Morning came with a golden glow spilling through the windows, the soft hum of Lysoria waking up in the distance. The day was crisp, buzzing with energy, as if Elarion itself knew today was special.
And it was because today was Lara's birthday.
Naturally, I had one job: to make sure she woke up in the most obnoxious way possible.
With the enthusiasm of someone far too awake for this hour, I charged into her room at full speed, leaping onto her bed like a wild animal.
"🎶 HAAAAPPY BIRTHDAAAY TO YOUUUU...."
A loud groan came from beneath the covers.
"Athena, I swear, if you don't---"
I ignored her suffering and continued singing even louder, shaking her shoulders for good measure.
"Wake up, birthday girl! Elarion awaits your fabulous presence!"
Lara attempted to smack me away, but her hand barely left the blankets before she gave up and let out a dramatic sigh.
"You are the actual worst."
I grinned, flopping down beside her. "I know. It's part of my charm."
She grumbled something unintelligible before finally peeking out from under the blankets, hair sticking up in every direction, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion.
"You are so lucky I love you," she muttered, rubbing her face.
I clutched my chest. "Wow. That almost sounded sincere."
She grabbed a pillow, aimed, and threw.
I barely dodged it.
I smirked as I reached toward Lara's bedside table, where I had strategically placed a neatly wrapped box the night before. "Alright, alright. Before you start plotting my demise, present time!"
Lara's eyes immediately brightened. "Ooooh, presents?"
She ripped into the wrapping like a child on Frostveil morning, gasping when she saw the silver charm bracelet and necklace set. The charms shimmered faintly under the morning light, intricate runes woven into the metal, symbols of protection, success, and light.
Her mouth fell open. "Athens…"
I hesitated. "Do you like it?"
She lunged forward, nearly knocking me over. "Like it?! I love it! It's perfect!"
I laughed, hugging her back. "Well, good. I figured it'd suit your whole 'golden child of Lysoria' aesthetic."
Lara held the bracelet up to the light, eyes shining. "This is my favorite gift so far."
"Aww, you say that now. Wait till you see what Zayn gets you," I teased.
She snorted. "If it's another enchanted perfume set, I'm regifting it to you."
Before I could respond, movement in the doorway caught my attention.
I turned, and froze.
Myrren stood there. Watching us.
Not with her usual unreadable expression, but with something I almost mistook for fondness.
Lara, of course, was the first to break the moment. She grinned mischievously. "Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to drop by the land of emotions."
Myrren rolled her eyes but stepped inside, placing a gentle hand on Lara's shoulder.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart."
Lara beamed. "Thanks, Mom."
Then, in a move that shocked me to my core, Myrren leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Lara's forehead.
"I'm so proud of you."
My breath caught.
Lara's smile faltered, just for a second, before returning, this time softer. More real.
Myrren straightened, masking any lingering emotion with her usual poise. "I assume everything is prepared for tonight?"
Lara nodded quickly. "Yes! The ballroom is ready, the caterers are locked in, and the dress is--"
"--hanging in your closet, waiting for its big moment," I finished with a smirk.," I interjected.
Lara nudged me. "We definitely have good taste."
Myrren arched a brow, then nodded approvingly. "Good."
Then, her gaze flickered to me.
I tensed, automatically assuming she was about to remind me of something I'd done wrong.
Instead, she said, "Athena."
For a moment, she just looked at me. Then, in a voice far softer than I had ever heard from her, she said: "Thank you."
I blinked. "For what?"
"For helping."
My heart stumbled over itself.
I nodded slowly, struggling to find words, before deciding not to press my luck. I slipped out of the room before I did something embarrassing, like ask her if she actually meant it.
After a quick shower, I got dressed and headed downstairs, where Lara was already at the dining table, her new charm bracelet dangling off her wrist as she twirled it absently between her fingers.
Myrren sat across from her, for once not buried in Council work.
And the food? All of Lara's favorites.
A golden fruit platter shimmered in the morning light, piled high with iridescent starberries, moonlit pears, and sliced emberfruit that glowed faintly at the edges. Beside it, a basket of freshly baked shadowfluff pastries, drizzled with luminous nectar, sat next to a steaming plate of spiced drakelion sausage and honeyed suncakes. The air carried a rich, warm scent, sweet, decadent, and utterly unfair to my self-control.
