Aria should've been unpacking her things or finding her dorm. That's what any normal new student would do on their first day at the most powerful academy in the realms.
But no—she was pacing behind the west courtyard tower like an idiot, heart pounding like a drum that refused to settle.
Who was that boy?
The way he'd looked at her—it wasn't normal. It wasn't curiosity. It was like he knew something about her she didn't even know about herself. And worse, for a moment when their eyes met, her magic had fluttered like it had a heartbeat of its own.
That had never happened before.
Ever.
Aria rounded the corner—and froze.
There he was.
Leaning against the stone wall like the shadows themselves had shaped into him. His school uniform was unbuttoned at the top, sleeves rolled to his elbows, black tattoos snaking down his forearms. They shimmered faintly, alive, like they breathed when he did.
And gods… those eyes.
Not quite black. Not quite silver. Something in between. Something dangerous.
"Looking for me?" he said, voice low, almost lazy.
Aria's mouth parted, but no words came out.
She hated that.
"No," she finally managed. "I was just… walking."
He gave her a crooked grin, sharp like a blade. "Sure you were."
He pushed off the wall and walked toward her. The shadows moved with him—not around him, with him, like they were his friends.
He stopped just a step too close.
Aria didn't back away.
"Who are you?" she asked quietly.
"Kael," he said. "Kael Damaris."
The name hit her like a lightning bolt.
Damaris. One of the cursed bloodlines.
She'd read about them—shadowkin born from a forbidden ritual between a dark fae and a dream witch. The bloodline was erased from Aetherfall years ago after one of them tried to open a rift into the Veil.
"You're not supposed to be here," she whispered.
"Neither are you," he replied, eyes burning through her.
Silence.
Then—
"Do your dreams speak to you?" he asked suddenly.
Her heart stopped. "What?"
He leaned in slightly. "Do. Your. Dreams. Speak?"
She didn't answer. She couldn't.
Because yes.
They did.
Last night… she had dreamed of him. She had dreamed of his voice before she ever knew his name. And in the dream, he had said one thing:
> "We're not meant to meet. But we always do."
Kael pulled away like he hadn't just rearranged her entire world. He turned, letting the shadows curl around his body like a coat.
"Stay out of my way, Velthorn," he said over his shoulder. "The bond's already a mistake."
And then he was gone again.
But Aria wasn't the same anymore.
---
Somewhere deep in the halls of Aetherfall, a page flipped itself inside an ancient book no one was reading.
On the page, a single line glowed in silver ink:
"When Light touches Shadow, the world will tremble."
---