Masuk~Avery’s POV~For the first time since I could remember, Oakridge was quiet. Not the peaceful kind of quiet. The kind that came after something terrible had finally ended.Smoke still curled above the damaged houses. Broken pieces of wood and stone covered the streets, and the ceremony grounds where everything had begun were almost unrecognizable. Yet no one was running anymore.No one was screaming. The Voidborn was gone. I stood in the middle of the village with Theron beside me, staring at the people who had spent years making me feel like I didn't belong. They were still staring at me too, but something had changed. My eyes met Lenora's and then Garrick's.Lenora quickly lowered her head and hid her face. I just smiled, I didn't even know if I hated her anymore. After everything that had happened, I wasn't sure what I felt when I looked at them. Maybe I was too tired to hate them. Maybe I had simply stopped caring enough to hold on to it.A woman slowly approached, pulling me out
~Theron’s POV~“Don’t let the witch escape!”The words came from every direction.I tightened my grip around Avery’s hand and pulled her behind me as the villagers closed in.Some held farming tools. Others carried broken pieces of wood and anything else they could use as a weapon. Fear had turned their faces hard, and the High Mage stood behind them, watching everything unfold with an expression far too calm for a man surrounded by destruction.“This is not her fault!” I shouted. No one listened. “She broke the relic!” someone yelled. “She released the Voidborn!”“She needs to pay for what she did!”Avery's fingers tightened around mine.I glanced back at her.She looked pale, but she wasn't crying. Her eyes moved across the villagers, taking in the ruined houses and frightened faces around us. Then she looked at the High Mage. He met her gaze without the slightest hesitation, that was when I understood. He wasn't afraid of Avery.He was afraid of what people would discover if they s
~Avery’s POV~“Avery believe in yourself and remember we can leave any time.” He said.For several seconds, neither Theron nor I moved. The villagers were still running through the streets, desperately trying to find somewhere safe, I could hear people calling for their families.The Voidborn still stood up there this time looking at me, then it moved with full speed and left, people who were running stopped running. I looked away. I used what little control I had over my magic to lift fallen pieces of wood and stone. Theron helped pull people from underneath the debris. I wasn't strong enough to save everyone.That realization hurt more than I wanted to admit. An elderly man reached for my hand after we pulled him from a collapsed room. “Thank you.” I swallowed. “You're welcome.” He stared at me for a moment.Then his expression changed.His eyes widened.“You…”I frowned. “What?” He took a step backward. “I know you.” Theron immediately looked at him. The man's voice trembled. “You'
~Avery’s POV~I barely slept after hearing what had happened to Oakridge.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw pieces of the village through the strange connection my magic had created. Smoke rising into the sky. People running through streets they had known their entire lives. Houses collapsing. Children crying for their parents.And beneath all of it, I could feel that presence.The Voidborn.It was like a shadow at the edge of my thoughts, distant but impossible to ignore, I sat beside the window in my room, watching the darkness outside the palace.Oakridge was several hours away.I knew that because I had spent most of my life there. It was the place I had dreamed of leaving more times than I could count. The place where I had never felt wanted, where Lenora's cold looks and Garrick's silence had made me feel like a burden.They had never protected me. When the relic broke, they had watched me become the easiest person to blame. So why couldn't I stop thinking about them now?I pre
~Avery’s POV~Something felt wrong.I had been sitting beside the window for several minutes, staring at the gardens without really seeing them. The palace was unusually quiet that morning, but it wasn't the silence that bothered me. It was the strange pressure building inside my chest, like something was tugging at a part of me I couldn't reach.I placed my hand against my chest, the sensation grew stronger. My magic.Ever since Valerie had told me who I really was, nothing about my life had felt normal anymore. I had spent years believing I was simply Avery Greymoor, an unwanted girl who had been taken in by a family that never truly wanted me. Now I knew I had another name, another history, and powers I had barely begun to understand.Aurelia.The last Arcane.Even thinking about those words made my head spin, I looked at my palm and nothing happened at first. Then a faint shimmer passed beneath my skin, I pulled my hand back. "What is happening?" I had felt my magic before, especi
~The Palace~The king stood near the tall windows of the council chamber, his hands clasped behind his back as he listened to the High Mage. “We have searched the roads, the forest, and every village surrounding Oakridge,” the king said. “How is it possible that one girl has disappeared without a trace?”“She fled after the ceremony, Your Majesty,” the High Mage replied. “We believe she may have gone deeper into the forest.”“And you still haven't found her?” The king asked. “No, Your Majesty.” Orion shifted beside his father. “Avery wouldn't have stayed near Oakridge after what happened. She must be frightened.”The High Mage glanced at him. “Which is why she must be found before she causes any more trouble.” Neris remained silent beside Orion, her hands folded in front of her. The king sighed. “Continue the search. I want her to be found as soon as possible.”“Yes, Your Majesty.”The High Mage bowed before adding.~Oakridge~The broken relic stood at the center of Oakridge, its shat