Lara's eyes sparkled as I sat beside her. "You're eating with us?"
I raised an eyebrow. "It's your birthday, isn't it?"
She grinned. "Damn right it is."
Myrren straightened, masking any lingering emotion with her usual poise as she sipped her midnight-blossom tea.
Lara dug into her plate, humming in approval. "Perfect as always."
I took a bite of my suncake, glancing at her. "So, are you ready for tonight?"
Lara gave a dramatic sigh, setting her fork down. "As ready as I'll ever be."
"Good." Myrren nodded once before shifting her gaze to me.
I hesitated mid-bite. "What?"
"You have everything you need?" she asked, her tone unreadable.
It wasn't a question she usually asked me, and I wasn't sure how to take it.
Lara, of course, took that as her cue to start trouble. "Athena needs a date for tonight."
I groaned. "No, she does not."
Lara wiggled her eyebrows. "Calder might be..."
I cut her a sharp look. "Lara."
She grinned unapologetically. "What? I'm just saying..."
"Absolutely not."
Lara cackled, thoroughly entertained.
Then, right on cue, a series of playful honks echoed from outside.
Ezzy.
I shoved my chair back, grabbing my bag. "Time for school. See y'all later!"
Lara called after me, laughing. "This isn't over, Athena!"
I bolted out the door, barely making it into the passenger seat of Ezzy's car, before she raised an eyebrow. "What's got you running out of your house like that?"
I sighed, buckling in. "Lara. She was trying to set me up for tonight."
Ezzy's lips curled into a knowing smirk. "Oh? With who?"
"Calder."
She made a gagging noise. "Okay, yeah. I'd be running too."
I laughed as she pulled onto the main road, weaving through the morning traffic with practiced ease. The city passed by in a blur of enchanted streetlamps and early commuters, the sky painted in soft golds and purples.
The first class of the day was Dimensional Studies with Professor Solis, a subject I usually enjoyed, when I wasn't sharing it with Jade, Ezzy, and Jax, who had a talent for making any class twice as distracting.
The classroom was unlike any other at Brightforge. Instead of desks, curved rows of floating platforms hovered over an ever-shifting map of Elarion's dimensional structure. Some days, the room expanded into endless astral landscapes; today, it was relatively grounded, the walls shimmering faintly with dimensional threads.
At the front of the class, Professor Solis leaned casually against his desk, skimming through a floating tome that turned its own pages at his command. He carried an air of effortless control, the kind of presence that drew attention without needing to demand it.
His sharp jawline was shadowed with just enough stubble to suggest he had more important things to worry about than a perfectly clean shave. Dark, tousled hair framed his angular features, a few strands falling over his forehead as if placed there by intention rather than accident. His silver eyes, cool and assessing, held an otherworldly depth, like he'd seen things far beyond the boundaries of Elarion.
Unlike most scholars who favored elaborate robes, Solis dressed in a fitted black high-collared coat, embroidered subtly with runes that shimmered when the light caught them just right. His sleeves were pushed up, revealing inked sigils along his forearms, not decorative, but functional. Ancient. Their glow flickered faintly, as if alive beneath his skin.
"Dimensional balance," he began, his voice smooth yet commanding, "is what keeps our world tethered in harmony with the others. Some planes exist parallel to ours, others beneath or beyond, and each carries its own set of rules. Today, we focus on planar veils, the barriers that separate Elarion from the unknown."
I took notes absently, half-listening as he explained the thin, fragile threads that kept the dimensions from bleeding into one another. Jade, on the other hand, was fascinated.
"This is actually useful," she whispered, eyes gleaming as she tapped her pen against her notebook. "Maybe I can channel something about this into my next poem."
Jax snorted. "Or your next prophecy. Imagine warning someone they'll get trapped in another dimension through a rhyming riddle."
Jade elbowed him.
Ezzy, meanwhile, was furiously scribbling down notes, not about planar theory, but about something completely different.
At the end of class, she dragged me aside the moment we stepped into the hallway.
"Athena, I need your help."
I blinked. "With what?"
She hesitated, then sighed. "I… might have signed up for a solo performance at the Cultural Festival."
I stared at her. "Ezzy, that's amazing! Why are you acting like it's a bad thing?"
