Chapter 1: The Black Sigil
The air crackled with ozone as Aeliana knelt on the obsidian dais. Eighteen years. Eighteen years she’d waited, knowing this day would come, dread twisting in her gut like a viper. The Veridian Institute loomed around her, a fortress of stone and shadow where dragon riders were forged, or broken. She refused to break.
Her silver eyes, a stark contrast to her raven braids, remained fixed on the High Master. He stood before her, ancient and impassive, the Branding iron raised high. The symbol etched into the iron was meant to bind her to a dragon, to grant her power, but Aeliana knew the truth. It was a curse, a slow burn that would consume her from the inside out. But she would endure it, if only to prove them wrong.
The iron descended, searing her flesh. Pain exploded, white-hot and all-consuming. Aeliana bit back a scream, her muscles tensing as the mark branded itself onto her shoulder. The scent of burning skin filled her nostrils, mingling with the metallic tang of blood. This was it, the moment of truth. Power should flood her veins, a connection to the dragon realm. Instead, darkness crept at the edges of her vision.
The sigil on her skin pulsed with a strange, dark energy, nothing like the vibrant runes she’d seen on other initiates. Whispers rippled through the crowd. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t the mark of a dragon rider. Her knees buckled, the pain intensifying, morphing into something…else. Her breath hitched, ragged and shallow. She was dying, wasn't she? And then, through the haze of pain, she saw him.
Prince Lucian Blackwood stood at the edge of the dais, his silver eyes locked on hers. A flicker of something unreadable crossed his face, a shadow of concern or perhaps…interest? He was a myth, a legend whispered in the halls of the Institute. The Royal Heir, burdened by duty, rumored to be as cold and unyielding as the mountains themselves. Yet, in that moment, as Aeliana’s world tilted and spun, all she saw was Lucian's gaze, and she knew her life had irrevocably changed.