Kael Arcturus was having the worst day of his life—and that was saying something, considering he’d once accidentally set his dorm room on fire while trying to microwave ramen. But no, today was special. Today, he’d been hit by a car.

  Well, “hit” was a generous term. More like “obliterated.” One minute, he was crossing the street, minding his own business and wondering if he should’ve splurged on that overpriced latte, and the next, he was airborne, performing what could only be described as a very ungraceful swan dive into the pavement.

  When he came to, his first thought was, *Wow, I’m alive?* His second thought was, *Why does everything hurt so much?* And his third thought was, *Why is that shadow moving?*

  Kael blinked, trying to clear the fog from his brain. He was lying in the middle of the road, surrounded by shattered glass and the faint smell of burnt rubber. The car that had hit him was gone, leaving only skid marks and a lingering sense of existential dread. But that wasn’t what caught his attention. No, what caught his attention was the shadow.

  It was his own shadow, stretching out in front of him under the dim glow of a flickering streetlight. Except it wasn’t behaving like a shadow should. It was… writhing. Twisting. Like it was alive. And then, as if to prove it wasn’t just a concussion-induced hallucination, it *spoke*.

  “Get up,” it hissed, its voice a low, guttural growl that sent shivers down Kael’s spine. “They’re coming.”

  Kael stared at his shadow, which was now very clearly not a normal shadow. “Oh, great,” he muttered. “I’m dead, aren’t I? This is hell. Or purgatory. Or some kind of weird afterlife where shadows yell at you. Fantastic.”

  The shadow didn’t seem amused. “You’re not dead,” it snapped. “But you will be if you don’t get up. Now.”

  Kael groaned, pushing himself to his feet. His body ached like he’d been run over by a truck—which, technically, he had—but somehow, he was still in one piece. “Okay, fine,” he said, brushing glass shards off his hoodie. “But if this is some kind of prank, I’m going to be really pissed.”

  The shadow didn’t respond. Instead, it stretched out, elongating unnaturally until it formed a solid, inky black tendril. Before Kael could react, it lashed out, wrapping around his wrist and yanking him into the darkness.

  The world spun, and for a moment, Kael felt like he was falling. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the sensation stopped. He stumbled, catching himself on a nearby wall, and looked around. He was in an alley now, the streetlight and skid marks nowhere to be seen. The only light came from the moon, casting eerie shadows on the brick walls.

  “What the hell just happened?” Kael demanded, turning to his shadow, which had returned to its normal, non-sentient state. “Did you just… teleport me? Is that a thing shadows can do now?”

  Before the shadow could answer—assuming it even could—a low growl echoed through the alley. Kael froze, his heart pounding in his chest. Slowly, he turned around.

  Standing at the other end of the alley was… something. It looked like a dog, if dogs were the size of small cars and had glowing red eyes and way too many teeth. It snarled, saliva dripping from its jaws, and took a step forward.

  “Oh, come on,” Kael said, throwing his hands up. “First sentient shadows, now demon dogs? What’s next, vampires? Werewolves? A guy in a trench coat selling cursed artifacts?”

  The creature lunged.

  Kael didn’t have time to scream. He barely had time to think. The demon dog—or whatever it was—was on him in seconds, its massive jaws snapping inches from his face. He stumbled backward, tripping over a trash can and landing hard on the pavement. The creature lunged again, and Kael did the only thing he could think of: he kicked it in the face.

  His sneaker connected with the dog’s snout, and for a split second, he felt a surge of triumph. Then the dog shook its head, completely unfazed, and growled louder. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Kael muttered, scrambling to his feet. “What are you, part tank?”

  The dog lunged again, and this time, Kael didn’t have time to dodge. He braced himself for impact, but instead of teeth sinking into his flesh, he felt a strange, cold sensation wash over him. His shadow—his stupid, sentient shadow—shot out in front of him, forming a solid wall of darkness. The dog slammed into it with a yelp, bouncing off like it had hit a brick wall.

  Kael stared at the shadow barrier, then at his own hands. “Okay, what the hell is going on?” he demanded. “Since when can I do… whatever this is?”

  The shadow didn’t answer. Instead, it shifted, forming into a tendril that lashed out at the dog. The creature howled as the tendril struck it, sending it skidding across the alley. Kael watched in stunned silence as the shadow retracted, returning to its normal, non-sentient state.

