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Chapter 85 – The Forbidden Hymn
publish date:
2026-04-13 22:20:32
Latest chapter
Aetherion Academy Year 1: Shadows of Rebirth Chapter 104 - The Alchemist’s Price
Seconds later,RinaAustin’s boots clicked a steady, arrogant rhythm against the stone floor until the sound died in the darkness of the dormitory wing. Emberlyn stood frozen, her small frame trembling as she clutched her stack of leather-bound grimoires to her chest. "I can’t do this," Emberlyn whispered, her eyes wide with mounting panic. "I’m a researcher, Lumira. I spend my life in the basement archives. I don't go to balls, and I certainly don't go with guys who treat me like a tactical shield.""You aren't a shield," I said, stepping into her personal space. I kept my voice low, a velvet lure designed to settle her nerves while tightening the trap. "You’re an asset. And assets get paid."Emberlyn shook her head, her copper curls bouncing frantically. "There’s no payment high enough. My thesis on 'Volatile Mana Stabilization' is due Monday. If I miss the distillation window tomorrow night because I’m wearing golden silk and pretending to enjoy nectar, I fail. I lose my scholars
Aetherion Academy Year 1: Shadows of Rebirth Chapter 103 - The Collateral Date
Moments later, RinaThe walk back to the dorms was a gauntlet of shadows and hushed whispers. My skin still hummed from Kaelen’s touch, a brand of cold fire that refused to fade. The air in the corridor felt stagnant, trapped between the ancient stones and the weight of the secrets we were all carrying back from the Refectory.Austin fell into step beside me, his boots clicking rhythmically against the stone. He looked restless, his jaw set in a line of mounting frustration that mirrored the storm brewing outside the academy walls."You’re really going with him?" Austin asked, his voice low and tight. "Kaelen isn't a protector, Mimi. He’s an opportunist. He’s using you to bait Jaxon"."I’m using him too," I replied, not breaking my stride. "It’s a fair trade. In this academia, leverage is the only currency that doesn't lose its value"."It's a dangerous game, Rina," Austin countered, his eyes scanning the flickering torchlight. "Kaelen doesn't do anything for free. What’s the price
Aetherion Academy Year 1: Shadows of Rebirth Chapter 102 - The Taste of Defiance
Moments later,The Refectory remained a vacuum of stunned silence as Kaelen steered me toward the high-tier tables. Every eye in the hall was a needle, pricking at the back of my neck, but I didn't give them the satisfaction of a flinch. I sat, the red silk of my uniform pooling around me like spilled blood. Kaelen slid into the chair beside me, his thigh brushing mine. He didn't pull away. Instead, he signaled a server with a flick of his wrist."The vintage Lunar-aged nectar," Kaelen commanded, his voice slicing through the thick atmosphere. "Two glasses. And the venison from the Forbidden Glades." "That’s reserved for the Pack officials," the server stammered, casting a terrified glance at the frozen Jaxon."I’m also royalty," Kaelen replied, his amber eyes sharpening into gold. "And the lady is hungry. Do I need to repeat myself?" The server fled. Across the hall, Jaxon remained standing, his knuckles white against the edge of his table. Selene was a ghost beside him, her s
Aetherion Academy Year 1: Shadows of Rebirth Chapter 101 - The Alpha’s Audacity
Moments later,Rina The Grand Refectory was a sea of shimmering silk and false smiles. As I stepped through the arched threshold, the usual roar of dinner conversation died a swift, choreographed death.At the center of the hall stood Jaxon. He was draped in the Fenrir Pack’s ceremonial midnight blue, his posture radiating a regal, unearned confidence. Beside him, Selene beamed, her fingers laced through his arm as if claiming a prize. The crowd leaned in, breath held, waiting for the predictable romantic spectacle.Jaxon stepped forward, disengaging his arm from his wife’s grip. He didn't look at her. His eyes, burning with a frantic, desperate gold, locked onto mine."Lumira," Jaxon announced, his voice carrying to the highest rafters. He dropped to one knee, a velvet box snapping open in his palm to reveal a ring of dragon-glass that pulsed with a stolen rhythm. "The Grand Ball requires a Queen of true lineage. Forget the past. Walk with me tomorrow night. Let the academy see whe
