Light That Blinds Us

Book : Descent into Darkness

by Andy Darcy Theo

Genres: YA Contemporary

Synopsis

‘Loved it from start to finish, was hooked all the way.’
‘This book deserves to be read by everyone.’
‘This book is filled with amazing one liners that I would legit tattoo on my forehead!’
‘Brilliant, thought provoking.’
‘Literally dying for more.’
Goodreads Reviews

Legendborn meets Percy Jackson in this dark and thrilling debut fantasy romance.

When consumed by shadow, even the faintest light can be blinding...

After a childhood haunted by disturbing hallucinations of the Shadow Man, Alexis Michaels’s only comfort is the blue amulet he’s had since before he can remember. Now, the visions have gone, and Alexis craves a normal life.  
 
But when a trip to Stonehenge unites him with three other teens carrying similar gems, normality is abandoned when they are plunged into a hidden world of power-wielding Elementals, and told they are the chosen ones, destined to save the world from an eternal night. Trained by legends and guided by heroes, Alexis and his companions must venture on a perilous quest, facing tests of love, loss, and loyalty. 
 
But a dark past plagues Alexis as they prepare to defeat an adversary more ominous than they could imagine, and a looming secret sets to corrupt the mission, their lives, and his mind.
 
A high-stakes, speculative romance, which masterfully weaves themes of mental health, psychosis, and found family. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Cassandra Clare from TikTok and BookTok star @andydarcytheo.

Release date: April 25, 2024

Publisher: Gallery YA

Print pages: 464

Sample

Chapter 1: Noctiphany

1 NOCTIPHANY

Noctiphany (n.) Latin and Greek origin

An appearance of something that occurs only at night

Eleven years later

Each morning, at dawn’s first light, Alexis Michaels had the same nightmare.

The nightmare that had tormented him like a plague ever since he was a child. The nightmare that didn’t feel like it was a dream at all but rather a distant memory, something that had been buried deep in his unconscious and resurfaced only in his sleep. Feeling like an imposter in his own body, he braced for the pain that would inevitably come to wake him, unable to do anything to stop it.

In his dream he stood at the cliff edge overlooking the ocean, its waves crashing against the shoreline far below. Even from a distance, he could feel the cool salty spray dampening his curly hair and plastering it against his golden-toned skin. There was something tranquil about being surrounded by water, peaceful. The rhythmic pulling and pushing of the waves had an order that made sense to him. The ocean made him feel small—made his worries and pain insignificant, things that could be swept away by the current. Inhaling as the waves drew back and exhaling with every broken crest, the boy closed his eyes to savor the perfect synchronicity.

But, as usual, the moment of peacefulness, of tranquility, did not last.

The color of the scene around him drained away, tinting all that he saw gray. His body lurched as a violent, explosive pain struck him like a tidal wave from within. He gasped at the intensity of it and clawed at his face and neck, trying to exorcise the pressure.

But the pain only grew, snatching the air from his lungs as it did.

His vision blurred as pools of red bled across his body, pulsing out through the tiny pores of his skin. It was unbearable. It flooded his consciousness and his sight, forcing him to buckle over.

Alexis tried to call out for help, but even his voice had abandoned him in his suffering. He stumbled back. He had to get away. But in his struggle he had forgotten where he stood, remembering all too late once the ground disappeared beneath him. Fighting to regain his balance with only one foot left on the earth’s edge, he cast a final look toward the vacant cliff side.

A second boy with striking white hair appeared in the distance. He was running toward Alexis, his face aghast in horror.

The boy desperately called a name, “Nero!” and reached out, but at that point there was nothing to catch but air. Alexis disappeared over the edge of the cliff.

The bitter sea air stung his blood-soaked body as he fell, twisting and turning in his attempt to somehow slow his descent, his eyes upon the element that would seal his fate.

The black surface of the ocean rushed toward him. Waves crashing. No longer peaceful. No longer tranquil. No longer safe.

Nero closed his eyes as he met the darkness.

Alexis bolted awake, sitting up straight in his bed as if to stop himself from hitting the water. The afterimage of the dark ocean remained at the forefront of his mind for a while, determined to linger as his heart pulsed in his throat. Yet with the light from the sunrise shining into his room, illuminating the walls with a warm orange glow, the darkness of the nightmare was forced to recoil, releasing Alexis from its clutches.

