The Cursed Heir of BlackThorn Academy

Selene Carter POV The first time I saw someone die, I was sixteen. The second time happened tonight. Rain poured relentlessly over Blackwood City as I ran through the empty streets, clutching my backpack against my chest. The convenience store where I worked had closed an hour earlier, and my shoes were already soaked from the storm. Most people avoided this side of the city after dark. The old district was filled with abandoned buildings, broken streetlights, and stories nobody wanted to discuss. Especially the woods. Everyone in Blackwood knew the rules. Never enter the forest after midnight. Never follow strange lights. And if you hear whispers, run. Normally, I laughed at those stories. Tonight, I wished I hadn’t. A loud crash echoed somewhere behind me. I stopped. The street was empty. Only rain. Only darkness. Only the distant sound of thunder. I pulled my jacket tighter and continued walking, but the strange feeling remained. It felt as though someone was watching me from the shadows. Then I saw it. A light. Purple. Deep inside the woods. I froze. The old Blackthorn Forest had been abandoned for years. The city had placed fences around it after several disappearances, yet the light continued glowing between the trees. One step. Then another. I should have left. Instead, curiosity pulled me forward. The broken fence hung open, moving slightly in the wind. Mud covered the ground as I entered the forest. The rain became quieter beneath the trees, and the air suddenly felt colder. The purple light grew brighter. Whispers surrounded me. I couldn’t understand the words. My heart pounded. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Eventually, the trees opened into a clearing. And I stopped breathing. Four people stood around a stone altar. They wore black uniforms with silver crests sewn onto their jackets. Strange symbols glowed around them, floating in the air like fire. A boy knelt on the ground. Blood covered his shirt. One of the students raised his hand. Purple fire appeared in his palm. “No,” the boy begged. The tallest student stepped forward. His dark hair fell over his eyes, and the silver emblem on his jacket reflected the storm above us. His voice was cold. “You should not have betrayed Blackthorn.” The kneeling boy cried. “I didn’t tell anyone.” The dark-haired student looked down at him without emotion. “You saw what you were never meant to see.” My breathing stopped. The boy raised his hand. Purple light exploded. The scream lasted only seconds. Then silence. The body fell. Dead. My entire body trembled. Magic. Real magic. The dark-haired student suddenly turned. His silver eyes locked onto mine. For one terrifying moment, neither of us moved. He had seen me. The others turned. A blonde girl gasped. “Human.” The silver-eyed boy stepped toward me. No. This couldn’t be happening. I ran. Branches cut my arms as I sprinted through the forest. My breathing became uneven while the rain made the ground slippery beneath my feet. They were following me. I could hear them. Footsteps. Whispers. The strange sound of electricity. I tripped. Pain shot through my knee. Before I could stand, someone landed in front of me. The silver-eyed boy. He couldn’t have moved that quickly. Rain fell over his black uniform. His eyes glowed faintly. “Who are you?” I couldn’t answer. Fear had stolen my voice. The other students arrived behind him. “She saw everything.” “We have to erase her memory.” “She’s human.” The silver-eyed boy continued staring at me. His face was beautiful. Cold. Almost unreal. “What is your name?” “Selene.” The moment I spoke, his expression changed. Only slightly. But enough. The blonde girl frowned. “What?” He didn’t answer. Instead, he knelt in front of me. “Selene what?” “Carter.” Thunder rolled above us. The forest suddenly became silent. Even the rain seemed to stop. The boy beside him stepped backward. “No.” The blonde girl’s face turned pale. “That’s impossible.” My fear slowly turned into confusion. “What?” The silver-eyed boy looked directly into my eyes. “How old are you?” “Eighteen.” The air around him changed. For the first time, emotion appeared. Shock. Disbelief. He reached toward my neck. I flinched. His fingers stopped inches away from my skin. A silver mark had appeared beneath my collarbone. Glowing. I looked down. “What is that?” The blonde girl whispered. “The crest.” My heart raced. “What crest?” The silver-eyed boy slowly stood. His face had become unreadable again. “She can’t be alive.” “Lucien,” another student said quietly. So his name was Lucien. Lucien ignored them. His eyes remained fixed on me. “Your parents.” My chest tightened. “What about them?” “When did they die?” I swallowed. “My mother died when I was ten.” “And your father?” “I never knew him.” The group exchanged looks. Fear spread across their faces. Real fear. The blonde girl stepped backward. “The prophecy.” “No,” Lucien said. “It isn’t possible.” “What are you talking about?” No one answered. Suddenly, the ground beneath us trembled. The symbol on my chest burned. Pain exploded through my body. I screamed. Purple light erupted around me. The trees shook violently. The students stared. Lucien’s eyes widened. The glowing symbol spread across my skin. Memories flooded my mind. A castle. Fire. A woman crying. A voice whispering my name. “Run.” A man covered in blood. “Protect the heir.” Then darkness. When the light finally disappeared, the forest had become silent. Everyone stared at me. The blonde girl looked terrified. One of the boys fell to his knees. Lucien’s voice barely rose above a whisper. “No.” My breathing became uneven. “What happened?” His silver eyes met mine. For the first time, the coldness had vanished. Only fear remained. Because whatever he saw frightened him. And then he spoke the words that changed my life forever. “The Cursed Heir has returned.” Before I could answer, the sky split open. A black envelope fell from the storm and landed at my feet. Silver letters slowly appeared across the paper. BLACKTHORN ACADEMY Your presence is required. I looked up. The students had all lowered their heads. Even Lucien. The boy who had killed someone only minutes earlier. The boy who looked incapable of fear. He stared at me as though I had become his worst nightmare. And somehow, I knew exactly what he was thinking. I wasn’t supposed to exist.