  “Okay, cool,” he said, his voice shaky. “I can control shadows now. That’s… that’s a thing. Totally normal. Nothing to freak out about.”

  The dog, however, wasn’t done. It got back to its feet, shaking off the attack, and snarled at Kael. Its eyes glowed brighter, and its muscles tensed, ready to pounce. Kael took a step back, his mind racing. “Alright, shadow,” he said, holding out his hands like he was directing traffic. “Do your thing. Whatever that thing is. Please?”

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  The shadow didn’t respond. Of course it didn’t. Because why would anything in Kael’s life ever be easy?

  The dog lunged again, and this time, Kael didn’t have a shadow barrier to save him. He ducked, narrowly avoiding the creature’s jaws, and grabbed the first thing he could find—a broken broom handle lying on the ground. He swung it like a bat, hitting the dog in the side. The handle snapped in half, and the dog barely flinched.

  “Great,” Kael said, tossing the broken stick aside. “Just great. What’s next, huh? Are you going to start breathing fire? Because that would really just top off this wonderful evening.”

  The dog growled, its eyes narrowing, and Kael realized with a sinking feeling that it was actually considering it. He backed up until he hit the wall, his heart pounding in his chest. “Okay, shadow,” he said, his voice rising in panic. “Any time now would be great. Seriously. I’m not exactly equipped to handle demon dogs on my own.”

  As if on cue, the shadow stirred again. This time, it didn’t form a barrier or a tendril. Instead, it wrapped around Kael’s arm, cold and solid, and pulled. Hard.

  Kael stumbled forward, his feet moving on their own, and before he could protest, he was running. The shadow dragged him through the alley, weaving around dumpsters and fire escapes like it had a map of the place. The dog was close behind, its claws scraping against the pavement as it gave chase.

  “You know,” Kael said, panting as he ran, “this would be a lot easier if you just, I don’t know, teleported me again. Just saying.”

  The shadow didn’t respond. Of course it didn’t.

  Kael’s lungs burned as he sprinted through the alley, the shadow still tugging him along like an overenthusiastic dog on a leash. The demon dog—or whatever it was—was hot on his heels, its growls echoing off the brick walls. Kael risked a glance over his shoulder and immediately regretted it. The creature was gaining on him, its glowing red eyes locked on his back like he was a particularly juicy steak.

  “You know,” Kael wheezed, “if you’re going to give me superpowers, could you at least make them useful? Like, I don’t know, super speed? Or laser eyes? Laser eyes would be great right about now.”

  The alley twisted and turned, leading him deeper into the city’s underbelly. Kael had no idea where he was going, but the shadow seemed to have a plan. It yanked him around a corner, and he stumbled into a dead end. A chain-link fence blocked the way, and behind it was a dark, abandoned warehouse. The dog skidded to a stop behind him, its growls turning into a low, menacing rumble.

  “Oh, fantastic,” Kael said, backing up against the fence. “A dead end. Because why wouldn’t there be a dead end? That’s just perfect. Really ties the whole ‘worst night of my life’ thing together.”

  The dog took a step forward, its teeth bared. Kael glanced at the shadow, which had retreated to its normal, non-sentient state. “Any time now,” he said, his voice rising in panic. “Seriously, if you’ve got a plan, now would be the time to share it.”

  The shadow didn’t move. The dog lunged.

  Kael closed his eyes, bracing for impact, but instead of teeth sinking into his flesh, he heard a loud *thud*. He opened his eyes to see the dog sprawled on the ground, a glowing silver rune hovering in the air where it had been a second ago. The rune pulsed with light, and the dog whimpered, scrambling to its feet and backing away.

  “What the—” Kael started, but before he could finish, a voice cut him off.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Kael turned to see a man leaning against the fence, his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. He was tall, with sharp features and eyes that glowed faintly in the dark. He wore a long black coat that looked like it had seen better days, and his hair was a messy tangle of silver and black. Kael blinked at him, trying to process what had just happened.

  “Who the hell are you?” he demanded.

  The man raised an eyebrow. “Eryndor,” he said, as if that explained everything. “And you’re the new Umbramancer. Congratulations. You’re officially the rarest and most hunted supernatural being on the planet.”

  Kael stared at him. “I’m sorry, the what now?”

