The Boy Who Burned Too Bright The rain had washed the blood away. By the time the Aurors arrived, the only thing left was a ruined cottage and a single wand buried beneath the rubble. "Who lived here?" one asked. The older Auror frowned as he examined the blackened wood. "No one," he answered quietly. "At least... that's what the Ministry records say." Twelve Years Earlier The Sorting Hat hesitated. "Not Slytherin... too loyal." "Not Ravenclaw... though clever enough." "Braver than he knows..." The Great Hall waited. "Gryffindor!" Cassius Maelstrom let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and crossed the room. Bright auburn hair caught the candlelight as whispers spread through the first years. "Who's that?" "Never heard of the Maelstrom family." "He looks terrified." James Potter scooted over with a grin. "Come sit here!" Sirius Black smirked. "Don't mind Prongs. He's convinced everyone's going to be his best friend." Remus Lupin smiled politely. Peter Pettigrew waved enthusiastically. Cassius smiled for what would become one of the last genuine smiles of his life. No one noticed the bruise beneath his collar. No one saw him flinch whenever an adult raised their voice. And no one knew that every holiday he returned to a house where silence was more frightening than shouting. He became excellent at hiding pain. Heroes often do. By third year he was one of the brightest students in Hogwarts. By fourth year he was dueling older students. By fifth year even Professor McGonagall admitted, quietly, that he possessed extraordinary talent. But power has a cruel habit of attracting darkness. The first Death Eaters began whispering his name. Not because of who he was... But because of what he could become. One winter evening, Cassius disappeared. When he returned three days later, he refused to explain where he'd been. His hands shook. Fresh scars crossed his back. And for the first time, Sirius Black looked at his friend and
My Hero Academia (Action/Angst) The first time someone called him a villain, he was ten. The second time, he believed them. By seventeen, the underground knew him only as Ghost—a vigilante who never stayed long enough for cameras to catch his face. Heroes wanted to arrest him. Villains wanted to recruit him. Neither knew he was secretly attending U.A. under a false identity. Until All Might looked him in the eyes and quietly asked, "Who trained you?" Because only one person fought like that. A man everyone thought had died years ago.
Title: The Silence Between Songs She was called Red—one of the industry's brightest solo artists. She had the voice everyone envied, the stage presence everyone admired, and a smile convincing enough to fool millions. Bang Chan wasn't one of them. They met backstage at an awards show after she'd nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Instead of asking for a photo or making small talk, Chan simply handed her a bottle of water and said, > "You don't have to pretend you're okay around me." She laughed it off. But after that night, they kept running into each other—music shows, award ceremonies, recording studios. They became unlikely friends, bonded by late-night songwriting sessions, shared coffees, and conversations that always seemed to happen when the rest of the world had gone to sleep. To everyone else, Red was fearless. To Chan, she was someone who apologized whenever she cried. Someone who checked her phone every few minutes with visible dread. Someone who smiled a little too quickly whenever someone from her company walked into the room. He never pushed for answers. He just stayed. ---
The Fifth Marauder — “The Forgotten One” There were five Marauders. Cassius Maelstrom was the one nobody remembered. A Gryffindor and close friend of James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, Cassius was there for the pranks, the Marauder's Map, and countless nights sneaking through Hogwarts. But he had one secret none of them knew about: He was secretly best friends with Regulus Black. When the First Wizarding War began, Cassius vanished without a trace. The Marauders searched for him, but eventually the war consumed them. James and Lily died. Sirius was imprisoned. Peter disappeared. Remus was left alone. And eventually, everyone stopped talking about Cassius. Years later, a new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor arrives at Hogwarts. Professor Maelstrom. No one recognizes him. Not the teachers. Not the students. Not even Harry. But Remus feels something strangely familiar about him. Then, one evening, Remus finds an old photograph hidden inside the Marauder's Map. Five boys stand together, laughing. And written underneath is: Moony. Wormtail. Padfoot. Prongs. Storm. Remus realizes the truth: Their fifth Marauder had come home. And Cass remembers every single one of them. Even the ones who forgot him.
Lian Xuan. The quiet son of a respected noble family, known throughout the court for his elegance, intelligence, and unmatched skill with the sword. To those around him, he was composed and unreadable—a man who revealed little and questioned even less. No one knew the truth hidden beneath his robes. The scars. The betrayal. The childhood he had barely survived. When an unusual medicine disappeared from the Rear Palace, suspicion quietly spread through the Inner Court. Its trail led to an unexpected name: Lian Xuan, one of the few nobles with knowledge of rare medicinal herbs. Summoned by Jinshi, he attended an imperial banquet where everything appeared flawless—until a single warning came too late. Within moments, nobles collapsed as a sleeping agent hidden inside burning incense spread through the hall. As panic consumed the banquet, Maomao looked not at the unconscious guests, but at the calm young noble who had seen the danger before anyone else. "You recognized it," she realized. Lian Xuan gave no answer. Hidden beyond the silk curtains, someone smiled. The game had already begun.
The Apothecary Diaries (Political Intrigue) The palace physician insisted the new servant couldn't read. Maomao knew better. She had caught him translating an ancient medical text in perfect silence before pretending not to understand a single character. The boy hid scars beneath his sleeves, answered questions like a noble, and flinched whenever the Imperial Guard passed. Jinshi smiled as though he had discovered a fascinating puzzle. Maomao had a far worse suspicion. Someone important had disappeared years ago. And she was beginning to think he'd been hiding in the Inner Palace all along.
