The Tales of the Shadows

3. A Blue Spark

"You're weird," she replied, earning a nod of pure agreement from Zeno. She chuckled gently, earning another hard pat on the head from him.

"Alright, then. I'm off - have to take a class for the little kids, now."

Trina tried to conceal her proud smile as she remembered her classes with him, even till four years back. A childish grin came on his face as he thought about it too, standing up with his hands in his pockets.

"Don't forget, training at six today," Zeno reminded her, at which Trina nodded obediently. Every Friday, she looked forward to that one hour no matter how the day went, or however she felt. She made no efforts in hiding the fact from Zeno, and he always attempted to make the time the best for her.

"Okay!" Trina exclaimed, getting mildly excited even though it had been two years since she began this one-on-one training.

Zeno put his fingers on his forehead like a salute, then flicked his fingers towards the opposite side, walking in that direction with a casual confidence. Trina shot him an unimpressed look, turning back to her book, though he didn't need to turn around to see that expression.

A gentle laugh escaped her as she shook her head, happiness filling her mind. The silence in the room settled once again, and she caught the librarian sigh with relief now that Zeno had left the large room.

Now, to think about this page, Trina thought, frowning as she eyed the faded page with a deep concentration. A barely visible image of a water body was on the page, lighter than a watermark, though Trina somehow felt that it had darkened as compared to the last time she saw it. Almost like Zeno's eyes...

Trina jerked her head, widening her eyes as realisation seemed to dawn on her. She slowly released all the tension from her physical state, just like everyone did as a warm up before shape-shifting. She freed her mind of all blocks, focusing on the sight in her teacher's eyes.

Moments of silence passed and Trina was completely unaware of her surroundings, feeling solitude in her. This is how she'd always been, peaceful in her loneliness, fascinated by the world around her. She didn't mind being the one who was neutral, who got along with everybody, but had no one.

However, when he came, she understood how it felt to have a friend, and she did like it...

Idiot Trina, she scolded herself. Focus on the lake.

Every thought completely left her. Little time passed and she slowly opened her eyes, looking at the old page with hope.

For a split second, Trina thought she saw a green glow on the paper, but it otherwise remained the same. Trina pulled on her thin braids, trying to understand why nothing had happened. She was sure that the sight in Zeno's eyes was what was supposed to be on this paper, but it was somehow hidden.

Oh right, Trina thought, remembering the mention of the technique of Solis. She figured that she would need the sun's energy to reveal the image, but borrowing the restricted books wasn't allowed to any being, other than the leaders of the squads of all the abilities. Zeno was the leader of the shape-shifters, but she knew he wouldn't borrow the book for her.

Not with that look in his eyes.

Trina rested her chin on her palm, thinking about what she should do. She suddenly felt a little drowsy, straining her eyes to keep herself awake.

Oh right! Trina realised that she could shape-shift part of herself into an animal that could harness the sun's energy. Shadow-trappers with a higher level of the ability could shape-shift into almost any material, but Trina had only just begun shape-shifting her arm into metals.