Aetherion Academia #1: Shadows of Rebirth
I caught her elbow, steadying her with a grip that looked gentle but held iron.
The crowd registered the contrast - the regal witch and the clumsy angel - and the whispers shifted, deepened, layered with new speculation.
"Who's the girl with her?"
"Seraphina Dove Angelis - the chubby little angel from Hauntspire High. They said she was a nobody."
"Nothing stands beside something now."
"Did you see Selene's face?"
"I saw. The saintess isn't praying now."
We mounted the grand stairs. The bells began to toll - deep, resonant, a proclamation that shook the floating island's foundations. Students parted before us, some murmuring prayers, others simply staring with the blank awe of those who have