He used the back of his hand to wipe away the feverish sweat that glazed his skin, and spent a couple of minutes tapping his fingers to his thumbs, timing each brief pressure with the regulation of his breathing, just like a doctor had shown him years ago. To settle his mind, he reached out for the book on his bedside table and removed the bookstore receipt that served as a bookmark.

Despite every effort to stay awake, his eyelids began to droop. The nightmare only came once at sunrise, so it wouldn’t disturb him again.

He must’ve drifted off, because he was once again startled awake. Only, this time it was by the frustrated shout of his mother.

“Boys! If I have to call you one more time, you’re getting a bucket of cold water over you. I come home, and no one’s even loaded the dishwasher.” The sound of her tutting somehow managed to carry up the entire flight of stairs. “Alexis, get a move on or you’ll be late!”

A bucket of cold water didn’t sound too bad, Alexis thought, but a hot shower would probably be a more relaxing option.

Alexis stared unblinking into the mirror as he brushed his teeth. Although the Shadow Man was long gone, Alexis was still haunted by its remnant voice. It was one of his more unusual superstitions, the distrust of his own reflection, wary that if he blinked, the Shadow Man would be able to reach him again. He was probably just being paranoid—points for consistency. A short blow of air from his nose indicated that he at least found himself funny.

The moment the shower water touched his body, he instantly relaxed as his disturbed sleep washed away. Under its near-scalding temperature, Alexis’s amulet remained cold. The small, blue gem sat in the center of his chest, droplets falling freely from the bottom point of the inverted triangle.

After quickly dressing and throwing on a hat to cover his messy dark hair, he picked up his packed suitcase and shut the door to his room. He pounded his fist against the door of his younger brother’s room and pushed it open before he continued walking downstairs.

There was a grumble in response. Probably a swear, but Alexis didn’t catch it.

As Alexis approached, the kitchen doors swung open, and Stephanie Michaels burst through them, a wooden spoon held out like a weapon in her hand. She stopped when she saw him. “Lexi, there you are.”

He gestured to the kitchen utensil. “That for me?”

“Not now that you’ve come down,” she said, flashing him a grin. “Come on—if you insist on going on this trip, you need to make sure you eat something before you go. You know Dad will nag you otherwise.”

“Morning, Son,” Jackson said as Alexis joined him at the table. “How did you sleep?”

The lie came to Alexis as easy as breathing. “Fine.”

When the hallucinations had stopped a few years back, his parents had assumed his nightmares had gone too. Alexis had let them, because the endless trials of medicine and countless child psychologists had become unbearable for them all.

He was protecting them. They deserved peace of mind after everything he had put them through. Besides, he hadn’t hurt himself—or anyone else—for years now; it was easier to pretend the nightmare of Nero had disappeared along with the Shadow Man.

Alexis watched as his dad stood and pulled his mum in for a kiss. “Sit down and rest, darling. The boys and I will clean up,” he said, trading places with her behind the counter. Then he turned to Alexis. “Right, have you packed a coat in case it gets cold or rains?”

“Dad, it’s basically summer,” Alexis replied in between mouthfuls of scrambled eggs. “We’ll only be gone for a couple of days for this stupid geography coursework.”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s windy on the Jurassic Coast. Do you need any money?”

Alexis shook his head as Jason thundered down the stairs. His younger brother trudged into the kitchen, dragging his feet across the tiles, still in his superhero pajamas. He had inherited his father’s blue eyes and his mother’s dirty-blond hair and short height. Otherwise, he looked no more biologically related to them than Alexis did.

“Why do I need to get up so early?” Jason moaned. “I don’t have to be at school for another hour.”

Stephanie kissed the side of his head as Jackson handed him a plate of breakfast. “Didn’t you want to say goodbye to Lexi before he goes?”

“I don’t care,” Jason mumbled.

“I don’t care,” mimicked Alexis, exaggerating the crack in Jason’s voice, making Jason scowl.

