Chapter 91 Secret Training Circle
POV: Luna
Three days after the rogue sighting, Aria pulls me aside during lunch.
"We need to talk. All of us. Privately."
"About what?"
"About not being prepared. About relying on faculty to protect us when they clearly can't. About taking our defense into our own hands."
I follow her to a secluded corner where Nova, Sienna, and Lyric are waiting.
"What's this about?" I ask.
"A proposal," Aria says. "We start our own training circle. Secret. Just us. We learn combat magic. Defensive techniques. Everything the Academy won't teach us because we're 'too young' or 'not ready.'"
"That's against school rules," Nova points out.
"So is using blood magic to curse students. So is sending rogues to spy on people. So is half the stuff happening at this Academy." Aria crosses her arms. "The rules aren't protecting us. So we protect ourselves."
"I'm in," I say immediately.
"Luna—" Nova starts.
"No. Aria's right. Waiting for adults to handle this isn't working. The shadow caller is escalating. Cassandra's Circle is escalating. Rogues are getting bolder. We need to be ready to defend ourselves."
"Then we need a training space," Sienna says. "Somewhere hidden. Where we won't be interrupted or reported."
"I know a place," Aria says. "A forest glade about half a mile from campus. Hidden by natural geography. Perfect for secret training."
"How do you know about it?" Lyric asks.
"I've been exploring. Mapping escape routes. You know, normal paranoid behavior."
We agree to meet there after dinner. When most students are in their dorms and faculty are less vigilant.
That evening, we sneak out separately. Taking different routes to avoid suspicion.
The glade Aria found is perfect. Hidden by a ring of dense trees. Flat ground in the center. Natural wards that make it hard to find unless you know where to look.
"This is good," Sienna says, examining the space. "I can add concealment spells. Make it even harder to detect."
"And I can set up early warning systems," Lyric adds. "Motion sensors. Magical detection. Anyone approaching gets flagged immediately."
"Then let's get started," Aria says.
We spend the first hour just setting up defenses. Sienna's concealment spells. Lyric's sensors. Basic protective wards.
When we're satisfied the space is secure, actual training begins.
Aria demonstrates combat stances. How to move. How to anticipate attacks. How to use your opponent's momentum against them.
Sienna teaches simple offensive spells. Nothing too powerful. But enough to defend ourselves if necessary.
And Lyric shows us how to use technology in magical combat. Disruptors. Jammers. Ways to interfere with enemy spells.
"What about you?" Aria asks me. "What are you bringing to this training circle?"
"Eclipse power, I guess. Though I'm still figuring out how to use it."
"Then practice here. In a safe space with people who won't judge you if you lose control."
So I do.
I try combining my wolf shift with magical casting. Like Cole taught me. But in my own way. Without his observation. Without pressure to perform.
It flows more naturally here.
Partial shift while conjuring light. Maintaining wolf senses while casting defensive wards.
Small things. But progress.
"That's incredible," Nova breathes. "You're doing both simultaneously."
"Cole's been teaching me. Integration techniques."
"Well, they're working."
After an hour of practice, we take a break.
Sitting in a circle in the center of the glade. Catching our breath.
"This is good," Aria says. "We should do this regularly. Build our skills. Support each other."
"Agreed," Sienna adds. "But we have to be careful. If faculty find out we're doing unauthorized training, we could get expelled."
"Then we don't get caught," Lyric says simply.
We're discussing logistics when I remember something.
Miguel's essence. Anchored in my mark.
"There's something I want to try," I say. "During my otherworld visit, Miguel and my grandmother left part of their essence in my mark. I haven't really explored what that means. What I can do with it."
"What do you think you can do?" Sienna asks.
"I don't know. But it feels like... support. Strength. Like they're still with me somehow. Maybe I can channel that. Use it."
"Try it," Aria encourages. "This is exactly the place for experiments."
I close my eyes and focus on my mark.
I can feel them. Miguel and Elara. Not fully present. But there. Like echoes. Memories with weight.
