Two years later.
The estate had grown quiet.
Too quiet.
At fifteen, Aria Valemir had become something of a legend within the stone walls of her gilded cage. Servants whispered stories of the girl with sunlight in her eyes. Some claimed she could speak to spirits. Others swore she melted steel once—just because a sparring sword annoyed her.
None of them knew the truth.
Aria could do more than speak to spirits. She could command them.
Her powers had evolved far beyond what Riven—or anyone—had anticipated. And worse (or better, depending on who you asked), she had started crafting spells of her own. Spells the old tomes never taught. Spells that frightened even Riven into silence.
She still trained daily, though now she held back—because whenever she didn't, the air shimmered like the world itself was protesting her will.
And tonight?
Tonight, everything changed.
The estate gates, long locked under her parents' order, groaned as they opened for the first time in years. A formal carriage, polished obsidian black with a deep blue crest of the royal academy, rolled in under escort.
The Magi Core Academy had sent for her.
Her father hadn't spoken much during breakfast. Just stiff nods, a tense jaw, and a muttered warning:
"You'll behave, Aria. Keep your magic… modest."
She smiled in response, then summoned a glowing gold orb the size of a watermelon over her tea.
"I'll be subtle," she promised.
He choked on his toast.
Riven watched from the training yard, arms crossed. He didn't speak, but he gave a slight nod when she glanced his way. That was all. No speech. No goodbye.
He was like that.
The estate grounds blurred as she rode away—flowers, training fields, the endless hallways she had memorized like veins.
She didn't cry.
Instead, she felt her pulse rising, her soul pressing against invisible walls.
Because now—finally—she was leaving.
The world was vast. Broken. Rumored to be unraveling at the edges from strange magic surges, corruption, and whispers of the old sealed powers returning. But it was hers to see now.
And as the carriage turned toward the glowing skyline of Magi Core Academy, Aria leaned out the window, eyes sharp and blazing gold.
Her story was just beginning.