Alexis moved over to the sink to wash his empty plate. His mother joined him. As she took the plate to towel it dry, she quietly asked him for the twentieth time that week, “Are you really sure about going?”

“Mum, I’m seventeen and it’s not like it’s a vacation—it’s for school. It’s compulsory if I want to get top grades. If it makes you feel any better, Demi will be there.”

“I know,” his mother replied, nodding to herself. “That’s the only reason we’re allowing you to go.”

Alexis’s parents had always been strict, especially with him. They had eased off a little over the years, especially when he had joined Bishop’s Secondary School, but they were still over the top. Alexis understood, however. He hadn’t been the easiest child growing up.

“I’ve barely left Protegere all my life. I promise I won’t wander off or get into any trouble.”

Stephanie took his hands, squeezing them tightly in her steady surgeon ones. “Maybe you should take some medication with you, just in case.”

“I’ve been off them for years now, Mum. With no episodes or symptoms, bar the odd delusional thought, but I hear that’s common for teenagers.” Alexis grinned, hoping that in convincing her it was no big deal, he too would be reassured. “I’m not going to suddenly lose my mind.”

“I know, I know.” She looked sheepish for having brought it up. “It’s just… to me, you will always be my little boy who hated letting go of my hand and would never let me say ‘love you more’ without saying it back.”

“He’s a young man now, Steph,” interjected Jackson from the other side of the kitchen. “He knows how to look after himself. Besides, Alexis, what do we say if we ever see the Shadow Man again?”

Alexis got into the fighting stance his dad had taught him years ago after Alexis had told him he was getting bullied at school for being adopted. Swinging punches at the air in front of his mother’s face, he said, “I didn’t come this far just to come this far.”

Stephanie was so used to them shadowboxing that she didn’t even flinch.

Jason scoffed. “I don’t know what’s weirder: how overprotective you are or the fact that Lexi used to see things. Oh, and that no one knows about it except us.”

Alexis didn’t need a second’s thought to react. “What’s weird is that at eleven years old, you still cry if there’s no night-light in your room.”

“Mum said you can’t joke about that anymore!”

“Lexi!” Stephanie tutted.

“What? He shouldn’t start a fight he can’t win.”

Thankfully, the doorbell rang. Demi Nikolas had come to Alexis’s rescue. As Stephanie left to answer the door, the two brothers scowled at each other.

“We battle at sunset,” Alexis said, pointing an imaginary sword at his younger sibling.

Jason failed to suppress a smile, raising an invisible weapon of his own. “Farewell, Brother. Enjoy this day, for it shall be your last.”

That was all the goodbye the Michaels brothers needed.

Alexis wheeled his suitcase into the family room. Demi was laughing at something his mother had said, and with that laugh, she brought in the warmth of summer.

“At last.” She threw her arms up when she saw him. Her voice was raspy and laced with a faint Greek accent. “I’m sure I spend half my life waiting for you.”

“Some of us take longer to make ourselves look pretty,” Alexis replied, flashing a grin so wide that his dimples showed.

Demi’s bronzed skin brought out the bold green of her eyes, which looked brighter still, framed by her unruly brunette curls, worn loose as always. Two pendants hung from her neck, a horizontal golden crucifix that sat on a shorter chain, and another that was concealed beneath her T-shirt. And she was smiling. When her family had moved from Greece to Valerian Lane a few years ago, they seemed to have brought a warmth and lightness with them that was more beautiful than the wisteria and lavender that decorated their front garden.

At the boundary between spring and summer, Demi looked particularly radiant, although Alexis would never tell her that directly. Instead he fist-bumped her and rested his arm over her shoulder until she shoved him off.

“Give us a hug before you go,” Stephanie said, pulling Alexis in for a fierce embrace.

Jackson followed, hugging Alexis and whispering, “Be safe. Look after my boy, Demi.”

“I always do.”

Alexis’s parents stood in the doorway as he and Demi walked down the drive. He knew they would watch long after he had vanished from sight.

“I love them,” Demi said, her face tilted up as she admired the lush canopy of Protegere Forest.

“They’re full on,” he said affectionately. They had good reason to be, he supposed, but Demi didn’t know why, nor would she ever. “But I love them too.”