I reach for Miguel's essence first.
And suddenly I feel it. His love. His belief in me. His certainty that I'm strong enough for this.
It flows through me. Warm. Comforting. Empowering.
My mark glows brighter. And I feel my magic amplify.
Not dramatically. But noticeably.
"Your power just spiked," Sienna says. "What did you do?"
"I channeled Miguel's essence. The part of him anchored in my mark." I open my eyes. "It's like having his emotional support directly translated into magical strength."
"That's beautiful," Nova says. "And strategic. Emotional anchoring for power amplification."
"Can you do it with your grandmother's essence too?" Lyric asks.
I try. Reaching for Elara's presence in my mark.
This time, I feel knowledge. Experience. Her understanding of Eclipse magic.
It doesn't amplify my power. But it sharpens it. Makes it more precise. More controlled.
"This is amazing," I say. "They're helping me even from the otherworld. Supporting me through the mark."
"That's what love does," Sienna says softly. "It transcends death. Transcends distance. Transcends everything."
We continue training. Using the glade as our secret sanctuary.
A place where we can be honest about our fears. Our weaknesses. Our determination to survive.
No judgment. No pressure. Just friendship and shared purpose.
This is what I need. What we all need.
Not adults telling us what to do. But peers supporting each other. Learning together. Growing stronger together.
We're wrapping up for the night when we hear it.
A howl.
Close. Too close.
All of us freeze.
"That's not Academy wolves," Nova whispers. "That's—"
"Rogue," I finish. "And it's near. Really near."
Lyric checks her sensors. "Three signatures approaching from the north. Moving fast. They'll be here in less than a minute."
"We need to go," Aria says. "Now."
But before we can move, the rogues appear.
Three of them. Red eyes glowing in the darkness. Surrounding our glade.
Not attacking. Just watching.
Like they've been tracking us. Waiting for us.
"Stay together," I order. "Don't separate."
The rogues circle slowly. Methodically.
And then one of them speaks.
Not quite human speech. But close enough.
"The shadow caller sends a message."
My blood runs cold.
"What message?" I demand.
"Your trials are not what you think. The goddess tests you. But we offer something better. Power without restraint. Freedom without trials. All you have to do is accept our master's invitation."
"Never."
"You will. Eventually. When you realize the goddess is using you. When you understand what Eclipse wolves truly are. When the trials break you." The rogue tilts its head. "We'll be waiting. And when you're ready, we'll welcome you home."
Then they're gone.
Vanishing into the forest as quickly as they appeared.
We stand in shocked silence.
"They tracked us," Lyric says. "To our secret training ground. How?"
"My mark," I realize. "The shadow caller can sense it. Use it to locate me. Anywhere."
"Then this place isn't safe anymore," Aria says.
"Nowhere is safe," I correct. "Not while he's watching. Not while he's sending rogues to deliver messages."
We pack up quickly and head back to campus separately.
But the encounter has shaken all of us.
The shadow caller isn't just watching anymore. He's communicating. Offering. Tempting.
Trying to convince me that the goddess is the enemy. That his corruption is actually freedom.
It's insidious. Clever. Dangerous.
Because part of me wonders if he's right.
What if the trials are just the goddess using me? What if Eclipse wolves are meant to be free, not chained by divine purpose?
No.
I shake the thoughts away.
That's exactly what he wants. Doubt. Questions. Vulnerability.
I won't give him that.
I'll complete the trials. I'll prove I'm worthy. I'll resist corruption.
Whatever it takes.
But as I lie in bed that night, I can't stop hearing the rogue's words.
"We'll be waiting. And when you're ready, we'll welcome you home."
Home.
Like corruption is where I belong. Where I'm meant to be.
Like choosing shadow is inevitable.
But it's not.
It can't be.
I won't let it be.
Even if the trials break me. Even if the goddess is using me. Even if everything I believe is wrong.
I'll still choose light.
I have to.
Because the alternative is becoming exactly what everyone fears.
A monster.
And I refuse to give them that satisfaction.