The early morning sun filtered through the high windows of the academy’s great hall, casting long slanting beams across the stone floor. Ellie had always loved the quiet hours when the world was just waking, when the halls were empty save for the faint echoes of her footsteps.

  After weeks spent in the palace—mired in the aftermath of Eloise’s downfall and the kingdom’s slow recovery—she had finally slipped back to the academy, hoping for a moment of peace among familiar shadows.

  But today, even in the silence, there was no escaping the weight that pressed on her from all sides.

  She paused at the wide oak doors, her hand resting lightly on the iron handle. Outside, beyond the walls of the academy, Lorthraine was slowly coming back to life.

  The streets were filled once more with merchants and artisans, their stalls bright with color as they set up for the day’s trade. Children’s laughter drifted through the air, mixing with the low hum of conversation, the sound of a kingdom slowly knitting itself back together.

  And, of course, there were the whispers—everywhere. Her name lingered in the air like the scent of freshly baked bread: Ellie. The woman who had uncovered the false saintess, who had stopped a curse from ravaging the land, who had... saved them.

  She groaned inwardly and pushed open the door.

  The library was empty, save for the familiar figure lounging at one of the long tables, her boots propped up on a pile of ancient tomes with a casual disregard for their centuries of wisdom. Elladora looked up as Ellie entered.

  "Ah, there she is. The kingdom’s savior," Elladora said, her tone light, but with just enough bite to make Ellie wince. "How does it feel to be famous?"

  Ellie sighed, pulling out a chair opposite her. "Like I want to disappear."

  Elladora chuckled, lowering her boots to the floor with a soft thud. "Oh no, that’s not happening. You’ve crossed a line now. Heroes don’t get to fade into the background. Ever."

  "I’m not a hero." Ellie slumped in her chair, rubbing her temples. "It was an accident, Elladora. I didn’t know what I was doing half the time."

  "Details," Elladora said with a wave of her hand. "The people love a good story. And right now, the story they want is of a mysterious, reluctant hero with divine intuition." She leaned forward, her grin widening. "Honestly, I think it’s the ‘divine’ part that’s catching on. You should hear the things they’re saying. Apparently, you’ve got some gift from the gods. Which, by the way, I think is hilarious."

  Ellie groaned again, letting her forehead drop onto the cool wood of the table. "I just want things to go back to normal."

  "Ah, yes. Normal. Where no one knew your name." Elladora emphasized the last part with mock gravity, clearly enjoying Ellie’s discomfort. "Speaking of which, you’ve got your first request of the day."

  Ellie lifted her head, glaring at her friend through the tangle of her hair. "Please don’t say it’s another noble family asking for a ‘magical consultation.’"

  Elladora didn’t have to say anything. The gleam in her eyes said it all.

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  "Ugh." Ellie dropped her head back onto the table with a dull thud. "That’s the fourth one this week. Why can’t they ask one of the actual mages? You know, people who trained their whole lives for this?"

  "Because they don’t care about the mages right now. They care about you, Ellie. Whether you like it or not." Elladora’s voice was all amusement now, but there was a flicker of something more serious beneath it.

  Ellie didn’t respond. She didn’t need to. The truth was as clear as the sunlight spilling into the room. Ever since that night in the chamber, her life had shifted, in ways she hadn’t anticipated, in ways she wasn’t sure she could control.

  The people—the nobles, the commoners, even the adventurers who passed through the city—looked at her differently now. They saw her not as a scholar or an advisor, but as something more. A protector. A guide.

  A hero.

  But the weight of that role sat uncomfortably on her shoulders. She had never sought power, had never wanted influence over anyone’s life. She had just wanted to uncover the truth, to see clearly what was hidden in the shadows. Now, it seemed, the shadows were turning their gaze back on her.

  "I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up," Ellie murmured, her voice muffled by the table. "Every time I think things are calming down, another request comes in. It’s like they think I can solve all their problems with a wave of my hand."

  Elladora leaned back in her chair, watching Ellie with a faint smile. "Maybe you can. You’ve already done more than most people could even imagine."

  Ellie shot her a look. "Not helping."

  "Look, you might not want to hear this, but you’ve earned their trust, Ellie. Whether you intended to or not. And I think you’re starting to get used to it, even if you won’t admit it." Elladora’s gaze softened slightly. "You can handle this. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for."

  Ellie was silent for a moment, staring at the grain of the wood beneath her hands. She knew Elladora was right, in her own infuriating way. She had handled everything that had come her way—somehow.

  "Besides," Elladora added, leaning forward conspiratorially, "if you’re really tired of it all, you could always go back to Greymire.”

  Ellie buried her face in her hands with a long, exasperated sigh. "You are enjoying this far too much."

  Elladora smirked, but there was a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Or," she said slowly, her voice laced with playful menace, "maybe you should go back to being Elnora Valquinn."

  The silence was immediate, thick, and heavy, the weight of that name dropping between them like a stone into a still pond. Ellie’s breath hitched. Her hands, pressed to her face, stiffened. She peered through her fingers, her heart pounding.

  "You wouldn’t dare," she whispered, her voice low, but there was no real anger in it, just the sharp edge of an old wound.

  Elladora chuckled darkly, her grin spreading wider. "Oh, but I would, Elnora. The daughter of a Velsorin noble who vanished without a trace, only to resurface as Lorthraine’s hero." She sat up straight, adopting a mock-heroic tone. "Tell me, how do you think the people would react if they knew the truth?"

  "Stop." Ellie’s voice was sharper than she intended, cutting off Elladora mid-sentence. She dropped her hands from her face, her eyes hard and glittering. "Don’t."

  Elladora held her gaze for a long moment, the teasing smile fading slightly. For all her playful barbs, she knew where the line was, and this time, she had come dangerously close to crossing it.

  "Alright," she said softly, holding up her hands in surrender. "I’m just saying, you could disappear if you wanted to. You’ve done it before."

  Ellie exhaled slowly, her shoulders sagging. "That was different."

  "I know." Elladora’s voice was gentle now, her teasing replaced by something almost apologetic. "But you’re not the same person who left your family. You’ve changed, whether you like it or not. Elnora Valquinn may be part of who you were, but Ellie Liddell—Ellie’s the one who saved this kingdom."

  Ellie stared at her for a long moment, then looked away, her fingers tracing the worn edges of the table. The name—Elnora—felt like a memory she couldn’t quite shake, a ghost of the past that lingered just out of sight.