Oliver jolted upright in bed, his heart racing as he gasped for air. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead, and his hands trembled as he tried to shake off the remnants of the nightmare that had gripped him.

He had been back in his village, the memory vivid and haunting. The shadow, black as night and with eyes that glowed like fiery embers, loomed over everything, consuming the life and light around it. Oliver could hear the screams of his family and neighbors, feel the terror of being chased by an entity he couldn't understand or fight.

Taking deep breaths, Oliver tried to ground himself in the present. He glanced around the dimly lit room, the familiar surroundings offering a stark contrast to the horrors of his dream. The soft glow of a night lamp provided some comfort, casting gentle shadows on the walls.

“Hey buddy!” Jake said as he opened the door carrying a bunch of board games. “I got some games we- Ollie?”

The boy’s face was completely devoid if colour, pale from the nightmare he just experienced. His breathing fast as his eyes darted all over the room.“I-I-Is he here?” He asked holding himself like a ball.

Jake sighed “Oliver...”

It had been 3 days since the boy came to the city. Freya was still on her mission, so he used his bed as Oliver’s medical bed, while he slept on the floor. But from time to time, the boy would scream while flailing his arms and try to move his broken leg around.

Jake went to inspect his leg. “You can’t do that... if you keep moving your leg, you’ll hinder the progress.” He said clapping his hands 3 times again as a soft glow began to appear on them.

“Sorry...” Oliver replies faintly relaxing his body as the warm light touches his leg.

“Its alright...”

At that moment, The woman with the golden eyes walked in with Freya. They seemed to be arguing

“I said DON’T cast a freezing spell on him! DON’T!” She roared, “We needed him for questioning!”

“You really think that imbecile would have a single clue about anything?” Freya replied in an annoyed tone. “He had less of a vocabulary range compared to his wolves...”

“He was our only lead you fool!”

“Eh.” Freya shrugged “We’ll figure it out.”

“Honestly...” The lady rolled her eyes irritated by her colleague's lack of care.

“Ice lady?” Oliver recognized the voice as he looked at Freya.

Freya turned away from the lady, locking eyes with him. “Oh... you’re awake...” her tone as unwelcoming as possible.

“Freya!” Jake and the woman exclaimed.

“Okay Okay...” Freya raised her hands in defeat. “How are you... doing? You look better.”

“T-thank you for helping me...” Oliver replied with a smile.

“Yeah yeah” Freya replied nonchalantly her face however told a different story. “Just doing my job.”

The woman walked up to Oliver. Both knees on the ground facing the boy at eye level. “Don’t mind her, she has terrible people skills.”

“Don’t need em~” The Glaciomancer retorted in her usual monotone voice.

The woman’s face crunched up like she was about to blow a fuse, then it subsided as she let out a sigh. “My name’s Kate... How’re you holding up?”

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Oliver looked away as he blushed. “I-I’m fine...”

Kate frowned a little as she faced Jake “You haven’t healed his eye...”

Jake’s face immediately fell silent, a serious expression on his face as he looked at Kate. He maintained his silence for just over 6 seconds before facing Oliver. “Hey Ollie, we’ll be just a minute alright?”

As soon as he heard this, the boy turned his head facing Jake. “W...Wha?” he stuttered “But... the shadow... I”

“Its alright, hes not here I promise...” Jake replied rubbing the boy’s black hair.

“...”

“We’ll only be out for a couple of minutes, you can set up the board games you want us to play.”

“Us?” Freya asked before Kate smacked the back of her head.

“O-okay...” Oliver replied still unsure. “Could you maybe get a turkey leg for me, i-if you want”

“Hehe Of course.” Jake said with a smile on his face.

The three of them leave the room while Oliver started setting up the pieces for one of the board games.

Kate, Freya, and Jake gathered in a quiet corner of the embassy, away from prying eyes and ears.

"So, how's Oliver holding up?" Kate inquired, her expression softened with concern.

Jake rubbed his temple. "He's doing better physically, but emotionally, he's still shaken," He continued "The nightmares haven't stopped, and he's constantly on edge."

Freya, arms crossed, added stoically, "He's been through a lot. It'll take time for him to heal completely."

Jake nodded, but then, his brow furrowed in thought clearly concerned about something. Freya and Kate noticed “Jake...” Freya called out to him. “He’ll be fine.”

“I Know... I’m not too worried about him.” Jake replied nodding his head. “But that shadow, He’s not normal...” He said, his hand squeezed into a ball.

Kate raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

“When I tried to heal his eye and the scar, It fought back...”

“Fought back?” Freya’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, whoever this person is,” Jake seemed deep in thought. “They’re clearly a high ranker, if they even rank at all...”

“for a spell to fight someone’s spell without actively affecting their aura or forcefully outputting more to over power theirs... Is that even possible?” Kate held her chin in disbelief.

Freya raised an eyebrow, her skepticism clear. "Overpowered your output? Maybe you’re just tired?" She said “You've been on missions for at least three months straight.”

“Could be a factor...” Jake replied, a clear tone of disbelief. “But I doubt that.”

“What do you think we should do about Oliver then?”

“For now, nothing. Let him stay with us for a while”

“In OUR room?” Freya asked annoyed at the suggestion.

“Well dropping him anywhere else would probably be a problem...” Kate replied “He’s clearly paranoid about that shadow...”

“.... This shouldn’t be our problem...” Freya replied still unsure. “What about the orphana-”

Jake in a moment that was unusually out of character blurted out. “No! Not there, not for him...” Clearly holding in some rage while he said that.

She remained silent, “Sorry I... I forgot.”

“No... no i just... I don’t think he’ll be the same IF he came out.” Jake replied calming his voice. He turned to Kate “You know what I’m talking about...”

“Yeah...” Kate replied, her head down as she remembered her time at that deathtrap. “It’s probably best if we also trained him...”

Freya looked on dropping her hands, “And what do you propose? ‘Formal’ Training sessions?”

Jake chuckled, knowing Freya's aversion to formal training. "Not exactly. More like guiding him, showing him the ropes gently."

"That might work," Kate mused. "But we also need to keep an eye on the Shadow. Probably inform the council"

"Yeah, we can't ignore it," Jake agreed, his expression serious. "Oliver's safety and the safety of everyone here depend on handling this threat."

Freya sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I'll go back north to look into possible leads, any clues that might give us an edge."

Kate nodded, appreciating Freya's dedication despite her brusque manner. "Good. And Jake, keep working with Oliver. He needs someone like you."

Jake smiled gratefully. "I'll do my best. And hey, maybe a game night with him could help lighten the mood."

Freya rolled her eyes playfully. "You and your board games. Fine, but only if I get to pick."