CHAPTER THREE
Author
Hey how are you cuties?? 🪄
📍 Morning – The Grand Hall of Elowen
Your first real day at Elowen begins in the echoing vault of the ancient lecture hall. Marble pillars. Stained-glass glowing faint gold. And a cold wind that shouldn’t be indoors.
Dozens of new students settle into carved wooden benches under the domed ceiling. Robes shift. Whispers swirl like dust.
You sit beside Nissa, tugging your cloak tight.
Hayara
Tell me again why we have to wear cloaks when it’s 22°C?
Nissa
Tradition. Mystery. Cult vibes.
Just be grateful it’s not fog-proof armor.
Also… not to alarm you but…
Someone’s staring at you. Hard.
Hayara
Let me guess. Black cloak. Stormy energy. Overly dramatic?
Nissa
Bingo.
Aether
Senior Elite.
And apparently now — welcome committee.
You don’t turn.
You already feel the pull of his gaze.
Across the room, dressed in storm-black robes, stands Aether Raine — the Circle Leader of House Thorns, head of your incoming class, and apparently... obsessed with intimidating you.
But before he speaks — the crowd goes still.
You hear it: three distinct sets of footsteps approaching the stage.
A bell tolls once. Magic ripples through the air.
Evaline– Cold as Ice
Department: High Enchantments & Magical Law
Her voice is calm — cutting.
Evaline
Elowen is not a refuge.
It is a reckoning.
You were not invited.
You were warned.
Solene – Strength in Every Word
Domain: Combat Magic, Spellcasting Defense
She speaks like she dared the gods to silence her.
Solene
Magic will not save you.
It will sharpen your instincts — or split you apart.
You will train, bleed, rebuild, and survive.
Or you’ll leave without a name.
Serai – Celestial Calm with Shadows Beneath
Domain: Elemental Magic, Celestial Theory
Her voice is soft — but laced with something that chills the bones.
Serai
There are things older than Elowen beneath these stones.
Some of them still listen.
Some of them remember.
You’d do well not to wake what sleeps.
Nissa
*soft whisper*
Okay… I’m equally afraid and obsessed.
As the three Matriarchs step back, the stage shifts.
A tall figure walks up alone.
He does not bow to them.
Aether Raine – Student Circle Leader
His black cloak trails behind him like smoke. Silver clasps at his collar catch torchlight. His hair is tousled perfectly. His expression? Pure ice.
And his eyes lock directly onto yours.
He speaks without looking at anyone else.
Aether
Elowen is a game with one rule
Win — or disappear
He lets the silence settle
Aether
Some of you already think you belong.
You don’t.
Aether
*He holds your gaze*
Aether
Pretenders don’t last here.
Your pulse skips. But your face remains still.
The crowd spills out into the stone corridors. Students murmur about the Houses, the Matriarchs, and Aether’s ice-blade speech.
Nissa is still talking next to you, but your fingers are trembling slightly.
Until—
Buzz.
A single notification lights up your screen.
Not through normal channels.
Not through the student net.
This is something older.
Something direct.
📩 Unknown Contact – [Encrypted: Astral Sigil Layer]
🕯
Unknown
I know why you’re here.
And I have your answers.
—The Seventh Star
Meet me in the library. Now. Come alone.
Hayara
Be right back. I need to… return a book.
Nissa
You literally didn’t take one.
Nissa
Wait, are you okay—?
📍 Corridor to the Library – Minutes Later
You keep your head down. Your steps silent.
There’s something off in the air. Like a spell woven between the walls. Watching. Listening.
You reach the library doors.
Push them open.
No one’s inside.
Dust floats like breathing in sunlight through high arched windows. Books hum faintly on the restricted shelves.
You step deeper in.
You hear it—
A quiet breath behind you.
You turn—
And your heart stutters.
---
He’s already leaning in the shadows.
Cloak half-draped. Eyes stormy, unreadable.
Aether Raine.
Leaning against a bookshelf like he owns the oxygen in this room.
Arms crossed. Head tilted. Zero shame.
Hayara
*sharply*Seriously?
Aether
Hmm?
Oh, don’t stop glaring.
It’s the most honest thing I’ve seen on your face.
Hayara
You followed me again.
Aether
I’d say “coincidence,”
but I don’t believe in those.
Especially not with girls who get secret messages
and sneak into forbidden sections like amateurs.
Hayara
*gritting teeth*
You’re impossible.
Aether
*smirking*
And yet here we are.
Alone.
Again.
He steps closer. Not threatening — just too near.
He’s enjoying this. You hate how good he is at looking through you without blinking.
Aether
*glancing down at your phone*
So?
Who’s summoning you like a cursed princess?
Aether
Everything’s my concern.
Unfortunately, I’m cursed with excellent instincts.
A distant footstep. Then another
Someone enters the library. Not a student. Not casual.
Aether
*Moves in one sharp motion—grabs your wrist, pulls you back between two tall shelves. Closer. Closer—*
Aether
*Covers your mouth*
And his other arm locks around your waist, steady, quiet.
His breath brushes your ear.
Aether
*Whisper*Don’t. Make. A sound.
The figure walks past. Dark cloak. Gloved hands. You can’t see the face.
You’re too focused on how fast your heart is pounding.
How Aether hasn’t moved. Not even his pulse feels human.
He stays like that until the footsteps fade.
Then slowly, he removes his hand.
Hayara
*whispering* Was that necessary?
Aether
*cool smirk*
I don’t know.
But it was fun.
Hayara
You're insufferable.
Aether
And you’re bad at following rules.
We make a great disaster.
He steps back, letting you breathe again.
But he doesn’t leave.
Just watches.
Aether
Whoever sent that message…
They’re not playing games.
And if they are—
You’re the one being played.
📩 Buzz. Your phone lights up again.
🕯
Unknown
Told you to come alone
You look up—but Aether’s already walking away into the shadows.
No apology.
No explanation.
Just his voice, lazy and distant
Aether
*over his shoulder*
Try not to get killed before midterms, would you?
Author
💬 What do YOU think happens next?
Author
🕯 Who do you think sent the message signed “The Seventh Star”?
Author
🌪 Will Aether help her… or ruin everything just for fun?
Author
🐍 Who was the cloaked figure in the library?
Author
🔥 Is Aether protecting her, or just making sure she doesn’t get in his way?
Author
THANK YOU FOR READING 🪄
Author
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