Chapter One: The Gem and the Girl
The fire flickered low in the cave, trapped beneath the weight of shadows.
Six hooded figures stood in a circle carved into the stone, the ground beneath their feet scorched by old rites. The walls wept damp. The air was heavy with rot and whispers.
“He’s dying.”
The voice came from the tallest figure, his cowl drawn tight.
“Caedric’s hold weakens. The Council will be exposed.”
Another shifted. His robe was marked with a sigil long since forbidden.
“Then we strike before his successor is named.”
The third laughed, voice younger, brimming with contempt.
“Strike? No—let’s burn the whole system. Once he’s gone, who stops us?”
“Discipline.” The tall one’s voice cut sharp.
“We move with precision. The moment a successor is chosen, we eliminate him. Quietly. Permanently.”
A long pause. The fire hissed.
“And then?” someone murmured.
“Then we are free,” said the first.
“No Council. No chains. The world will forget the old laws.”
Each placed a hand above the flame. A thin stream of black mist leaked from their palms. The circle turned silent.
The fire died without a sound.
---
Across the sea, the bells of Veldenmoor Academy echoed across iron gates and ivy-wrapped stone towers.
In a narrow detention room, with peeling paint and a flickering overhead light, Aurelian Thorne was asleep.
Slumped in the back row, arms folded, legs stretched, his cheek pressed against a blank notebook.
The final bell rang—sharper than usual. He jolted.
“Brilliant.” He rubbed his face and yawned.
The door creaked open, revealing Jasper Morel in his usual half-tucked uniform and crooked tie.
“Third detention this week. I’m impressed.”
Aurelian stood, grabbing his bag.
“I aim high.”
“Come over. My mum made that lamb stew you inhaled last time. I even stole you cider.”
Aurelian hesitated. Then smiled.
“I would. But... I have a date.”
Jasper blinked.
“Who’d you trick?”
“Elira Vane.”
Aurelian said it casually, but he couldn’t hide the grin.
Jasper gawked.
“You mean your actual crush?”
“I asked her. She said yes. I'm meeting her tonight.”
He paused, then added softly,
“I’m going to ask her out properly.”
Jasper slapped his arm.
“That’s not a date. That’s a declaration of war.”
---
Miles away, hidden beneath a forgotten island in the Northern Sea, the Wizards’ Council watched their leader die.
High Enchanter Caedric lay in a bed shaped from polished obsidian, his breathing shallow. His body was ancient, veined with magic scars.
Five elder wizards surrounded him in silence, hands raised, spells flickering uselessly over his chest.
He opened his eyes. Weak. Aware.
“Enough,” he whispered.
They bowed and left—except one.
Magister Hollan Verrick, second-in-command, remained at the foot of the bed.
“Caedric. The Council needs clarity. The enemies stir.”
Caedric didn’t answer.
Instead, he raised one frail hand and drew a glowing rune in the air.
A flash of blue light sparked from his chest—a gem, crystalline and pulsing like a living thing.
“It will choose,” Caedric said.
“Not I.”
The gem hovered. Waited.
Caedric’s last words were barely a whisper.
“Find the one... worthy.”
The gem flared.
Then vanished into the wind.
Caedric’s hand dropped. His breath followed.
---
Grimsreach, dusk. The old city blurred into amber as streetlamps buzzed to life.
Aurelian Thorne walked with his hands in his coat pockets, pulse racing beneath his scarf.
He kept checking the time.
6:54. He was early. He never arrived early.
Elira Vane. Confident. Mysterious. Smarter than him by three books and two lifetimes.
He was going to ask her out tonight. Officially. No stupid metaphors. No games.
Just a clean, bold ask.
He crossed the park’s northern edge and turned under the old bridge.
That’s when he heard the sound.
Tires. Shouting. A scream.
He looked up.
A girl—about his age—was stepping off the curb, headphones in. She never saw the car.
Aurelian moved without thinking.
His legs fired. He sprinted.
He tackled her full-force across the path.
The black car slammed past him, too fast for the street.
Metal caught his side.
Pain. Wind. Sky.
He flew.
Time slowed.
And then—light.
Something tore the air in front of him. A burning shape. Blue, crystalline, alive.
The gem.
It locked onto him midair—shot straight into his chest—and disappeared inside him.
His body hit the ground seconds later.
Unmoving.
---
To be continued...
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