"Because it's a solo performance, and I want it to be perfect," she groaned. "Which is why I need you to help me prepare."
I folded my arms. "You mean, you want me to be your personal critic for the next few weeks?"
She grinned. "Yes."
I rolled my eyes but smiled. "Fine. But if you ask me to be brutally honest, don't complain when I do."
Ezzy clapped excitedly. "Deal."
The rest of the morning passed in a blur of lectures, minor magical demonstrations, and Jax's latest attempt to charm his way out of a late assignment in Potionology.
Spoiler: It didn't work.
Professor Elric simply raised an unimpressed brow, muttered something about Jax's "admirable dedication to last-minute creativity," and assigned him extra work as punishment.
"You guys suck," Jax grumbled as we left class, shooting us a betrayed look.
"We didn't do anything," Ezzy reminded him sweetly.
"Exactly."
By the time lunch rolled around, we made our way to our usual table, a spot near the arched windows where the sunlight streamed in just right.
The dining hall buzzed with its usual midday chaos, students chatting, enchanted trays hovering between tables, the faint hum of runes keeping the food fresh.
Ezzy leaned across the table, giving me a sly grin. "So, about your date tonight."
I sighed. "Not you too."
Jade waggled her eyebrows. "We were thinking… Riven."
I choked on my drink. "What?!"
Ezzy smirked. "I mean, he's mysterious, broody, and ridiculously hot. The whole 'dark and intriguing' thing? Perfect for you."
I glared. "I barely know him."
Jade shrugged. "All the more reason to."
Just as I opened my mouth to argue, I felt a presence behind me.
A shadow of awareness crept up my spine, and before I even turned, I knew.
Riven.
I twisted in my seat, and sure enough, there he was, standing just behind me, hands in his pockets, an amused glint in his storm-gray gaze.
"How's your drink?" he asked.
I swallowed. "Uh. Fine."
Jade smirked. "Athena has something to ask you."
I shot her a glare, mouthing I hate you so much.
Ezzy nudged me. "Go on, Athens."
I inhaled sharply, turned to him, and forced myself to sound casual. "So… Lara's party is tonight. Well, Lara is my sister, kinda. And I, uh, need a date."
His lips curved slightly. Too slightly. "Oh?"
I resisted the urge to smack Jade for putting me in this position.
"You have every right to refuse, I would understand." I added quickly. "But yeah, would you like to accompany me tonight?"
Riven was silent for a moment, then…
"All right."
I blinked. "Wait. Really?"
One corner of his mouth lifted. "You did ask, didn't you?"
I was so going to murder Jade and Ezzy later.
Riven pulled out the chair beside me, settling in with effortless ease. Meanwhile, Jax, who had been halfway through his sandwich, dramatically clutched his chest like I had just hit him with an emotional revelation.
"Oh, this is fantastic," Jax declared, grinning like he'd won the lottery. "Athena just asked someone on a date in broad daylight, and I didn't even have to scheme for it? Best lunch ever."
I groaned. "You're all unbearable."
Ezzy nodded, way too entertained. "That's what makes us fun."
Jade leaned forward, smirking like she was taking notes. "So, Riven… You always this agreeable, or is our girl just that charming?"
Riven, unfazed as ever, leaned back in his chair, expression unreadable but with that infuriating hint of amusement."I'm just selective about who I say yes to."
"Oh-ho," Jax whistled. "Smooth."
I stabbed a piece of fruit with my fork, very pointedly ignoring the warmth creeping up my neck.
Before they could drag it out any further, the dining hall doors swung open, and the voice of Professor Graymark cut through the chatter:
"Alright, students, festival committee meeting right after lunch. Anyone involved, be there."
That was my escape.
I shoved the rest of my food into my mouth, grabbed my bag, and stood up fast enough to pretend this entire conversation had never happened.
"I gotta go. I have to grab a few things before the meeting," I muttered, mostly to myself.
Jade and Ezzy exchanged looks.
Jax smirked. "Athena, are you… flustered?"
I turned and pointed a finger at him. "You, fuck off."
Jax simply grinned wider, wiggling his eyebrows.
Riven, however, simply watched me, gaze steady and unreadable.
And then, just as I turned to leave, he smirked.
Like he knew something I didn't.
I spun on my heel and walked faster.