MasukSilas’s POV I’d been staring at the same spot on the wall for at least ten minutes. Maybe longer. Time had become strangely meaningless after Angela quietly stood from the couch, looked at both of us with exhausted eyes, and said she was going to Xavier’s room because she needed to be alone. She needed to think. I hadn’t tried to stop her. Neither had Xavier. There wasn’t anything either of us could have said that would have made this easier. The copied journal pages still lay scattered across the coffee table where we’d left them. I couldn’t bring myself to pick them up again. I’d already read every line. Twice. Alright. Maybe more than that. The words hadn’t changed. The curse hadn’t changed. None of it had. The room felt heavier now. Not because it was quiet. Because every answer we’d managed to uncover seemed to create three more questions. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, letting out a slow breath. For weeks we’d been chasing clues. Searching libraries. Diggi
Xavier’s POV The copied pages felt heavier than they should have. They were only a handful of worn sheets, carefully copied from Mr. Wilson’s journal, yet I couldn’t stop looking down at them as I walked back through the quiet academy. I’d gone looking for answers. Instead, I’d found another clock. Only this one wasn’t counting down to twenty-one. It might already be running out. I tightened my grip on the papers before pushing open the door to my suite. Silas looked up from the couch the moment I stepped inside. He’d obviously been waiting. “Did you find him?” I nodded my head as I shut the door behind me. “Yeah.” “Well?” He waved his hand in the air. I glanced toward the bedroom. “Is she awake?” As if on cue, Angela stepped into the room carrying two steaming mugs. A loose sweater hung from one shoulder, and her hair was still slightly messy from sleep. She looked tired, but she smiled the second she saw me. “I didn’t know you were already back.” She crossed the room and ha
Xavier’s POV I gripped the balcony railing until my knuckles turned white. I hadn’t slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the curse winding beneath Angela’s skin, spreading farther than it had any right to in a single day. I could still hear her voice. ‘The pain’s getting worse.’ She’d tried to say it like it wasn’t important. Like admitting it had hurt her more than the pain itself. The balcony door slid open behind me. “You’ve been out here a while.” I didn’t have to turn around to know it was Silas. “I wasn’t tired,” I said simply. “That’s a lie,” He stepped beside me, resting his forearms on the stone railing as he looked out across the academy grounds. For a few moments, neither of us spoke. There wasn’t much left to say. We’d both seen the marks. We’d both watched them spread. Neither of us had slept much because of it. Silas finally exhaled. “I checked on her before I came out.” I looked over. “Still asleep?” He nodded his head once. “She didn’t even move.” “Good.
Xavier’s POV By the time we finally made it back to my suite, the academy had gone quiet. Break had emptied most of Eclipse Academy, leaving the halls almost unnaturally still. Every now and then, distant footsteps echoed somewhere beyond the corridor before fading into silence again. Our afternoon in the library had followed us home. Journals covered my coffee table. Loose sheets of parchment filled with hurried notes were scattered across the couch and the floor. Maps, family trees, and names of forgotten kingdoms were scribbled across pages in three different handwritings. We’d spent hours chasing Aldren’s trail, only to discover every answer pointed toward another question. Angela hadn’t slowed down once. She was sitting cross-legged against the headboard of my bed with another journal resting across her lap, completely absorbed in its pages. A strand of blonde hair had slipped loose, falling across one side of her face, and every few seconds she’d absentmindedly blow it away
Angela’s POV I couldn’t move. My eyes remained fixed on the faded drawing spread across the brittle page. The winged crest. My crest. The one resting against the side of my neck. Beneath it, written in elegant, timeworn script, was a single sentence. ‘The winged crest belonged only to those born beneath the ancient curse.’ A chill ran down my spine. “Guys…” My voice barely rose above a whisper. I didn’t have to call twice. I heard chairs scrape against the wooden floor as both Xavier and Silas hurried toward me. “What is it?” Xavier asked, stopping beside me. I silently turned the book so they could see. Silas leaned closer, his eyes settling on the drawing before drifting to the sentence beneath it. “So…” he murmured. “It wasn’t just a family crest.” Xavier folded his arms. “It never was.” I carefully turned the page. Instead of another illustration, the next page was filled with tightly written notes describing forgotten kingdoms, fractured alliances, and royal bloodlines tha
Angela’s POV I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. For a moment, the words refused to make sense. ‘Archivist Aldren passed away years ago.’ It felt as though someone had reached into my chest and pulled every ounce of hope right out of it. We’d finally found a lead. It was our first real lead. And just like that… it was gone. Beside me, Xavier let out a slow breath while Silas lowered his gaze to the floor. Nobody spoke. What was there to say? I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and forced a small smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “I guess…” I whispered. “We were too late.” I turned, ready to leave. “Miss?” The librarian’s gentle voice stopped me before I’d taken more than two steps. I looked back over my shoulder. She offered me an apologetic smile. “I wasn’t finished.” Heat crept into my cheeks. “Oh…” She stepped around the front desk, folding her hands neatly in front of her as she approached us. “When Archivist Aldren passed away, his family donated his life’s work t







