The moon hung low over the academy's west tower.
A hush had fallen over the halls as curfew neared, but Evelyne's candle still flickered in her private dormitory. She stood before her mirror, brushing out her hair with silent purpose.
Her golden eyes stared back at her.
But what stared through her… was the past.
Chains. Fire. Betrayal. The sword at her throat.
Her hand trembled.
No matter how much she changed her fate, the shadows still crept in.
She turned away—only to freeze.
On her bed lay a letter.
No seal. No name.
Just two words scrawled in blood-red ink.
"Found you."
Her heartbeat pounded.
She opened the window—eyes scanning the darkness. Nothing.
But from the treetops, a figure in a black cloak watched with interest, a silver ring glinting beneath moonlight.
---
Elsewhere in the academy, Elisse sat beneath the library skylight, clutching the pendant Evelyne gifted her.
"Why does she always feel so far away… even when she's next to me?" she whispered.
A boy with emerald eyes listened from behind a bookshelf, torn between jealousy and longing.
---
Back in the prince's chambers, Lucien stared at the shattered glass in his hand.
"She's hiding something," he muttered. "And I'll tear it from her if I have to."
---
And in the night's silence, the masked noble—Crow—stood before a council of hidden figures.
"It's confirmed," he said, removing his mask.
"She remembers everything."
The room stilled.
"Then the war hasn't ended," one whispered.
"It's only just begun."
---