Chapter 10: Starbound Lessons

"Focus, Miss Nightshade."

Professor Vale's voice cut through my concentration, which was probably for the best—the star I was trying to map had started drifting dangerously close to its neighbor. Two weeks after the Crown incident, and I was still adjusting to my amplified powers.

"Sorry," I mumbled, letting the stellar projection fade. The Crown—now invisible to most observers but a constant presence in my mind—hummed with gentle amusement.

The Celestial Focus chamber had been converted into what the Council was calling the "Stellar Integration Academy." Really, it was just a fancy name for "teach-Lyra-how-not-to-accidentally-rearrange-constellations-when-she-sneezes."

"Again," Vale instructed. "And this time, try not to make Orion do the macarena."

"That was one time," I protested, but couldn't help grinning. Vale had turned out to be a surprisingly good teacher once she stopped being cryptically threatening.

I raised my hands, letting starlight flow through me. The Crown helped focus the energy, making it easier to—

"Incoming!" Maya burst through the door, her hair smoking slightly. "Sorry to interrupt, but um, my latest stabilizing potion might have gained sentience? And it really likes Caspian's star charts?"

A glob of iridescent liquid floated past the doorway, clutching what looked suspiciously like stolen astronomical diagrams.

Vale pinched the bridge of her nose. "Miss Chen, what have we said about unauthorized experimental combinations?"

"To not to?" Maya gave her most innocent smile. "But in my defense, Lyra's mom said it was theoretically possible to—"

"Don't blame this on me," my mother called from the spiral staircase, where she was helping Aurora set up new monitoring crystals. "I said the theory was sound, not that you should try it at three in the morning without supervision."

"The theory wasn't just sound," Caspian added, appearing behind Maya with stellar ink staining his usually pristine uniform. "It was brilliant. The execution, however..."

The sentient potion blob made what sounded like a happy gurgle and tried to eat another star chart.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. This had become my new normal—crazy magical accidents, groundbreaking discoveries, and the kind of chaos that came from combining traditional magic with stellar power.

"Perhaps we should take a break," Vale suggested, watching the potion blob attempt to reorganize Caspian's filing system. "Lyra, you have Void Detection with Professor Roth in twenty minutes anyway."

I nodded, already gathering my things. These days, my schedule was split between regular classes, special training, and what Maya called "cosmic crown duties."

The Crown hummed again, reminding me of tonight's task—reinforcing the seals along the school's ley lines. The Void was still pressing against reality, but we'd discovered that regular maintenance of the barriers kept it manageable.

"Oh, before I forget," my mother said, descending the stairs. "The Chen family representatives are arriving tomorrow to discuss expanding our stellar-potion research program. Sarah's coming too."

My face lit up. I hadn't seen Sarah since leaving St. Agnes's, though we'd been corresponding regularly. She'd been ecstatic to learn that her family's connection to mine went back generations.

"Great!" Maya said. "We can show them the new containment fields we designed. You know, once we catch my potion and convince it that star charts aren't food."

The blob made a sound that might have been disagreement.

"Speaking of containment," Caspian interjected, "has anyone seen my sister? She was supposed to help me test the new stellar-focus lenses, but she's been missing all morning."

"Check the library's restricted section," I suggested. "She's been researching something about combining starlight with traditional combat magic."

Vale raised an eyebrow. "Should I be concerned about this?"

"Probably," everyone replied in unison.

Just then, a small explosion echoed from somewhere below, followed by Aurora's voice: "I'm okay! But, uh, we might need a new astronomy section..."

"I'll handle it," Vale sighed, heading for the stairs. "Lyra, don't be late for Professor Roth's class. Maya, please contain your... creation. And Aurora!" she called down, "No more experimental magic in the library!"

As everyone dispersed to handle their respective crises, I lingered by the window. The late morning sun was bright, but I could still see the stars—a constant reminder of both my responsibility and my heritage.

The Crown's weight settled more comfortably each day, less like a burden and more like a part of me. It helped that I wasn't facing everything alone anymore.

"Deep thoughts?" My mother touched my shoulder, her own stellar aura harmonizing with mine.

"Just appreciating the chaos," I said. "It's better than the secrets."

She smiled, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry I kept so much from you. I thought I was protecting you, but..."

"But sometimes protection does more harm than good?" I finished. It was a conversation we'd had several times since her return.

"Exactly. Though I maintain that letting Maya experiment with stellar-enhanced potions might be pushing the boundaries of reasonable risk."

As if to prove her point, another crash echoed from below, followed by Maya's voice: "It's fine! Everything's fine! But if anyone sees a glowing blob with a passion for astronomical literature, maybe don't make any sudden movements..."

The Crown's amusement rippled through me again. Even after everything—the alignment, the revelations, the restructuring of pretty much everything we thought we knew about stellar magic—moments like these kept us grounded.

My mother checked her watch—a beautiful thing that tracked both ordinary time and stellar movements. "You should get going. Professor Roth's been working on something new with Void detection. Something about using your connection to the Crown to predict weak points in reality."

"Fun," I said, gathering my books. "Try not to let Maya's potion rewrite the entire library catalog while I'm gone?"

"No promises. Oh, and Lyra?" She caught my arm as I turned to leave. "I'm proud of you. Not just for accepting the Crown, but for showing us all a better way to use its power."

I hugged her quickly, then hurried to class, the Crown's gentle radiance lighting my way. Through the windows, I could see Maya and Caspian chasing the potion blob across the courtyard while Aurora tried to rescue her research notes from its grasp.

Professor Vale was attempting to maintain order, but I caught her hiding a smile as the blob started arranging star charts into what looked like abstract art.

This wasn't the destiny anyone had planned for me. It was better.

It was mine.