"They called me worthless… so why does their magic feel like it belongs to me?"
Aria Whitmore had always felt out of place.
Not in the dramatic, tragic way people liked to talk about—but in the quiet, constant way that never really went away. Like wearing something that almost fit, but never quite did.
Tonight, that feeling finally made sense.
The grand hall of the Whitmore estate was as beautiful as ever, lit by rows of chandeliers that reflected off polished marble floors. Normally, it would've been filled with music and conversation.
Tonight, it was silent.
Every noble in the room stood still, watching.
Waiting.
Aria stood alone in the center, gripping the fabric of her dress to keep her hands from shaking.
"Why was I called here?"
Her voice came out softer than she intended.
At the far end, her father stood beside Lady Eleanor. He didn't look angry. He didn't look anything at all.
That scared her more.
Lady Eleanor stepped forward, her smile perfectly practiced.
"You've been chosen."
Aria blinked. "Chosen… for what?"
"For Noctra Academy."
The answer came from her father this time.
The name alone made her stomach drop.
Noctra Academy wasn't just a school. It was where powerful mages were made—and where the weak quietly disappeared.
Aria let out a small, disbelieving breath. "I don't have magic. You know that."
For a moment, her father's expression shifted. Something flickered there—hesitation, maybe.
Then it was gone.
"That's exactly why," Lady Eleanor said.
Aria frowned. "I don't understand."
Eleanor's smile widened just a little. "This world doesn't have much use for something… defective."
The word landed harder than she expected.
Before Aria could react, two guards stepped forward.
Her chest tightened. "Wait—what are you doing?"
"Taking you where you belong."
"No—" She turned to her father, panic rising fast now. "Please. I won't survive there."
He didn't answer right away.
Then, quietly, "Take her."
That was it.
No argument. No hesitation.
Just a decision.
And suddenly, everything made sense.
She hadn't been chosen.
She'd been sent away.
Sold.
The ride to the academy felt longer than it should have.
The forest outside stretched endlessly into the dark, branches twisting against the sky like something trying to claw its way out.
Aria sat across from the window, her wrists locked in enchanted cuffs. The metal was cold against her skin, suppressing magic she didn't even have.
She let out a quiet, humorless laugh.
Figures.
Her reflection stared back at her—pale, tired, empty.
She looked exactly how they saw her.
Worthless.
But then, as the carriage passed a group of traveling mages, something strange happened.
It was subtle at first. Easy to miss.
A pull.
Sharp enough to make her inhale.
Her fingers twitched. Her chest tightened.
For a brief moment, the magic outside didn't feel distant.
It felt close.
Too close.
Like it was being drawn toward her.
Then it was gone.
Aria straightened slightly, her heart beating faster. "What was that…?"
No one answered.
But something deep inside her shifted.
Something that had been quiet for a very long time.
And it didn't feel empty.
It felt… hungry.
By the time they arrived, the world was completely dark.
The carriage door opened, and cold air rushed in.
Aria stepped out—and froze.
Noctra Academy towered above her, built from black stone that seemed to swallow the light around it. Mist curled along the ground, and the torches lining the walls burned a strange violet.
Nothing about it felt right.
Students had already gathered near the entrance. The moment she stepped forward, their attention snapped to her.
It didn't take long.
"She has no aura."
"Is that even possible?"
"Why is she even here?"
Aria lowered her gaze, pretending not to hear, even as her grip tightened.
"Pathetic."
That one made her look up.
And that's when she saw him.
Lucien.
He stood higher than the others on the stone steps, completely still, like he didn't need to move to command attention. Dark hair, sharp features, and eyes that didn't just look at people—
they judged them.
"Who let trash in here?" he said, almost casually.
The courtyard went quiet.
Aria opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
Lucien tilted his head slightly, studying her like she didn't quite make sense.
Then he started walking down.
Slow. Unhurried.
The crowd moved out of his way without being told.
By the time he stopped in front of her, it felt like everything else had disappeared.
"Look at me."
She did.
Those silver eyes locked onto hers, steady and cold.
"No magic," he said.
Not asking.
Just stating a fact.
"No," she managed.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then his expression shifted—just slightly.
Not disgust.
Curiosity.
And somehow, that was worse.
He reached out, tilting her chin up before she could react.
The moment his fingers touched her, something snapped inside her.
Not pain.
Not fear.
A rush.
She felt it—his magic. Cold, sharp, controlled.
And something in her responded instantly.
It reached for it.
Hungry.
Her breath caught. "What is—"
"Quiet."
The word wasn't loud, but it hit like a command.
She froze.
Lucien's eyes narrowed slightly, like he'd felt it too.
Then, slowly, he smiled.
"Interesting."
Murmurs broke out around them.
"She won't last."
"Send her back."
Lucien didn't even glance at them.
He was still looking at her.
Then he said, "She's mine."
Everything went still again.
"You can't—"
"I just did."
No one argued after that.
He let go of her and turned away, like the matter was already settled.
Like she didn't get a say in it.
Aria stood there, her thoughts spinning.
Mine.
Not protection.
Not help.
Something closer to ownership.
And for some reason…
it didn't feel random.
That night, they put her in the lowest dorm.
The room was small, cold, and barely furnished. The walls creaked like they were alive, and shadows shifted in ways that didn't make sense.
Aria sat on the edge of the bed, trying to calm her breathing.
But it wasn't working.
Because something inside her had already started to change.
A faint pulse spread under her skin.
Weak, but unmistakable.
She stared at her hands. "This isn't magic…"
It didn't feel like magic.
It felt deeper than that.
Older.
Wrong.
Then she heard it.
A voice.
Soft.
Close.
"I am yours."
Aria froze.
"And I am hungry."
Her heart started racing again.
Fear crept in—but it wasn't alone.
Something else followed it.
Something darker.
Something curious.
She slowly lay back, staring up at the ceiling.
If she really had nothing…
Then why did it feel like she could take everything?
They sent her here to die.
But they didn't realize—
they might have just brought the real danger inside.