Mooncrest Estate's silence was a heavy cloak, heavier than the stifling ceremonial robe. It had a smell of dust and forgotten memories, something comforting and terrifying at the same time. I ran my hand over the splintered wood of the staircase banister, the very same that I would slide down on as a child. My captivity was less a punishment than a return to a prison I'd broken away from long ago.I walked to the grand room, where my parents, Calix and Lira, were painted above the chilly fireplace. My mom's eyes, identical to mine, glared back at me with defiance and sadness. I flopped onto a worn chaise lounge, the moonlit glow from the enormous window casting silver stripes across the ground. It was in this same room, years before, that the suffering had started. A chill coursed through my body, drawing me back to another day."Micah, wait up!" Ash's voice, a deep, authoritative one even back then, rang out down the corridors of Lunaris Academy.I hid behind a pillar, book clutched
Last Updated : 2025-12-26 Read more