---
Elara's POV
The classroom buzzed with voices I didn't recognize, but something deep inside whispered that I should know these faces.
Soren sat beside me, grinning like a mischievous boy who held all the secrets.
Lucien and Caelum were across the room, exchanging quiet glances.
Yet when I looked at them, no memories stirred.
"Class will begin soon," a voice called.
A tall figure entered—a man with sharp eyes, wearing a cloak embroidered with ink-black symbols.
"Welcome, new students," he said. "I am Professor Varen—the keeper of stories and judge of ink."
My heart tightened.
I felt the familiar pull of power—the magic ink inside me—but it was weak, distant.
"Your memories are rewritten for your safety," Varen said. "But the ink will find you. It always does."
Suddenly, the classroom walls flickered, revealing glimpses of ink-black storms and shadowy figures lurking beyond.
Was this a prison?
A lesson?
Or a trap?
---
Soren leaned in, whispering,
"You're not who you think you are, Elara. This academy is a system created to control Inkbearers."
I swallowed.
"Then why do I feel like I belong here… and nowhere else?"
His smile faded.
"Because your heart remembers more than your mind."
---
Lucien stood, voice steady.
"We have to find the truth—about the system, the villain, and ourselves."
Caelum nodded, eyes fierce.
"And break the bindings."
---
I clenched my fists.
The ink inside me was faint—but still alive.
A whisper in the silence.
A promise.
I would find the truth.
And reclaim my story.
---
End of Chapter 22