“What do you think is going to happen to us, now?” Olga absently asked. And I honestly couldn’t think of an answer.

After… the thing happened in that place and our Innate Talents were declared, we were all sent to the Healing Room and ordered to stay in place to recuperate. I didn’t argue. The beds were, as I remembered, incredibly soft and comforting, like a warm hug on a cold night. Most of the other Neophytes were unconscious when we were brought in and they were still unconscious. The only ones still awake were Olga and I, and Iwahashi Kaede and Antonio Chavez, whom I recognized as the kid who kept on fainting. The latter two were placed on beds on the other side of the Healing Room, across us; I would’ve loved to speak with them, but they were too busy hiding under the pristine white sheets of their beds. They were terrified of the Caro-Servi, even if the four-armed creatures were literally just walking past them, carrying trays of medicine or other similar equipment, and not even sparing them a glance.

Once, I was afraid of these things; they were grotesque and ugly, and outright horrifying to look at, but – ultimately – they were harmless. The other Neophytes, however, were probably unaware of that little fact, since I distinctly remember being the only one awake in the Healing Room at the time, excluding Yazzie Mato, who was not a Neophyte.

On a bed that was right next to mine was Olga; she was staring at the ceiling. I sighed and shook my head. “I don’t know, Olga; but I’m going to be optimistic and say we’re going to start leaning how use our magic pretty soon. Lord Vaago did say we’d be assigned our mentors.”

“I’ve never been to school before,” She muttered. Olga’s eyes never left the ceiling. She didn’t bother glancing at me as she spoke, “My parents taught me everything they knew, but neither of them could read; so, I had to learn it from an elderly neighbor.”

I nodded. Schools were for the rich or the lucky, and I was neither of those things. Though, I recalled the few occasions when I’d pass by a school or two and rummage through their trash; sometimes, I might even hear what they were talking about. But then, without context, it was impossible to actually understand anything, especially when I was too busy trying not to starve to death at the time. For once, I felt oddly insecure; I didn’t like the feeling as I closed my eyes. “I don’t know how to read.”

“I can teach you to read and write,” Olga offered. She was kind, despite her blank features and dead eyes – too kind. I felt a lump in my throat as I realized that… no one’s ever been as kind to me as her. She was, as foreign as the word seemed in my mind after so many years of having to survive alone, a friend. I had an actual friend. She smiled, without turning to glance at me. “You’re smart and it’s not hard to do.”

I smiled back, even when I knew she wouldn’t see it anyway. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

We both froze at the sudden sound of approaching footsteps, coming from outside the Healing Room, just beyond the closed double doors. Olga turned away from the ceiling and glanced at me, eyes slightly wider than normal. She was worried and anxious. Huh, I’m getting better at reading her face.

The double doors slammed open. The Caro-Servi paused and turned towards the opened doors and bowed their heads. A very familiar woman strode in, eyes like burning coals and brunette hair; it was the woman who greeted me when I first found myself here, the one whose words convinced me that I belonged here, among the Dark Mages. She was incredibly scary, but she was nothing if not polite to me when we met; so, for now, I saw no reason to be afraid of her. Come to think of it, I still had no idea what her name was.

She strode towards the center of the room, her eyes scanning the unconscious Neophytes, briefly lingering over Antonio and Kaede, before landing over myself and Olga; I could’ve sworn her lips curled upwards into a smirk, before disappearing not a moment later. She nodded at me. “To the four who are awake and the one kid, who’s only pretending to sleep, listen well; I am Dark Lady Valaya. I will be Olga’s mentor, but I will also be your teacher in Basic Magical Theory, which begins tomorrow.”

“You children will rest and recuperate while you’re here,” Lady Valaya continued, turning to regard every one of us, including the ones still asleep. “You are not allowed to leave the Healing Room; if you do, then you will be punished. Later, the Caro-Servi will offer you food and drinks. Tomorrow morning, you will be guided to the Neophyte Dormitory; you will all have your own private rooms and the necessary educational materials will be there for you to browse. After breakfast, your lessons with me shall begin in earnest.”

Lady Valaya then turned to Olga. “However, you will be starting your lessons with me, right now. No student of mine will be resting when they could be training.”

