*Chapter 7: Ties That Bind*
The next day, Seraphina couldn't shake the feeling that the academy had become more than just a school—it had become a place of secrets, of magic that was constantly shifting under her feet. She had always known that Aeloria was special, but now the very walls seemed to pulse with something deeper, darker.
After her classes, she found herself walking down the narrow hallways of the academy, aimlessly. Her thoughts kept returning to the dreams, to the silver flame, to the sense of *being watched*. The feeling of someone—or something—waiting for her to make the next move.
It was then that she overheard something she wasn't meant to hear.
"Have you heard? The Silver-Blooded heir is showing signs again," a voice whispered.
Seraphina froze, her heart skipping a beat. Silver-Blooded? That was her family's name. That was the bloodline her father had carefully kept hidden. And here, in the middle of the academy, the word was being tossed around like gossip. She leaned closer to the wall, trying to get a better sense of the conversation.
"She won't be able to control it for long," another voice added, this one belonging to a woman Seraphina recognized as one of the higher-tier professors, Professor Elara. "Her father's secrets are catching up with her."
Seraphina's stomach dropped. *Her father's secrets?* What did they know about him? About her?
"She won't know what hit her," the first voice said.
Seraphina pulled back, her breath coming in sharp gasps. *Secrets. What secrets?*
Her father had never told her much about her lineage, but now she realized just how much he had kept hidden from her. The questions swirled like a tornado in her mind: What was so dangerous about her bloodline? And why did it seem like everyone knew more than she did?