Chapter 95 Otherworld Training
POV: Luna
That night, I'm exhausted but can't sleep.
My mark is still glowing with that ethereal light. Pulsing. Reminding me that danger is coming.
I close my eyes and try to rest.
But instead of sleeping, I feel that familiar pull.
The otherworld.
But this time it's different. I'm not fully there. Just... partially.
Like I'm existing in both places at once.
One foot in the real world. One foot in the otherworld.
It's disorienting but also fascinating.
I can still feel my bed beneath me. Still hear Nova breathing across the room.
But I can also see the otherworld. The silver trees. The glowing sky.
And Miguel.
He's standing in front of me. Translucent. Not fully formed.
"Luna?" he says. "How are you doing this?"
"I don't know. I didn't mean to. I was just trying to sleep and ended up here. But not completely here."
"You're straddling worlds. Existing in both simultaneously." He moves closer. "That's advanced. Most people can't do this without years of training."
"Eclipse power?"
"Probably. Your mark is getting stronger. Adapting. Allowing you to access abilities you shouldn't have yet."
I look around the partial otherworld. "Why does this feel different from before?"
"Because you're not surrendering to it. You're controlling it. Maintaining your connection to the living world while still accessing this one."
"Can I use this? Make it helpful instead of just draining?"
"Maybe. Try channeling my essence while you're in this state. See if it's stronger when you're partially here."
I reach for the piece of Miguel anchored in my mark.
Immediately, I feel it. His presence. His support. His love.
But it's amplified. Stronger. More tangible.
Like being partially in the otherworld strengthens our connection.
"It's working," I say. "I can feel you more clearly. More powerfully."
"Then you've found something useful. A way to enhance your abilities by bridging worlds."
"But is it safe? The goddess warned me about visiting the otherworld too often."
"You're not visiting. You're touching it. Barely. Like dipping your toe in instead of diving in." He smiles. "I think this is okay. But be careful. Don't go too deep. Don't lose your anchor to the living world."
We experiment for a while.
I practice pulling strength from his essence while maintaining the partial connection.
Each time, I feel my power amplify. My magic sharpen. My focus intensify.
This could be useful. Really useful.
Especially with attacks coming.
"Miguel, do you think my friends could do this too? Not access the otherworld. But benefit from my connection to it?"
"Maybe. If you're pack-bonded, you might be able to share the enhancement. Channel it through the bond."
"That would be amazing."
"It would also be exhausting. You'd be supporting their magic while maintaining your own. That's a lot of strain."
"But possible?"
"For you? Probably. You're stronger than you realize."
I stay in the partial otherworld for another hour. Learning. Experimenting. Building my understanding of this new ability.
When I finally pull back fully to the living world, dawn is breaking.
Nova is awake, staring at me.
"Luna, you were glowing. Like, full-body glowing. For hours."
"I was in the otherworld. Partially. Learning to bridge worlds."
"That sounds dangerous."
"It might be. But it's also powerful. And we need every advantage we can get."
I tell her what I learned. About channeling Miguel's essence more strongly. About potentially sharing that enhancement through our pack bond.
"We should test it," Nova says. "With the others. See if it works."
We gather everyone that evening in our secret training glade.
I explain what I discovered. The partial otherworld connection. The enhanced essence channeling.
"And you think you can share that with us?" Aria asks.
"I want to try. If it works, it could make us all stronger. More coordinated."
"I'm in," Sienna says immediately. "If there's a way to enhance our magic through pack bond, we should absolutely explore it."
I sit in the center of our group. They form a circle around me.
I close my eyes and reach for that partial otherworld state.
It takes longer this time. More effort. But I find it.
One foot in each world.
Miguel appears beside me in the otherworld vision.
"They're with you?" he asks.
"They're in the living world. But we're pack-bonded. Connected. I'm hoping I can channel enhancement to them through that connection."
"Try it. Worst case, nothing happens."
I reach for Miguel's essence. Channel it through my mark.
Then I push it outward. Through the pack bond. Toward my friends.
I feel the moment it connects.
Aria gasps. "What is that? I feel... stronger. More focused."
"Me too," Lyric adds. "Like someone turned up the volume on my magic."
"It's working," Sienna breathes. "Luna, you're channeling otherworld energy to us through the pack bond. This is incredible."
We experiment for the next hour.
Small magical enhancements. Improved coordination. Stronger spells when we work together.
Nothing dramatic. But noticeable.
"This is a game-changer," Aria says. "If you can maintain this during combat, we'll be significantly more effective."
"But it's exhausting," I admit. "I can feel the strain. I can probably hold it for maybe twenty minutes before burning out."
"Twenty minutes is plenty for most fights," Nova points out.
We practice until I'm completely drained.
