Court of Aether and Shadows (Crowned Monster Trilogy #1)

53. Shattered Illusions

Shattered Illusions

~ S PARROW~

The academy halls shimmered with morning light as I made my way toward the auditorium, each crystalline wall pulsing with the combined energy of four courts. After four weeks, I'd grown accustomed to how the architecture seemed to breathe with magical potential, how different sections would shift their allegiance based on which court's students passed through.

Today's summons had brought a nervous energy to the usual morning bustle. The Elders and Professors would be evaluating our progress - a milestone that had even Nyx showing hints of concern beneath her usual mischief.

My mind drifted to everything we'd accomplished so far. Combat magic with Cypress teaching us elemental control, while Solaris helped perfect our energy manipulation. Nyx had proven an surprisingly patient instructor in void walking, though Liam... my shadow wolf had only recently returned to training, still subdued from whatever had affected him that day in the cafeteria.

Then there were the private lessons with Lord Helios - sessions that had taken on new meaning since that night of magical exploration. The memory of riding Astral beneath three moons while both Lords shared ancient knowledge made my heart swell. That perfect sunrise where Aether and Twilight Courts existed in harmony, Aurora the fox-snake curled around my shoulder as we witnessed the impossible...

Aurora . The name echoed in my mind as familiar voices drew my attention. Pressing myself against a section of lockers that helpfully shifted to shadow-aspect, I peered around the corner.

Lady Aurora stood in what she probably thought was an empty hallway, her perfect features arranged in an expression I'd never seen on her before - fear. Before her towered a man whose very presence made the air thick with Aether Court power. Tall and imposingly built, his features held enough similarity to Aurora's to mark their relation, though his held none of her careful beauty. His face was all harsh angles and barely contained fury.

"I'm trying," Aurora's voice carried none of its usual imperial confidence. "The task isn't as simple as you make it sound. There are complications-"

"Complications?" Her father's voice cracked like thunder. "Your brothers would have completed this assignment weeks ago. But you... you waste time playing at being a proper court lady while failing at every opportunity presented."

"It's not that simple!" Frustration bled into her tone. "Why do I have to pretend to be this reincarnated princess? I have my own identity, my own-"

"Your own what?" he sneered. "Your own failures? Your own inadequacies? This role was given to you as a chance to prove your worth to the court. If you can't even manage this simple deception..."

His words trailed off into a threat that made the very air crackle with tension. Aurora seemed to shrink before him, though something like defiance still sparked in her eyes.

"Maybe I don't want to be part of these games anymore," she said quietly. "The court doesn't want me anyway - no one does. I'd probably have better chances in the mundane-"

The crack of his hand against her cheek echoed through the hallway like a gunshot. I had to clap my hand over my mouth to stifle my gasp, while the lockers around me trembled with shared outrage.

Aurora stood frozen, one hand pressed to her reddening cheek as tears began to fall. Her father loomed over her, his Aether magic crackling with barely contained rage.

"I pulled every string, called in every favor to get you into this establishment," he snarled. "No one wanted to waste a position on a female practitioner with mediocre talents. Do you know who the only person to speak in your favor was? Lord Aetheron of the Twilight Court - and he wasn't even an official member of the voting committee!"

My heart skipped at the mention of Aetheron. Of course he would have advocated for giving someone a chance, regardless of their court or gender. It was so perfectly him that it made my chest ache.

"The Shadow Lord's opinion carries weight across all courts," her father continued, "which is the only reason you're here at all. And how do you repay such consideration? By failing at every turn, by refusing to play your part in the greater plan."

Aurora's tears fell faster now, each one catching light like trapped stars. "I'm trying my best-"

"Your best isn't good enough!" His power flared, making the hallway's crystals sing with discord. "The Aether Court has more important concerns than coddling a disappointment. The attacks grow more frequent, the tainted energy claims more fae lives each day. Unless you can complete your assigned task, don't bother returning home."

The word 'home' seemed to break something in Aurora. "It's never felt like home," she whispered, her perfect composure finally shattering completely. "Not when it's so obvious I'm not welcome there. Not when being female makes me worth less than nothing."

Her father's expression somehow darkened further. "Then perhaps you belong nowhere." The words fell like physical blows. "Prove your worth or don't return. Those are your options."

He turned and strode away, his Aether magic leaving trails of dischordant energy in his wake. Aurora stood alone in the hallway, one hand still pressed to her reddened cheek as tears carved paths through her perfect makeup.

I watched her shoulders shake with silent sobs, all her careful poise stripped away to reveal something raw and wounded beneath. In that moment, she wasn't the stuck-up princess of the Aether Court - she was just a girl trying desperately to earn approval that would never be given.

For the first time, I understood Aurora's behavior from a different perspective. Her desperate need to prove herself, her harsh treatment of others - it all stemmed from a place of deep pain and rejection. She wasn't just fighting for position or power; she was fighting for the right to exist in a world that saw her as fundamentally less.

The parallel to my own past in the Underground struck me hard. How many times had I pushed myself beyond limits, taken impossible risks, just to prove I deserved a place at the table? How many times had I worn arrogance like armor, using it to hide the scared little girl beneath?

But where I'd found acceptance - in my wolves, in Aetheron's love, in Helios's guidance - Aurora remained trapped in a cycle of rejection and impossible expectations. Her tears fell like stars, each one carrying the weight of dreams that seemed forever out of reach.

The summons to the auditorium suddenly felt less important than this moment of raw truth. Something needed to change in how the courts treated their daughters. And somehow, I knew this revelation would play a crucial role in whatever destiny awaited me.

Aurora took a shuddering breath, carefully reconstructing her mask of perfection. But I'd seen beneath it now, seen the wounded soul behind the imperial facade. As she walked away, head held high despite her tears, I made a silent vow.

Something would have to change.

And perhaps that change needed to start with reaching out to an unexpected ally.