All Chapters of Welcome to Aetherborn: Crushes, Curses & Creatures: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

By the time Seraphine got back to her room, her thoughts were a tangled storm. The portrait. The change. The way Damien and Lucien had exchanged that silent, careful look as if they knew more than they would say. But there was no time to think about it. Her first real class as a Wyverndale student was about to begin. She dressed quickly in her new uniform: the blue-and-silver robes of her castle, trimmed with streaks of pale gold that shimmered faintly when she moved. Her crest, the sigil of Wyverndale, a coiled dragon framed by whirling clouds gleamed against her chest. As she stepped outside, a cool wind brushed her cheeks, carrying the faint scent of ozone. The sky above Wyverndale’s towers churned with distant storms. Her element. Her new world. She should have felt at home. But the memory of her mother’s face still clung to her thoughts like mist. …. The beginner’s storm-magic class gathered in an open arena that looked suspended in midair, encircled by transp

The courtyard shimmered with morning light, a thousand tiny suns caught in the crystalline pathways. Clarissa walked at the center of her circle, the Fiery Five heels clicking against the stone like punctuation to her every word. Beside her strode Thessaly, her closest confidant, all poise and precision; Isolade, the quiet one with eyes like frozen fire; Veyra, whose laughter could make people both tremble and obey; and Iura, the youngest, trailing just behind, her arms full of glowing scrolls. Veyra brushed a rebellious strand of her red-gold hair behind her ear and fixed her gaze on the distant horizon, where the sun dipped low, casting fiery hues across the sky. “The trials this year were something else,” she mused, her voice barely above a whisper. “I heard the Wheel summoned the Forbidden Path.” Thessaly’s lips curled into a sly smirk. “Right? And that Seraphine girl, who would’ve thought she’d make it through? It’s unbelievable she survived!” Isolade let out a frustrated h

Morning light poured through the arched windows of the Wyverndale Courtyard, filtering through stained glass into pools of red and gold. The air shimmered faintly with enchantments that kept the temperature warm despite the chill rolling in from the grounds. Cressida sat on the edge of a marble fountain, her hair catching the light like spun flame. Her uniform was immaculate as always and her smile carried that familiar, dangerous sweetness that could charm or cut, depending on her mood. Across from her stood a nervous senior girl, hands clasped tightly before her, eyes wide with the desperate gleam of someone trying to be noticed. “So,” Cressida said, voice soft but edged with amusement, “you said you want to be part of the Fiery Five?” The girl nodded quickly. “Y-yes, Cressida. More than anything.” Cressida tilted her head, studying her. “You know what that means, don’t you? The Fiery Five isn’t for the faint-hearted. We don’t just let people in, we test them. You prove yo

For a long heartbeat, Seraphine just stared at them, the words echoing in her skull like thunder. A portal. To her world. Her voice broke the silence. “Wait… I thought you said the portal can’t be opened until the Full Green Moon, which is in a hundred years. So why are you even trying?” Lucien scratched the back of his neck, looking far too calm for the weight of what they’d just confessed. “Well… that’s the rule, yeah. But someone did manage to open it once before. Ages ago. Which means it’s not impossible. Just… difficult.” “More like deadly,” Damien added dryly. Seraphine blinked at them, incredulous. “So you know it’s dangerous, and you’re still doing it?” Kade gave a little shrug. “We just thought we could. So we tried.” She stared. “Why would you even want to open a portal to my world? You don’t belong there. You don’t even want to go there, do you?” Damien leaned against the table, a wry smile tugging his lips. “Maybe we just wanted to see if we could. We like doing c

The golden doors of Lady Velastra Noireveill’s Office gleamed like a mirror of the sun, reflecting the two girls who stood before them, one in fiery crimson, the other in quiet silver-blue. The corridor had emptied. Students who had lingered to watch had already melted into the shadows, whispering behind their hands, not daring to stay too close. Only the hum of enchanted lamps and the faint shimmer of floating dust motes remained. Cressida’s cloak fluttered behind her like a live flame. Her eyes, the color of molten topaz, fixed on Seraphine with measured disdain. “I’ll give you one more chance,” she said softly, her voice calm but deadly. “To change your mind. Don’t be foolish, Vale. You don’t want to do this.” Seraphine’s heart pounded but she didn’t look away. “I told you already,” she said, voice firm though her hands trembled slightly at her sides. “I’m not leaving. I want to become the Student President. Same as you.” Cressida arched a perfect brow. “Do you even hear yours