Aetherion Academy Year 1: Shadows of Rebirth Chapter 100 - The Witch at Dueling Pit
Moments later,Rina The sand in the pit was stained a dull, iron-red from centuries of spilled blood. Above us, the stone amphitheater of the Combat Grounds was packed with students. The noon sun was a blinding eye in the sky, but down here, in the shadows of the arena walls, the air tasted like dust and adrenaline."Theory review is over," Instructor Kroll barked, his voice a jagged saw. "In the field, you don't cite the manual. You bleed. Silas! Step up."Silas, Jaxon’s right hand and the Fenrir Pack’s most aggressive enforcer, vaulted over the stone railing. He landed in the sand with a heavy thud, his chest heaving with a pre-shift growl. He didn't look at Kroll. He looked at me."And his opponent?" Kroll asked."Duskbane," Silas spat, pointing a thick finger at me. "The witch thinks she’s untouchable because she played some music and broke a few vials. Let’s see how she handles silver and steel."I stepped into the pit. My movements were slow, deliberate. I didn't reach for a s
Aetherion Academy Year 1: Shadows of Rebirth Chapter 99 - The Witch and The Wall of Thorns
Moments later,RinaAfternoon arrived like a funeral shroud, grey and heavy with the scent of impending rain. I bypassed the main corridor, opting for the shadowed gallery that led toward the Refectory. My stomach was a knot of glass; the theft of the Shard had left a vacuum in the academy’s atmosphere that only I could feel. A blur of movement cut through the dim light. Before I could reach for the Void, a hand slammed into the stone beside my head.The impact vibrated through the masonry. Kaelen loomed over me, his silhouette blotting out the weak light from the clerestory windows. He didn't smell like the others. He smelled of smoke and expensive bourbon."You’re late for lunch, little witch," Kaelen rasped.He didn't move his hand. He leaned in until his chest nearly brushed my robes, pinning me against the cold, damp stone. His eyes weren't the usual predatory red; they were a dark, swirling amber, fixed on the pulse point at my throat."I’m not hungry," I said, my voice steady
Aetherion Academy Year 1: Shadows of Rebirth Chapter 25 - The Wolves and the Witch's Architects
Meanwhile, In the Great Refectory, Jaxon’s POV The feast tasted like ash. I sat at the center of the Terra table, surrounded by the familiar scent of my pack - damp earth, pine, and woodsmoke - but for the first time in my life, I felt like an outsider in m
Last Updated : 2026-03-23Aetherion Academy Year 1: Shadows of Rebirth Chapter 23 - The Witch and the Sorting Ritual
Moments later,The Grand Hall of Fethor Aetherium,Rhea’s POVThe President’s speech didn't just end; it dissolved into a shimmering haze of arcane energy that hung in the air like a physical weight, tasting of ozone, dried roses, and the metallic tang of old parchment. The Grand Hall of Aetherion
Last Updated : 2026-03-22Aetherion Academy Year 1: Shadows of Rebirth Chapter 21 - The White Witch’s Dismissal
Administrative Manor, Provost's Office.Rina’s POVThe silence was a void. It stretched across the mahogany, insulating Jaxon and Caleb’s shock from the predatory fascination of the eighteen other scions. Jaxon’s massive frame remained folded over his chair. He lo
Last Updated : 2026-03-22Aetherion Academy Year 1: Shadows of Rebirth Chapter 20 - The White Witch’s Reclamation
Administrative Manor,Provost's Office,Rina's POV The mahogany table felt like the center of the world as we sat at the confluence of ancient grudges and volatile power. The air remained completely stalled in the aftermath of the tension Kaelion and I had generat
Last Updated : 2026-03-21
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