Chapter 5

Adrelo sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the ornate mirror across the room. His reflection stared back, but it was almost unrecognizable. The boy in the mirror was no longer the timid, desperate figure he’d been before. Yet, the reflection still carried the weight of being the family’s outcast.

He ran a hand through his hair, frustration simmering beneath his calm exterior.

"Why am I even here?" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

The ball felt like a trap. He couldn’t shake the feeling that every noble gaze would pierce through him, exposing his flaws. Worse, the crown prince would undoubtedly be there, and Adrelo could already imagine the smug smile and piercing eyes that had haunted him from the novel.

Adrelo chuckled bitterly. The crown prince… so perfect, so noble in the public eye, yet so utterly ruthless.

In the novel, the prince had crushed the original Adrelo without hesitation, dismissing him as a minor annoyance. That moment had sealed Adrelo’s fate.

"I won’t let it happen again," Adrelo said, his voice hardening.

But how could he avoid it? If he lay low, his family would mock his uselessness. If he drew too much attention, the crown prince might consider him a threat. Either path felt like walking a tightrope over a pit of vipers.

Maybe I should just be unpredictable. He smirked at the thought. If no one can guess my moves, they can’t plan against me.

But deep inside, he wasn’t sure if he believed his own bravado.

****

Later that evening, as the manor began to settle into a calm hum of activity, Adrelo found himself restless. Deciding to clear his mind, he wandered through the dimly lit hallways, the faint scent of candle wax and polished wood filling the air.

As he neared the drawing room, he heard voices—soft, urgent whispers. He recognized his sister’s voice immediately, sharp yet laced with something he couldn’t quite place: anxiety.

"Are you certain this is the only way?" she asked.

Another voice replied, this one low and unfamiliar. "If we don’t act now, the prince will grow suspicious. He already has his eye on your family."

Adrelo pressed himself against the wall, his heart pounding. The prince? Suspicious of us?

His sister’s voice dropped even lower, barely audible. "Then we’ll proceed. But Adrelo… he must not know."

Adrelo’s breath hitched. Me? Why would I need to be kept in the dark?

"Don’t worry about him," the stranger said. "He’s not important enough to notice. Just keep him in line during the ball."

Adrelo clenched his fists. The dismissiveness in the stranger’s tone made his blood boil. But his sister’s response cut even deeper.

"I’ll handle him. He’s too unpredictable to trust, but too foolish to interfere."

The sound of footsteps made Adrelo retreat quickly, his mind racing. Too unpredictable to trust? His sister’s words echoed in his head.

As the door to the drawing room opened, Adrelo ducked into a shadowed alcove. His sister emerged, her expression cold and unreadable, as if the conversation had never happened.

****

Adrelo couldn’t shake the words he’d overheard earlier. His sister’s cold dismissal and the stranger’s warning about the crown prince circled in his mind like a storm. The prince wasn’t just a looming figure in the shadows of his thoughts anymore—he was a real threat.

That night, unable to sleep, Adrelo found himself wandering into the library. Flickering candlelight danced across the dark wood shelves as he pulled a dusty book at random. But instead of reading, he flipped idly through its pages, his thoughts elsewhere.

He thought back to the novel. The crown prince of Breneille, Azekeian, had always been a character of contrasts: charming and refined in public, yet calculating and merciless in private. He was a master manipulator, wielding words and influence as skillfully as a sword.

Adrelo remembered a pivotal scene from the story—the one where Azekeian shattered his rivals not with violence, but with an elegant display of wit and strategy. In the novel, the prince had laughed as he cut down their ambitions with an ease that terrified everyone who witnessed it.

And yet, Azekeian had also been deeply protective of those he deemed loyal. To his chosen allies, he was a shield, a steady presence in the treacherous world of politics. But for anyone who even slightly threatened his rule, there was no mercy.

The memory of those scenes sent a chill down Adrelo’s spine. If I cross him, will I end up like the others? Discarded, ruined, forgotten?

As if aligning with his thoughts, a paper scroll laid in front of Adrelo's table. He immediately wrote down the important events that'll happen in the near future according to the flow of the original novel.

