her ears perking up, she stared at her door. She inhaled the scent of the person in the hall. They smelled of sage and rainwater. Her tense muscles relaxed.

. Quickly grabbing her ring, she forcibly pushed the split gemstone back together. The room darkened again. A knock sounded on her door.

''Come in.''

The knob turned and someone pushed it open. The faint light from the torches outside poured in through the opening as a man clad in a pitch-black cloak stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and removed his hood. A man clad in a pitch-black cloak with the hood up entered her room and closed the door behind him.

She arched an eyebrow at him.

"What are you doing here, Emile?"

"Just came to give you a bit of advice for tomorrow," he replied, his voice as smooth as silk.

She couldn't say she was surprised. The man often helped her with her studies in the dark arts. He was the only person in the entire castle who was truly nice to him. At first glance, he didn't look like a Shade. He had kind features and warm eyes. Plus, he was the only person who looked like her.

"What kind of advice?" she asked.

"You'll want to make sure to impress Thorian."

She nodded slowly.

"As I'm sure you know," he began, "the spire is protected by battlemages from the Eldai and water elementalists from House Aegeon. They'll have the advantage on the water. Their guardian also patrols the sea around the spire.''

''What is the guardian anyway?''

"It can come in a variety of forms,'' Emile explained. "It has been enchanted by Aegi the water god himself. The guardian will be your biggest threat. If you can defeat it, you'll be able to take the spire.''

Makaela thought back to books she read about the seven gods when she was a child. Aegi was the most unpredictable deity. While he was colloquially referred to as a male, the deity was known to shift between genders frequently. The stories also described Aegi as a rambunctious and fickle god, often destroying entire cities and flooding others for minor transgressions. If the guardian was anything like its parent, Makaela and the others would be in for a tough battle.

"Anything else you want to tell me?" she asked.

"I suggest you study up on some fire spells," Emile suggested with a smile. "The guardian will most likely take the form of something that is able to move quickly and stealthily in water. Perhaps a shark or maybe a water dragon."

She blanched at the image popping into her head.

"Just be ready for anything."

"Thanks...''

Emile smiled, dipped his head, and walked to her door. He grabbed the doorknob and paused before leaving. "One more thing."

Makaela resisted the urge to groan in annoyance. While she truly appreciated his help, she really wanted him to get out of her room.

"If you have to tap into your inner Nightling, make sure to hold onto something that will bring you back,'' Emile said with his back facing her. ''You don't want to lose yourself to the darkness.''

She tilted her head at him, brows raised. He seemed to know a lot about her kind. Had she not known any better, she would've thought he was a Nightling as well. But he was too nice to be a demon. Then again, so was her mother.

"If you want to stay in control, you have to maintain a part of yourself while in your Nightling form," Emile told her. "When all the light inside you vanishes, then you've lost. Keep that light. Hold onto it like it's your life...because it is."

"How do you know so much about this stuff?"

He ran a hand over his bald head. "Before I became a Shade, I was an Eldai. I worked in the dangerous creature containment division. We had to learn everything there was to know about every known creature in the world. Nightlings were a large part of the curriculum."

Makaela gawked at him. An Eldai? That couldn't be right. How could he have gone from being a part of the most well-respected group of magicians to working for the tyrant known as Thorian Thauvin? She studied him, trying to unlock the secrets hidden inside him.

"Thank you, Emile. Really. I appreciate it."

The man nodded at her over his shoulder. "Of course. I know it is hard adjusting to your new surroundings...especially the way it happened. Just know you did the right thing by joining our cause. While Thorian's methods may be radical and unorthodox, he is doing everything he can to make this world a better place for our people."

Makaela chewed on her bottom lip. While he wasn't like any of his comrades, not in the slightest, he still shared their ideology. If a man like him could see what Thorian was trying to accomplish and willing aid him, perhaps there was some merit to his quest.

The verdict was still out on that, though.

"Remember what I said," Emile said. "Keep hold of that light." With that, he exited her bedroom and closed the door softly behind him. She listened to the sound of his footsteps retreating down the hall until she couldn't hear them anymore.

