Lahat ng Kabanata ng Broken by One, Desired by All : Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

Zane's Point Of View Silence.The kind of silence that doesn’t just sit in the air, it presses against your chest, makes your throat dry, makes every heartbeat feel like it’s echoing too loud in the back of your ears.I stood in the center of the ceremonial circle, alone, small, a speck of broken bones and old bruises against the towering marble of the academy’s ancient halls.Nothing.Absolutely nothing.The ceremonial stone beneath my boots pulsed faintly with magic, ancient, cold, impersonal, but nothing happened.Nothing.My breath stuttered, panic rising sharp and fast in my throat. My heart beat too loud, too quick, and for one sick moment, I thought I might collapse again.Behind me, I heard the soft snickers starting. Low at first. Then louder. Cruel.“Pathetic,” someone muttered.I could feel their eyes eating into my back.“Guess second time’s not the charm.”“Mixed-blood trash.”I swallowed hard, throat raw.Of course. Of course this was happening. Why the hell did I think

Zane's Point Of ViewI must’ve been wearing the dumbest expression on my face, because Charlie blinked at me like I’d just grown a second head.“You… you really didn’t know?” he asked, flopping back onto my bed like this was somehow his tragedy to suffer. “Bro, it’s the Freshman Ball. It’s huge. Professors go. Alumni go. Important people. Potential sponsors. Some people even leave with a future fiancé if they play their cards right.”I just stared at him.He lifted his hands, eyebrows up like come on. “It’s like a party, but you get judged the whole time. Kind of like a tournament but with better food. The upperclassmen scope out the new kids. Professors give secret recommendations. Some of the big-name guild recruiters show up pretending to be ‘guests.’ And… if you’re smart…” His grin sharpened. “You can make connections. Or enemies. Or lovers.”His gaze flicked to me deliberately. “Especially someone like you.”I stiffened at that.I didn’t want to be someone like me. I didn’t want

Zane's Point Of View“Whether you go or not, Zane…” Her eyes narrowed as she turned. “It won’t affect the ball at all.”The door clicked shut behind Alisa like the last nail in a coffin. The silence that followed felt suffocating. Heavy. It wrapped around me like a stormcloud that refused to lift.Charlie was still leaning against the wall, trying to breathe through the pain. His shirt was singed from Alisa’s magic, his hair mussed, face bruised and trembling, but his eyes still burned with loyalty.And that broke me a little more.“I’m sorry,” I said, the words clawing their way out of my throat. “This is all my fault.”Charlie blinked at me, startled, then winced as he pushed off the wall. “What are you talking about?”I looked down at my shaking hands. “If I wasn’t here, if I hadn’t pissed her off, she wouldn’t have hurt you. She wouldn’t have even bothered showing up.”Charlie limped toward me and dropped heavily onto the edge of his bed, hissing slightly. “Zane. Stop.”“But…”“Sh

Zane's Point Of View The Human Academy’s central church looked more like a palace than a place of worship.Tall white spires scraped the sky, windows of stained glass bathed the courtyard in fractured light, and the great carved doors stood open, humming with holy magic. Even the air here smelled like polished stone, ancient scrolls, and something faintly sweet, like lilies just past bloom.Charles had told me Miles would be here, attending a meeting with other council members.I had hesitated for hours before coming.And now that I stood beneath the shadows of those arched pillars, watching the steady flow of finely dressed students and professors stream out of the meeting, I questioned everything.What was I even doing?I didn’t belong here. Not in this building. Not among these bloodlines.I shifted nervously by the column, fingers clenching and unclenching the hem of my tunic. I kept my head slightly lowered, avoiding attention, hoping and praying he would walk out soon.Then I s

Zane's Point Of View “You sure about this?” Charlie asked, his voice quiet, nearly swallowed by the rolling mist that clung to us like second skin. “The oysters aren't far from the shore, but this place… changes at night.”I turned to him, the cool sea breeze tugging gently at my sleeves. “I’ll be careful.”Charlie looked me over, worry tightening the corners of his eyes. “Just… don’t get too cocky. The Cloud Sea might look calm, but it’s older than the Academy. Older than most of the legends we’ve heard. It listens. It waits.”That made my stomach turn a little. “Noted,” I muttered, tightening the pearl pouch at my belt.Charlie pointed to the shimmering fog. “There are two clusters of oysters. One group’s to the left, the other to the right. If we split up, we’ll cover more ground. But keep your eyes open, and if anything moves that isn’t glowing or cute, run.”I raised a brow. “Define cute.”Charlie chuckled and raised his hand, fingers glowing faintly blue. “Before we split, let