60: Cruelty, Certainly & Contempt

The next morning, Seraphine rose before dawn. Her sleep had been shallow, fractured by the echo of laughter that wasn’t there, whispers that slithered under her pillow. She washed her face in icy water, told herself she would not break, and told herself she could make it through one day at a time. She tied her hair back, adjusted her uniform, and opened her door. The corridor was empty. For a blessed heartbeat, it felt normal. Then the whispers started. “There she is.” “The cursed one.” “Tag, tag, tagged.” The words slithered through the air, uttered by unseen voices, weaving a tapestry of dread that washed over her. Clenching her fists, she quickened her pace, trying to escape the weight of their haunting presence Her first humiliation struck before she had even set foot inside the classroom. The stairwell descending into the study halls curled downward like the coiled neck of a beast, wide steps of pale marble gleaming faintly in the torchlight. The banister, an elaborate

Last Updated : 2025-09-03

61: Exit, Escape & Endless Exhaustion

That night, exhaustion dragged Seraphine into sleep like chains. Every bone in her body ached, her palms still raw where the letters had burned, her thoughts heavy with the echo of laughter. She wanted only oblivion, a few short hours of silence. But there was no silence waiting for her. She dreamed of chains. Her castle dissolved. The soft mattress fell away, the blankets unraveled into smoke. She found herself kneeling on the cold marble floor of the Academy’s great hall. The vast arches loomed overhead, lit not by torchlight but by a sickly glow that painted everything in shades of gray-green. Shadows bent and twisted like living things. And around her, an unbroken circle of students. Their faces were blurred, melted into masks of nothing, but their voices were sharp, cruelly precise. “Kneel. Kneel. Kneel…” The chant hammered through her skull, every syllable a nail driving her further down. Her body tried to rise. She strained against the invisible weight, every muscle scr

Last Updated : 2025-09-03

62: Unstable, Unhinged & Utterly hexed

Cressida’s eyes swept over Seraphine, slow and deliberate, tracing her from head to toe as though measuring every fracture waiting to be found. Then, with a sly curl of her lips, she smiled. “You’d better keep that promise of yours,” she murmured, her tone both mocking and amused. “You swore you wouldn’t kneel. That means I get to keep trying to break you and that’s fine by me. Enjoy the torture, Seraphine, because it’s only just beginning. We’ll see which one of us grows desperate first.” Her laugh rang out, sharp and cruel, before she pivoted on her heel. The remaining Fiery Five followed her in tight formation, their presence burning like embers in her wake. Gasps and whispers rippled through the crowd of students, shock thickening the air until it felt suffocating. Left in the silence of their absence, Seraphine stood unmoving, her body rigid, her heart pounding. Every whisper carried her name, every stare clung to her like a brand, but still she did not bow her head. ….

Last Updated : 2025-09-03

63: Silence, Snake & Scary Snakes

The moon hung pale and broken above the Academy grounds when Seraphine slipped out. Her footsteps were soft, her uniform held tight, as if the fabric could shield her from the stares and whispers still clawing at her skull. She found her way to their spot. The hidden corner by the old carved arch, where Demian had once grinned down at her before carrying her off into the night sky. Where Lucien’s teasing words had melted into sincerity. Where Alaric’s grave voice had promised strength. Where Kade’s quiet nod had felt like protection. Her throat tightened. The stone bench was empty. The shadows were undisturbed. No flicker of dragonfire wings, no familiar laugh curling like smoke, no dark silhouette waiting with fangs glinting. Just… silence. She sank onto the bench, fingers tracing the grooves in the stone. She remembered their last words ‘we’ll continue training tomorrow… this won’t be your only victory…’ But tomorrow had come. And gone. And no one was here. She told

Last Updated : 2025-09-03

64: Watched, Weighed, & Wanted

Lyra followed the hissing sound and saw a few snakes hidden beside her wardrobe. She immediately duplicated herself again and tore them into pieces. The last serpent writhed in Lyra’s grip. Her mirrored selves tore into its body, splitting it into fragments that hissed and dissolved into ash. Then, one by one, her copies collapsed into smoke, until only the true Lyra remained. And then they all vanished. The shredded bodies of the snakes, the coiling shadows, the blood-stink in the air. Everything dissolved like smoke carried off by an unseen wind. Lyra turned, her chest rising and falling, and saw Seraphine pressed against the wall, trembling. Her eyes were wide, her hair stuck to her damp face, her lips shaking as though words had abandoned her. Lyra softened, stepping carefully across the floor. “Seraphine… are you okay?” Her voice was low, cautious, like she was afraid a wrong word might shatter the girl entirely. Seraphine stared at her, then at Caleb and Mina emergin

Last Updated : 2025-09-03

65: Pain, Part of us & Part of the Four

Caleb flicked his hand, and the clouds below curled upward, weaving themselves into a broad, rippling platform. Wind whipped against her hair as he guided her onto it. Seraphine waved Mina and Lyra bye as they rose. The Academy shrank beneath them, its spires no bigger than needles, its glowing windows like fireflies scattered in the dark. The air was sharp and cold, but Seraphine leaned forward, staring into the horizon. At last, the Four’s lodge loomed ahead, perched in its own suspended realm, carved into the clouds like a temple untouchable by mortals. Caleb slowed the cloud, letting it hover just outside the glowing arch. He smiled at her when he said, “Good luck.” Then the cloud dipped, carrying him away before she could reply. Leaving her alone standing on the porch of The Four lodge. The wind curled strangely as Seraphine stepped closer to the lodge door. She pressed her palm against the polished surface, steadying herself when suddenly, a blur darted past her vis

Last Updated : 2025-09-03

All Chapters of Welcome to Aetherborn: Crushes, Curses & Creatures: Chapter 61 - Chapter 66

60: Cruelty, Certainly & Contempt

61: Exit, Escape & Endless Exhaustion

62: Unstable, Unhinged & Utterly hexed

63: Silence, Snake & Scary Snakes

64: Watched, Weighed, & Wanted

65: Pain, Part of us & Part of the Four