Chapter 13: The Dean’s Truth
989 Words
The walk to Dean Blackwood’s office was quiet.
Evelyn’s mind raced.
Silver wings.
They had been real.
She had felt every feather, every movement, every beat of the invisible magic flowing through them.
“What am I?” she asked quietly.
Dean Blackwood didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he opened the large oak door to his office and motioned for her to enter.
The room was just as she remembered—floating books, enchanted artifacts, and the massive window overlooking Hidden Moon Academy.
But this time, there was someone else waiting.
Professor Ashcroft
He stood near the fireplace with his arms folded.
His usual stern expression was unreadable.
Evelyn looked between the two men.
“I guess this isn’t about missing lunch.”
Dean Blackwood smiled faintly.
“I’m afraid not.”
⸻
Once everyone was seated, Dean Blackwood spoke.
“What happened in the arena today has confirmed something we’ve suspected since your arrival.”
Evelyn leaned forward.
“The Blood Hounds…”
“They weren’t mistaken.”
Professor Ashcroft nodded once.
“And neither were the portraits.”
Evelyn’s heart skipped.
“You know what I am.”
Dean Blackwood sighed.
“We know what you are descended from.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“No.”
⸻
He walked to a large cabinet and unlocked it with a silver key.
Inside rested an ancient scroll tied with a midnight-blue ribbon.
He carefully unrolled it across his desk.
The parchment showed dozens of family crests.
Each represented one of the great supernatural bloodlines.
Wolves.
Dragons.
Phoenixes.
Griffins.
Sea Serpents.
Fae.
Witches.
At the very top…
Above every other crest…
Was the symbol Evelyn had seen over and over since arriving at the academy.
A crescent moon.
Outstretched wings.
Roots intertwined beneath them.
Dean Blackwood rested a hand beside it.
“This belonged to the House of Lunaris.”
“The Moon Sovereigns.”
Evelyn swallowed.
“My mother…”
“Was the last known heir.”
Silence filled the room.
⸻
“I don’t understand.”
Dean Blackwood nodded.
“I know.”
“You told me I was a shifter.”
“You are.”
“But no shifter has wings.”
Professor Ashcroft finally spoke.
“Because the Moon Sovereigns were never ordinary shifters.”
⸻
Evelyn looked at him.
“They could shift…”
“…Into creatures unlike any other.”
Dean Blackwood finished the sentence.
“Their forms have been lost to history.”
“The last Moon Sovereign transformed over twenty years ago.”
Professor Ashcroft looked directly at Evelyn.
“Your mother.”
⸻
Tears stung Evelyn’s eyes.
“So… what did she become?”
Neither man answered.
Finally Dean Blackwood admitted,
“We don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“The records were destroyed.”
“By who?”
He looked toward the window.
“The people hunting your family.”
⸻
Professor Ashcroft stepped closer.
“When you grew wings today…”
He paused.
“That has never been recorded.”
“Not once.”
Evelyn looked at her hands.
“So I’m the only one.”
“As far as we know.”
⸻
Dean Blackwood rolled the scroll back up.
“There is another matter.”
He looked unusually serious.
“The Hidden Archive.”
Evelyn froze.
“You know I was there.”
“I know the archive chose you.”
She slowly reached into her bag and removed the leather journal.
“I found this.”
Dean Blackwood smiled sadly.
“I hoped you would.”
She also placed the folded map on the desk.
Professor Ashcroft’s expression immediately changed.
“You found that too?”
“It was inside the journal.”
The two men exchanged a glance.
Dean Blackwood unfolded the map.
“The Moon Vault.”
“You’ve heard of it.”
“I’ve spent twenty years trying to find it.”
Evelyn blinked.
“I thought you said no one knew what was inside.”
“We don’t.”
“So why were you looking for it?”
Dean Blackwood met her eyes.
“Because your parents sealed something there.”
⸻
The room fell silent.
“My parents?”
“They never told us what.”
Professor Ashcroft folded his arms.
“They only said…”
“‘When our daughter returns…’”
Dean Blackwood finished.
“’…the Vault will open.’”
⸻
A knock interrupted the conversation.
Three sharp knocks.
Dean Blackwood frowned.
“I wasn’t expecting anyone.”
The office door slowly opened.
Professor Elowen stepped inside.
“I apologize for interrupting.”
She looked directly at Evelyn.
“It’s happening again.”
Dean Blackwood immediately stood.
“What happened?”
“The statues.”
Professor Ashcroft’s expression hardened.
“Which ones?”
“All of them.”
⸻
The four hurried through the castle corridors.
Students had already gathered outside the central courtyard.
Everyone stared toward the massive marble statue of the winged queen.
The one Evelyn had noticed during orientation.
At first glance…
Nothing seemed different.
Then Evelyn saw it.
The statue’s stone eyes…
Were glowing silver.
A low murmur spread through the crowd.
More gasps followed.
Every statue across the courtyard began glowing.
Ancient kings.
Queens.
Warriors.
Scholars.
One by one…
They slowly turned their heads.
Not toward the students.
Not toward the professors.
Toward Evelyn.
The courtyard fell deathly silent.
Then, in perfect unison…
Every statue bowed.
A wave of whispers swept through the crowd.
“No way…”
“They’re bowing…”
“To her…”
Evelyn stood frozen.
Dean Blackwood closed his eyes for a brief moment.
When he opened them again, there was no doubt left in his voice.
“The academy has acknowledged its heir.”
The silver light from the statues brightened until it illuminated the entire courtyard.
Far beneath the castle…
The Moon Vault doors trembled once more.
This time…
They opened another inch.
- Writer
