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 35: Echoes Beneath the World

Lila's scream died in her throat. The thing wearing Niall's face tilted its head, studying her like a puzzle it was already solving.

"Don't you recognize me?" it said, its voice a distortion, like a thousand voices whispering at once, dragging nails across her soul.

She backed away slowly, the journal still clutched in her hands, the pages now fluttering on their own. They were blank now. As if they had shared all they could.

"Niall," she whispered, unsure if she was pleading or testing.

"I remember him," it said. "His fears. His loyalty. His love for you."

"And now, I remember you."

Lila raised her hands. Magic surged. Her bloodline the Daughter of the Veil answered her call with a fierce pulse of power. A blinding shield of light burst forth, halting the creature's advance.

"So much fire," it murmured, stepping into the light and shivering against it. Smoke curled from its skin, but it didn't stop. "But fire is still a breath, and I… I am the silence beneath breath."

Cracks spread across her shield like frost.

The chamber stretched longer than before. The hallway pulsed. The world had shifted. The further she ran, the more reality twisted—walls bent, shadows moved on their own, and time seemed to pulse like a heartbeat.

She burst into the upper hall only to find it empty. No Thorne. No professors. No Niall.

Real Niall stood there, eyes wide, breathless. Bruised, but alive.

He rushed to her, and for a moment, just a moment, she let herself believe it.

Until she saw the shadow behind his eyes.

She hit the ground hard, the air knocked from her lungs. But before the creature could strike again, a roar erupted through the corridor.

She appeared like a fury of light and fire, her staff blazing as she hurled the creature backward with a scream of ancient incantation.

The thing twisted midair, its form rippling, hissing in pain. It vanished into the darkness—retreating, but not defeated.

Thorne knelt beside Lila, eyes filled with alarm. "You read the journal, didn't you?"

Lila nodded, her whole body shaking.

"I released something," she whispered. "Something… ancient."

Thorne closed her eyes. "Then we're out of time."

WHISPERS OF THE FORBIDDEN CREATURES: Echoes Beneath the World