The academy woke differently.
Not with noise.
Not with routine.
With control.
Guards lined the corridors before most students had even stepped out of their rooms. Not the usual academy guards—these were royal.
Armored.
Silent.
Watching everything.
I slowed as I stepped into the hallway, my shadows shifting faintly at my feet.
This wasn't precaution.
This was containment.
Students gathered in small clusters, voices low, eyes moving too quickly, too carefully. No one lingered long in one place. No one trusted stillness.
Good.
Because neither did I.
"You look like you didn't sleep."
I turned slightly.
Nira.
Her tone was light.
Her eyes were not.
"I did," I replied.
It wasn't a lie.
Just not the full truth.
Her gaze lingered on me a moment longer than usual—then shifted, scanning the corridor behind me.
"They've locked the outer gates," she said quietly. "No one in. No one out."
"That won't stop them," I replied.
"No," she agreed. "But it might slow them down."
A pause.
"Or trap us with them."
I didn't respond.
Because that thought had already crossed my mind.
We moved together toward the central hall.
The tension thickened the closer we got.
More guards.
More instructors.
More silence.
And at the center—
authority.
Kaelen stood near the front.
Not as a student.
As something else.
Command.
His posture was straight, controlled, but I could see the tension beneath it. The shift in him wasn't subtle anymore.
Prince.
Not just Kaelen.
Our eyes met briefly.
Something passed between us.
Not soft.
Not distant.
Steady.
"You're here," he said as I approached.
"Where else would I be?" I replied.
A flicker of something—approval, maybe—crossed his expression before it vanished again.
Cassian leaned against one of the pillars nearby, arms crossed, but his usual arrogance was sharper today—edged with unease.
Tarik stood beside him, grounded, alert.
Elsa was already there.
Still.
Watching.
Always watching.
"We're being questioned," Cassian muttered.
"Not asked," Nira added.
"Questioned."
Right.
That explained the guards.
One of the instructors stepped forward, voice cutting through the low murmurs.
"No one leaves the academy grounds until further notice."
A ripple of unease spread through the students.
"Last night's incident has confirmed internal compromise."
Not subtle.
Good.
"We will identify all involved."
A pause.
"And we will act accordingly."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Final.
The questioning started immediately.
One by one.
Students pulled aside.
Watched.
Measured.
I felt it when it was my turn.
Not fear.
Pressure.
The room was smaller than I expected.
Plain.
Controlled.
Two instructors.
One royal guard.
"Name."
"Lyra Vale."
They already knew that.
"Your involvement with Instructor Valen."
"Training."
"Only training?"
"Yes."
A pause.
Their gaze lingered.
Measuring.
Searching.
For what?
Guilt?
Fear?
My shadows stirred slightly—but I kept them still.
"You were present during the incident."
"Yes."
"Describe what you felt."
That made me pause.
Not what I saw.
What I felt.
Careful.
"Wrong," I said finally.
One of them frowned slightly.
"Clarify."
"It wasn't shadow magic," I said. "Not like mine. It was… distorted."
The instructors exchanged a look.
"Corrupted," one of them muttered.
I didn't confirm it.
Didn't deny it.
"Have you sensed anything similar before?" the guard asked.
I hesitated.
Not because I didn't know.
Because I did.
"Yes," I said.
"When?"
"Before the attack in the library."
That got their attention.
"Why was this not reported?"
I held their gaze.
"I didn't know what it was."
A beat.
"And now?"
My shadows shifted slightly.
"I know it doesn't belong here."
Silence.
Then—
"Dismissed."
The corridor felt colder when I stepped back out.
Like something had shifted.
Or maybe—
I had.
Kaelen was waiting.
Not close.
Not obvious.
But there.
"Well?" he asked quietly.
"They're looking for patterns," I said.
"They won't find all of them," he replied.
No.
They wouldn't.
Because not all of them wanted to be found.
We regrouped later.
All six of us.
Same place.
Different atmosphere.
No one spoke at first.
Then—
"They're watching us," Cassian said flatly.
"Everyone's watching everyone," Nira replied.
Tarik nodded once. "That's the point."
I looked at them.
At all of them.
This—
this was where things changed.
"We can't afford doubt," I said.
Cassian let out a quiet scoff. "That's convenient."
"It's necessary," I corrected.
His gaze sharpened.
"You trust everyone here?" he asked.
The question landed heavier than it should have.
Because it wasn't simple.
Because it wasn't certain.
I didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
I looked at each of them.
Nira.
Cassian.
Tarik.
Elsa.
Kaelen.
And finally—
I spoke.
"I trust what we've built."
Not the same thing.
Cassian noticed.
But he didn't push.
For once.
Elsa's gaze lingered on me a moment longer than usual.
Unreadable.
Then she spoke.
"Trust won't keep us alive," she said calmly.
"No," I replied.
"But it might stop us from tearing each other apart before they get the chance."
Silence followed.
Not agreement.
Not resistance.
Something in between.
Unsteady.
Real.
That night felt different.
Not quiet.
Not safe.
Just… waiting.
I stood by the window in my room, staring out at the darkened academy grounds.
Guards still moving.
Lights still on.
No rest.
Not really.
My shadows curled tightly around me.
Not restless.
Alert.
They felt it too.
Something shifting.
Something coming.
A soft knock broke the silence.
I didn't need to ask who it was.
"Come in," I said.
The door opened.
Kaelen stepped inside.
Not as a prince.
Not as authority.
Just—
him.
"You shouldn't be alone tonight," he said quietly.
I turned toward him.
"Neither should you."
A small pause.
Then—
he stepped further in.
Closing the door behind him.
The distance between us felt different tonight.
Not hesitant.
Not uncertain.
Intentional.
"They're not done," I said.
"No," he agreed.
"And neither are we."
Something steadied in my chest at that.
Not certainty.
But resolve.
I stepped closer.
Not thinking.
Just moving.
His hand found mine again—like it had before.
Familiar now.
Grounding.
"You don't have to carry all of it," he said.
I looked at him.
"I know," I replied softly.
But I didn't let go.
I snuggled closer to him, and he wrapped his hands around my waist bringing me impossibly closer. I placed my head against his chest listening to his rhythmic and calming heartbeat.
And for a moment—
despite everything—
that was enough.