POV: Raven Sees What Lurks in the Dark

The shadows whisper to me, soft as a breath on the back of my neck. They always do, especially when no one else is paying attention. And right now? No one’s paying attention.

Finn is pacing, claws out, muttering something about how we can’t keep reacting to every attack like we’re the town’s magical janitors. Melody’s trying to hum over his frustration, but her voice wavers like she’s not entirely sure what tune she’s aiming for. Lucian’s brooding, surprise surprise, scanning that glowing map like it’s going to tell him something new.

And Zoe? She’s staring at the map too, but it’s like she’s looking through it, through us, through everything. Her light flickers at her fingertips like it might just sputter out if she doesn’t pull herself together.

The perfect moment for me to slip into the background.

The shadows curl tighter around my ankles, tugging me toward the nearest corner of the room. They don’t like being ignored, and honestly, neither do I. But that’s easier said than done when you’re surrounded by this group. Zoe glows like a literal star, Finn demands attention just by being loud and golden, Melody sings and sparkles, and Lucian... well, he’s Lucian. The guy could brood in an empty room and still somehow be the center of gravity.

Me? I blend in. I always have.

The shadows and I? We’re one and the same. Always lingering just on the edges of things, useful when someone remembers we’re here, but mostly overlooked.

“Raven?” Zoe’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts. Her light flares for a second before dimming again. “You good?”

“Fine,” I say, because what else am I supposed to say? No, Zoe, I’m not fine. I feel like I’m drowning in other people’s magic while my own is whispering that something’s wrong. I feel like I’m holding on by a thread to this team and to this town, and if anyone notices, they’ll cut me loose.

Zoe doesn’t press, but her eyes linger on me for a second too long before she turns back to the map.

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The shadows shift around my shoulders, reminding me they’re still here. They don’t have a voice, not really, but they don’t need one. I can feel what they’re trying to say, the way their unease crawls under my skin. Something’s off. It’s been off since we left the Clock Tower Nexus, but it’s getting worse.

I step closer to the window, letting the room blur into background noise. The night outside is darker than usual, the moon swallowed by heavy clouds. The air feels wrong, heavy in a way that has nothing to do with weather.

“Raven, stop lurking,” Finn says behind me, his tone half-joking but sharp enough to hit a nerve. “It’s creepy.”

I turn, my shadows curling tighter as if they can shield me from him. “Maybe you should stop pacing. It’s annoying.”

He opens his mouth to snap back, but Zoe steps between us before it can escalate. “Not now, you two,” she says, her voice tired but firm. “We need to focus.”

Focus on what? Another nexus, another fight, another chance to prove I’m more than just a shadow clinging to the edges of this team.

I fold my arms and lean back against the window, letting their conversation wash over me. Finn’s frustration, Melody’s optimism, Lucian’s cold logic, Zoe’s unwavering determination. It all blends together into a symphony I don’t belong in.

But the shadows whisper again, sharper this time, and I know I’m not imagining it. There’s something out there, something the others don’t see because they’re too busy looking at the map or at each other.

I close my eyes and let the darkness take over, let it pull me into the spaces no one else dares to go. The shadows stretch farther than I ever can, wrapping around corners, slipping under doors, brushing against the edges of the world.

And what they show me sends a chill down my spine.

Something is moving out there. Something big, and dark, and old. It’s not just the ley lines fraying at the edges anymore. It’s something deeper.

I open my eyes, and for a moment, I consider telling the others. But what would I say? That my shadows are uneasy? That I felt something?

They’d listen. Zoe would listen. But they wouldn’t get it. Not really.

So I keep it to myself, for now. The shadows and I, we’ll handle it.

Because that’s what we do.