Page 94 of Shadows of Change

"What did you find?" Malrik demands, on his feet in an instant.

"Look at this faculty photo," Aspen says, opening to a yellowed page. "It's from twenty years ago."

We crowd around as he reveals the image. My blood runs cold.

There, in the old, fading photo, standing among much younger versions of our professors, is Thorne.

Looking exactly the same as he does now.

"That's impossible," I breathe.

"It gets worse," Torric says grimly. "The name listed isn't Thorne. It's Mikhael Aldrich."

Malrik goes very still. "Are you sure?"

"Look at the signature."

The spidery script matches the annotations in the book about Alekir perfectly.

"I don't understand," I say. "Who is Mikhael Aldrich?"

"Alekir's right hand," Malrik says quietly. "His most loyal follower. He disappeared after Alekir's defeat and was presumed dead."

"That’s why he’s been teaching here," Aspen says, flipping through more pages of the dusty book. "Waiting for the right moment. The right person."

"Kaia," Torric mutters. His hands clench into fists, his usual calm replaced by a simmering anger. "He’s been playing the long game, hasn’t he?"

Malrik nods grimly. "Decades of patience for one shot at fulfilling Alekir’s goal. The trials were always about control, about finding the right Valkyrie to wield the Heart."

"But if Thorne—or Aldrich—is running this show, where does that leave Darian?" Finn asks, his voice sharper than usual. "He’s the one who’s been all over Kaia, playing the charming villain. What’s his angle?"

Malrik’s jaw tightens. "Aldrich doesn’t share power. If Darian thinks he’s an equal in this, he’s a fool. He’s being used, whether he realizes it or not."

"But that doesn’t add up," I say, the weight of my necklace heavy against my chest. "Darian’s not stupid. He must know something’s off."

"Maybe not everything," Aspen says, thoughtful. "If he knew the full plan, he’d already be a liability. Aldrich keeps him in line by letting him think he’s in control. But he’s just a pawn."

"And his shadows," I add, my voice faltering as I recall both the unnatural tension I felt in the courtyard and that binding symbol from Seren's research. "There's something wrong with them. They don't feel… alive. They're rigid, like they're being forced into place. It's like they're more chains than companions—just like that imprisonment ritual we found."

Malrik's jaw tightens. "That would fit. The symbol in those pages Seren found, the binding magic—Aldrich doesn't share power willingly, but he does bind it. If Darian's shadows are controlled like that, it's another leash Aldrich has on him."

"And what happens when he realizes that?" Torric’s voice is low, dangerous. "If Thorne—or Aldrich—has been keeping him in the dark, that’s going to blow up in all our faces."

"Or it could turn him against Thorne," Finn suggests. "If Darian’s not completely on board, we might have an edge."

"That’s a risky gamble," Malrik says, his silver eyes narrowing. "Darian’s not trustworthy. Even if he turns on Aldrich, it doesn’t mean he’ll side with us."

I bite my lip, my mind racing. "Wait," I say, the memory of that day in the courtyard suddenly vivid. "When Finn found me with Darian, something was... off."

All eyes turn to me, and I feel a flush creep up my neck. But this is important. I push on.

"Darian was... different. Softer, almost. He gave me information about the shadow faction, warned me about things to come. And he apologized." I shake my head, still confused by the memory. "It wasn't like him at all."

Finn's brow furrows. "I remember. He looked... conflicted when I showed up."

"Maybe he's not as on board with Thorne—Aldrich—as we thought," I muse, the pieces slowly clicking into place. "What if he's starting to have doubts?"

Malrik's expression is skeptical, but there's a glimmer of consideration in his eyes. "It's possible," he admits reluctantly. "Darian seems ambitious, but I don’t think he's cruel for cruelty's sake. If he's realized the full extent of Aldrich's plans..."

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