They started jogging when they saw the coach waiting at the stop opposite their cul-de-sac, its engine rumbling gently and their teacher, Ms. Mason, pacing in front of it. She shook her head when she saw them arrive.

“What time do we call this?” she chastised them in a voice so high-pitched, Alexis was surprised the local dogs didn’t start howling. “Now we’re going to be stuck in rush-hour traffic.”

Alexis went to open his mouth to take the blame, but Demi beat him to it. “I’m sorry, Ms. Mason. It was my fault completely. Kallisto took a fall this morning, and I had to make sure she was okay. I’m sorry for holding us up.”

Ms. Mason’s hawk-like face softened. “That’s okay, dear.” Alexis had to bite his inner cheek to not crack a smirk, his eyes fixed on the ground so he wouldn’t look at Demi and laugh.

Ms. Mason stepped aside as Demi boarded the coach. Her stern look swiftly returned as Alexis went to pass her. “Give me your earphones. That way I can make sure you are paying attention for once.”

If only you had something interesting to say, Alexis nearly blurted out, before he decided it was better to just nod and hand them over without complaint.

There was no cheering of Alexis’s name like there had been for Demi’s when she’d gotten onto the coach, but he hadn’t expected any. He had already pulled out his actual headphones. Ms. Mason had the faulty pair that had been in his bag for weeks.

When he was younger, earphones had drowned out the Shadow Man, but now he wore them more out of habit. He had just started to play an audiobook when he heard his name.

“Lexi!” called Demi, waving him over to a pair of vacant seats near the back of the coach.

Demi had that rare but endearing quality that made her liked by everyone who knew her. It made her offer even more sincere that she chose to sit next to him over anyone else.

“I can’t believe you used your sister’s blindness as an excuse,” Alexis said, taking the window seat so that she could chat with her friends in the aisle.

Demi pressed her lips together. “I know; I feel really bad for it. I did have to help her get ready this morning, though. And at least it got us out of trouble.”

“Demi Nikolas lying?” Alexis gasped, feigning shock as he tucked his earphones into his pocket, knowing that no matter how long the journey, they would not run out of conversation. “What’s next? Swearing? Violence?”

Demi threw her head back to laugh. The coach suddenly jolted as it took off, and she grabbed Alexis’s hand to steady herself. He held it tightly in his, feeling its warmth until he let go. “Sorry,” she mumbled, as did he.

Alexis leaned back and looked out the dirty window as Valerian Lane disappeared. For the first time since he could remember, he was leaving Protegere. He was going to be farther from his parents than he had ever been.

With a pang, he realized he hadn’t told his mother “I love you more” this time.

Demi straightened her golden cross at the base of her neck, and then pulled out the second necklace that sat beneath it. Despite having seen it a hundred times, Alexis couldn’t help but stare at the small green pendant that hung from its chain, the triangular emerald stone identical to his own, save for the color. Demi caught him looking and smiled.

Even now, years after, Alexis remembered their meeting on his first day at secondary school. They had been paired together, the boy who had been homeschooled and the girl whose family had recently moved to the country. She had approached him just as he’d found an empty table to sit at alone to eat his lunch. When she’d neared, both their amulets had suddenly flickered alight, shining as though powered by a supernatural force that had stirred to life. Like an evanescent flash of light from a distant star, moving through the darkness and igniting the stones for only a moment. Just long enough to leave an imprint.

“It’s meant to be,” Demi had told him, her accent thicker then than it was now. “We have to be friends now.”

It had been six years since they’d first met, and the amulets hadn’t glowed again since. Over the years they had convinced themselves it had been just a trick of the light. It had also become easier to explain it as some sort of friendship jewelry to those who noted the amulets’ likeness, even though Demi’s was a family heirloom and Alexis had had his since before he was adopted.

And yet Alexis cradled that memory, never allowing it to be forgotten. The amulets glowing, the sudden lightness in his chest. How it had felt as if it was the universe’s way of telling him he had made it out of the darkness and had found someone with whom he belonged, a guide to a better life. How it was the very day the Shadow Man had finally disappeared, cast into the darkness of Alexis’s mind from where it had come. Never to stand in the light again.