Underneath the Silhouette-Chapter 90: Carriage to Confusion

"Good evening, Sir," Eirin greeted, her tone polite and a practice smile on her face, addressing one of the stable hands standing idly by the cart sheds. "Could we rent a carriage to the entrance of Senerra Academy, please?"

The man, in his mid-30s, with weary eyes and calloused hands, eyed them speculatively, his gaze lingering on Shade’s small, child-like form. "How much will you pay, young lady?" he asked, his voice rough.

Eirin checked her wallet, her finger brushing against the paltry sum. There were no more than 20 copper coins. "Would 20 copper coins suffice?" the teenage girl humbly asked, her voice tinged with a hopeful uncertainty.

The coachman grunted, then nodded, a reluctant acceptance. He pointed to one of the carriages out of the sheds. It was terribly shabby, its paint peeling, wheels groaning, and upholstery torn, looking as if this would indeed be its very last journey before falling apart.

’Better have this than nothing, I guess?’ Eirin thought, a bucket of weariness poured over her.

Eirin and Shade rode in a relative silence as the sky outside grew darker, painting the horizon with deep indigo and velvet black after the sun had fully set. Perhaps it was sheer exhaustion, but Eirin found she could no longer give anything else her full attention.

The teenage girl simply rested her back against the hard wooden carriage, her gaze fixed on the open, sprawling scenery passing by, illuminated now only by the faint starlight and the carriage’s own dim lantern.

The stillness, the vastness of the land, reminded her of the gentle giant, Girak. How it had kept calling a name unfamiliar to her, how it had shown such care and protection despite having no recollection of Eirin herself.

’I wonder who that Nævi truly was,’ Eirin thought, her gaze drifting to the weeping bindweed, safely ensconced in its vase, glowing softly on the seat beside her. It was so small, so delicate, yet imbued with such immense power, and holding such deep meaning for the grieving golem.

It was both beautiful and heartbreaking.

The ride was surprisingly faster than Eirin had expected. They arrived in front of the Academy’s main gate, a towering edifice of wrought iron and ancient stone, much sooner than she’d anticipated.

They were immediately greeted by the stern-faced guards securing the area, their polished armor glinting in the faint light of the gate lamps.

"Who could this young boy be, Miss Luxfield?" one of the guards asked, his voice gruff with suspicion, his eyes narrowing as he eyed Shade, his gaze lingering on the boy’s disproportionately fierce expression.

Shade, perhaps sensing the guard’s scrutiny, lifted his head slightly. In the dim light, his small eyes suddenly turned a vivid, alarming red, burning with an inner, suppressed power.

The guard, who had been about to step closer, flinched violently, a visible shudder running through his armored form. His eyes widened in undisguised fear, his hand unconsciously reaching for the hilt of his sword, though he knew it would be useless.

"Open the gate!" the guard suddenly barked, his voice laced with pure, abject terror, and the massive wrought-iron doors began to creak open, revealing the familiar, welcoming grounds of the Academy.

"Is he new or just dumb?" Shade muttered, his small voice surprisingly loud in the sudden silence, allowing the quivering guard to clearly hear his disdain. The man visibly shivered in fear, his face draining of color.

Eirin grimaced. What in the world could this man have done to that guard, or what kind of reputation did the real Shade Cromwell possess, to make a grown, armed guard quiver just by the sight of Shade’s red eyes?

’Wait,’ a new, startling thought flashed through Eirin’s mind, pushing aside her exasperation. ’He could control it now? He consciously made his eyes turn red?’ But that thought was quickly overshadowed by a bigger, more immediate problem.

Shade Cromwell was still in his child form. How was she going to explain all of this to the Academy authorities, particularly to the ever-strict Ms. Hockenbury?

Eirin immediately pulled Shade towards the female dormitories, her grip firm. She knew, with a sinking certainty, that she needed to keep him safe, hidden from prying eyes, at least for tonight. Otherwise, if Ms. Hockenbury, the formidable professor, learned of his condition, she would undoubtedly do something drastic to the young man, perhaps even send him away for "evaluation" or "containment"

The Academy, despite its educational façade, had its own dark secrets and stringent rules regarding uncontrollable magic.

"You should stay with me for tonight," Eirin said, pulling the young boy along, trying to usher him discreetly.

