CHAPTER 23: CHAPTER 23: GLAZE FOREST

The moment Aiden voiced his panic about living for centuries and watching his children grow old and die, Ashton quickly smacked his shoulder, shaking his head.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Ashton said firmly. "Why would you watch your children die? If nothing unfortunate happens to them, then your children will definitely outlive you. You’ll be the one they watch die, not the other way around."

Aiden blinked in confusion. "But... if I live up to five hundred years old, how can they possibly watch me die before them?"

Ashton groaned in exasperation. "Because your children are going to inherit your bloodline too, obviously! They’ll live just as long as you do. That’s how it works. When you pass down your blood, the lifespan goes with it. Do you get it now?"

Aiden slowly nodded, still digesting the idea. He turned to Julian and asked, "Let’s say my bloodline came from my mother. Why didn’t she ever know how to use her powers? Her powers never manifested. She spent her whole life thinking she was just human."

Julian raised a brow. "And how do you know for sure her powers never manifested? Did she tell you that herself? And have you even confirmed where your bloodline came from? We didn’t get a chance to continue that conversation earlier before we went to eat."

Ashton, ever the gossip and unable to resist juicy details, fell silent and leaned in eagerly. He wanted every word of what Aiden was about to reveal.

Aiden lowered his voice. "My mother said the only secret she’s keeping from me is that Nana and Grandpa aren’t her real parents. She caught them talking once about how she wasn’t their daughter."

Julian thought for a moment and then nodded. "That means the only people who can give you a proper explanation about your bloodline are your real grandparents—the ones you’ve never met. We’ve hit a roadblock. Without them, we can’t investigate further."

"I know," Aiden said with a disappointed sigh. "I was hoping for more answers."

Ashton, who had been listening with unusual seriousness, finally spoke. "I still don’t buy that your mother’s powers never manifested. Think about it. She gave birth to you—a child with three high bloodlines. That means she must have carried a potent bloodline herself. A bloodline that strong can’t stay hidden forever. Even if the most powerful witch tried to suppress it, the blood would eventually rebel. At eighteen, once adulthood sets in, the bloodline manifests whether you want it to or not. I’m telling you, Aiden, your mother hasn’t told you everything."

Aiden frowned, troubled. "But why would she keep that secret from me? She said the only secret was about Nana and Grandpa not being her real parents. So what’s going on?"

Ashton laughed lightly, as though the answer were obvious. "Aiden, aren’t you keeping secrets from her too? You’re here, in a supernatural academy, and you haven’t told her because you don’t want her to freak out. What if she’s the same? What if she’s been hiding her powers for years because she doesn’t want you—or your father—to panic?"

That made Aiden pause. He had to admit, Ashton had a point. He nodded slowly. "That... actually makes sense. But if that’s true, shouldn’t she have told me by now? Once I turn eighteen, my powers will manifest anyway. It would’ve been better if she prepared me for the truth instead of letting me stumble into it."

Julian finally joined in. "Aiden, think about it. Your mother was adopted by humans. Imagine one day, out of nowhere, you wake up with strange powers you can’t explain. You don’t know where they came from, you don’t know what they mean, and you’ve got no one to guide you. How do you expect her to explain it to you when she herself was confused? For all she knew, she might have been an anomaly. She probably thought it was impossible for you to inherit anything. How could she prepare you for something she didn’t understand?"

That perspective hit Aiden harder than he expected. He realized Julian was right—his mother might have been just as lost as he was now. Still, another question nagged at him. His brows furrowed as he asked, "But if her powers really did manifest, then why is her face aging? She’s only forty-five years old. That shouldn’t be happening, right?"

Julian and Ashton exchanged a look. Both of them went quiet, thinking carefully. Finally, Ashton answered. "If your mother is a witch, she may have chosen to make her face age on purpose. I’ve heard of witches doing that. They cast spells to make themselves look normal, even when they shouldn’t be aging. It’s a way of hiding."

Aiden nodded slowly, the explanation settling uneasily in his chest. "So, to keep her secret from us, she chose to age like a normal human. That means, by the end of the day, my father will be the only one to die of old age first. My poor father..."