  Eryndor sighed, pushing off the fence and walking toward him. “Umbramancer,” he repeated, slower this time, like he was talking to a particularly slow child. “You control shadows. Command creatures of darkness. Raise the dead. Ringing any bells?”

  Kael opened his mouth to argue, but before he could say anything, the dog let out a low growl. Eryndor glanced at it, his smirk fading. “We’ll continue this conversation later,” he said, grabbing Kael’s arm. “Right now, we need to get out of here.”

  “Wait, what—” Kael started, but Eryndor didn’t give him a chance to finish. The world spun, and for a moment, Kael felt like he was falling. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the sensation stopped. He stumbled, catching himself on a nearby wall, and looked around. They were in a different alley now, the dog nowhere to be seen.

  “What the hell just happened?” Kael demanded, rounding on Eryndor. “Did you just teleport us? Is that a thing people can do now?”

  Eryndor smirked. “Welcome to the supernatural world, kid. It’s about to get a lot weirder.”

  ---

  Kael stared at Eryndor, his brain struggling to catch up with everything that had just happened. “Okay, let me get this straight,” he said, holding up a hand. “I got hit by a car, woke up with shadow powers, got chased by a demon dog, and now you’re telling me I’m some kind of… shadow wizard?”

  Eryndor rolled his eyes. “Umbramancer,” he corrected. “And yes, that’s the short version. Congratulations, you’re special. Now, can we move on before more of those things show up?”

  Kael opened his mouth to argue, but the sound of distant growls cut him off. He glanced down the alley, half-expecting to see another demon dog—or worse—emerging from the shadows. “Fine,” he said, throwing his hands up. “But you’re explaining everything. And I mean *everything*. Starting with why that dog looked like it wanted to eat me.”

  Eryndor smirked. “Because it did. And it’s not just dogs you need to worry about. Vampires, werewolves, hunters—they’re all going to want a piece of you now that you’ve awakened.”

  “Great,” Kael muttered. “Just great. Because what I really needed in my life was more people trying to kill me.”

  Eryndor ignored him, turning and walking down the alley. Kael hesitated for a moment, then hurried after him. “Wait, where are we going?”

  “Somewhere safe,” Eryndor said, not looking back. “Or as safe as you can get, considering the circumstances.”

  Kael frowned, jogging to keep up. “And where’s that, exactly? Your secret lair? A hidden fortress? A really shady motel?”

  Eryndor shot him a look over his shoulder. “You talk too much.”

  “And you don’t talk enough,” Kael shot back. “Seriously, you can’t just drop a bombshell like ‘you’re the last Umbramancer’ and then not explain what the hell that means.”

  Eryndor sighed, stopping in front of a rusted metal door set into the side of a building. He pulled a key from his coat and unlocked it, gesturing for Kael to go inside. “Fine,” he said. “But if I’m going to explain, we’re doing it somewhere that doesn’t involve getting eaten by shadow creatures.”

  Kael hesitated, glancing at the dark doorway. “This isn’t going to be one of those situations where I walk in and get murdered, is it? Because I feel like I should at least get a say in that.”

  Eryndor raised an eyebrow. “If I wanted you dead, you’d already be dead. Now get inside.”

  Kael sighed, muttering under his breath as he stepped through the door. The room inside was dimly lit, with a single flickering bulb hanging from the ceiling. The walls were lined with shelves filled with strange objects—jars of glowing liquid, ancient-looking books, and what looked like a human skull wearing sunglasses. Kael stared at it, his unease growing.

  “What is this place?” he asked, turning to Eryndor.

  “Home,” Eryndor said, closing the door behind them. “For now, at least. Sit down. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

  Kael hesitated, then sat on a rickety wooden chair. Eryndor leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. “Alright,” he said. “Let’s start with the basics. You’re an Umbramancer. That means you can control shadows, command creatures of darkness, and, eventually, raise the dead. You’re also the last of your kind, which makes you very valuable—and very dangerous.”

  Kael blinked at him. “And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

  Eryndor smirked. “It’s not my job to make you feel better. It’s my job to keep you alive. So, listen closely, because your life depends on it.”

  Kael groaned, slumping in his chair. “Great. Just great. Because what I really needed was a cryptic mentor and a death sentence. This is officially the worst day of my life.”

  Eryndor’s smirk widened. “Oh, you have no idea.”