Prologue

Thunder cracked through the midnight sky as a small car skidded off a narrow cliffside road and plummeted into the forest below. Flames rose in the darkness, but no one came. No one ever did. Ten-year-old Thalia crawled from the wreckage, dazed, her hands bloodied, her mind blank. Her cries echoed in the wild silence until a stranger cloaked in grey emerged from the trees and took her away.

Chapter One: The Village of Whispering Pines

Secluded deep in the Northern Mountains, Whispering Pines was a village forgotten by time and untouched by the modern world. Here, people spoke in hushed tones and kept to themselves. There were no phones, no cars, and certainly no questions. Thalia had lived there for six years since the accident. Now sixteen, she had long golden hair, piercing green eyes, and a scar on her shoulder - a reminder of the night that changed her life.

Her guardian, an old woman named Marra, was both feared and respected in the village. Rumors surrounded her, of course. They said she could talk to birds, summon storms, and see the past. Thalia never asked. It was safer not to. Until the night the stars blinked out one by one, and Marra's past came knocking.

Chapter Two: The Mark of the Raven

A mysterious symbol began appearing in Thalia's dreams - a raven circled by flames. When she finally drew it on paper, Marra turned pale. "You've been seen," she whispered. That night, Marra unlocked a hidden cellar beneath their cottage, revealing relics, scrolls, and a book bound in black scales. "The world you know isn't the only one."

Magic, Marra explained, was real - banned long ago and buried by those who feared it. But some bloodlines, like Thalia's, carried the old spark. Her parents had hidden her from their enemies, but destiny had a cruel memory.

Chapter Three: Murder in the Pines

The peace of Whispering Pines shattered when the body of village elder Tamber was found, eyes burned to ash, a raven feather on his chest. The villagers turned to Marra, accusing her of witchcraft. Before Thalia could protest, Marra was taken - and then she vanished from her cell in a storm of wind and fire.

Left alone, Thalia discovered that her own powers were awakening - visions, heat in her hands, whispers on the wind. But with Marra gone, she was vulnerable. And someone was hunting her.

Chapter Four: The Gate Between Worlds

Following the clues in Marra's black book, Thalia ventured into the forbidden forest and discovered a hidden stone arch - the Gate. As she stepped through, the world changed. Colors deepened. Trees whispered in languages. And creatures she had only seen in dreams watched from the shadows.

Beyond the Gate lay Eloryn, a land of broken kingdoms and fractured magic. But it was also the place her parents had fled from. Here, Thalia was no longer a girl from a forgotten village. She was a threat - and a key.

Chapter Five: Raven of the Flame

The halls of Magia Academy buzzed with the usual commotion of young mages-in-training, but one student stood apart like a flame in the wind. Raven. Tall, quiet, and dangerous, he was known only by his mononym. His flaming red eyes warned others to keep their distance, and no one dared approach him - except Thalia.

She met him again beneath the towering Moonshade Tree at dusk, her heart hammering in her chest. "Raven," she whispered. "You're really here."

He turned, his voice low and sharp like obsidian. "You shouldn't have come looking for me."

"You're my guardian," she shot back. "You promised you'd protect me."

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "And I am. But not everyone here knows who I really am. Or who you are. That's how we survive."

"Then teach me," she said. "Help me control it. Please."

Chapter Six: Secrets in the Wind

To the academy, Thalia was a talented but mysterious wind mage. What they didn't know was that her true power ran far deeper - elemental magic born from ancient bloodlines. Only Raven knew the truth, and he kept it as closely guarded as his own.

His home, a hidden cottage protected by layered enchantments in the middle of the Whispering Forest, became their sanctuary. "No one can enter unless I will it," Raven said. "Even the High Council couldn't find us here."

Their training was rigorous. Wind tunnels that could slice through stone. Mental trials that tested the soul. Thalia often collapsed from exhaustion.

"Again," Raven would say coldly, arms crossed.

"I'm trying," she gasped. "You don't have to be so cruel."

His gaze softened - barely. "Cruelty keeps you alive. If they discover your power, they'll destroy you. Or worse."

They trained at night and pretended by day. In the academy halls, Raven ignored her completely. To others, he was silent and cold. But in the sanctuary, he was her shield, her mentor - and perhaps something more.

One night, after a particularly harsh session, Thalia looked at him and asked, "Why do you really care what happens to me?"

He hesitated. "Because your life is the key to breaking everything they've built - and I was there the day your parents died."

Thalia's breath caught. "You knew them?"

Raven turned his back. "I didn't just know them. I failed them. And I won't fail you."

Chapter Seven: Houses of Power

Magia Academy, for all its ancient wisdom and hidden knowledge, was also a web of hierarchy and power. Every student was sorted upon entrance - not by age or origin, but by strength and potential. The system was simple, yet brutal:

? Legendary - Royals, council bloodlines, and the elite top ten of the entire academy. Feared, envied, and often corrupt.

