Page 137 of Interion

He kept watching my hair, fascinated, and I brought a hand to the strand that had come loose. The shadow there jumped to my palm, seeming happy to be touched.

“It must be because of the bond. Maybe they feel its call too.”

The shadow climbed up my arm and nestled at the base of my neck, as if it knew that was a sensitive spot and was eager to touch it affectionately. My whole body shivered. Surprised by the intimate touch, I rubbed my neck to relieve the tension that had built up there. When I looked at Zion, his expression turned serious and he looked away, seeming uncomfortable.

“They seem more... solid today. Normally they feel like mist, but today I can feel their warm touch on my skin. Is it because of what they did yesterday?”

“Yes.” He shifted his gaze to the yellow lights above our heads. “Shadows feed on the energy of souls. I don’t really know how it works either, but after a battle, they become stronger and a bit bolder. They go back to normal after a few days.”

A shiver ran up my spine at how disturbing that was. Watching them play in my hair, they seemed harmless, but they were far from it.

“Have they ever...” I felt awkward asking, thought about stopping there, but Zion was watching me attentively. “Have they ever attacked someone without your permission?”

“Never,” he answered quickly. “They hiss and bristle like a cornered cat when they don’t like someone, but they’ve never attacked without permission.”

“And what happens if they don’t feed?”

“Nothing too serious,” he replied, focused on the tendrils. “They just become more translucent and lose some of their vigor during transport, which shortens the distance between one dematerialization and another.”

It was a huge relief that he had total control over them. Something like this could become a massive problem if it got out of hand. There’s no way to fight soul-devouring shadows.

“And the teleportation?” I asked, steering us away from the morbid subject. “Can you transport more than two people at a time?”

“Teleportation is relative. Alone, I can cover a kilometer with each jump; if I transport more than one person, the distance drops to 500 meters, and so on. So I can transport more than two people, but my range decreases considerably.”

“That’s fair.” It made sense that the power would weaken since it was being divided among people.

A group of young people came out of the restaurant next door, and the warm breeze that escaped through the door swept across my face. It smelled like ribs in orange sauce and made my stomach growl with hunger. I blushed when Zion looked away from the lights and toward the sound.

“How long has it been since you ate?”

“Let me see.” I did the math and was surprised to realize I hadn’t even had water in 24 hours. “Um, I think it’s been a whole day.”

He looked at me, horrified.

“That’s why your stomach’s been singing obscenities.”

“Welcome to the world of doctors!”

Zion frowned in disapproval.

“I’m so irresponsible—here you are starving while I’m strolling through the city streets. Let’s go straight to Lemon’s.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but within seconds he grabbed both my hands and the shadows swallowed us. When I blinked, we were already in front of Lemon’s. I stepped back, taking in the enormous black wrought iron gate that formed part of the restaurant’s entrance.

“First, let’s eat and talk about the things we’ve been putting off,” Zion explained in a serious tone. I straightened my posture—there were many things we’d been putting off. “Then we can get back to our walk. I know places within the walls that I think you’ll like. Does that work?”

“It can be anything, as long as it’s with you.”

His ocean eyes sparkled.

“Then let’s start with food.” He moved closer, guiding us toward the gate.

Lemon’s was an old, well-regarded restaurant in Interion. It was the last establishment on the street, carved into a recess in the first mountain. Its builder had been a powerful earth user born centuries ago, when gifts were so strong they could literally move mountains.

We entered through the gate and followed a well-lit stone path lined with colorful sconces. At the end of the passage stood an elevator, and Zion led me inside. The interior looked like a glass box, and as it ascended, I could see more and more of the city’s expanse and the lake. All the lights were on, and the city glowed, bathed in a golden aura. It was so beautiful I couldn’t help myself—I moved closer to the glass to take in as much of the view as possible.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I asked, enchanted. I felt Zion move closer.