Olga didn’t want to; I saw it in her eyes. My friend was afraid of Lady Valaya; no, she was terrified of her. But, before either of us could protest, Lady Valaya snapped her fingers and the Caro-Servi rushed to her bed and dragged her out, faster than I could even react. The four-armed monstrosities moved like the wind. And Olga could only yelp as she was grabbed from the bed and brought before Lady Valaya. Olga froze on the ground, eyes wide. Her hospital gown was almost torn to ribbons.

Lady Valaya merely smiled at her, crimson eyes blazing like burning coals. “I will be your mentor, little girl. You and I will be having personal lessons every day, after your general studies have concluded; you will listen, you will learn, and you will grow stronger. I expect great things from you, girl.”

Olga couldn’t answer. She was too afraid to do anything but sit there. I pushed myself up and off the bed. My legs felt wobbly and my head seemed to spin, but I ignored both of those things I strode right up to them. Wherever she was taking Olga, I would be there as well! She was my only friend and ally; there was no way I was letting her into some Dark Mage’s, however reasonable Lady Valaya seemed, clutches by herself.

Lady Valaya shot me an amused look, a single eyebrow raised. As I opened my mouth to speak, she held up a hand and I suddenly found myself incapable of so much as twitching my lips. “I already know what you’re going to say, boy; however, taking you with me would besmirch what goodwill I have with your mentor – and, honestly, I’m scared of that monster. So, the answer is no; you will stay here and rest.”

She waved a lazy hand and sent me flying back to the bed, where several cloths snaked around my limbs and tightened and held me down. I couldn’t move, no matter how much I struggled. Lady Valaya chuckled. “Don’t worry, boy; I won’t hurt her. She’s my ward, after all; my job is to squeeze out all her potential, until there’s nothing left in her. Now, lay there and rest; Lady Victoria, the fucking Crow-Mother, is coming to get you and she is not someone you want to anger, unless you want to die horribly – screaming and all that. I suggest working on first impressions.”

A brief, but clear, look of concern flashed across Lady Valaya’s eyes, before she sighed and knelt down in front of Olga. “This is your life now, Olga; being frozen and afraid will only get you killed. I am going to be your guide and mentor; I will teach you to harness your powers, I will test your limits, and I will break you. But I will also be there to build you back up. Now, get on your feet and follow me; there’s much we need to discuss.”

I watched as Olga absently nodded and pushed herself up on shaky legs. Lady Valaya turned away from her and walked towards the door. Olga spared me a single, terrified glance over her shoulder, before she strode and followed her mentor. They both disappeared a moment later, walking out the exit and making a left turn to… somewhere.

The paralysis that struck me disappeared and I was able to move my mouth again. The clothes that bound me, however, stayed in place. I sighed and steadied my breaths. I turned and glanced at the knots of the binds and found them relatively simple to undo, provided that I had at least one free hand to help me. I did not have a free hand; so, the best I could do was to just try and wriggle my way out of the binds and hope something happens, because there was no way I was going to be stuck here, tied to a bed, in a place where literally everything could kill him.

“Don’t move too much,” Someone whispered beside me. My head snapped to the right, where I saw a familiar face. It was the kid who kept on fainting, Antonio Chavez. His eyes seemed harder now than they were before, filled with more than just fear – determination and anger burned on his dark brown irises. He reached for the bind on my right wrist and untied it, before moving on to my right leg. Not one to let someone else do all my work for me, I begun unbinding my left wrist. It was easy enough to untangle and I soon found myself seated up and working on my left ankle. Antonio stood there, waiting, eyeing the Caro-Servi, who’d gone inert and lined themselves up on the far wall.

“Thanks,” I told him, rubbing my sore wrists. “That was really uncomfortable.”

He nodded once, before turning to the exit. Iwahashi Kaede was also up and about, walking around and checking on the other children to see if they were awake. She tried shaking them, but none budged. Lady Valaya mentioned one kid who was pretending to be asleep, but I wasn’t sure which one that was. Antonio turned back to look at me said, “Come on; let’s get out of here. This place is hell.”

I shook my head. That was a terrible idea. “We’re surrounded by Dark Mages; they’ll just catch us and, at best, lock us in here. I don’t even want to think about the worst-”

The double doors slammed open and the most sickening presence entered the Healing Room. Both Antonio and Kaede fell to the ground, wheezing and crying on their hands and knees, before falling entirely prone. I heaved forward, nearly falling off the bed, but I struggled hard and forced myself upright, even if every second felt as though I was about to vomit all my insides.