? Mystic - Elementals, warriors' heirs, or students with powerful combat magic. Competitive and proud.

? Magestic - Supporting magic: healers, speedcasters, strength bearers. Less flashy but respected.

? Normalis - The rest. Common magic. Useful, but not exceptional.

Thalia was officially labeled Mystic due to her "wind" abilities. That alone earned her admiration - and enemies.

But Raven? He was Legendary.

People didn't talk to Raven. They whispered about him. Rumors flew - he'd killed a rogue elemental with a glance, that his family had vanished in flames, that his power had once scorched a training yard to ash. All they knew for sure was that his red eyes were a warning.

At the orientation ceremony, Headmistress Virelle's voice echoed across the hall:

"Power is not what you show, but what you control. Let the Houses guide you. Let Magia mold you."

Thalia kept her face still, even as the golden bands marking Mystic status shimmered on her uniform sleeve.

Beside her, Raven didn't move. He didn't need a speech. Everyone already knew his power.

Chapter Eight: Masks and Blades

Despite their status, Raven barely spoke to Thalia during the day. In the cafeteria, he sat alone. In training halls, he annihilated practice targets in silence. But at night - in the hidden home cloaked in barriers - he was the Raven she knew.

Their training intensified.

"You're holding back," he said one night, circling her as wind twisted in a vortex around them. "Again."

"I can't go full strength," Thalia hissed. "Someone will feel it."

"No one will. This place is sealed from the leyline. Show me what you're hiding."

She exhaled sharply - and the wind exploded outward, lifting trees, scattering stones, cracking the earth beneath their feet.

Raven's eyes flared. "That's more like it."

She collapsed to her knees. "You said I was powerful. But you never said why."

Raven crouched beside her, voice low. "Your mother was a descendant of the Storm Court. Your father... a flameborn prince of the Shadow Vale. You are wind, fire, and void all at once. That kind of magic terrifies people."

Thalia stared at him, heart pounding. "And what about you? Who were you before you were... Raven?"

His expression turned to stone. "Someone who gave everything up to protect you."

Chapter Nine: The Tournament of Spheres

The annual Tournament of Spheres was the academy's greatest event. Each house sent champions to compete across magical disciplines - combat, endurance, illusions, summoning, and willpower.

Thalia was chosen unexpectedly for the Mystic team.

Raven protested privately. "You're not ready."

"I have to be," she said. "If I stay hidden too long, they'll start asking why."

"You show too much, and they'll start remembering why," Raven warned.

The first rounds were brutal. Kael, the lightning Mystic, sent sparks flying across the dueling arena. Thalia kept her cover - using wind only, controlled, sharp, practiced. But it wasn't enough.

In the third round, when Kael lost control and sent a lightning spear hurtling toward her heart, something inside her snapped.

The lightning struck - but instead of burning, it danced along her skin. A pulse of blue fire flared in her chest. The crowd gasped. Raven's eyes widened.

After the match, Thalia cornered him. "What just happened to me?"

Raven didn't meet her eyes. "That wasn't wind. That was absorption. Your bloodline can adapt to elemental energy. That... wasn't supposed to surface yet."

Chapter Ten: Flame and Memory

Over the next weeks, Thalia began seeing flickers of memories that weren't hers - places she'd never been, voices in her dreams.

One night, in the sanctuary, she woke screaming.

"I saw them," she panted. "My parents. They were... running. Someone was chasing them."

Raven's face was shadowed. "Those aren't dreams. That's blood memory."

"What are you not telling me?"

"There were more than just enemies after them. The Council itself signed the order. Your father was building a rebellion. Your mother had a map to the Leyspire."

"The what?"

"The source of all known magic. The Leyspire is real. And it's hidden. Your blood remembers where."

Chapter Eleven: The Council's Eye

Unknown to them, a new figure had arrived at the Academy. High Chancellor Varon, leader of the Council of Nine. His presence sent waves of unease.

"I've come to evaluate the Tournament," he said, but Raven stiffened.

"That man," Raven whispered to Thalia, "was the one who killed your grandfather."

The games continued, but now, the pressure was unbearable. Raven could no longer appear distant - he watched Thalia constantly, protecting her without exposing either of them.

And in the shadows, the Council began to suspect. They sent agents. Spies. Thalia found one snooping in her quarters. He vanished the next day - no one spoke of it.

Then came the note in Thalia's books: "You are not the only heir left. Trust no one - not even the raven."

She turned to him in the sanctuary that night. "There's something you're still hiding."

Raven stared into the fire. "You're right. Because if I told you everything, you wouldn't trust me either."

