Elarion's Tower of Lumen shimmered against the sky, each crystalline window glowing with the faint light of rune-etched enchantments. The interior was all quiet elegance—scrolls hovering midair, quills scribbling notes without hands, and orbs of light drifting lazily above the rows of desks.
Today's class was Spell Theory and Mysticism, which sounded fun… until you sat in it.
Seraphina Ravenshade took her seat with the kind of calm that always felt deliberate. She didn't need to be the loudest person in the room—her presence did the screaming for her. A breeze flicked her flame-red hair like it was bowing in respect.
Next to her, Kael Aurelius was sketching a bolt of lightning in his margin. He leaned over and whispered, "Bet you five silvers Lioren pretends to fall asleep mid-class."
Sera smirked. "He won't. Not if he thinks someone else might answer better than him."
Behind them, Ivan Virellia had his feet up on his desk, ice trailing from his boot soles and frosting the marble. Celeste Nairoveth twirled a crystal pen between her fingers and muttered, "If I hear the word 'arcane derivative' one more time, I'm going to drown someone in my inkpot."
Lioren strolled in late. Of course. His uniform jacket half-buttoned, sleeves rolled, black hair tied back in a low ponytail. Those storm-gray eyes scanned the room like he was already bored of it.
He stopped right behind Sera's chair.
"You took my seat."
Sera didn't even blink. "You took too long."
"Guess I'll sit with the peasants." He slouched into the row behind her, one foot resting on the back of her chair.
Professor Liemis entered—an older woman with robes dusted in enchanted ink and eyes that looked like they'd read a thousand minds. She waved her hand. Runes flared across the walls.
"Today, we discuss Echo Essence: why some of you possess... anomalies," she said, eyes lingering on the five of them just a little too long. "Echo-born, as they call it. Though what, precisely, you're echoing... is still a matter of scholarly debate."
The room fell silent.
"Miss Ravenshade."
Seraphina looked up sharply. "Yes, professor?"
"Your understanding of Echo Imprinting?"
She didn't hesitate. "They say the soul retains an echo of the power it once held. When reborn, it doesn't start from zero. It starts… haunted."
A beat of silence. Lioren hummed low behind her. "Poetic," he muttered.
Sera turned slightly. "You can borrow my metaphors next time you forget what words are."
Professor Liemis arched a brow. "Mr. Valerborne, your take?"
Lioren yawned. Actually yawned. Then spoke without lifting his head from his hand.
"It's not that deep. Some of us were just built better."
A mix of laughter and scandalized gasps rippled through the room.
"Please enlighten the class with a better theory, then."
He finally looked up, shadows flickering faintly around his collarbones like they were just waiting to devour something.
"Maybe it's not about what we were. Maybe it's what we've survived."
And for a moment, even the floating quills went still.
***
After Class – Somewhere Near the Observatory....
The five of them had somehow migrated together like unwilling magnets, strolling through the garden of silverleaf trees, throwing insults like daggers.
Celeste was complaining. "Why do I have to walk with all of you? I could be in the solarium—"
"Complaining takes more energy than walking," Ivan murmured.
Kael tossed a spark at a tree and watched it fizzle. "We should practice after dinner. There's still too much we don't know."
Lioren scoffed. "Speak for yourself."
"Oh, sorry," Kael said. "Didn't realize perfect scores in arrogance were transferable."
Seraphina stayed silent. Her mind was elsewhere.
Why them? What linked all five of them together—five born from ancient houses, all with siblings who didn't receive the scroll. All powerful in a way that defied academy records.
And then there were the dreams.
She glanced at Lioren. He wasn't laughing anymore. His expression had changed—just slightly. Like a flicker of recognition had passed between them and neither of them wanted to admit it.
She saw the way his fingers twitched sometimes when it was too quiet. The way he looked at fire like it was an old enemy.
And when she caught his eyes again, he was already watching her.
"Do you feel it too?" she asked softly.
Lioren's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Feel what?"
"That something's coming."
He didn't answer. He just nodded.