A figure walked to the center of the Healing Room. Just looking at the figure was difficult, not because they seemed to flicker in and out of reality, like Lord Kyroth, but because my eyes felt like they were going to melt if I stared longer than one second. Still, I caught enough of a glimpse to see that the figure was a woman with long white hair and burning crimson eyes, like every other Dark Mage had. Beyond that, I could hardly make out the details on her as I struggled not to hurl.

Still, I saw enough to know that she was walking towards me and was… clapping?

The sick feeling abated somewhat and, suddenly, breathing was easier than it had been a few seconds ago. The haze that I hadn’t even known was there dissipated as well, freeing my mind and my senses. I glanced at the figure and my eyes widened. Slowly walking towards me, clapping as she did, was probably the most beautiful being I have ever seen in my entire life. I couldn’t call her a beautiful woman, because that wouldn’t even come close. She was… otherworldly, almost ethereal; to describe the features of her face was the count every single leaf in a vast forest. The magnitude of her beauty made it seem as though she didn’t belong in the world, made it seem as though she should be up there, soaring through the heavens. She was also very tall, like three Olga’s stacked on top of each other.

She smiled, revealing a row of perfectly-aligned, pearly-white teeth that glimmered softly in the dim light. “Your strength of will is impressive, child; I knew you were different the moment I laid eyes on you on that street, fighting against the bitterness of the world, against the bitterness of mortality. I knew right then and there that you would be different. It’s why I brought you here, after all.”

My eyes widened further. “I… I recognize your voice.”

And, suddenly, my mind drifted back to that night, when I’d been forced to kill an innocent little girl with my bare hands. Her voice echoed in my head, a memory that’d burned itself into my thoughts. “I sense great potential in you, boy – don’t let me down.”

“It was you… that night.” I croaked, unsure if I should be angry at her for bringing me here or happy for giving me a second chance at living an actual life.

“Yes,” Her smile fell, replaced by a dreadful and inhuman grin. “And you proved me right; your potential is greater than any student that has walked the hallways of the Shadow Academy for the last five centuries. Under my tutelage, you will become something… undreamed of.”

“You’re Lady Victoria?” I asked her, deflating. Lady Valaya said my mentor would come to get me. It was probably her. The sickening feeling she exuded sort of made sense now.

“I am known as the Crow-Mother to most,” She answered. “Only very few are allowed to call me by my name and live; I’ll make an exception for you, because you are my cute little mentee.”

Something about her voice and the way she spoke sent a shiver down my spine.

She then turned her back to me. By now I had acclimated to the sickening aura around her enough to stand. Antonio and Kaede were still on the floor, panting and gasping for air. I wanted to help the both of them back onto their beds, but then Lady Victoria spoke, “Follow me; it is time for your first lesson.”

I nodded and forced myself out of the bed. She walked towards the exit and I followed after her as fast I could. The floor was cold, but not so cold as to be uncomfortable; that place Olga and I ended up in was dreadfully cold – so much so that I barely even noticed my soles as I ran, crawled, and hid. I cast a worried glance at Kaede and Antonio, but there was nothing I could do for them now. Hopefully, the Caro-Servi would do their jobs and help those two.

We walked out of the exit. The hallway outside the Healing Room was vaguely familiar; I remembered passing through here when I was first led into the Auditorium, only to be hurled in some part of the world, where The War was apparently raging on. There were two paths; the right led to the Auditorium. Lady Victoria turned left and I followed.

I glanced upwards and grimaced at the familiar screaming-face patterns on the ceiling.

We didn’t walk very far. We did make a few turns. The hallways were surprisingly empty; it was either that or everyone steered clear of the Crow-Mother, who even Lady Valaya spoke of in fear. Lady Victoria was quiet the whole time, not even glancing down at me from her shoulders to see if I was still there. And then, we stopped. She pointed at a massive door that was three times taller than she was, made entirely of… was that flesh and bone? I stared closer.

Yep, the whole thing was made of writhing flesh and bone, with veins and arteries still pumping blood. Was the door… alive?