Chapter Twelve: Final Sparks

The final day of the Tournament of Spheres arrived under a sky streaked with violet clouds. The entire academy gathered in the Grand Spire Arena, magic humming through the stone.

Thalia paced behind the stage, heart pounding. Raven appeared beside her, silent as shadow.

"You shouldn't be here," she whispered.

"I always am," he replied.

She looked at him, voice low. "This power? the one that surfaced during the last duel. You said I should only have wind."

"You should," he said darkly. "But your blood remembers more than I hoped. I tried to suppress it, keep it dormant until it was safe. But it's waking faster."

"And now?"

"Now? control it. No more. No less."

He turned away, cloak billowing.

The horn sounded. The final battles would determine each fighter's position within the academy's hierarchy. Four remained: Thalia, Kael, Storm - the royalty of the Lightning Court - and Raven himself.

First Match: Kael vs. Raven

The arena sizzled with anticipation. Kael grinned wickedly as Raven stepped into the ring, his expression unreadable.

"I've waited for this," Kael said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's see if the flame-eyed shadow bleeds."

The battle began in a storm of wind and lightning. Kael summoned spears of thunder, flinging them with reckless speed. Raven deflected them effortlessly, his movements precise, deadly.

Then he struck - his wind became a slicing tempest, wrapping around Kael and forcing him to his knees.

Kael roared, unleashing a final surge of pure current, but Raven stepped through it.

His fist met Kael's chest.

Kael collapsed.

The crowd was silent, awed. Raven stood alone, victorious, eyes burning like coals.

Final Match: Thalia vs. Storm

Storm was royalty - ice-cold, poised, born of legends. Her control over wind matched Thalia's, at least on paper.

"This will determine everything," Storm said calmly, her silver braid glinting. "One of us ascends. The other fades."

The match began.

Thalia felt the wind respond to her touch, coiling around her like an old friend. She met Storm's fierce gales with equal force. Their powers clashed midair, splitting the sky with sheer velocity.

But Storm's control was pristine, while Thalia's instincts teetered toward chaos.

Then Storm struck - an upward burst that launched Thalia into the air. Thalia fell fast.

And something inside her snapped again.

Fire.

Not wind. Not borrowed. Hers.

A ring of blue flame erupted around her, catching her midfall. Gasps filled the arena.

Thalia landed softly, golden eyes glowing faintly.

Storm stepped back, momentarily stunned. "That... wasn't wind."

"I never said it was," Thalia whispered.

In one swift movement, she surged forward with a vortex of wind encased in flame. Storm couldn't hold it.

She fell.

Winner: Thalia.

The arena roared. But Raven wasn't celebrating.

That night, in the sanctuary, he stared into the fire.

"You used fire."

"I had to," Thalia replied. "Storm would've killed me."

"She saw it. Everyone saw it."

"What happens now?"

Raven looked at her grimly. "Now, we pray the Council doesn't realize what kind of fire you carry. Because if they do? they'll come for you. And they won't ask questions this time."

Chapter Thirteen: The Lie That Saves

The day after the tournament, the Academy hosted the grand awarding ceremony. The winners of each match were called forth to thunderous applause. Raven remained in the Legendary class. Thalia, after defeating Storm, was also promoted to Legendary.

Storm, despite her loss, retained her rank due to her royal lineage. She stood tall and calm, offering Thalia a respectful nod. Thalia returned it.

Kael, still fuming from his loss to Raven, kept his smirk intact, though his pride was bruised. He too remained Legendary - his status as a royal securing his position.

Raven pulled Thalia aside after the ceremony. "We need to act quickly. They'll start investigating."

Thalia frowned. "Then what do we do?"

"We lie." He pulled out a blackened crystal, etched with ancient runes. "There's a power known as Copy Magic. It's Legendary - rare, revered. You win a fight, you can mimic your opponent's power. But it's never as strong as the original."

Her eyes widened. "You want me to pretend that's my power?"

"It's safer," Raven said. "No one will question your fire if they believe you copied it from Storm during your match. Copy magic is unpredictable - it's the perfect cover."

"But what if someone finds out the truth?"

"Then we run. But until then, this lie keeps you alive."

Thalia nodded slowly. "Let's do it."

At the next gathering, Headmistress Virelle herself addressed the Academy. "Our new Legendary, Thalia, has demonstrated rare versatility in combat. We have confirmed a rare trait - Copy Magic. An ability to mimic those she bests in battle."

Gasps spread across the crowd. Kael raised an eyebrow. Storm's face remained calm.

From then on, the Academy accepted the narrative. But behind the scenes, Raven and Thalia were more cautious than ever.

For in Magia Academy, status was not just a symbol. It was survival.

And in the Legendary class, one rule reigned supreme:

Protect your own.

No matter their blood.

No matter their truth.

...