All Chapters of After Cutting Ties, I Became the Royal Academy’s Only Dark: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

I walked calmly out of the storage room and into the living room.My mother, Vivian Morwen, held a copy of the Daily Herald while an official from the Bureau of Magic read the Intermediate Mage Examination results aloud.My father, Roland Morwen, and my brother, Marcus Morwen, stood nearby, waiting nervously.Mom heard my footsteps and looked up at me."I haven't heard your score yet. I doubt you did well."Just then, the official reached Liana's name. "Liana Morwen. Result: pass."Marcus punched the air. Dad immediately opened bottles of honey ale for everyone, celebrating as if Liana had won a major award.Mom hugged Liana. After a while, she finally turned to me with the same gentle smile as always."It's perfectly fine if you didn't do well. Even if you end up as a junior clerk pushing papers at the Bureau of Magic, we'll still love you."Then she folded the paper before the official could read any more results.Everyone crowded around Liana and opened the Royal Academy of Light br

It was a long time before Mom finally found me in the potions room.She broke the petrification spell and pulled me into her arms. "Ella, what happened?"I breathed in her familiar scent, desperate for comfort. But my throat tightened, and I couldn't say a word.Even if everyone else had turned against me, I still had Mom.Mom patted my back gently. "There, there. You're all right. But there's something I need to talk to you."I've received both your acceptance letters, but the tuition at the Royal Academy of Light is very expensive. I was thinking..."She paused as if choosing her words. "What if you went with Liana as her maid and studied whenever you had free time? You're talented enough to teach yourself, and we wouldn't have to pay two tuition fees."Sunlight fell over her shoulder, so bright it hurt my eyes.My eyes stung, but they were completely dry.I had no tears left.When I didn't answer, Mom smoothed a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Think it over. You've always been

I pushed the last black robe into my trunk and shut the lid.I dragged my luggage out of my room. Downstairs, they were throwing Liana a party to celebrate her admission.Everyone was fussing over Liana. No one noticed me leaving.I had just stepped outside when I saw a group of reporters walking through the front gate.Curiosity got the better of me. I took out my speaking mirror and said the activation word.Ripples spread across the glass, and an image of the living room appeared.The room was already packed with relatives and neighbors who had come to congratulate Liana.Streamers and balloons floated over the crowd.Liana stood in the center of the room in a pure white robe, enjoying all the attention.The reporters had to push through the crowd to reach her."We've heard that one of the Morwens is an exceptionally talented mage."A self-writing quill hovered beside the lead reporter. "We'd like to interview her."Liana pretended to be surprised, then laughed shyly."You want to i

After I left home, I never looked back or asked about them again.I found Gareth.It turned out I had affinities for both light and dark magic, but my dark affinity had always been suppressed by my light magic.By draining my light essence, my family had accidentally freed the dark essence buried beneath it. The sudden burst of dark magic caught Gareth's attention.My affinity for dark magic was Rank SSS, a gift seen only once in a century."Child, you should spend all your time studying magic. Anything less would waste your talent."Gareth handed me a heavy ebony box. "This contains enough money to cover your expenses for the next four years."I opened the box. It was filled with gold crowns.I stared at them in silence.So I was worth investing in after all.I moved into the dormitory early and soon became friends with my roommate, Cecilia Ashford, who had also arrived early.One day, I returned to find Cecilia sitting on her bed reading the Daily Herald.She looked at me, then sudde

With that, I turned and walked out of the hall.I had just walked down the stone steps when it started to rain.I was about to cast a waterproofing charm when I saw Caden standing at the bottom of the steps.He hadn't cast a spell or brought an umbrella. He simply stood there in the rain.Rain soaked his hair and plastered it against his forehead, but he kept a long case pressed safely against his chest.The moment he saw me, he hurried toward me."Ella."His voice was hoarse, and his usual confidence was gone. "I finally found you."I stopped on the steps and kept my distance.Caden opened the long case. Inside lay a short, silver-white wand."I had it made for you at Thornwood's," he explained quickly. "The core should suit your magic, too."He held it out to me. He looked exhausted."What I did that day was wrong. I know that now."Rain ran down his jaw."I shouldn't have used the petrification spell to take your necklace, and I shouldn't have taken you to that circle."But Liana on