All Chapters of Welcome to Aetherborn: Crushes, Curses & Creatures: Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

The air trembled. The light dimmed around them, soft clouds turning a bruised violet. Seraphine’s pulse thudded in her ears. Nyx’s gaze swept across the group, her expression unreadable. When she finally spoke, her voice was calm but that calmness was worse than fury. It was the kind of stillness that came before a storm. “You have all done well to hide it for so long,” she said softly, “but magic leaves traces. The kind of magic you have been working with leaves scars.” Lucien shifted uneasily. “Vice Principal, we…” “Silence,” Nyx said, and his voice died in his throat. Her eyes glowed brighter, and the clouds beneath them rippled. “The portal spell,” she said. Three words and the entire room seemed to exhale. Seraphine’s breath caught. She looked at the Four, but none of them met her gaze. “The Portal Between Worlds,” Nyx continued. “A spell sealed by the Founders themselves. Forbidden for any student, or teacher, to even attempt. Do you understand the gravity of this crime

Her reflection in the mirror across the room smiled back but she hadn’t smiled. Seraphine froze. The room felt suddenly colder. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and looked again. The reflection was normal now. Just her, pale and tired, staring back. She exhaled shakily. “Okay. Just… nerves.” She got dressed and stepped into the corridor. This time, it wasn’t Caleb, Mina or Lyra or Maren, and Elira waiting for her. It was the Four. Alaric. Damien. Kade. Lucien. They all stood there, silent, their eyes fixed on her. Seraphine’s breath hitched. “Um… hi? What are you all doing here?” Alaric’s smile was tight, almost mechanical. “We’re walking you to class.” “Walking me?” She frowned. “You don’t even come to my class.” Kade shrugged lightly. “We do now.” Damien tilted his head, voice low and warm. “We’re here for you, Sera. Anything for you.” Her stomach twisted. Their words were wrong, too perfect, too polished, like lines rehearsed a thousand times. “Right… okay,

Mist shimmered in the air like liquid glass. The Frame of Misery stood at the center of an ancient hall buried beneath Aetherborn Academy, a suspended mirror of obsidian light, rippling faintly as if breathing. Seraphine Vale’s image flickered within its dark surface, tossing, crying, trapped in her endless loop. Vice Principal Nyx Thornveil stood before it, her expression unreadable, silver eyes reflecting the storm within the glass. Behind her, shadows thickened then parted as the Principal entered. Headmaster Virelkan Duskrend’s presence filled the space like a cold tide. His long coat shimmered faintly with runes that pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat. He stopped beside her, gaze fixed on the mirror. Virelkan’s tone was quiet but razor-edged. “This is the girl who is meant to fulfill the prophecy?” He tilted his head slightly. “She can’t even think her way out of a reflective trap. Are you sure she has learned anything since she arrived?” Nyx’s jaw tightened. “She’s not lik

Seraphine stood in the middle of the classroom again. Same sunlight. Same faces. Same stillness. The professor wrote across the board in elegant white strokes: “Truth.” She didn’t wait for him to call her name this time. “I know what I did,” she said quietly. The whole class turned to her in eerie synchronization. With a determined glint in her eye, she ventured another truth, desperately hoping it would prove to be the one that finally resonated. A pause. Then the faintest whisper, from everywhere and nowhere at once: “You are right.” Her heart jumped. The light in the room flickered, gold bleeding into violet. “You are right,” the voice repeated, louder this time. “You may wake.” Seraphine gasped as the world shattered like glass. She woke up. In her bed. Again. The same morning bells. The same golden light spilling through the curtains. The same awful feeling. Her stomach dropped. “No,” she whispered. “No, no, no…” She threw off the sheets and

The academy buzzed like a restless hive. Banners of gold and deep crimson fluttered across the marble courtyard, bearing the sigils of the Four Castles: Noctis, Lupaxis, Wyverndale and Tenebrae. Students hurried through the archways, polishing their crests, adjusting uniforms, and murmuring about matches, rankings, and one thing that hung in the air like smoke: The announcement of the new Student President. Seraphine stood at the edge of the crowd, arms folded, her gaze fixed on the main board where the finalized roster was pinned. Her name wasn’t there. She already knew it wouldn’t be. But seeing the blank space where her name could’ve been still stung. Her stomach twisted as her eyes fell on the only name written in shimmering ink at the very top: Cressida Valehart. The letters gleamed with smug perfection, just like the girl herself. “She’s the only one who registered,” Lucien said quietly beside her, leaning on the railing. “No one else dared.” “Because she made