### Chapter 2: Shadows of Defiance
Kaiya sat rigid in Instructor Valthorne's office, the weight of her exposed Soul Mark pressing against her like a storm about to break. The room was stark, its walls lined with aetheric crystals that pulsed faintly, casting cold light across Valthorne's desk. Her wrist throbbed beneath the scarf, the chaotic sigil of flames and shadows a silent accusation. Fen's presence lingered in her mind, a restless shadow, but they stayed quiet—too quiet, as if waiting to see how she'd dig herself out of this mess.
Valthorne leaned forward, his iron-blue Soul Mark glinting on his forearm. His voice was low, deliberate, each word a blade. "A Soulwraith, Veyne. Do you have any idea what you've done?" His eyes flicked to her wrist, where the scarf had slipped during the trial, revealing the forbidden mark. "That bond could get you expelled. Or worse."
Kaiya's throat tightened, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. "It was an accident. I didn't know—"
"Ignorance is no excuse," Valthorne cut in, his tone sharp enough to slice through her defenses. "Soulwraiths are relics of a darker age. Their contracts are unstable, dangerous. The Council of Binders would have you stripped of your Spark if they knew."
"Then why haven't you reported me?" The question slipped out before Kaiya could stop it, bold and reckless. Fen's chuckle echoed in her mind, low and approving. *Not bad, sparkless.*
Valthorne's jaw tightened, and for a moment, his mark flickered, as if responding to an unseen strain. "Because I'm giving you a chance to explain. One chance. What happened in the Ruins of Aether?"
Kaiya hesitated, her mind racing. The truth—a stolen crystal, a forbidden ritual, a desperate bid to awaken her Spark—would damn her. But lying to Valthorne, whose Gift could sense deception, was a risk she couldn't take. She settled for a half-truth. "I found an altar. I… activated it, trying to strengthen my *Emberflow*. The Soulwraith—Fenris—appeared, and the mark just… happened."
Valthorne's eyes narrowed, but he didn't press further. Instead, he leaned back, his fingers drumming on the desk. "You're a liability, Veyne. But you're also… intriguing. That display in the trial—your flames, infused with shadows—was unlike anything I've seen from a student with your record."
Kaiya's heart skipped. Was that… praise? Before she could respond, Fen's voice cut through her thoughts, dry as ash. *Don't get cocky. He's fishing for something.*
"Keep that mark hidden," Valthorne continued, his tone shifting to a warning. "And control that Soulwraith. If you can't, the consequences will fall on you both. You're dismissed—for now."
Kaiya nodded, her legs shaky as she stood. She felt the weight of his gaze as she left, the door closing with a heavy thud behind her.
---
The Academy's courtyard was alive with students, their Sparks flashing as they practiced for the next trial. Kaiya kept her scarf tight, her mark a secret burning beneath it. She needed answers—about Fen, the mark, the *True Spark* they'd mentioned. But the library was too public, and returning to the ruins was suicide. She needed somewhere quiet, somewhere to think.
"Running away already?" Fen's voice materialized, and with it, their form—shadows coalescing into a lean figure beside her, their void-like eyes glinting with mischief. A few students glanced over, but Fen's presence was invisible to most, a perk of their ethereal nature.
"I'm not running," Kaiya snapped, keeping her voice low as she veered toward the edge of the courtyard, where ancient oaks cast long shadows. "I'm trying to figure out how to keep us both from getting banished. You could help, you know."
Fen smirked, leaning against a tree, their form flickering like smoke. "Help? I'm the one chained to a reckless child who thought playing with forbidden altars was a good idea. Tell me, sparkless, what's your plan? Hide forever? Or wait for that silver-haired tyrant to expose you?"
Kaiya's fists clenched, her *Emberflow* sparking at her fingertips. "Her name's Aisling, and I'm not afraid of her."
"Liar," Fen said, their tone teasing but sharp. "I felt your fear in the trial. Her marks—those chains on her Bound—they're not like ours. She's dangerous, and you're out of your depth."
Kaiya stopped, turning to face Fen. The mark on her wrist pulsed, a reminder of their bond. "Then tell me what you know. About Soulwraiths. About this mark. You owe me that much."
Fen's smirk faded, their eyes darkening. "Owe you? You bound me, Kaiya Veyne. I owe you nothing." They stepped closer, their shadows curling around her, cold and heavy. "But since we're stuck together, I'll give you this: our mark is a curse and a gift. It amplifies your Spark, but it's unstable because you don't trust me. And I *definitely* don't trust you."
Kaiya's chest tightened. "How do I fix it? The *True Spark*—you mentioned it. What is it?"
Fen's gaze flickered, a hint of something—pain, maybe?—crossing their face. "The *True Spark* is a myth to most. A bond where Binder and Bound are equals, their Sparks in perfect harmony. It's the only way to break a contract like ours without destroying us both. But it requires trust, sacrifice, and a strength you haven't shown yet."
Before Kaiya could respond, a soft voice interrupted. "Kaiya?"
She turned, startled, to see Taro Kael standing a few paces away, his dark eyes wary but kind. His neck bore Aisling's star-shaped mark, its faint blue glow dimmed, as if suppressed. Fen vanished in a wisp of shadow, leaving Kaiya alone with him.
"Taro," Kaiya said, her voice catching. "What are you doing here?"
He glanced around, ensuring they were alone. "I saw your mark in the trial. The Soulwraith's sigil." His voice was barely above a whisper. "You're in danger, Kaiya. Aisling knows, and she won't stop until she uses it against you."
Kaiya's mark burned, a warning or a plea. "Why are you telling me this? You're her Bound."
Taro's expression hardened, a flicker of defiance breaking through his usual reserve. "Because I saw what you did—how you fought, even when everyone expected you to fail. You're not like her. You don't treat people like tools."
Kaiya's breath hitched. She barely knew Taro, yet his words stirred something in her—a spark of hope, or maybe guilt. "I don't know how to fight her," she admitted. "Not yet."
Taro stepped closer, his voice urgent. "Then learn fast. The Aetherial Gauntlet is in three days. Aisling's planning something—she's been meeting with the Council's emissaries. If you're going to survive, you need to control that mark. And your Soulwraith."
A rustle in the oaks made Taro tense, and he backed away. "Be careful, Kaiya. Not everyone here is what they seem." He turned, disappearing into the crowd, leaving her with the weight of his words and the burn of her mark.
Fen reappeared, their smirk gone. "He's right, you know. You're in over your head. But I'll give you one piece of advice: find the Bound's resistance. They know things about marks even the Academy doesn't."
"The resistance?" Kaiya frowned, her mind spinning. "How do I find them?"
Fen's eyes glinted, a mix of challenge and intrigue. "That's your turn, sparkless. Prove you're worth my help."
Kaiya's mark flared, a chaotic dance of flames and shadows, as the Academy's bell tolled again, signaling the next trial's preparation. She wasn't ready—not for Aisling, the Gauntlet, or the secrets Taro had hinted at. But as she walked toward the training hall, the mark's heat felt less like a curse and more like a call to action.
She was bound to Fen, to a system that saw her as sparkless, to a fight she didn't fully understand. But she was done running.