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Chapter 202
~Valerie’s POV~
I did not need a soothsayer to know that sothing was wrong with Xade and the party he had asked to join. It was almost as though he did not want to know.
Two thoughts crossed my mind as to what was going on with him.
One: Was this a surprise?
Two: Or was this sothing I would not like?
Whichever scenario played out, I still agreed. Why? Because I still needed to speak to Gamma Ryan and have him unhack my phone and Solstice.
I smile with Riven as though nothing is wrong to avoid any more issues going on, but I needed to know whom I was going to punish.
That night was uneventful, as I hoped, and even though I knew the earthquake ca from , a part of was glad to be in their midst.
But sothing about being the fifth heir, staying in my room, made rember Mum and Dad and our ho.
After texting Solstice about the party, she inford that she knew as well. We tried planning how to escape the party and leave to find Ryan before sleep finally claid .
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~Author’s POV~
Deep beneath the neutral façade of PSA’s administration wing—beyond the mirrored doors and glamoured floors—there existed a corridor few ever dared walk.
It had no official na. Hidden by ancient spells and psychic veils, it belonged to a group with no official standing, yet whispered power.
In a chamber lit by a single suspended orb of shifting violet and gold light, two figures stood before a throne-like chair carved into obsidian stone.
"So, what report do you have concerning the latest disturbance in the Academy?" the man’s deep voice rang out, and the two people before him trembled slightly.
"Mind you, it had better be good, as PSA is getting hot." He drew a lazy glance around, stopping on the first person, a lady. "Ms. Heart."
The first, a woman cloaked in elegant black robes with silver trim, bowed slightly. Her brown hair was braided tightly and adorned with charms shaped like crescent blades.
Her voice was precise, clear, and clipped with control.
"Principal Whitmore continues to downplay the incident. Officially, she claims Valerie Nightshade is rely another student with enhanced instincts—nothing more. But..." She paused, casting a sidelong glance at her partner.
"I suspect she knows more than she lets on. Possibly even her full potential."
Beside her stood a tall, lean man with greying hair and pale eyes. His hands were folded behind his back like a soldier who had once seen war but now preferred knowledge as his battlefield.
"And you? Professor Anderlyn, what can you say? Do you dispute Ms. Heart or...?"
Professor Anderlyn was a scholar of forbidden texts and the keeper of several restricted wings within the school and library.
He stepped forward. "I believe she may possess latent abilities. I witnessed it myself—weeks ago, in the library archives."
The masked figure did not speak. Only the hum of magic from the light orb filled the silence.
"She entered the western wing alone, but was Prince Ash of the Lycan Kingdom," Anderlyn continued. "Touched one of the sealed scrolls on my desk, and the scroll pulsed and reacted to her. They left my table, but I followed them and saw it all happen. A flicker connected the scroll with her necklace, and it changed form."
"You allowed this?" the figure asked. His voice was low, ancient, echoing slightly, and distorted by the enchantnts layered into the room. The red glow behind his mask pulsed like a heartbeat.
"She took it before I could stop her," Anderlyn replied, a flicker of frustration in his tone. "But she does not know what she has yet. She didn’t recognize the emblem. Not fully."
The air thickened. Even the orb dimd for a heartbeat.
"And you didn’t think I should know? It’s been weeks!" His voice thundered, and a large gust of wind slithered past them, sending chills down their bodies.
"I’m... I... I’m sorry, Dark Master."
"I should punish you severely, but I shall let it slide because I want your eyes on her every move. I want to know what she does, who she ets, and how she is connected to the disaster."
They both bowed their heads in reverence. "Yes, Dark Master."
The figure exhaled softly and added in a much colder voice. "Do you think she will find us?"
Ms. Heart cleared her throat. "It’s difficult to say. But she is curious. Uncommonly so for soone her age and station. She’s already shown signs of disobedience... and raw intelligence."
"She is unruly," Professor Anderlyn admitted, "but not foolish. She could be useful."
The figure didn’t move. Not for several monts.
And then he rose.
Both Ms. Heart and Anderlyn imdiately dropped to one knee, their heads lowered in reverence.
The full form of the masked figure was obscured still—his body cloaked in shadows, power radiating off him in steady, invisible waves.
The mask itself was unlike any modern material—runed and smoothed with markings from a long-forgotten tongue. Two eyes glowed crimson behind it.
"If it is confird," he said at last, voice almost too calm, "that Valerie Nightshade possesses power... true power..." He let the words linger, then finished, "...then she is no longer just a student."
Ms. Heart lifted her gaze slightly. "And if she does?"
The figure turned, barely tilting his head. "If she does... invite her to Nightshade Thorn as our honoured student. We could use powers like that."
A silence followed—one heavy with expectation and threat.
He continued. "It is about ti we made use of a student like her. She may be the piece we’ve been waiting for. One born of earth and fla."
Ms. Heart and Professor Anderlyn nodded.
"As you command," they said in unison.
The chamber dimd as the figure turned back to the shadows. His presence withdrew like the tide, but the pressure lingered in the bones of the two people he left behind.
Professor Anderlyn rose first, exhaling carefully. "She will find it eventually."
Ms. Heart didn’t disagree. "She’s already knocking on the door. We may just need to direct her or offer her the key directly."
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