Tag: coming of age

A Room Outside Time

The fluorescent lights hum their familiar tune above me, a soft electrical lullaby that never changes pitch or rhythm. I’ve heard this sound for so long now that silence would feel like deafness. The examination paper crackles as I smooth it across the table, each wrinkle a small protest against order. Then I hear them, […]

The Bone Apprentice

My hands shake as I measure bone dust into the traveling bowl, trying to remember everything Master Corwin taught me about field work. Three years of training, hundreds of practice rituals, and I still feel like a child playing with forces beyond my understanding. “Steady, Lerna,” I whisper to myself, using the same tone Master […]