LOGINWith that, I turned and walked out of the hall.I had just walked down the stone steps when it started to rain.I was about to cast a waterproofing charm when I saw Caden standing at the bottom of the steps.He hadn't cast a spell or brought an umbrella. He simply stood there in the rain.Rain soaked his hair and plastered it against his forehead, but he kept a long case pressed safely against his chest.The moment he saw me, he hurried toward me."Ella."His voice was hoarse, and his usual confidence was gone. "I finally found you."I stopped on the steps and kept my distance.Caden opened the long case. Inside lay a short, silver-white wand."I had it made for you at Thornwood's," he explained quickly. "The core should suit your magic, too."He held it out to me. He looked exhausted."What I did that day was wrong. I know that now."Rain ran down his jaw."I shouldn't have used the petrification spell to take your necklace, and I shouldn't have taken you to that circle."But Liana on
I had barely finished speaking when I heard shouting outside the hall.Then the heavy oak doors were thrown open.My family and Caden rushed inside.They pushed through the crowd and ran to the foot of the platform."Ella! How could you leave without a word?"Mom gripped the edge of the platform with both hands and cried out, "Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you?"The hall fell silent, and everyone turned toward us."Looking for me?"My voice rang through the hall."If you were so worried about me, why did you want me to come here as Liana's maid?"If you cared about me so much, why did you take Liana out to buy a wand while leaving me behind?"If the reporter hadn't exposed the truth in front of everyone, you wouldn't even know the House of Shadow had accepted me."Did you come here because you missed me, or because you finally learned I'm a prodigy?"Mom stopped crying.Caden finally stepped forward and stood in front of Liana, frowning."You're taking this too f
After I left home, I never looked back or asked about them again.I found Gareth.It turned out I had affinities for both light and dark magic, but my dark affinity had always been suppressed by my light magic.By draining my light essence, my family had accidentally freed the dark essence buried beneath it. The sudden burst of dark magic caught Gareth's attention.My affinity for dark magic was Rank SSS, a gift seen only once in a century."Child, you should spend all your time studying magic. Anything less would waste your talent."Gareth handed me a heavy ebony box. "This contains enough money to cover your expenses for the next four years."I opened the box. It was filled with gold crowns.I stared at them in silence.So I was worth investing in after all.I moved into the dormitory early and soon became friends with my roommate, Cecilia Ashford, who had also arrived early.One day, I returned to find Cecilia sitting on her bed reading the Daily Herald.She looked at me, then sudde
The room fell completely silent after the reporter's question.Liana's smile froze. She turned to Mom without thinking."You have the wrong person. The one who got into the Royal Academy of Light is my younger daughter, Liana."Vivian quickly recovered and forced a smile. "As for Ella, she's just an ordinary mage. What could she possibly have to do with Grand Magus Bradwyn?""An ordinary mage?" The reporter glanced at the self-writing quill. "The Bureau of Magic doesn't make mistakes with examination records. Since Ella isn't here, we'll have to cancel today's interview."With that, the reporter and her crew left.Just then, a black-feathered owl flew in through the open window.It dropped an envelope onto the table.Roland stared at it but made no move to pick it up."Open it," someone said quietly. "Let's see if it's really for Ella."Roland clenched his teeth and tore the envelope open.Golden letters appeared across the page."Ella Morwen has been accepted as an apprentice by Garet
I pushed the last black robe into my trunk and shut the lid.I dragged my luggage out of my room. Downstairs, they were throwing Liana a party to celebrate her admission.Everyone was fussing over Liana. No one noticed me leaving.I had just stepped outside when I saw a group of reporters walking through the front gate.Curiosity got the better of me. I took out my speaking mirror and said the activation word.Ripples spread across the glass, and an image of the living room appeared.The room was already packed with relatives and neighbors who had come to congratulate Liana.Streamers and balloons floated over the crowd.Liana stood in the center of the room in a pure white robe, enjoying all the attention.The reporters had to push through the crowd to reach her."We've heard that one of the Morwens is an exceptionally talented mage."A self-writing quill hovered beside the lead reporter. "We'd like to interview her."Liana pretended to be surprised, then laughed shyly."You want to i
As soon as I woke up, I packed my things and left.Anywhere would do. The farther away, the better.They were all still celebrating with Liana. No one even noticed me leave.Three days passed before they finally called me through the speaking mirror.I ignored every call.Caden was the only one who wouldn't stop. He called day and night.Each time the mirror lit up, a dull ache tugged at my heart.Three years ago, Caden had done exactly the same thing.Whenever I got angry and refused to speak to him, he would call over and over until I finally answered.Maybe he remembered those days too. Maybe some part of him still cared about me.My heart softened, and I answered his call.At first, the mirror stayed blank. After a few moments, Caden's face finally appeared."Ella, where did you run off to? Don't you know I've been worried? Give me the address. I'll come get you."His worried tone warmed my heart despite everything.I pressed my lips together and told him the address.A second late