Aria's POV
I'm standing in the Grand Amphitheater while three thousand students watch Damien Ashcroft publicly reject our engagement, and I can't even cry because I've learned that tears only make them laugh harder.
"I, Damien Ashcroft, heir to the Pyros throne, hereby dissolve my betrothal to Aria Thornheart." His voice echoes through the crystal chamber, so loud that even the students in the back rows can hear every word of my humiliation. "I will not bind myself to an Elementless freak who shames her house and mine."
The crowd erupts. Laughter. Jeers. Whispers that cut deeper than knives.
My hands shake at my sides, but I force them still. Three years at Celestria Academy have taught me this much: never let them see you break. I've survived having my belongings burned by "accidental" fire. I've endured being shoved off bridges by "stray" gusts of wind. I've sat through countless classes where professors asked me to demonstrate powers I don't have, just to watch me squirm.
But this? This is worse than all of it combined.
Because Damien was supposed to be mine. Our engagement was arranged when we were children, back before anyone knew I'd turn out defective. For three years, I clung to that promise like a lifeline. At least someone wanted me. At least I had a future.
Except now Lyanna—my own sister—stands beside him with her hand on his arm, wearing a dress the color of emeralds. My favorite color. She catches my eye and smiles, slow and victorious.
That's when I understand.
They've been planning this. Together. For how long? Weeks? Months? All those times Lyanna acted concerned, asking if I was okay, offering to help with homework—was she laughing at me the whole time?
"Aria Thornheart is a stain on magical society," Damien continues, and I notice he's reading from a prepared speech. He actually wrote this down. "She possesses no elemental affinity. No fire, no water, no earth, no air, no spirit. She is the first student in Celestria Academy's three-hundred-year history to be completely powerless."
"Powerless!" someone in the crowd shouts, and others pick up the chant. "Powerless! Powerless!"
My chest tightens, but I keep my face blank. I've practiced this expression in the mirror for years—empty, neutral, like their words can't touch me. It's a lie, of course. Every insult leaves a mark. But if I show them how much it hurts, they'll never stop.
Damien raises his hand, and the chanting dies down. "Therefore, I pledge myself instead to Lyanna Thornheart, a true elemental prodigy worthy of the Ashcroft name."
He turns to my sister and kisses her.
The amphitheater explodes with cheers and applause.
I should look away. I should leave. But my feet won't move, like someone's glued them to the floor. I just stand there, watching my fiancé kiss my sister, watching three thousand students celebrate my public destruction.
In the front row, I spot my parents. Father's face is tight with disappointment—the same expression he's worn since my sixteenth birthday when my powers failed to manifest. Mother sits beside him, staring at her hands. She won't even look at me.
Only one person isn't cheering.
A tall senior with midnight-black hair and violet eyes sits in the upper section, watching me with an intensity that makes my skin prickle. Kael Nightshade. I've seen him around campus—everyone has. He's the academy's most powerful student, heir to the Umbralis throne, and so far above my social level that we've never spoken.
But right now, he's staring at me like I'm a puzzle he can't solve.
Before I can figure out what that means, Vice-Chancellor Morwen steps forward. She's a severe woman with iron-gray hair and earth magic strong enough to crack foundations. Students straighten in their seats when she appears.
"Aria Thornheart," she announces, her voice magically amplified. "Step forward."
My stomach drops.
This isn't normal. Public rejections happen sometimes—cruel, but allowed. But having the Vice-Chancellor involved? That's something else entirely.
I walk toward the center of the amphitheater on legs that feel like water. Every step echoes. Three thousand pairs of eyes track my movement. I hear whispers, giggles, someone making a joke I can't quite catch that makes his friends howl with laughter.
When I reach the center, Vice-Chancellor Morwen gestures, and five professors emerge from the wings. Master Elementals, one for each element. They form a circle around me.
"The council has reviewed your case," Morwen says, and something in her tone makes my blood run cold. "Three years without manifestation is unprecedented. We have determined that your continued presence at Celestria Academy serves no educational purpose."
She pauses, letting the words sink in.
"Therefore, you are hereby expelled."
The amphitheater goes silent.
Expelled. The word hits me like a physical blow. Where will I go? What will I do? My family sent me here hoping the academy's magical energy would trigger my awakening. If I leave, I'll have nothing. Be nothing.
"However," Morwen continues, and her smile is cold, "we cannot simply release you back into society without proper ceremony."
The five Master Elementals raise their hands, and I feel power building in the air—fire, water, earth, air, spirit. It presses against my skin like a physical weight.
"We will perform the Ritual of Severance," Morwen announces. "To mark you publicly as Unworthy, and to ensure you never darken the halls of magical learning again."
Terror floods through me. The Ritual of Severance isn't just symbolic—it's supposed to be painful. They're going to blast me with all five elements at once, brand me as a failure in front of everyone.
"Wait," I manage, my voice cracking. "Please—"
"Begin," Morwen commands.
The five Master Elementals unleash their power.
And something inside me that's been sleeping for nineteen years suddenly wakes up screaming.