The cave is quiet when I wake up the next morning. The sunlight barely filters through the entrance, casting pale streaks on the stone floor. I stretch, feeling the pull of my muscles as they loosen with each movement. Yesterday feels distant, a memory of sparks and ripples in the water—of fire that refused to stay contained.

Today, I feel something different. A call in the air, the subtle pressure of power waiting to be shaped.

I glance over at Xander, still asleep on the far side of the cave, his chest rising and falling in slow, steady breaths. Raven is curled around my wrist again, his beady eyes wide awake, watching me.

"Today's the day," I mutter to myself. My voice echoes slightly in the cool air. "I'll control it. The light. The dark."

I don't even know where to begin.

Raven stirs, a low hiss escaping him as he uncoils and slides off my wrist, landing lightly on the ground. His movements are graceful, his red, yellow, and black scales glistening in the faint light. He looks up at me, his posture uncharacteristically calm for once.

"You look like you're ready to do something reckless," Raven remarks in his usual sharp tone, but there's a softer edge to it now. "Just don't burn us all to the ground this time."

I roll my eyes but can't help the smile that tugs at my lips. "You're not helping."

He flattens his wings and slithers closer, his gaze softening. "I'm trying to help, Emerald. You've already done enough destruction for one week. If you're going to use these powers, try to be careful. Don't make the same mistakes you did before."

"I know," I mutter, feeling the weight of his words. His protectiveness is still a bit… unexpected, but welcome. "But I have to try. It's the only way I'll learn."

Raven flicks his tail, almost as if he's considering something, before nodding. "Fine. Just don't burn me alive, okay?"

I give him a wry grin. "I'll try not to."

Taking a deep breath, I step away from the cave entrance, moving toward the darker recesses of the cave where shadows cling to the walls. The air here feels different. Thicker, somehow, as though the very darkness is alive. I close my eyes, trying to focus on that feeling—the pull of the shadows, the weight of the light.

I focus, drawing in a breath. The moment I do, I can feel it again: a strange current in the air. It hums beneath my skin, flickers at the edges of my awareness. Light, soft and cold, like the moon. Darkness, heavier, thick like a cloak.

I reach for it.

It's hard. Harder than the water, harder than the fire. Darkness is… resistance. It pushes back, a wall in my mind, like a force that doesn't want to be controlled. Light, on the other hand, is elusive. It feels distant, untouchable, like it's slipping through my fingers the moment I think I've grasped it.

My heart races as I push harder. The light swirls faintly in the air in front of me, a soft gleam that flickers like a star. But the shadows push in from behind, clawing at me like a cold fog.

My breathing quickens. I reach again, trying to pull the shadows, to force them to bend to me. And—

It happens.

I feel it, suddenly. The darkness surges around me, pulling, wrapping around my hands. A sharp, painful pull shoots through my chest. The shadows aren't just dark—they're heavy, like they're eating at the air around me. I gasp, stumbling back, trying to pull the shadows away, but they won't stop. They're swallowing me, suffocating me.

I can't breathe. I can't see.

"Emerald!" Xander's voice shatters the silence. He's awake now, standing at the cave's entrance, eyes wide with alarm. "What's happening?"

I struggle, fighting against the press of darkness, but it's like it's become part of me. My hands are shaking, my body trembling with the strain. The shadows—they're mine. But I don't know how to control them.

"Emerald!" Xander yells again, stepping forward. "You're—"

"I—I can't—!" I try to say, but my voice is muffled, as though it's lost in the crushing weight of the shadows.

A sudden rustle beside me. Raven slithers up quickly, hissing low, almost desperately. I feel his tail brush against my arm, but I can't focus on anything but the overwhelming blackness that claws at me.

"You have to control it!" Raven says, his voice almost frantic. "Pull it back! Focus! The light—find the light—!"

Light. The word cuts through the fog in my mind. It's a lifeline. I grasp for it, reaching deep inside.

And suddenly—

Light bursts.

A blinding flare of brightness erupts from my body, the shadows recoiling as if burned. My hands explode with radiant light, and the darkness shrinks back, like it's being sucked into the ground. My chest heaves as the light calms, softening, and the oppressive weight of the darkness lifts.

I stagger, breathing heavily, my heart pounding in my chest. The light in my hands flickers but holds steady. The shadows still linger at the edges of the cave, but they no longer feel like a threat.

I open my eyes slowly. Xander stands there, his expression a mixture of awe and concern. Raven is by my side, his wings fluttering nervously.

"That was… close," Raven says, voice tight. "You nearly lost yourself there."

I take a shaky breath, trying to calm my racing heart. "I… I thought I was going to die," I whisper. "The shadows, they wouldn't stop. It was like they were pulling me under."

Xander steps closer, crouching down in front of me. "You've got to be more careful. It's too dangerous to let it overwhelm you like that."

"I didn't mean to—" I start, but my voice trails off. "It's just… I don't know how to control it. It's too much."

Raven's head tilts, and he looks at me with something almost like sympathy—if a snake can have sympathy. "You'll learn. You can control it. You just have to keep at it. Light and dark are two sides of the same coin, after all. They're meant to balance each other."

"I hope you're right," I say, still feeling the pulse of light in my hands. The light is warm now, calm, like the glow of a lantern. But I'm not sure if I can make it stay this calm.

I close my eyes, focusing again, pulling the light back. The shadows don't fight me this time, but they linger in the back of my mind like an itch I can't scratch. I don't know how long it will take before I can hold them together, keep them balanced.

But for now, I have something else to focus on.

"I'm going to get this," I say quietly, my voice steadying.

Raven slithers up beside me, flicking his tongue. "Good. Just try not to burn down the entire cave next time."

I can't help but chuckle. "I'll try."

As the last of the light fades and the shadows settle back into their corners, I realize something: controlling the darkness—and the light—isn't about power or force. It's about balance. The light needs the darkness, and the darkness needs the light.

And so do I.