Lyra's POV
The entire village was watching me.
I could feel their eyes on my back as I walked toward the crystal in the center of the square. My hands were shaking, but I forced them to stay at my sides.
Today was the day every sixteen-year-old discovered their magic.
And if you had no magic in Aetheria…
You were nothing.
The crystal towered over me, glowing softly in the morning light. I had watched other children touch it before me.
When Tomas touched it, flames burst around the stone.
When Mira stepped forward, water spiraled into the air.
Everyone had something.
Everyone except me.
"Move faster," the village elder said impatiently.
I stepped closer.
The crystal hummed faintly, its pale light reflecting in my eyes.
My heart pounded.
Please… just give me something.
Even the weakest magic would be enough.
Slowly, I lifted my hand and placed my palm against the cold surface of the crystal.
For a moment nothing happened.
The square went completely silent.
Then something strange happened.
The light inside the crystal flickered.
Once.
Twice.
And then…
It vanished.
A wave of whispers rushed through the crowd behind me.
"What happened?"
"Why did it go dark?"
The elder stared at the crystal in confusion.
"That… that has never happened before."
My chest tightened.
"No magic?" someone muttered.
I slowly pulled my hand away.
The crystal remained dark.
Laughter broke out among the villagers.
"Of course she has nothing," one man said loudly. "She's just the orphan girl."
Heat rushed to my face, but I kept my head down.
I was used to their words.
Still… something felt wrong.
When I touched the crystal, I felt something move inside me.
Something cold.
Something alive.
Before I could think about it further—
A sharp cracking sound echoed through the square.
The crowd gasped.
I turned back toward the crystal.
A thin black crack was spreading across its surface.
The elder stumbled backward in fear.
"That… that should be impossible."
The crack widened.
Then suddenly—
Dark smoke began to leak from the crystal.
And it was moving toward me.
My heart stopped.
The smoke wrapped around my wrist like a living shadow.
Cold power surged through my veins.
And for the first time in my life…
I felt magic.
Behind me, someone whispered a single word.
A word that made the entire crowd fall silent.
"Shadow…"