Adrelo frowned, recalling a significant detail from the original novel.

Isn't the Second Prince set to inherit the House of Genn?

The House of Genn wasn’t just any noble lineage; it was the successor of one of the First Mages who had forged the continent’s foundation in magic and power. This mage, a legend in their own right, was one of the founders of Mystevorne, Citadel of Enchantment.

Mystevorne, Citadel of Enchantment was one of the five great centers of magical knowledge, the oldest alongside Fadivrug Academia, and stood as a foundation of magical excellence on the western continent.

The House of Genn’s legacy was intertwined with this powerful institution, for they carried the responsibility of preserving and furthering the founder’s ideals, and the Prince’s role in this history was monumental.

Adrelo’s fingers tightened around the scroll. What made Mystevorne, Citadel of Enchantment truly remarkable wasn’t just its influence, but its very creation. Schools like it weren’t built through mundane means. Even the most powerful mage could not singlehandedly create such a monumental legacy. To establish a magical institution meant the fusion of power from multiple mages, their combined might solidified into the school’s very foundation. It came at the ultimate price: their lives and magic, offered as a final sacrifice.

The schools were, in essence, fragments of their founders’ souls and powers, their essence woven into the very walls, infusing the halls with the founders’ magic.

Students who entered these hallowed grounds felt more than just the weight of history; they could feel the reverberations of magic—a power that had once shaped the world before them. For all the prestige the House of Genn held, it was also marked by a curse—a legacy steeped in the tragic loss of its founders.

And the Second Prince, set to become the next heir to the House of Genn, was a big deal.

Adrelo’s thoughts grew more clouded.

The House of Genn, though powerful, had long been embroiled in a bitter, multi-generational feud with the House of Nezr—another family descended from a different founder of Mystevorne. Both houses laid claim to the true legacy of the original Mage, yet their rivalry had always simmered just beneath the surface. Every time one seemed to gain an advantage, the other would push back harder. Their conflict was not just a matter of inheritance but of magical philosophy and control over the most influential magical institution in the continent.

But now, with the current head of the House of Genn without a direct heir, the Second Prince’s candidacy had raised the stakes. His involvement threatened to ignite an already volatile situation. The House of Nezr, seeing the Prince as a challenge to their own claims and a provocation to their pride, could easily view his rise as a direct attack. The centuries-old rivalry could suddenly spill over into a war—one that wouldn’t just be a battle for magic, but for the heart of the empire itself.

Adrelo’s mind churned with the implications. The House of Genn might be part of the empire, but the House of Nezr wasn’t just any rival.

The Nezr family was the dominant force in the western half of the continent’s magical politics, holding sway over Mystevorne counterpart institutions. If the House of Nezr chose to act against the House of Genn, it would send shockwaves throughout the empire’s power structure. The very balance that had been carefully maintained for centuries could collapse, taking with it the fragile peace between the magical academies.

But why had the novel glossed over these intricacies? Adrelo shook his head, frowning. He had never paid much attention to this part of the story before, dismissing it as background tension. It wasn’t something that had seemed worth dwelling on.

Now, though, standing in this world, in the middle of a brewing storm, the narrative felt incomplete—there were threads here that stretched far beyond the kingdom’s borders.

What are you planning, First Prince?

Adrelo’s fingers hovered over the scroll again, the words blurring before him. His gut twisted with a growing unease. If the Second Prince ascended to the House of Genn and triggered the inevitable clash with the House of Nezr, the consequences for the empire could be disastrous.

The balance of magic and politics that held the empire together could shatter in an instant. And if Adrelo found himself caught in the middle of this unfolding chaos, it wouldn’t just be the magic of Mystevorne Citadel of Enchantment that would be at stake—it would be the entire future of the realm.

Adrelo’s mind snapped back to the present, to his purpose at the academy, but the weight of the prince’s role, and the power that was tied to it, pressed heavily on his shoulders. If he was to stand any chance at shaping his own future, he would need to understand the game that was being played far above his head—and it was one that wasn’t just about magic.