Ashton gently patted Aiden’s arm. "Don’t worry too much. If your mother is really a witch, her lifespan would normally be just over two hundred years. That’s nowhere near the five hundred years of faes and wolves. Some witches with powerful bloodlines can stretch up to three hundred, but still, there are ways around it. Potions exist—made by powerful witches—that can extend lifespans. If you turn out to be a witch yourself, you could make one for your father in the future. And if your final bloodline is from one of the other races, you could always hire a witch to help. Or better yet," he added with a sly grin, "you could wait for Julian to become strong enough to make one for free. That way, you won’t owe anyone anything."

Julian rolled his eyes, but Aiden laughed. "Julian, I’ll be counting on you, then. I love free things, so I’ll definitely be waiting for you to become powerful. Train hard—for my sake."

Julian chuckled despite himself. "Fine, I’ll do it. I’ll train even when I don’t want to. Just don’t start bossing me around too much."

Ashton smirked. "So now you can finally stop worrying about outliving your children, right?"

Aiden opened his mouth, then froze. A horrifying thought hit him. "Wait. I’m gay. I can’t even have children."

Both Ashton and Julian burst out laughing before speaking in unison. "Aiden, in the supernatural world, there’s no such thing as ’can’t.’ It depends on power and determination. Do you know that a powerful male witch once created a potion and a spell that made male pregnancy possible?"

Aiden’s jaw dropped. His face drained of color as an image of himself with a huge, bulging stomach flashed into his mind. He looked horrified.

Julian frowned, worried. "What’s wrong? Why do you look so scared all of a sudden?"

"It’s nothing," Aiden muttered quickly. "I just imagined myself with a big stomach."

That was all it took for Ashton and Julian to burst into uncontrollable laughter. Ashton wiped a tear from his eye and leaned toward Aiden with a wicked grin. "What’s the big deal? Can’t you just make your future partner take the potion instead? Why did you immediately imagine yourself being the one at the bottom? Have some backbone, Aiden. You can top too!"

Aiden laughed nervously. "Do you really think that’s possible? And besides... although I haven’t, you know, done it yet, I’m pretty sure I’d prefer being the bottom."

Julian smirked, deciding to tease him too. "So you really don’t have any backbone, huh?"

Aiden groaned, catching on to their teasing. "It’s not that I don’t have backbone, okay? It’s just a matter of preference!"

As he spoke, his eyes wandered off to the side and caught sight of a striking archway covered in lush vines and soft glowing flowers. His eyes widened. "Wait, what’s that? Is that some kind of garden? The entrance looks so beautiful."

Julian’s expression immediately hardened. "That is definitely not a garden. That’s the Glaze Forest. And it’s cursed."

Aiden laughed, thinking they were joking again. "Come on, how can something with such a beautiful entrance be cursed? You’re pulling my leg." But when he saw both Julian and Ashton’s serious faces, his smile faltered. "Wait. You’re telling me the truth?"

Ashton nodded grimly. "I wish it was a lie. But it’s true."

Aiden frowned. "That doesn’t make any sense. This school is supposed to be protecting students, and yet it has a cursed forest right inside the grounds? How is that safe?"

Julian shrugged. "The forest was here first. The school was built later. From what I’ve heard, the founders built Skyline Academy here because they wanted to study the forest. They thought it might hold secrets—or treasures. But once they realized that everyone who entered never came back, they stopped trying."

Aiden shivered. "So if it’s that dangerous, why just leave it here unprotected? What if some poor student wanders in by accident? Wouldn’t that be the school’s fault?"

Ashton shook his head. "That’s why there’s a protective barrier. The entrance has an invisible wall that no student can pass. Even if you try, it’ll push you back. I’ve also heard there’s another entrance outside school grounds. That’s why the rule against leaving school property is so strict. Outside, there’s no barrier. But inside, we’re safe."

Aiden still looked uneasy. "But what if the barrier has holes? What if it weakens somehow?"

Ashton laughed. "Impossible. The founders built it, and every generation after them has reinforced it. It’s stronger than ever. There won’t be any holes."

Aiden sighed in relief. "Good. That makes sense."

He turned to Julian and stretched his arms with a groan. "I think the tour is enough for today. My feet are killing me. Let’s head back to the dorm. I want a little sleep before dinner."

Julian nodded, then looked at Ashton. "What about you? Going back to your dorm, or crashing with us? You can take my room if you want."

Ashton grinned. "I’ll crash with you guys. Let’s go."

Together, the three of them started heading back.