Shade’s pale face instantly turned a fiery red, not from fever, but from mortification. He vehemently pushed Eirin’s hand away, his small form stiffening with indignant protest.

"W-What are you talking about?" he stammered, his voice cracking slightly, flustered. "Do you not know that male students aren’t allowed in the female dormitories? It’s against Academy rules!" His cheeks burned, and he averted his gaze, as if the very thought was scandalous.

This made Eirin wonder, with a bemused shake of her head, why the young man was making such a big deal out of it. It wasn’t as if they would be alone in the room; Coleen would be with them, after all. There was no impropriety, merely necessity.

Shade clicked his tongue in frustration, a sharp, irritated sound, and stomped off ahead, his small figure radiating intense displeasure. Eirin sighed, a long, weary sound, and followed him, bracing herself, waiting for the young man to lash out at her with a torrent of complaints.

But he didn’t.

And so, with a shrug of acceptance, Eirin simply continued to follow him, wondering what new, unexpected challenge the night would bring.

Eirin’s eyes darted around, her brows furrowed in a deep V, as she followed Shade down the dimly lit corridor. Her gaze snagged on a polished brass plaque affixed to the wall. ’Teachers’ Dormitory.’

A wave of apprehension washed over her. This was certainly not where they belonged, not at this ungodly hour. Yet, despite the logical alarm bells ringing in her head, she continued to follow the small, determined figure of the teenage boy who led the way.

Shade didn’t utter a single word, his small frame radiating a stubborn resolve, until they reached a specific apartment room door. Without a moment’s hesitation, or any attempt at discretion, Shade lifted his tiny fist and banged on the wall beside the door with astonishing force for a child his size.

The resounding thump-thump-thump echoed unnervingly down the quiet hallway, causing Eirin’s eyes to widen in alarm. She instinctively glanced around, worried that the commotion would rouse other sleeping professors and bring their ire down upon them.

"What are you doing?" Eirin hissed, her voice a frantic whisper despite the surprisingly loud banging of Shade Cromwell’s small fist. Her heart hammered against her ribs, an anxious drumbeat against the silence of the Academy night.

Eirin flinched when the door suddenly creaked open, terrified of whoever would emerge to scold them for the scandalous disturbance. Her eyes, wide with fear, blinked rapidly, adjusting to the dim light filtering from inside. Her jaw slackened in disbelief when she saw Mr. Blade standing there, a deep frown etched on his usually placid face, his eyes half-opened and heavy with sleep.

Mr. Blade grunted, a guttural sound of immense displeasure. "Who the hell...?" His crude words, so unlike the composed professor Eirin knew, left her momentarily speechless.

But what was even more shocking, more terrifying in its audacity, was the sheer disrespect of Shade Cromwell, a mere student, banging on their esteemed professor’s door in the dead of night. It was an unthinkable breach of decorum, and it left Eirin truly terrified, even though she knew, or thought she knew, how kind and understanding Mr. Arthur Blade typically was.

This was a side of him she had never witnessed.

Mr. Blade sighed, a long, drawn-out sound of pure exhaustion, as he finally forced both of his eyes fully open. They instantly widened in shock, almost popping out of their sockets, after seeing Eirin standing awkwardly in front of his door.

His gaze swept down his own body, and he immediately fumbled, trying to cover his highly unprofessional, animal-print pajamas. "W-Why have you come here, Eirin?" he stammered, his voice laced with confusion and a hint of disbelief. "And why, for the love of the Academy, are you banging on my door at this hour? It’s the middle of the night! Did you just arrive back from your mission? And what happened to your clothes?"

The series of questions tumbled out, each covered with more bewilderment, as the usually astute teacher struggled to reconcile the timid, disciplined teenage girl he knew with the chaotic scene before him.

Eirin, too flustered to speak, simply pointed a trembling finger downward at the small figure beside her. Mr. Blade’s eyes, still wide with shock, followed the direction of her index finger. He squinted, trying to make sense of the diminutive presence. "Who... who is this child?" the professor asked, his voice now a bewildered whisper.

Shade, despite his small stature, fixed Mr. Blade with an unnervingly intense glare, his small face scrunched in impatience. "Are you still dreaming or what?" he retorted, his voice surprisingly sharp and clear.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