THE CROWN THEY HID FROM ME

Chapter 2 — Astryss Royal Academy

They passed beneath the grand archway, and the courtyard opened up before her. Students were everywhere—some practicing spells in midair, some gliding across the stone paths, their magic leaving shimmering trails behind them. Aera stopped, overwhelmed.

The Academy was alive.

Whispers followed her like shadows. “Did you see her?” one girl muttered to another. “She has no rank… how is she here?”

“They say she’s… the Chosen One,” another replied softly, eyes wide.

Aera swallowed. Chosen One? She doesn’t even know how to make fire appear properly.

Kael steered her toward a massive stone staircase. “You’ll need to register with the Headmistress before the first lesson.”

As they walked, she noticed other students staring at her. Some curiosity, some fear. She tried to ignore it.

But then a voice rang out, calm and precise.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Aera turned sharply. A young woman, clad in dark emerald robes, approached. Her expression was cold, sharp. “Common-born students don’t enter Astryss without special permission. And even then…” She let the sentence hang, eyes narrowing.

Aera’s throat tightened. Special permission? Who gave me that?

Kael’s hand brushed hers subtly. “Ignore them. Focus on me.”

They reached a tall oak door, carved with swirling glyphs that shifted as she looked at them. Kael rapped twice. The door swung open before they could knock again.

Inside was a vast hall filled with desks and magical orbs floating midair. At the far end, a woman with silver hair and robes embroidered in gold looked directly at Aera. Her eyes were sharp, almost unsettlingly so.

“You’ve arrived,” the Headmistress said softly, voice echoing through the hall. “And so it begins.”

Aera stepped forward, trying to keep her fear at bay. Every instinct screamed to run, yet some deep part of her—something she didn’t understand—wanted to kneel before the woman.

Kael squeezed her shoulder. “Whatever happens… stay close. They’ll be watching you closely.”

Before Aera could ask what he meant, the Headmistress raised a hand. A hush fell over the hall. A golden sigil appeared in the air—floating, rotating, pulsing with light.

It focused on Aera.

The room trembled. The orbs flickered. Whispers filled the air.

“She is awake,” the Headmistress whispered.

Aera felt a chill run down her spine. This wasn’t admiration. This was recognition.

Something about her existence had just been acknowledged.

And whatever it was… didn’t seem entirely pleased.

The sigil’s light shot upward, hitting the ceiling, and then—without warning—the floor beneath her feet shivered violently, throwing her off balance.

Kael caught her arm just in time. “Hold on,” he said, voice tight.

Aera’s heart pounded. Something ancient, something alive, had noticed her.

And she had a sinking feeling… her life would never be ordinary again.

The hall of Astryss Royal Academy smelled of polished wood and old magic. Floating lanterns glimmered like captured stars, illuminating rows of desks carved with intricate runes.