Chapter 15: The Awakening's Whisper

  Cassian remained in the dimly lit kitchen, his eyes fixed on the chipped edges of the counter, but his thoughts were miles away. The enormity of his decision weighed heavily on him. The Starfall villa. The name alone felt like a mountain pressing down on his chest. It wasn’t just a house; it was a symbol, a legacy soaked in power, wealth, and mystery—and now, tragedy.

  Stepping into that world would mean stepping into the unknown. And not just unknown—it meant stepping directly into danger. He could almost feel the eyes of the world on him, judging, waiting for him to falter.

  For better or worse, the path was set. Tomorrow, the deception would begin.

  Just as that thought settled uneasily in his mind, Sky’s voice cut through the silence, soft but purposeful. “One more thing, brother. You should know…”

  Cassian glanced over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at the boy, who stood near the couch, rocking back and forth on his heels, clearly hesitant to speak.

  “Well? What is it?” Cassian asked, his voice carrying an edge of impatience. The weight of everything was making his tone sharper than intended.

  Sky hesitated for a moment, then blurted out, “My brother and I… we go to an academy. So, if you’re going to be him, you have to go too.”

  Cassian froze mid-step, his brow furrowing deeply as Sky’s words echoed in the small space between them. He turned fully to face the boy, his expression a mixture of disbelief and exasperation. “Academy?” he repeated, his voice low and incredulous.

  Sky nodded earnestly, clasping his small hands behind his back. “Uh-huh! My brother and I were both students at the Zenith Academy. Mama and Papa said it’s the best place for learning. So… if you’re going to be him, you have to go too.”

  Cassian stared at him, stunned. Of all the complications he’d anticipated, this wasn’t one of them. “Zenith Academy,” he muttered under his breath, tasting the name like it was poison. He’d heard of it, of course. Everyone had. It wasn’t just any school; it was the school, where the elites of society sent their children to be molded into the next generation of leaders, scholars, and power players.

  “Sky,” he began, running a hand down his face as the sheer absurdity of the situation hit him. “Do you have any idea how ridiculous this sounds? I’m barely keeping us hidden, and now you want me to waltz into Zenith Academy—a place crawling with the rich, the powerful, and people who probably knew your brother better than I know myself?”

  Sky looked up at him with those wide, guileless eyes, completely unbothered by the growing tension in Cassian’s voice. “But you have to,” he said simply, as if it were the most logical thing in the world. “If you don’t go, people will know something’s wrong. My brother was always at the academy. If you’re not there, they’ll start asking questions.”

  Cassian sighed heavily, dragging his fingers through his dark hair. He hated how much sense the boy was making. The risk of exposure was already high; staying away from the academy could draw even more attention. But the idea of striding into a place like that, surrounded by people who could see through him with a single misplaced word, was enough to make his stomach churn.

  “Alright,” he said finally, though the word felt like lead on his tongue. “But if I’m doing this, I’m going to need everything you remember about the academy. Every detail, every routine, every person your brother interacted with. Got it?”

  Sky’s face lit up with a mixture of relief and excitement. “I remember lots of things!” he said eagerly, climbing onto the couch and sitting cross-legged. “The academy has these huge gates, and they’re gold and shiny. And there’s a fountain in the middle of the courtyard—it’s so big, you can hear the water from inside the classrooms. My brother was in the advanced classes, and he always sat near the windows. Oh, and the headmaster’s name is Mr. Alden. He’s really strict, but my brother always said he’s fair.”

  Cassian nodded, trying to absorb the rapid stream of information. “Good. That’s a start. What about the people? His friends, his teachers? Anyone I need to know about?”

  Sky scrunched up his face in concentration. “Um… my brother didn’t really have a lot of friends. He said he didn’t trust them. But there’s one person—her name is Liana. She’s really pretty, and she’s always wearing sparkly dresses. My brother said she’s from an important family, but she’s nice. She gave me candy once.”

  Cassian filed the name away in his mind, his unease growing with every detail. This was spiraling into something far bigger than he’d anticipated. It wasn’t just about pretending to be Sky’s brother anymore. If he was going to pull this off, he’d have to become Cassian Starfall in every way that mattered. And that meant stepping into the lion’s den of Zenith Academy, where a single mistake could shatter the fragile facade he was building.

  “Alright,” he said after a long pause, his voice steady despite the storm brewing inside him. “We’ll figure it out. But you need to be ready too, Sky. If we’re going to do this, we have to do it right. No mistakes. Understand?”

  Sky nodded solemnly, his small fists clenched with determination. “I understand, brother. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  Cassian stared at him for a moment, a strange mix of pride and guilt twisting in his chest. Sky deserved better than this—better than a runaway criminal pretending to be his brother. But for now, it was all Cassian could offer.

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  “Get some rest,” he said finally, turning away to gather his thoughts. “Tomorrow, we’ll start preparing. If we’re going to pull this off, we need to be ready for anything.”

  As Sky scampered off to bed, Cassian leaned against the counter, his mind racing. The Starfall villa was one thing. But the academy… that was something else entirely.

