Lyla Emberfell:- House of Secrets

When the wind turned, it didn't howl — it hunted.

The ancient towers of Thornwick stood under a sky that shimmered like glass—eerily still, hauntingly beautiful. No birds. No whispers. Just silence, as if the castle itself were holding its breath.

Keal Windgrove felt it before he saw anything. A flicker at the edge of thought. A breath colder than the wind. But he ignored it, walking toward the Eastern Hall, tall, calm, sharp-eyed. Beside him strolled Nova, Rive, Livra, and Lucian—laughing softly, trying to brush away the dread that had been hanging over the school since Lyla's vanishing.

But Thornwick was not done bleeding.

A faint ringing. Keal flinched.

Then, a whisper so cold it sliced through thought:

 "You can't escape me… not you. Not next."

He froze in mid-step.

"Keal?" Rive asked. "Are you okay?"

And then, it struck.

Invisible. Ruthless. Violent.

Keal's body flung through the air like a puppet without strings, crashing spine-first into a stone pillar. Blood splattered across the walls as his forehead split open.

Screams erupted. Before anyone could move—SLAM—Keal smashed against the corridor's far end, crumpling like broken armor.

"KEAL!" Livra screamed, but a dark blast of force hurled her back with bone-rattling power.

Nova shrieked. "HELP!"

Magic flared.

Principal William arrived like a storm.

 "MULIFISA!"

A golden shield of pure light exploded outward. The shadow shattered, dissolving like smoke in sunlight.

Keal collapsed. His breath was ragged. Bones broken. Blood soaking his robes.

William knelt, muttering healing spells, then drew a silver locket—identical to Lyla's—and clasped it around Keal's neck.

"This will protect you now," he whispered.

But his eyes said more.

Much more.

Miss Faelora Duskpetal's voice was gentle.

"Rive, Livra… your parents are here."

From the grand staircase descended Aravelle Windgrove, graceful and poised. Her husband Daelen followed, white hair falling like frost, glacier-blue eyes burning with silent fury.

Keal lay motionless, wrapped in spells and bandages.

Daelen's voice was ice.

 "First Lyla. Now Keal. What is Thornwick hiding?"

William spoke low and grim.

"Thorne is hunting your bloodline. He will not stop. Not until… they all fall."

Nine students. One bench. Too many scars.

Livra whispered, "He was just teasing me two days ago…"

Ilisha murmured, "Maybe… maybe it happened for a reason."

Nova glanced at her. "Keal likes you. You know that, right?"

Celestia smiled gently. "He always smiles when you're near."

Ilisha's cheeks flushed. "Please… don't tell him I said that."

Then, her face grew serious.

"That thing… it tossed him like a toy."

Before more could be said, Faelora reappeared.

"Rive, Livra… your parents are asking again."

Adien and Lavya crept through the shadows, drawn by a strange green glow near a forgotten corridor. A hidden door… slightly ajar.

Inside stood Mona.

Before her—an enormous black cauldron. Steam swirled. The potion inside shifted from dark purple to venomous red.

 "It's done," Mona said, her eyes gleaming. "Tomorrow, I prove myself. Whether Thornwick wants me… or not."

As her cloak vanished into the darkness, Adien darted forward and collected a few drops in a vial.

The liquid shimmered—like blood and shadow dancing together.

Later, Lucian examined it under candlelight.

His voice cracked.

 "This isn't just a potion... it's venom. One drop could kill instantly."

Keal stirred in the infirmary bed, the silver locket glowing faintly with protective power.

Far beyond the castle walls, the forest murmured with Thorne's whispers—echoes of things not dead, only waiting.

And deep below Thornwick Academy…

Benea

th stone, secrets, and spells...

Mona smiled again.

 "Tomorrow…

a second blow.

A final test.

And the beginning of the end."