Now... I've unlocked the path of my destiny that no one saw coming.
Not the professors who watched me struggle through years of survival disguised as education.
Not the enemies who believed their manipulation would end in my destruction.
Not even the parts of myself that whispered failure was inevitable, that hope was foolishness, that someone like me could never become someone worth believing in.
I proved them all wrong.
And with the seven men destined to take this path with me?—
Cassius, whose shadows now hold light rather than simply darkness.
Damien, whose fire has found purpose beyond destruction.
Nikolai, whose Fae nature has finally found home in his own existence.
Atticus, whose blood carries legacy he's only beginning to claim.
Mortimer, whose age has become wisdom rather than simply weight.
Zeke, whose quiet has revealed depths that still remain to be fully explored.
Koishii, whose trickery has transformed into trust that still surprises us both.
—and the parental figures who envisioned a path that would embrace me?—
I can finally embrace the world they yearned for me to discover.
For anyone who was plagued to be wicked.
For those who carried darkness they didn't choose.
For anyone who was told they were worthless, useless, and destined for failure.
This Academy exists for you.
This path was built for you.
This hope remains for you.
Today, I begin my true academy journey.
Not the corrupted version that Eleanor created to destroy what my parents built.
Nor the survival trials that masqueraded as education while actually selecting who deserved to die.
But the genuine experience that has been waiting for me since before I was born.
And with time...
Learning that doesn't threaten, that supports, that nurtures growth rather than demanding it immediately.
...and challenges...
Obstacles that strengthen rather than simply test, that build rather than simply assess, that prepare rather than simply eliminate.
...and love...