Alone in the dark again, she mulled over his advice. The way he talked up the spire's guardian sent chills down her spine. But she couldn't back down now. She'd have to push that fear aside and get the job done.

She took a deep breath and laid back down.

Soon, it would be time for her to wake up and head to Gibraltar. But, for now, she decided she'd lay in the darkness for a few more minutes until sleep finally took her away from her thoughts.

Makaela stood in Castle Braexus' portal room with the other Shades who would be accompanying her and Amora on their mission. Gothic archways and black marble pillars made up most of the cavernous chamber. Along the walls, the Order of the Black Lotus' symbol—a black flower surrounded by twelve dots—glowed with an amethyst light, fighting back against the shadows threatening to swallow the room.

She examined the place, studying the architecture and the gorgeous pieces of stained-glass high on the walls. The place looked like the inside of a cathedral. Except there were no saints here. Just devils.

Though, they were missing one particular heathen who went by the name of Amora Thauvin. Their group was supposed to leave soon, and the girl hadn't arrived yet. Knowing her, she was probably fooling around with one of the handmaids again.

Makaela waited with her arms crossed and her foot tapping against the ground impatiently. Around her, the Shades kept their voices low as they spoke amongst each other.

She scowled after seeing a few them shooting her dirty glances. They whispered under their breath about her, masking their fear with hate. She did her best to tune out their voices, though, her enhanced hearing wasn't helping in the slightest. While it proved to be a valuable asset at times, it was a major inconvenience at others.

An eternity later, Amora strolled into the portal control center with her black robes dragging behind her. Her black hair had been freshly braided into two sections on her head, each one trailing down one of her shoulders. Her pale face, which had been touched up with dark makeup, sported a bored and uninterested expression as she joined her fellow Shades.

Makaela had to admit she looked stunning. She envied how beautiful her hair looked compared to her own. Running her fingers through her wild mane of ebony curls, she realized she needed to do something with it eventually.

Castle Braexus was kind of short on hairdressers, though.

She wondered if she should've braided it like Amora's. The voice in the back of her head shot down the notion, stating that she would be copying the girl. But she liked the hairstyle? Why did it matter if she was copying? The voice asked if she thought Amora was better than she was. The question made her cheeks burn.

She's not better than me...

That was a lie. The girl was a better caster, a better fighter, and better looking—in her opinion, at least.

Grumbling under her breath, she pushed those thoughts into the dark corners of her mind where they belonged. She focused on what Emile told her the previous night. The light he mentioned would keep her sane; it would bring her back from the depths her inner Nightling resided in.

Pleasant memories of her childhood and her short journey with her cousin, Sebastian, and Imogen filled her mind. That was her light. That was what she had to hold on to.

She frowned at the thought of Sebastian.

While she missed all of her friends equally, she longed to be with him again. They had a real connection, something she hadn't felt with anyone before. Granted, she didn't have much of a chance to experience love with anyone else. But she knew she belonged with Sebastian. They were destined for each other.

And she just had to mess it up.

But if her actions kept him and the others alive, they would've been worth it.

"Makaela!"

Annoyed, she faced Amora. "What?"

The Thauvin girl's eyes reduced her eyes to slits. "It's time to go."

She nodded.

"Before we head to the spire, we will be paying House Doragon a visit in Japan," Amora announced to her team. "If we're going to take down the guardian and the guards, it will do us some good to have few fire elementalists accompanying us."

The Shades uttered their words of approval.

Amora turned to the servant who had just entered the room. "Set the coordinates." They nodded and rushed over to the black stick in the center of the floor. The servant pressed their hand on top of the rod and muttered a few words under their breath.

Makaela shifted her attention to the symbols on the walls. They began to shift from purple to bright orange.

Seconds later, a rift opened in the air next to the servant. It quivered and shook in the air, purple light emanating from the portal. Through the opening, she could see the faint outline of a tall, red and black building surrounded by trees.

"Let's go!" Amora ordered as she stepped through the portal. The Shades followed suit and walked into the magical transporter.

Makaela took a deep breath and went in after them.