As if summoned by his thoughts, a faint draft rustled the book’s pages. A single folded note fell out, the paper worn with age. Curiosity overcame him, and he picked it up. The message was cryptic:

“The brightest star casts the darkest shadow. Do not trust what you see.”

Adrelo frowned, a strange unease settling over him. The note was unsigned, and he had no idea how it had ended up in the book. Yet something about it felt like a warning—a glimpse into the dangerous games that awaited him.

Adrelo read the note again, the cryptic words replaying in his mind. “The brightest star casts the darkest shadow.” His fingers tightened around the parchment as unease crept through him. Was it a warning meant for him? Or was it something left behind for another soul, long before he arrived here?

The faint flicker of candlelight cast shifting shadows across the library walls, making the room feel alive, almost watchful. Adrelo's instincts screamed that this wasn’t mere coincidence. He was meant to find this.

Setting the note down carefully, he returned to the book, examining the spine and flipping through its pages for more clues. Most of the text was faded, the words almost erased by time, but one phrase stood out, etched in bold, deliberate strokes:

"The Citadel chooses its own champions."

Adrelo’s brows furrowed. Mystevorne Citadel of Enchantment was known to have a mind of its own—or at least, that was what the legends said. It was said that the citadel’s halls whispered secrets to those who dared to listen, and its magic occasionally guided students toward answers or trials meant to test their worth. Adrelo had dismissed such tales as romanticized nonsense, but now he wasn’t so sure.

A sudden chill ran down his spine. The air in the library shifted, growing heavier. He turned toward the flickering candles, noticing that the flames had started to dim.

“Hello?” he called out, his voice steady despite his rising alarm.

Silence answered him.

Then, a faint hum began to echo through the room. It wasn’t a sound—more like a vibration that resonated in his chest. He turned sharply as one of the books on the highest shelf slid out of its place and floated gently to the ground, landing with a soft thud.

Adrelo hesitated, his curiosity battling with his caution. Kneeling, he picked up the book. Its cover was dark and unmarked, save for a single symbol: an intricately drawn star with jagged edges. He didn’t recognize it from any of his studies, but the design felt familiar, as if it had been carved into the very fabric of his mind.

Flipping it open, he found page after page of handwritten notes and sketches. They depicted ancient runes, diagrams of magical constructs, and passages written in a language he didn’t understand. But one image stopped him cold: a star identical to the one on the cover, with a shadow stretching out behind it. Beneath the drawing were words in the common tongue:

"Beware the unseen hand that guides the brightest lights."

Adrelo’s breath hitched. Was this connected to the note? To the game being played by the First Prince, the Second Prince, and the Houses of Genn and Nezr?

The hum grew louder, pulling him from his thoughts. The pages of the book began to glow faintly, and a new line of text appeared at the bottom of the page, written in shimmering ink:

"Seek the Starborn Archway. Your answers lie beyond the veil."

Adrelo stared at the words, his heart pounding.

The Starborn Archway? He had heard the name before in passing, spoken in hushed tones by senior students. It was said to be a hidden part of the Citadel, a forbidden place that only appeared to those who had earned its recognition—or its wrath.

The hum stopped abruptly, plunging the library into an eerie silence. The glow faded from the book, leaving it looking ordinary once more. Adrelo’s fingers trembled slightly as he closed it and rose to his feet.

There was no question now. Whatever this was—whatever game he had been drawn into—was far bigger than anything he had imagined. The stakes were rising, and the Citadel itself seemed intent on dragging him deeper into its mysteries.

'I just got here and now I'm receiving some unknown horror type letters from some suspicious books, this is ridiculous'

Clutching the book tightly, Adrelo glanced around the library one last time before slipping out into the corridor. The faint hum still echoed in his chest, a reminder of the unseen forces at work.

'This is giving me a headache'

He didn’t know what awaited him at the Starborn Archway, heck, he just got here and about to enter the academy tomorrow. Yet, something's trying to pull me in this chaos. He's still not entirely certain of what's happening right now and even with the vivid memories of the og Adrelo, he's still struggling in this freaky world especially that school. But one thing he was certain, the shadows growing around that academy  were darker and more dangerous than he had ever thought possible.

And he was now facing that very center.