My breath hitched. Lady Victoria seemed to find my reaction amusing as she flicked a part of the door and watched as it recoiled in pain. I shuddered as she continued. “This area of the Shadow Academy belongs to the Plague-Cauldron; it is where the few Flesh-Crafters and Pox-Makers gather to practice their craft. You will be spending most of your time here, after your general studies. Here, you will learn to harness your Innate Talent. Remember, boy, there hasn’t been a Category 10 Flesh-Crafter in…. a very long time. Your existence is special; so, keep it to yourself, unless you want other students wanting your head immediately. If anyone asks, you’re a Category 2 – understand?”

I nodded dumbly. The only thing I could do was agree and obey with whatever orders or tasks she gave me. Lady Victoria smiled. “Good.”

She pushed open the door and I yelped when the damn thing moaned in pain.

Toiling and moving about on the other side were… a lot of Dark Mages, all in the same black robes with hoods that covered their faces. The walls were made entirely of bookshelves, filled to the brim. The whole place was utterly gargantuan. Its center was filled with equally massive tables, where a lot of the Dark Mages sat and read. Some were talking and chatting, while others appeared to be collaborating on something. It was… like how I imagined a school would look like, actually. When they all noticed Lady Victoria, however, they stopped, dropped whatever it was they were holding, and stood at attention, like soldiers.

Lady Victoria strode in confidently. “At ease, my cute little students.”

She then turned and gestured at me. “This young man here is a Neophyte with an Innate Talent for Flesh-Crafting; expect his presence.”

“Yes, Crow-Mother!” They chorused.

“Come,” She told me. The Dark Mages simply returned to whatever it was they were doing earlier. Huh, this must’ve been a normal thing, then. “Your first task can wait no longer.”

I nodded and she led me up a flight of stairs. And then, we stopped in front of a door, where a Dark Mage stood guard.

“Is the subject ready?” Lady Victoria asked him.

“Yes, Crow-Mother; the subject is secured inside,” the Dark Mage answered.

Lady Victoria nodded and the door opened on its own. She gestured for me to follow and so I did. She led me into a large, but dimly-lit room; there were a few glowing things on the wall, but they hardly showed me anything. The door closed behind us as we walked further in and it was only then that I became acutely aware of the screams. It was a man, I recognized immediately – an adult. There was adult man in this place, who was screaming for help.

Lady Victoria clapped her hands once and a light shined from the ceiling, illuminating the room’s interior. I’d half-expected more horrific things to appear; so, I sighed with relief when there were only a myriad of charts and models of humans, depicting where the organs were underneath the skin and what their names were – though I couldn’t exactly read, making it hard to tell just which organ was which. There were also life-sized models that did the same thing, allowing me to reach out and actually touch the model organs and, much to me relief – again – the organs weren’t made of real flesh.

Oh, and there was naked man in the center of the room, strapped to a metal table. His arms and legs were bound by chains. His eyes were wide with fear and red with tears, snot dripped down his nose. He’d been crying, I realized. He turned towards us and his eyes landed on me.

“HELP ME! PLEASE!”

My heart sank.

Why was this man here?

Lady Victoria chuckled and turned and met my eye. “Your first lesson, my little student, is this: a Flesh-Crafter’s first step must always be the accumulation of masterful knowledge about the flesh of man. You must know every organ, every blood vessel, every joint, every muscle, and every bone. Take a look at these models.”

I took a deep breath and did my best to ignore the screaming man, who wasn’t even ten feet away from me. He was right there. I did as told and glanced at the models; each of them depicted a skinless human being, whose organs could clearly be seen and, in the case of the life-sized models, be touched, pulled out, and examined.

“This is the liver,” Lady Victoria said, pointing at a… thing that looked sort of like a legless beetle. I nodded and locked the knowledge in my mind. “Its primary role within the body is to break down the blood that passes through it from your stomach and intestines, process, balance, and create nutrients to keep the body healthy. That’s the short version; you’ll be learning more about the human anatomy as we advance, alright?”

I nodded and stored away everything she said in my head, even if I didn’t understand most of it. What was a nutrient, anyway?

“So,” She turned away from the chart and towards the still-screaming man at the center of the room. He struggled against his binds to no success. Instead, he only succeeded in making the chains rattle. “Your first task should be rather simple and straightforward.”

“PLEASE, DON’T HURT ME! I'M BEGGING YOU - PLEASE!”

Lady Victoria grinned. “Bring me his liver.”

Blood drained from my face.