All Chapters of The Academy of The Ascendant - Book 1 Marked by Starlight: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

(Lyra’s POV)The stars felt off tonight.Not in some metaphorical sense. The stars’ behavior couldn’t be explained with simple astrology apps or typical late-night thoughts.Something about the stars tonight sent shivers down my spine and twisted my stomach as if they knew something I couldn’t see.I teetered on the rooftop’s edge with my hoodie zipped against the cold while my boots gripped the cracked concrete as I watched an unusually vibrant sky.The wind moved around me in a wavering manner while holding its breath as if uncertain.Above, the constellations flickered out of sync.The Phoenix pulsed. The Dagger tilted. The Serpent appeared and disappeared in rapid succession similar to a camera shutter’s motion.I blinked and considered whether exhaustion or imagination were responsible—but it wasn’t either.My breath still hung in the air.The wind kept pulling my hair while strands flew into my mouth.And the stars… were shifting.Not metaphorically.Literally.As if they were w

(Lyra’s POV)If stares held the power to burn me I would have vanished to become smoke spiraling into the sky, dispersing with the universe’s breath until I left no trace of my existence.Three figures representing fire, shadow and ice stood as unyielding guardians at the boundary of an inaccessible world pulsating with its silent codes and time-honored rights while they observed me with a palpable intensity. I landed in the middle of their holy emblem which was etched into the surroundings while my body still reeled from the hard landing which transported me here and my skin buzzed from the magical energy that pulled me out of my reality into their presence.The atmosphere in this place felt heavy because it contained both extreme heat and cold as well as a deep pressure that settled onto me like an unseen burden. We sat in a space heavy with tangible expectation as an unholy combination of uncertainty and curiosity sparked between us.The sky seemed to freeze in time with an overwhe

(Lyra’s POV)They paraded us like offerings, a procession of fate laid bare beneath a sky that seemed to hold its breath in anticipation.The crescent-shaped courtyard overflowed with students whose dark cloaks billowed around them like animated shadows. The garments featured elaborate embroidery of celestial sigils which emitted a supernatural glow while forming a tapestry of stars and mystical symbols that conveyed tales of ancient power and forgotten wisdom. The black stone underfoot shone with silver veins resembling frozen lightning which emphasized our insignificance against the institution’s magnificence. The academy’s towers rose above us as towering silent deities whose sharp spires stretched upward toward the heavens in an attempt to tear through the universe’s fabric. Above everything stood a dome of stars which rotated slowly across the heavens and appeared to shimmer and twinkle as if it possessed life.A constellation map. A moving sky. The tapestry observed us with its e

(Riven’s POV)Her face remained permanently imprinted in my thoughts.They were different from those who called my name in a sigh before disappearing like steam.She stuck. Like blood on my teeth. Like a curse I didn’t want broken.Once I returned to my makeshift shelter beneath the Tower of Storms following the induction and the terrifying Void event that caused half the students to wet themselves.Not official housing. Not approved.Mine.Lightning shattered the ceiling while thunder rumbled against the stone walls. The walls throbbed with current. It felt like home. The storm that dwelled beneath my skin had taken root in this place.And right now, that storm was obsessing over a girl who should’ve shattered under our magic.But didn’t.I sprawled shirtless on the cushions near the storm basin, sparks jumping lazily across my fingers. Liora—blonde, forgettable—ran a hand down my chest.Her proximity filled my senses while I remained mentally detached from the intimate connection. M

(Lyra’s POV)I was placed in the neutral zone like a curse no one wanted to claim.No House. No dorm. No crest. No guide.Just a small room carved from cold stone, a bed that might’ve once been used for torture, and a narrow window that didn’t show the sky—only the jagged rock wall of the eastern tower.The message was clear:I wasn’t welcome.I wasn’t one of them.I wasn’t safe.The guards who watched my door didn’t speak. The other students avoided eye contact—unless they were whispering or smirking or calling me Voidborn.I didn’t know how they even knew that term.But somehow, they did.One morning, as I passed through the hall, a boy with ice-white eyes muttered, “Careful, she might split the ground again.”His friend snorted. “I heard her magic cracked the arena stone. Bet she dreams in black lightning.”I paused, turned slowly. “Say that again.”The taller one blinked. “What? Just a joke.”I raised my brow. “You’ll be fun in a duel.”He paled.On the third morning, training beg