LOGINJulianna POV
Is that Scott? The Scott that Lyra told me about. I thought as my eyes were fixed on the boy standing in front of me. The chair was still floating in the air a testament to him great power and mischievous attitude.
"Tsk, stand up." He said as he extended his hands towards me. I just looked at his hands, then his face, unsure of if I should accept his offer, but something about his expression made me hesitate. Instead I stood up on my own ignoring his offer.
"Owwww." The class gasped in shock, they eyes fixed on me as I stood up, my face burning in embarrassment. Scott eyes widened, and he slowly withdrew his hands, his face mixed with surprise and annoyance.
"Thank you for the offer, after you embarrassed me. I appreciate it." I said trying to sound sarcastic, my voice shaking. and patted his shoulder trying to act nonchalant then walked to an empty seat in front. The class erupted in screams and laughter. I could feel there eyes on my but I ignored trying to focus on the lesson ahead.
"Hey woman!" He growled his voice menacing.
I turned to face him "Do you mean me?"l asked trying to sound calm. "Who told you to hold me?" He demanded angrily. I scratched my head in confusion. "Ohh you mean when I patted your shoulder.... you didn't say it was forbidden to touch you" I asked.
Just then Kaid intervened "Scott, sit down." Kaid said with authority, but Scott refused to budge, his eyes fixed on me. "Ughm... You are going to get sick if you keep this up" I said trying to reason with him but he just kept staring at me.
The class bursted into laughter again. Just then the teacher intervened "Okay class that enough" Scott closed his eyes, his fist clenched and then turned away returning to his sit.
"We're not done yet." He threatened flashing a wicked grin as he went to his sit, but I ignored him.
I still couldn't believe what just happened. I certainly hadn't expected to confront Scott like that. But there was something about his constant pranks and teasing that had gotten under my skin.
So I turned my attention to the teacher
"So Ms. Harris, what does Alpha mean ?" The teacher asked me.
"In studies of social animals, the highest ranking individual is sometimes designated as the alpha. Males, females, or both, can be alphas, depending on the species. Where one male and one female fulfill this role together, they are sometimes referred to as the alpha pair. Alphas may achieve their status by superior physical strength and aggression, or through social efforts and building alliances within the group. The individual with alpha status sometimes changes, often through a fight between the dominant and a subordinate animal. are often to death, depending on the animal. "I answered.
The classroom fell quiet I was wondering if I said something wrong,but the teacher applauded. "That's right I said. Are you sure you're just human...no powers? It was almost like you read my mind." The teacher said.
I blushed "I'm just human." I replied.
"Nerd" Scott said almost silently.
I laughed and playful rolled my eyes "Just showing off" I teased. Earning laughs form the twins. I sat on the floor again instead of my chair. I noticed my chair floating again, and I glared at Scott with annoyance.
"Are you really upset or you're just interested in me, just say so instead of playing pranks" I said. The room enveloped with a long silence. They were obviously surprised by what I did, I was surprised as well. The chair fell to the floor breaking the tension. The entire class bursted into laughter.
I tried to brush it off, "Ughm... Just a joke." I said and sat in my chair closeimg my eyes wondering what I have gotten myself into.
