There were a few things Jayden had expected when he arrived at the Royal Academy.
Learning etiquette? Sure. Being ignored by his siblings? Of course. Trying not to look dumb in front of rich, glowing kids with actual superpowers? That was basically his entire plan for first semester.
But discovering that one of his royal siblings might be possessed by ancient shadow magic and plotting his assassination?
Not exactly on the course list.
Now, Jayden sat in the palace's sealed spell chamber, the room pulsing faintly with protective enchantments. Leonora paced in front of him, heels clicking on the marble, her silk robe flaring behind her like a battle flag.
She was muttering to herself. Well, muttering and hurling potion flasks across the room in elegant rage.
"Thalen," she spat, "always so smug, so perfect. His cheekbones had no right to betray us."
Jayden tried not to laugh, mostly because he was scared of getting hexed.
"Leo," he said, softly, "what's the Moon Sigil?"
She stopped.
Turned.
And, for once, she didn't look sarcastic or vaguely murderous. She looked… tired.
"The Moon Sigil is a mark of inheritance," she said. "Only one person in each generation carries it. It's not just magical—it's sacred. It's a bond between the Veil and the physical world. Whoever bears the Sigil can walk both paths: light and shadow."
Jayden blinked. "Okay, but what's the Veil?"
Aerin, who had apparently snuck in again without anyone noticing, replied from the corner: "The place where the dead go, but not always permanently. Some stuff leaks back."
Jayden spun. "You were eavesdropping!"
"No," she said, biting an apple. "I was stealth-learning."
Leonora ignored her. "The Moon Sigil shouldn't exist anymore. Our great-grandmother destroyed it to stop the Shadowborn from finding a way back."
"But Thalen has it," Jayden said, voice low. "That vision. He was holding it."
Leonora nodded once. "Which means he either found it…"
"…or he was given it," Aerin finished.
They were all silent.
Then Leonora walked to a hidden cabinet, pulled out a dusty scroll wrapped in layers of starlight-sealed thread, and placed it on the table.
"I wasn't supposed to see this," she said. "But I read it anyway. Obviously. It's the original prophecy of the Veil's Return."
Jayden leaned forward.
There were ancient words etched in silver ink, but as he stared, the letters shifted, realigning into something readable:
"When the orphan of fireless birth touches the moon's second heart, the Veil shall open. One heir will burn. One will betray. And the blood of the forgotten shall decide the tide."
Jayden froze. "Orphan. That's me."
Aerin frowned. "Second heart?"
Leonora opened a spellbook and flipped to a marked page. "There was always said to be a second Moon Sigil. A hidden one. The original was forged by the High Priestess. The second—was hidden in a child."
A child… born without powers. A child adopted by the royal family.
Jayden's breath caught.
Leonora's eyes met his. "You don't need to have magic, Jayden. Because you are magic."
Across the palace, Thalen stood at the edge of the Mirror Courtyard, watching as the last of the moonlight faded.
His reflection shimmered, then shifted. No longer just his face.
Another version of himself stared back—darker, smoother, crueler.
"You shouldn't have warned him," the shadow said.
Thalen's jaw tightened. "He deserves to know."
The shadow sneered. "You're soft. You think you can carry both worlds? You think you can save him?"
Thalen looked away. "He's not ready."
"But he will be," the shadow murmured. "And when he is… he will take everything. The crown. The Moon's power. And your place in the prophecy."
Thalen clenched his fists.
Then turned.
And walked into the dark.