The return to the Academy was a blur of murmurs and whispers, the students’ excitement carrying them through the gates like a wave. Ellie walked among them, silent, the weight of the relic pressing against her side as though it had grown heavier with each step.

She kept her hand over her pocket, her mind racing with a thousand questions she had no answers for. The relic of Lorthraine—it was no longer a myth, but a reality she could feel, warm and pulsing faintly beneath her fingers.

As they passed through the archway into the main courtyard, the students scattered, their voices trailing off as they excitedly recounted the day’s events to anyone who would listen. Ellie remained behind, her steps slowing as she approached the grand doors of the central tower.

She could feel the air shifting around her, thickening with the weight of what had happened. It was only a matter of time before word of the discovery spread.

And it spread fast.

Within minutes, the faculty had gathered—robed figures moving swiftly through the halls, their expressions ranging from disbelief to awe as they murmured among themselves. By the time Ellie reached the inner chambers of the Academy, the acting archmage, Achron, was waiting for her.

He stood near the entrance to his private study, his silver hair catching the dim light of the sconces that lined the stone walls. His posture was rigid, his hands clasped behind his back, but his eyes—sharp and calculating—were fixed on her with an intensity that made Ellie’s skin prickle.

“Ellie Liddell,” Achron said, his voice measured, though there was a tautness beneath it. “You have caused quite the commotion.”

Ellie swallowed, her mouth dry. She could feel the weight of the relic against her side, a secret she wasn’t sure she could keep much longer. The acting archmage’s eyes never left her, as though he could sense it, as though he knew.

“You found the relic,” Achron continued, taking a step toward her. His tone was calm, but Ellie could hear the faint edge of something darker beneath it. “The Lost Relic of Lorthraine. The very thing we have sought for centuries.”

“I—” Ellie began, her voice faltering. She didn’t know what to say, how to explain that it had been an accident, a stumble into something she hadn’t meant to find. But Achron’s gaze was relentless, his presence filling the small space between them, making it hard to think.

“How did you do it?” he asked, his voice soft, almost curious. But there was no warmth in the question. Only suspicion.

Ellie’s fingers twitched at her side. “I didn’t... I didn’t know it was there,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “I just—found it.”

Achron’s eyes narrowed, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Found it,” he repeated, his voice soft but laced with something she couldn’t quite place. “Curious.”

For a moment, the silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable. Ellie felt a cold sweat prickling at the back of her neck. She could feel the relic’s pulse, faint but steady, as though it were alive, as though it were listening.

“I’ll need to see it,” Achron said, his voice abrupt, cutting through the stillness. His eyes flicked to her side, to where her hand rested protectively over the relic. “It belongs to the Academy, after all.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Ellie hesitated, her fingers tightening around the edges of the fabric that covered the relic. Something about the way Achron looked at her—the sharpness in his gaze, the subtle tension in his body—made her wary. It wasn’t just the relic he was after. There was something more, something beneath the surface that she couldn’t yet understand.

Reluctantly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the small crystal shard. It gleamed faintly in the dim light, its surface etched with the worn runes of ancient magic. Achron’s eyes fixed on it, his expression unreadable, but Ellie could sense a flicker of something in his gaze—something like hunger.

“Remarkable,” he murmured, taking a step closer. His hand extended toward the relic, but Ellie pulled back instinctively, her heart racing.

Achron’s gaze snapped to hers, sharp and cold. For a moment, neither of them moved, the tension between them crackling like static. Then, slowly, Achron withdrew his hand, his lips curling into a thin smile.

“You’ve done well to bring it back,” he said, his tone smooth, as though nothing had happened. “This relic is of great importance to the Academy. It will be studied, preserved, as it should be.”

Ellie nodded, though unease coiled in her stomach. She could feel the weight of his gaze, the unspoken demand for control. But something in her resisted, something deep and instinctive. She had found the relic—she had it—and now it felt like giving it up meant giving away more than just a piece of stone.

“Keep it safe, for now,” Achron said suddenly, surprising her. His voice had softened, the sharpness replaced by a careful politeness. “I will convene with the council, and we’ll decide how best to proceed. But know this, Ellie—what you’ve found changes everything. The relic of Lorthraine is not merely an artifact. It holds power we are only beginning to understand.”

Ellie nodded, still unsure of what to say. Achron’s words felt like both a warning and a promise, and the weight of them pressed down on her as she turned to leave.

As she made her way back through the corridors of the Academy, her thoughts churned. Something about Achron’s reaction gnawed at her—his watchfulness, the way his eyes had lingered on the relic. He had been so... interested in it. Too interested. And yet, he had let her keep it. Why?

Her footsteps slowed as she passed a small side corridor, her attention drawn to the low murmur of voices echoing from the shadows. She paused, straining to hear.

“...too much like her. The resemblance is unsettling.”

A chill crept down Ellie’s spine. She edged closer to the wall, keeping herself hidden in the dim light.

“What happened to Elladora was a shame,” a second voice said, low and urgent. “We can’t let it happen again.”

Ellie’s breath caught in her throat. Elladora. The name struck her like a blow. The previous archmage, the one who had disappeared under mysterious circumstances, never spoken of in the open. She had only heard fragments—rumors, whispered warnings. Elladora, who had vanished without a trace, leaving the Academy in Achron’s hands.

And now, they were speaking of her. Of Ellie.

“Do you think she knows?” the first voice asked.

A pause, then a bitter laugh. “She knows nothing. But she will. Sooner or later.”

Ellie’s heart pounded in her chest, her pulse quickening. She pressed herself against the wall, her mind racing. What did they mean? Why were they comparing her to Elladora?

The thought twisted in her stomach, igniting a memory of Seren, who had first made the connection. Seren had looked into her eyes, certain that Ellie was Elladora herself. But where was Seren now? If Seren were here, perhaps this would all make more sense.

She hoped Seren was simply busy with her duties as an investigator, that of unraveling mysteries, rather than caught up in something darker connected to Elladora's fate. What if Seren had uncovered something she shouldn’t have?

The voices faded as the speakers moved further down the corridor, leaving Ellie alone in the dim light of the Academy’s twisting halls.