Caleb and Cameron teased "Scott, looks like you have met your match.....ouch sick burn"
Julianna POVWe left the burial ground before the last mourners had even turned away.The hill felt colder than it should have, the wind carrying the smell of fresh-turned earth and pine. Scott’s face was hard, eyes locked on the path leading down to the elder hall. He hadn’t spoken much since the guards took Seraphine, just one sentence, low and certain, like he was trying to convince himself as much as me.“We’re not waiting for them to decide her fate.”I didn’t argue. The guilt still sat heavy in my chest, sharp as broken glass. One second. I had held Liora’s hand for one second before I let go to help an old woman who’d fallen. One second. If I hadn’t, Cassian wouldn’t have had to run. He’d still be here, teasing Seraphine, ruffling Liora’s hair, alive. But the timeline had its own rules. Changing it could erase Scott’s entire childhood, erase him. So I’d stood by while a man died to save a child.And I hated myself for it.We went straight to Thorne.He was alone in the yard beh
Julianna POVThe burial ground sat on a low hill above Aethercradle, where the wind always carried the smell of river water and pine. Dawn had come slow and gray, the sky the color of old bruises. A simple stone marker had been raised for Cassian overnight, rough-hewn granite, his name carved deep, no flourish, no epitaph. Just the dates. Too short. Too final.The village gathered in a loose half-circle. No one spoke above a whisper. Mothers held children close. Men stood with arms folded tight, jaws clenched. The air felt heavy, like it was pressing down on all of us at once.Elara stood closest to the grave. Thorne’s arm was around her waist, but she wasn’t leaning on him, she was holding herself upright by sheer will. Tears streamed down her face in steady, silent rivers. She didn’t sob. She didn’t wail. She just cried, like her body had forgotten how to stop.Thorne’s face was stone, eyes red-rimmed, mouth a flat line, bu
Scott POVThe square was already a graveyard of shattered lanterns and smoldering tables when Seraphine finally moved.She stayed on her knees for one endless second—staring at Cassian’s body like if she looked long enough he might breathe again. Then something inside her snapped. Smoke still curled from scorched stone. The crowd had backed away, far away, like instinct knew better than to stay near a Primarch when the silence came before the storm.The ground beneath her cracked.Not a clean split. A jagged spiderweb of fractures raced outward, stone grinding like teeth. The air turned hot and cold at once—steam rising from the earth while frost crawled up the nearest bench. Her mana surged—wild, uncontainable. A low moan escaped her throat and became a shout.Wind exploded from her in every direction.It hit like a hammer. Villagers screamed as they were flung backward. Tables overturned. Lanterns shattered
Scott POVThe cheering hadn’t even died when the sky cracked open.One second the square was full of lantern glow and laughter—Liora spinning in circles with ribbons in her hair, Seraphine flushed and grinning from her performance, villagers clapping like they’d never seen anything better. The next second the air turned thick, electric. A low rumble rolled through the ground like distant thunder trapped under stone.I felt it before I heard it.A shiver down my spine. The kind that comes right before lightning.Seraphine felt it too. Her smile vanished. She spun toward the riverbank, ice already frosting her palms.“Revenants,” she breathed.Three shapes rose from the darkness beyond the square—tall, churning, wrong.Fire first: a column of flame thirty feet high, black smoke threading through it like veins. Earth next: a hulking thing of grinding stone and root, fire licking along its cracks
Julianna POVThe morning before the festival felt like the village had woken up smiling. Sunlight poured through the open windows of the house, turning dust motes into tiny sparks. Liora ran circles around the kitchen table, waving a string of paper lanterns she’d helped fold the night before. “Mira! Mira! Look! They glow when you hang them high enough!”I laughed and caught her as she spun too fast. “They’re beautiful. You’re going to make the whole square shine.”Seraphine stood at the counter, arms crossed, pretending she wasn’t watching us. “They’re crooked,” she muttered.“They’re perfect,” I said, setting Liora down. “You’re just jealous you didn’t make them.”She rolled her eyes but the corner of her mouth twitched. Progress.Scott appeared in the doorway, sleeves rolled to his elbows, hair still damp from washing. He carried a
Scott POVMorning light sliced through the pines in thin gold blades. The clearing behind the house still smelled of dew and last night’s rain. Seraphine was already there when I arrived, pacing tight circles, hands flexing like she was itching to throw something. Julianna trailed a few steps behind me, arms folded, pretending she was only here to “keep an eye on things.” I didn’t argue. Having her close made the air feel less thin.“You’re late,” Seraphine said without looking up.“It’s barely dawn.”“Exactly.” She stopped pacing, planted her feet, and summoned a small flame in her palm. It flickered—too wild, eating mana too fast. “Show me again. The way you did yesterday. Slow. Controlled.”I exhaled through my nose and stepped into the center of the clearing. Julianna settled on a fallen log at the edge, knees drawn up, watching quietly.“Firs







