Amber_Glint

Lila Harper never believed in magic until a glowing, winged creature lured her into the hidden world of Arcanwyn Academy, a school concealed deep within an ancient, living forest. At Arcanwyn, magic isn’t just taught, it breathes, grows, and sometimes breaks the rules.

When forbidden creatures begin vanishing and dark magic awakens beneath the academy’s roots, Lila discovers a prophecy tied to her bloodline. As secrets unravel and powerful forces collide, she must decide whether to protect the ancient bond that keeps the magical world safe or risk everything to unleash what has long been caged.

Magic chose her. But the truth might destroy her.

Whispers of the Forbidden Creatures

Chapter 22: Echoes Beyond the Veil

Night fell like a shroud over Arcanwyn.

But there was no peace in it—only pressure. The kind that filled your lungs with silence instead of air.

Even deep within the protected halls, behind ancient stone and runes etched in languages older than memory, she felt him. Like a breath at her neck. Like a shadow that waited for her to close her eyes.

She sat by the window of her dormitory, watching the wards shimmer faintly across the grounds, casting silver veins into the darkness. Every now and then, a flicker movement too swift to track. Creatures from the edge of the Veil, brushing against the border of her world.

Behind her, Niall dozed restlessly on the couch, blade tucked beside him even in sleep. He hadn't left her side since the battle. Not since the King's voice carved through the storm.

Not summoned. Not studied. But alive—like it had a will of its own.

Soft. Familiar. Not the King's this time. No. This voice belonged to the woman in her dreams. The one cloaked in moonlight, her eyes like endless wells of knowing.

"The blood remembers."

The window fogged as if someone had whispered just beside her. She reached out instinctively—and the world shifted.

In the blink of an eye, she was no longer in her room.

She stood in a vast forest of silver trees, their leaves glowing with starlight. A place untouched by time. Ethereal. Haunting. Beautiful.

"You've come at last," the woman said, her voice both echo and lullaby. "The Veil stirs. And so does he."

"Who are you?" Lila asked, though some part of her already knew.

"I am the First Daughter. The one who sealed the King."

The woman stepped closer, placing a cool hand over Lila's heart. "He cannot claim you unless you choose him. But the blood does not lie. You must decide who you are, child of two worlds. You must choose your path… before it is chosen for you."

The dream wavered. The forest blurred.

"You must awaken," the woman whispered. "They are coming."

WHISPERS OF THE FORBIDDEN CREATURES: Echoes Beyond the Veil