Chapter 5 The Shadow Heir

Silence swallowed the room.

The Shadow Heir has returned. The words echoed through Headmaster Valecrest’s office like a curse itself. Nobody moved, nobody spoke. And somehow, every terrified eye in the room found me.

My chest tightened painfully. “I don’t know what that means,” I said quickly. But the uncertainty in my voice betrayed me.

The guard still looked pale. “The message was burned into the vault door with corruption magic.” 

Coach Mira swore under her breath. Jaden’s expression hardened as he looked toward the headmaster. “What exactly is the Shadow Heir?”

The headmaster didn’t answer immediately. That terrified me more than if he had. He walked slowly toward the large windows overlooking the academy while shadows from the burning fireplace flickered across his face.

Outside, students still crowded the courtyards below in frightened groups while guards searched the grounds.

The academy looked shaken and broken. And somehow, I was at the center of it.

Finally, the headmaster spoke. “Centuries ago,” he said quietly, “before the Dragon League existed, Valerith was nearly destroyed by corruption magic.” The room stayed deathly silent. 

“There was a war,” he continued. “A war against a being powerful enough to consume entire kingdoms through darkness alone.”

“The Hollow Prince,” Jaden said grimly. The headmaster nodded once. A chill slid through me.

“The royal families united with the original magic wielders to imprison him,” Headmaster Valecrest explained. “But the prison required a living bloodline connected to shadow magic.”

My pulse quickened. No. No no no. I already hated where this was going.

“The bloodline became cursed,” Coach Mira finished quietly.

The headmaster finally turned toward me. “The Wilson family.” The room tilted slightly beneath me. I took a shaky step backward. “That’s impossible.” “It’s the truth.”

“No,” I snapped. “My mother wasn’t some ancient magical prison; she was murdered because people feared her powers.”

Pain flashed briefly across the headmaster’s eyes. “Your mother was trying to protect you.”

My throat tightened instantly. Protect me? Nobody had protected my mother. I still remember the screams, the fire, and the crowd watching her die. 

I shoved the memory away violently before it could drag me under. “This is insane,” I whispered. 

“Maybe,” Rowan muttered from beside me. “But today was also insane, so…” Nobody laughed.

Jaden’s gaze stayed fixed on me. Like he was trying to put together every strange moment since we met. The shadows, the attack, Skylar, and the curse. I wanted to run.

The headmaster stepped closer carefully. “Sharon, your sister disappeared because she discovered the truth.”

My heart stopped. “What?”

“Skylar found evidence that the Hollow Prince’s followers were searching for the Shadow Heir.” My breathing became uneven.

“She was trying to stop them,” he continued softly. “Then she vanished.”

Skylar had been alive this entire time. But that thing in the arena, the darkness around her, the emptiness in her eyes. What had happened to her? “Why didn’t anyone tell me this?” I demanded.

“Because knowledge of the Shadow Heir was buried decades ago,” Coach Mira said. “Even most royals don’t know the full history.”

Jaden frowned slightly at that. Interesting. Apparently, the king hadn’t told his own son everything either. 

The headmaster looked exhausted suddenly. “The attackers breached the eastern vault because something was hidden there.”

A cold feeling settled in my stomach. “What?” 

Before he could answer, another knock interrupted the room. A royal messenger entered quickly, dressed in black-and-gold armor carrying the dragon crest of Valerith.

He bowed immediately toward Jaden. “Captain Drake.” Jaden straightened instantly. “What is it?”

“The king has arrived.” The room went still again. King Robert Drake is here. My pulse spiked nervously.

I’d never met the king before, but everyone knew the stories. Powerful. Ruthless. Obsessed with maintaining order in Valerith.

And if he discovered what I was— fear curled tightly around my ribs. The messenger continued carefully. “His Majesty demands to question the girl immediately.” The girl, not even my name.

Coach Mira looked furious. “This academy answers to the council before the crown.” “The king doesn’t care,” the messenger replied bluntly.

Jaden crossed his arms. “Where is he now?” “In the northern hall with the royal guard.”

The headmaster closed his eyes briefly like a headache had just formed. This situation was spiraling fast. “I’ll speak with him first,” Headmaster Valecrest decided.

“He specifically requested the girl.” I was suddenly very aware of the guards standing outside the office doors. Of how trapped I felt.

The curse beneath my skin pulsed uneasily. Jaden noticed again immediately. “How does he keep doing that?” I muttered under my breath.

Rowan blinked. “Doing what?” I shook my head quickly. “Nothing.” I lied.

Jaden’s gaze narrowed slightly. He definitely heard me.

The headmaster turned toward me again. “Until we understand why the attackers came for you, you are not to leave academy supervision.”

I stared at him. “So I’m a prisoner.”

“You’re in danger.” “Same difference.”

Coach Mira suddenly moved toward one of the bookshelves and pressed her hand against a hidden rune.

A compartment opened inside the wall. Something metallic rested inside. A weapon. No, a dagger. Its black blade shimmered strangely under the firelight.

The moment I saw it, the curse inside me reacted violently. Pain ripped through my wrist. I gasped sharply. Everyone looked at me.

Coach Mira’s expression darkened. “So it reacts to her.” “What is that thing?” Rowan asked nervously.

The headmaster carefully removed the dagger. “An ancient weapon forged during the corruption wars.” The closer it got to me, the worse the burning became. Dark veins spread beneath my skin.

Jaden stepped toward me instantly. “Sharon” The dagger suddenly glowed, black symbols ignited across the blade. And before anyone could stop it, the weapon flew from the headmaster’s hand straight toward me.

I barely had time to react, and the dagger stopped inches from my chest. It was floating. 

The entire room froze, because I wasn’t touching it. The shadows around my body were the ones holding it.

And carved into the black blade, was my name.