LOGINLily’s POV
We ran.
Our footsteps echoed through the endless marble halls, the air heavy with the residue of shattered magic. The walls trembled faintly, as if the palace itself feared what was coming. Behind us, I could still hear Vaelen’s laughter—soft, deliberate, and terrifyingly calm.
We turned a corner and darted into a small chamber lined with broken mirrors. I pressed my back against the wall, forcing myself to breathe. Lyra was the first to speak.
“Okay,” she panted, “note to self—never, ever pick a fight with a dead guy again.”
“Agreed,” I muttered, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “Is he gone?”
Fianna peered through a crack in the door, her eyes sharp despite the faint tremor in her hands. “For now. But he’s looking for us. I can feel him.”
I glanced at her. “You can sense him?”
She nodded weakly. “He&rsq
Lily’s POVWe ran.Our footsteps echoed through the endless marble halls, the air heavy with the residue of shattered magic. The walls trembled faintly, as if the palace itself feared what was coming. Behind us, I could still hear Vaelen’s laughter—soft, deliberate, and terrifyingly calm.We turned a corner and darted into a small chamber lined with broken mirrors. I pressed my back against the wall, forcing myself to breathe. Lyra was the first to speak.“Okay,” she panted, “note to self—never, ever pick a fight with a dead guy again.”“Agreed,” I muttered, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “Is he gone?”Fianna peered through a crack in the door, her eyes sharp despite the faint tremor in her hands. “For now. But he’s looking for us. I can feel him.”I glanced at her. “You can sense him?”She nodded weakly. “He&rsq
Julianna’s POVThe throne room erupted into chaos.Lily and Aria threw up barriers while Kaid, Scott, and Cameron lunged forward, attacking in unison. Claws, fire, and raw mana crashed into Vaelen’s ghostly form—only to pass straight through him as if he were smoke.He didn’t even flinch.“Is that the best you can do?” Vaelen’s hollow voice echoed through the room, reverberating in my chest like thunder. “It useless, it liking trying to strike wind.”Scott growled, his fangs showing. “Let’s see if wind can burn!” He slammed his hands together, summoning a torrent of fire that tore through the air, engulfing the spectral figure. The heat was so intense the marble cracked beneath our feet.But when the flames died down, Vaelen still stood there—untouched, smiling faintly.“Nice fireworks,” he said, his voice almost mocking. “But fire cannot burn what isn’t bound to flesh.”Kaid leaped from the shadows, with his claws, his speed blinding. He slashed straight through the ghost’s torso. No
Julianna’s POVWanda smiled faintly. “The chains are used to suppress the magic of whoever wears them. But not mine”Before I could speak, she placed a glowing hand on my shoulder.Warmth spread through me, and suddenly the room seemed to dissolve. The world rippled—then I wasn’t standing anymore. I was light, weightless, drifting.Wanda’s voice echoed beside me. “Hold on tight.”We floated through the chains, through the thick iron bars of the cell, and drifted down the hall like tiny orbs of light. The guards never noticed us. It was as if the world couldn’t see us at all.When my feet finally touched solid ground again, we were standing at the entrance of the dorm dome.Before I could even catch my breath, the doors burst open—and there they were.Lyra, Lily, Kaid, Scott, Lila, Caleb, Cameron, Aria, Niamh… my friends.“Julie!” Lyra shouted, running to hug me so hard I almost lost balance. “We missed you so much.”
Julianna’s POVThe faint light of the dungeon barely reached the corners of my cell. My wrists were bruised where the enchanted chains had pressed too tightly, and the cold stone beneath me ached against my skin.Then came a soft glow—a single point of golden light that shimmered brighter until it filled the room.“Wanda?” I breathed, blinking against the brightness.The fairy princess floated in front of me, her wings casting delicate reflections across the cell walls.“You look terrible,” she said softly.I managed a bitter laugh. “Thanks. Just what I needed to hear.”Her expression darkened. “You think I came here to insult you?”“I think you shouldn’t have come here at all,” I muttered, turning my face toward the wall. “You should go back before they catch you. I don’t deserve to be saved.”Wanda tilted her head. “Excuse me?”“You heard me,” I said, my voice breaking. “Everywhere I go, destruction follows. Peo
Julianna’s POVThe cell was cold—colder than the air above ground ever could be. The stone beneath me felt alive, like it was drinking the warmth straight from my skin. Even the shadows seemed to breathe here, whispering through the cracks in the walls.I curled tighter on the floor, my arms wrapped around my knees. The damp scent of moss and iron clung to the air. A thin beam of light spilled through a crack in the ceiling, slicing across the cell like a blade. Dust danced in it, slow and ghostly, mocking the stillness around me.Every few seconds, a droplet of water fell somewhere in the corridor beyond—steady, rhythmic, like the ticking of a clock. Tick. Tock. Tick. The sound felt like time itself reminding me of what I’d broken.Sleep wouldn’t come. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him—the King. His lifeless body sprawled across the marble floor, the light gone from his ancient eyes. The Queen’s scream echoing through the great hall. Fianna’s trembl
Lily’s POV“Julianna is responsible for the King’s death.”The words slipped out before I could stop them. And once they did, they filled the air like poison. Heavy. Unforgiving. Final.The silence that followed felt like the moment before a storm — sharp, tense, and suffocating. Every pair of eyes turned toward me, and I could feel the shift in the room. Even the flickering torches along the stone walls seemed to dim, as if the academy itself was holding its breath.Scott’s eyes widened for a second before narrowing into a glare so sharp it could have drawn blood. “What the hell did you just say?” His voice came out low and dangerous, more a growl than words. He took a step forward, his fists clenched so tightly that the veins along his arms pulsed with fury.Before he could lunge, Kaid moved. Quick, silent, commanding. His hand gripped Scott’s shoulder, halting him mid-step. “Cool it, Scott,” he said evenly. “Let’s hear her out first.”Sco







