Lyra's POV
Something had changed at the academy.
I noticed it the moment I stepped into the main hall that morning.
Students were whispering.
Not the usual gossip about instructors or duels.
This was different.
Every time I walked past a group, their voices lowered. Some of them stared openly. Others avoided my gaze entirely.
I sat beside Nira at breakfast, trying to ignore it.
She leaned closer and whispered, "Okay… what did you do?"
"I didn't do anything," I said quickly.
Nira raised an eyebrow.
"Then why are people talking about you?"
I frowned. "What are they saying?"
"That you did something strange during the trial yesterday," she said quietly. "Some students said the shadow creatures… reacted to you."
My stomach tightened.
So people had noticed.
"Rumors spread fast here," she continued. "Especially when someone shows unusual magic."
I forced a calm expression.
"They're exaggerating."
Nira studied me carefully, but before she could question me further, a voice interrupted us.
"Lyra Vale."
The hall went quiet.
I looked up.
A tall boy stood at the end of our table, surrounded by several other students. His academy cloak carried a silver crest marking noble lineage.
His expression was cold.
"I've been hearing interesting things about you," he said.
Nira muttered under her breath, "Great. It's him."
"Who?" I whispered.
"Lord Cassian," she replied. "Top duelist in our year. Also a terrible person."
Cassian crossed his arms.
"They say you controlled the shadow creatures during the trial."
I kept my voice steady.
"People say many things."
"Then prove them wrong," he said.
A small crowd of students began gathering around us.
Cassian's smile sharpened.
"I challenge you to a duel."
The practice arena was crowded within minutes.
Word had spread quickly. Students gathered along the stone walls, whispering excitedly.
I stepped into the duel circle, trying to ignore the tension crawling under my skin.
Across from me, Cassian rolled his shoulders casually.
"You should surrender," he said quietly. "It will save you the embarrassment."
"I'll take my chances," I replied.
The instructor overseeing the duel raised his hand.
"Begin."
Cassian moved instantly.
Lightning exploded from his hands, striking the ground where I had been standing a second earlier.
Gasps echoed around the arena.
He was fast.
Too fast.
I dodged another attack, feeling the shadows beneath my feet shift instinctively. I couldn't let them take over—not here, not in front of everyone.
Wind magic.
Focus on wind.
I pushed air forward, deflecting the next lightning strike.
Cassian smirked.
"That all you have?"
Another bolt shot toward me.
This one caught my shoulder, sending a jolt of pain down my arm.
The crowd murmured.
Cassian stepped closer.
"Pathetic."
Something inside me snapped.
The shadows stirred violently.
I forced them back down, clenching my fists.
No.
Not here.
Instead, I used the momentum of his next attack to redirect the energy, twisting the wind around his lightning.
The blast exploded behind him, knocking him off balance.
Before he could recover, I stepped forward and placed my hand against his chest.
The duel ended.
Silence filled the arena.
The instructor cleared his throat.
"Winner… Lyra Vale."
Cassian's face burned with humiliation as he stepped away.
But the whispers around the arena only grew louder.
That evening, exhaustion pulled at every muscle in my body.
Instead of returning to the dormitories, I wandered through the quiet academy halls.
I needed space to think.
Without realizing it, I ended up in front of the library.
The massive wooden doors stood slightly open.
Inside, towering shelves stretched toward the ceiling, filled with ancient books and glowing scrolls.
I stepped inside.
The deeper I walked, the older the books became.
Eventually I reached a narrow staircase spiraling downward.
A sign hung on the wall beside it.
Restricted Archives
My curiosity burned.
I glanced around.
No one was watching.
Slowly, I descended the stairs.
The air grew colder with every step.
At the bottom, a single torch flickered beside a stone table covered in dusty books.
One title caught my attention immediately.
"The Fall of the Shadow Queens."
My heart pounded.
I opened the book carefully.
The pages were brittle with age.
Illustrations filled the margins—dark figures surrounded by living shadows.
One passage made my breath catch.
"The Shadow Queens commanded darkness itself, bending it to their will. Only the Royal Light of the Crown was powerful enough to oppose them."
Light.
Kaelen.
Another line followed.
"It is said that when true light and true shadow meet, their power becomes something far greater… and far more dangerous."
A cold chill ran down my spine.
Suddenly—
Footsteps echoed in the hallway above.
Someone was coming.
I quickly closed the book and slipped back toward the stairs. Careful not to get caught.
i release a sigh the moment i made it up the stairs. But the moment I stepped outside the library…
A hand grabbed my arm.
I gasped.
A dark hood covered the figure's face.
Before I could react, a blade flashed in the torchlight.
"Shadow witches don't belong in this kingdom," the figure hissed.
Fear surged through me.
Shadows burst from the ground instinctively, wrapping around the attacker's arm.
But more figures appeared from the darkness.
Three of them.
My pulse raced.
I couldn't fight all of them.
One lunged.
Then suddenly—
A brilliant flash of golden light exploded through the corridor.
The attackers screamed as the light burned through the shadows around them.
I shielded my eyes.
When the light faded, the attackers were gone.
And Prince Kaelen stood at the end of the corridor, his hand still glowing faintly with golden light.
His expression was dangerously calm.
"You really need to stop wandering alone at night," he said.
My heart was still racing.
"You… saved me."
Kaelen looked down the empty hallway where the attackers had escaped.
His voice turned cold.
"Some people at this academy already knows what you are."
He turned back toward me.
"And now they're trying to kill you."