Page 7 of House Ignis

A thousand voices lifted in unison, thunderous. "May the gods gift you plenty."

I raised my cup with the rest, lips forming the words while my heart begged to vanish with them.

CHAPTER TWO

The ceremony felt like it would never end.

One by one, students climbed the dais and pressed trembling palms to the Celestial Orb.

Each time, the gods' light flared, spilling through their veins like glass set aflame.

Shadow, water, wind, stone, or flame burst into the air before the Orb seared its verdict into the back of their necks. Sealed. Signed. Bound.

I clapped when my friends were called, pride tangled up with the sick twist in my gut.

With every name, my pulse hammered harder. Any moment now, it would be mine.

"You're going to pass out soon," Aether drawled from above, far too amused.

I opened my mouth to snap back when the next name cut through the hall, sharp and metallic.

"Asher Maddox of Umbra."

Umbra. The Shadow Kingdom. Even the name sent something cold skittering up my spine.

A bench scraped. My head whipped around, and my eyes landed on a male.

Tousled black hair caught the light, curls falling into his eyes—silver eyes—that gleamed like starlight on water.

A jaw shadowed with stubble. Shadows curled along his skin like a whisper of whatever lived in him. He looked dangerous, someone who could punish you and make you beg for it.

His gaze found mine and did not let go.

Not a glance. An unblinking lock, as if I were the only person in a hall full of people.

"Gods, I'd lick that," Ember muttered, sparks dancing between her fingers.

"Ember," I hissed, smacking her arm, but my voice came out thin and shaky.

It hit like stepping into a storm—sudden, electric, and all-consuming. His eyes flashed so brightly they felt like deep pools you could drown in if you stared too long.

His jaw was set hard, carved sharp as if Veyros had shaped him from night and steel and dropped him here to punish us.

"That's Asher," Ryven said, leaning forward with a grin. "First team Riftball. Meanest bastard on the field. Great guy, though."

Yeah, great guy. Seems so.

The hall had gone quiet.

Every gaze snagged on his movement; each step seemed to swallow the space around him, shadows coiling at his boots like things eager to obey.

As he passed our table, he turned his head. His eyes locked with mine, and he smirked.

He fucking smirked. I sat useless, staring as if he had stolen every coherent thought I'd ever had.

"Shadow wielders," Aether grumbled from above. "Always chaos."

I snapped my gaze away so fast my neck popped.