of defiance in her black uniform and silver-threaded cloak. Her soulmarks glowed down her arms - five in total now. The crowd surrounding the circle pulsed with tension: s

ed. And the fifth mark exploded in radiant white across her chest - the sigil of time itself. The Headmistress raised her hand, sealing the Circle with a blast of magic. "The bonds are real," she said. "But one soul cannot hold five forever." "Seren Aurelian, Moonborne and Marked - you must now choose. One to claim. Four to release." Gasps rang out. Whispers. A student cried. One of the shadows laughed. Seren stepped forward, her heart a storm. "I... can't," she said. "Not yet." The Headmistress's eyes narrowed. "You would defy fate?" "No," Seren whispered. "I'd rewrite it." And the Circle shattered. Cracks splintered across the arena as energy burst outward, knocking down shields, disrupting old spells. In the chaos, Seren grabbed the blood journal from her coat and held it high. "I know what I am now. I was never meant to belong to just one. I'm not their bondmate - I'm their anchor." "This curse wasn't punishment. It was protection. Because something is coming - something older than the Academy, older than the marks." The sky turned red. A low howl echoed from the forbidden forest. And a voice - ancient and cruel - hissed through the trees. "Found you." As the shattered Circle hissed with energy, Seren stumbled to her knees, five marks searing her skin. The Academy itself groaned in response - ancient wards reacting to her defiance. Kael was the first to reach her. "Seren, your heart's not meant to hold us all. You'll tear apart." "Then I'll tear," she choked. "But I won't be made to choose like I'm a trophy." Behind them, Elias was already warding off the professors with a defensive shield. Talon's dragon aura flared gold, daring anyone to get close. Rhys bared his fangs, holding off three guardians with a mere glance. Aric... just stared at her. And in that stillness, he saw everything. "She's triggering a second Ascension," he whispered. "It's happening again." The Headmistress appeared beside them, eyes dark as obsidian. "You would refuse the Rite? The Gathering is sacred law!" "Maybe your laws were written by cowards," Seren said, rising to her feet. Around her, the five soulbonds shimmered with a shared magic - something older than the Academy, something wild. "They don't just protect me," she said. "We protect each other." "This isn't a curse. It's a claim." Gasps echoed. Someone in the crowd dro