Darker By Four Readalong: Day 2!

Stunning photo by @lena.books13!

Hello fairies!

Happy Tuesday and welcome to day 2 of our readalong of Darker By Four by June CL Tan. I’m so excited to be reading this one with you, I hope you all love it!

That was quite the action packed start yesterday, wasn’t it? 

 I hope you’re all having a fun time reading so far!

Today we’re reading from chapter 10 to the end of chapter 17. Let’s do this!

When you’ve finished today’s section, catch up with me in the comments down below so we can discuss the beginning of the book. Happy reading!

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Please be warned, the following section will include spoilers for Darker By Four by June CL Tan from chapter 10 to Chapter 17. Please only read on if you have finished this section!

–!SPOILERS!–

Today’s reading begins with a Nikai POV, shedding light on the deteriorating state of the Underworld since Four’s disappearance. Hell itself is crumbling, with the encroaching Nothing threatening everything. Since then, One has been confined to their place, bearing the weight of the consequences.

Four left behind just one cryptic clue which read: “those who seek me shall never see me.” Why was he so determined to disappear? Was he fully aware of the consequences? Do you have any theories on Four’s disappearance?

Nikai’s lack of memory about his mortal life is truly intriguing. What led him to end up in the Nothing in the first place? Will this connect to other characters or the plot later on? I can’t help but wonder if this could be some kind of Easter egg… What are your thoughts?

In the underworld Nikai sees blurred green hurtling across the night sky, meaning an anomaly has occurred once more in the human world.

Returning to Yiran’s POV, I’m relieved because I’m eager to know if Rui is okay. As they arrive at Zizi’s, Yiran bangs on the front door, and Zizi’s first words are, “You better have a good reason for waking me up. I was having the funniest dream about talking pandas.” Honestly? I adore him.

Zizi is shocked to see Yiran carrying a blood-covered Rui. As they lay her down, Rui whispers Zizi’s name; he reassures her saying, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.” Did anyone else notice that this is what he said to her the first time they met? It’s surprisingly emotional. (I hope I’m not the only one feeling this way, I’m totally not welling up 👀).

Zizi heals Rui, but Yiran notices his eyes turn completely black. What does this signify? Later, Yiran tells Zizi about Rui’s magic transfer, and Zizi warns him that his elevated magic levels could be lethal. He also isn’t sure how to reverse the spell, as it wasn’t intended to be permanent.

Not them fighting after literally just meeting and the the next morning Zizi has giving him the nickname Mochi. He’s so funny. 

The following morning Zizi reveals Rui has a damaged core and deep magical trauma. She then discovers her magic has transferred to Yiran, with no known way to reverse it. Tensions rise as Yiran’s brother, Ash, unexpectedly arrives.

In an unexpected turn of events, much to the surprise of Rui, Zizi, and Ash, Yiran decides to disclose his newfound ability to perform magic. However, he strategically omits any mention of how he acquired this skill or the fact that it technically belongs to Rui.

OMG. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. We have some romantic crumbs!! Zizi asks Yiran to watch over Rui, prompting Yiran’s teasing comment about her importance to him. Zizi’s heartfelt response? “She means everything.” Cue the swooning, blushing, giggling, and screaming!

Upon witnessing the magic exchange between Yiran and Rui, Nikai forms a theory but decides to investigate further before taking action related to Four. He approaches Ten, explaining his theory and requesting access to the Darkroom for further investigation. After some persuasion, Ten agrees to provide the necessary paperwork on the condition that Nikai reports back to him and accompanies him.

Ten also lets slip that Four did all this “over a broken heart.” I wonder if this is related to the ‘her’ mentioned in the prologue? Did he disappear because of a long lost love? What do you think?

Nikai’s revelation about his magic doesn’t alter his relationship with his grandfather, but it does allow him to remain in the city and inroll in the academy to hone his skills. However, his reception, especially from Rui, is less than warm initially.

Yiran watches Rui’s top-class training session, where Mai challenges them to battle in a simulator. Despite lacking magic, Rui repeatedly defeats Yiran with her combat prowess. However, when revenants appear in the simulator, Yiran panics and unintentionally releases a burst of light. Rui intervenes by slapping him, disrupting his breathing pattern and halting his magic channeling.

Alone in the Darkroom while Ten tends to a court emergency, Nikai uncovers Rui’s altered birth story: originally destined for death, it was scrubbed, changing her fate. He learns that her mother was killed by a revenant years later. Nikai realizes Rui is the baby saved by Four 18 years ago.

They have a thoery that there is a vessel in the human world containing Four’s power and a human who houses his soul… 👀

We end today’s reading with Ten on his way to pay Rui a visit and lets just say, I’m a bag of nerves. I don’t trust Ten, he seems rather menacing.

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Well, today’s reading ended on a bit of a tense note. I think Ten is about to cause trouble, do you? I can’t wait to find out!

Do you think Four’s disappearance and Rui are connected?

Are you shipping Rui and Zizi together?

Do you have any theories as to where Four’s vessel/soul is?

See you tomorrow for another day of reading!

Love,
Jodie