When I pull back from the otherworld state, I'm shaking with fatigue.
"You okay?" Sienna asks, steadying me.
"Just tired. That takes a lot more energy than I expected."
"Then we use it strategically. Only when we need the edge. Not casually."
We agree on signals. Ways to communicate when I should activate the otherworld enhancement. When to conserve energy.
It's not perfect. But it's progress.
And progress is what we need right now.
As we're leaving the glade, I feel it again.
That sensation of being watched.
I turn slowly, scanning the trees.
Nothing visible. But I know someone's there.
"What's wrong?" Aria asks, immediately alert.
"Someone's watching. I can feel them."
We all go still. Listening. Sensing.
But there's nothing. No magical signature. No physical presence.
Just the feeling.
"Maybe it's your otherworld connection making you more sensitive," Sienna suggests. "Picking up things that aren't actually there."
"Maybe."
But I don't think so.
Someone was watching. I'm sure of it.
We head back to campus cautiously. Watching our backs.
That night, I dream of the otherworld again.
But this time, I'm not controlling it. Not choosing to be there.
I'm just there. Fully. Completely.
And I'm not alone.
The dark figure I've glimpsed before is closer now. More defined.
I can almost make out features. Almost hear his voice clearly.
"You're learning quickly, little Eclipse," he says. "Using the otherworld to enhance your power. Clever. Resourceful. Exactly what I hoped you'd be."
"Leave me alone."
"But we're connected. Through your mark. Through the otherworld. Through destiny. I can't leave you alone any more than you can leave yourself alone."
"You're the shadow caller. Cole Thorne's corrupted spirit."
"I'm so much more than that now. Centuries in the otherworld change you. Evolve you. I'm beyond corruption. Beyond Eclipse. Beyond anything the goddess intended."
"What do you want from me?"
"To give you a choice. The goddess offers trials and servitude. I offer power and freedom. She wants to shape you into her weapon. I want to help you become what you're meant to be."
"And what's that?"
"Unlimited. Unchained. Unstoppable." He moves closer. "Think about it, Luna. Every time you use your power, someone tries to control it. The goddess with her trials. The Council with their rules. The Academy with their restrictions. Cassandra with her fear. Everyone wants to limit you. Contain you. Make you safe for them."
"That's not true."
"Isn't it? Why do you think the Council is watching you? Why do you think they're debating the Binding Protocol? Because they're afraid. Afraid of what you could become if you stop holding back."
"What's the Binding Protocol?"
"A way to magically chain Eclipse wolves. Limit their power. Make them controllable. The Council uses it when they fear an Eclipse is too strong. Too dangerous. Too free."
Terror shoots through me. "They wouldn't."
"They already are. The hearing is tomorrow. They'll question you. Assess you. And if they decide you're a threat, they'll bind you. Strip away your power. Make you harmless."
"You're lying."
"Am I? Ask your teachers. Ask Cole. Ask anyone who knows Council history. The Binding Protocol has been used three times. Twice on Eclipse wolves who refused to submit. Once on an Eclipse who was deemed too dangerous to exist free."
"What happened to them?"
"They died. Within months. The binding broke them. Physically. Mentally. Spiritually. They couldn't survive without their power."
I want to call him a liar. Want to dismiss everything he's saying.
But something in his words rings true.
The Council summons tomorrow. The way faculty have been watching me. The constant surveillance.
They're afraid of me.
And fear makes people do terrible things.
"I can protect you," the shadow caller says. "Teach you to shield your mark. Hide your true power. Survive the Council's assessment. All you have to do is accept my help."
"At what cost?"
"Nothing you aren't already paying. Just your attention. Your consideration. Your willingness to listen to alternatives the goddess won't tell you about."
"No. I won't work with you."
"I'm not asking you to work with me. Just to hear me out. Consider possibilities. Keep your options open." He begins to fade. "The offer stands, Luna. When the Council tries to bind you. When the goddess demands too much. When everyone else fails you. I'll be waiting."
Then he's gone.
And I wake up gasping in my bed.
Nova is there immediately. "Another dream?"
"The shadow caller. He told me about the Council hearing tomorrow. About something called the Binding Protocol."
"What's that?"
"A way to magically chain Eclipse wolves. Limit their power. He says they're considering using it on me."
Nova's face goes pale. "That's... that can't be true. Can it?"
"I don't know. But we need to find out. Before the hearing."
We spend the rest of the night researching.
And we find it.
The Binding Protocol.
Hidden in ancient texts. Barely mentioned in recent records.
But real.
Very real.
And if the Council decides I'm too dangerous to exist freely, they can use it.
Chain my power. Break my spirit. Destroy everything I am.
The shadow caller was telling the truth.
And that terrifies me more than anything else.
Because if he's telling the truth about this, what else is he right about?