  This is a suicide mission, he thought grimly. But it’s the only way to keep him safe.

  The moonlight spilled through the cracked blinds, casting long shadows across the kitchen floor. Cassian stood there for a long time, the weight of his choices pressing down on him. Tomorrow, he would step into a new life—a life that wasn’t his.

  And the price of failure would be everything.

  –

  Cassian remained frozen in the dim kitchen, his thoughts spiraling into chaos. His jaw clenched as he stared out the small window, the moonlight painting faint silver streaks across his face. The Starfall villa, Zenith Academy, a new identity—it all felt insurmountable. A sinking weight of responsibility clawed at his chest.

  “Now,” he muttered under his breath, his voice low and tinged with fatigue, “should I rest?”

  He let out a dry chuckle, the sound bitter in the silence. Rest felt alien, unattainable. “How about meditation instead?” he murmured, a small grin tugging at his lips. His gaze dropped to his hands, curling into fists at his sides. That pearl… One meditation had done this to him—altered him in ways he didn’t yet understand.

  So why not try it again?

  Cassian moved purposefully, lowering himself to the floor and crossing his legs. The room around him was silent except for the soft ticking of the clock on the wall. He took a deep breath, his hazel eyes fluttering shut, and began to focus.

  The pull was immediate.

  His consciousness felt as though it was being tugged gently but irresistibly away, like a leaf caught in a slow-moving current. Darkness enveloped him, stretching endlessly, before it melted into something else—something that made his breath catch.

  A serene light greeted him, soft and golden, washing over his skin like the warm embrace of dawn. The ground beneath him felt cool, as if he were lying on a bed of clouds, weightless and free. The air was sweet, fragrant with the scent of blooming flowers, and a gentle breeze whispered against his skin, carrying with it a sense of calm he couldn’t explain.

  He opened his eyes—or what felt like opening them. Around him, an endless sea of shimmering mist stretched to the horizon, glowing faintly with a light that pulsed like a heartbeat. Trees with crystalline leaves towered above him, their branches sparkling like diamonds as they swayed in a wind that didn’t seem to come from anywhere.

  It was beautiful, otherworldly.

  But I still can’t move.

  Cassian’s thoughts buzzed with frustration. His body felt foreign, as if it weren’t his to command. He could think, he could feel, but control eluded him, just as it had the first time he’d entered this space.

  Whose body am I in? he thought bitterly. And what’s their connection to the pearl?

  As if in answer to his thoughts, a voice echoed through the expanse. It was soft but resonant, carrying an undeniable weight, like a ripple spreading across a still pond.

  “Back again, child,” it said, the words lingering in the air long after they were spoken.

  Cassian’s mind raced. Who are you? Show yourself, at least, he thought, his frustration mounting. But, as before, his voice refused to manifest, trapped somewhere deep within him.

  The voice spoke again, calm and unyielding. “Are you wondering what this place is?”

  Cassian’s breath hitched, and he tried again to move, his muscles straining against the invisible bonds. He could feel the cool air, the softness beneath him, but he remained frozen.

  “I can’t say much,” the voice continued, its tone steady yet laced with something he couldn’t quite place. Reverence? Sorrow? “But from today onward, you will return here to meditate. This place will become your anchor.”

  Cassian’s frustration flared, his thoughts surging. Return? Anchor? What are you talking about?

  The voice shifted, gaining an edge of authority that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. “And I’m not asking, child. You can consider this an order. By choice or by force, you will meditate here.”

  Cassian’s breath caught, a ripple of unease coursing through him. What are you? he thought desperately, his pulse quickening. Why do you care what I do?

  The voice didn’t respond immediately. Instead, the golden light around him seemed to pulse, brighter for a moment, as though the space itself were breathing.

  “You’ll understand in time,” it said finally, softer now, almost kind. “But for now, you must trust me.”

  Trust. The word tasted bitter on Cassian’s tongue. Trust wasn’t something he gave freely—it wasn’t something he gave at all.

  But as the light around him began to dim, and the coolness beneath him faded into nothingness, Cassian realized he didn’t have a choice.

  The next time his eyes opened, he was back in the kitchen, the faint hum of reality settling around him. He blinked, disoriented, his chest rising and falling as though he’d just surfaced from deep water.

  The moonlight still spilled through the window, unchanged, as if no time had passed at all. But Cassian’s body felt different, his limbs lighter, his senses sharper.

  He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers. What is happening to me? he thought, a flicker of fear creeping into his mind.

  The pearl’s warmth still lingered in his chest, faint but constant, like a hidden ember waiting to ignite.

  Whatever this is, he thought, his jaw tightening with resolve, I need to understand it. And fast.

  Tomorrow, he would face the Starfall villa, the academy, and a world he didn’t belong to. But for now, he sat alone in the moonlit kitchen, the weight of his new reality pressing down on him like a storm cloud.

  And somewhere, in the back of his mind, the voice’s final words echoed, soft and unyielding.

  “You’ll understand in time.”