LOGINSolara POV
The sickness started quietly.
That was the cruelest part of it.
At first, it was just exhaustion. The kind that clung to my bones no matter how long I slept. I’d wake up feeling like I hadn’t rested at all, my limbs heavy, my chest tight, as if the air itself had weight.
“You’ve been training too hard,” Scott said one afternoon as we sat on the academy steps, sunlight warming the stone beneath us. “Phoenix fire drains stamina if you don’t balance it.”
“I barely trained today,” I muttered, rubbing my wrist. My skin felt too warm. Not burning just… wrong.
“You’re glowing,” he added jokingly.
I laughed, but it came out weak.
The healers noticed before I did.
They started pulling me from class, running scans, whispering in corners when they thought I wasn’t listening. My fire began to flicker instead of burn—erratic, u
Solara POVThe sickness started quietly.That was the cruelest part of it.At first, it was just exhaustion. The kind that clung to my bones no matter how long I slept. I’d wake up feeling like I hadn’t rested at all, my limbs heavy, my chest tight, as if the air itself had weight.“You’ve been training too hard,” Scott said one afternoon as we sat on the academy steps, sunlight warming the stone beneath us. “Phoenix fire drains stamina if you don’t balance it.”“I barely trained today,” I muttered, rubbing my wrist. My skin felt too warm. Not burning just… wrong.“You’re glowing,” he added jokingly.I laughed, but it came out weak.The healers noticed before I did.They started pulling me from class, running scans, whispering in corners when they thought I wasn’t listening. My fire began to flicker instead of burn—erratic, u
Solara POVI don’t remember my parents.That’s the first thing people usually ask, and I never know how to answer it without disappointing them. They expect a tragedy faces, voices, last words whispered through tears. But all I have is absence. A blank space where memories should be. Like someone erased the beginning of my story before I ever got the chance to read it.The orphanage smelled like old wood and boiled vegetables. Not unpleasant. Just… permanent. The kind of smell that settles into your clothes and reminds you that you’re not going anywhere.I learned early not to cry when other kids were adopted.I learned to smile, to wave, to say I’m happy for you and mean it just enough that no one would question me. I learned to sit on my bed at night and stare at the ceiling, counting cracks, imagining them as constellations instead of fractures. I told myself I didn’t need anyone. That it was safer t
Julianna POVTime slowed to a crawl.The blade caught the light as it descended, silver flashing like a falling star. My body reacted before my mind could heart slamming against my ribs, breath tearing from my lungs but my feet wouldn’t move fast enough.“No—!” I screamed.The knife plunged into Solara’s chest.The sound was wrong. Not the wet, awful sound I expected but a sharp crack, like metal striking glass.I was suddenly running, my vision blurring, my pulse roaring in my ears. “Stop! Get away from her!”The figure turned.And my world shattered.“L… Lily?” I whispered.She stood there, calm, unnervingly calm, her hand still gripping the hilt of the blade embedded in Solara’s body. Her face held no anger. No madness. Just focus. Purpose.I slammed into her, shoving her back. “What did you do?!” My voice broke, tears spilling freely now. “Have you lost your mind?!”Lily didn’t resist. She let me push her away, stepping back as Solara’s body suddenly arched violently on the bed.A
Julianna POVA week had passed since the fall of the Purity Organization, and for the first time in a long while, Paranormal High felt… almost normal.Almost.Most of the escapees had reunited with their families and loved ones. Tearful goodbyes had filled the courtyard for days parents clutching children they’d thought lost forever, siblings reuniting like miracles given flesh. Each departure brought relief… and guilt. Relief that they were safe. Guilt that others were still here, still broken, still healing.Life moved on, as it always did.The final bell rang sharply, echoing through the halls. Students poured out of classrooms, laughter returning in cautious waves. I packed my bag slowly, my mind already elsewhere.“The Clinic, right?” Lyra asked, stepping beside me.I nodded. “Yeah. I just… I need to see him.”Lyra smiled softly. “Let’s go.”The walk to the school clinic felt longer than usual. My heart pounded with every step, a thousand thoughts racing through my mind. Elias ha
Julianna POVAfter the battle with Purity, the High Council paid the school a visit. We were escorted to the ancient meeting hall.You could feel it in the air—the weight of centuries pressing down on your chest, the kind of pressure that reminded you how small you were in the grand order of things. The stone walls curved upward into shadows, etched with ancient runes that glowed faintly blue, reacting to the presence of magic. At the center of the room rose a semicircle of thrones carved from crystal and obsidian.The High Council.Nine of the most powerful beings in the supernatural realm—yet only three figures sat before us: Lord Aaethon, Magnus Greyfang, and Queen Elenara. Their faces were calm and unreadable, their eyes glowing faintly with power restrained by discipline rather than force. They were not angry.They were not kind.They were evaluating us.“Good to see you again, Julianna,” Queen Elenara said softly.“Good to see you too,” I replied. “So… you’re a council member no
Scott POVEverything was collapsing around us and Aldus stood at the center of it all, transformed into a monster, his body twisting with scales, claws, and horns like something ancient and forgotten by every race.Things looked bad. Really bad.But I wasn’t afraid.I stepped forward, flames curling around my fists—normal flames at first. But then something inside me snapped. The fear. The anger. The memories of everything this organization had done.And then the flames shifted.They darkened… deepened… twisted… until they burned a violent purple, hot enough to distort the air.Lila gasped.“I didn’t know y







