The second day of Duke Malric’s deadline was slowly coming to an end.
Sera stood near the narrow glass window of her dormitory room.
Down in the main courtyard, students were living their normal lives.
Laughter, quiet chatter, and casual footsteps echoed off the stone pathways.
It was as if Duke Malric didn’t even exist in their world.
Inside the room, Kairos sat near the wooden desk.
It was his turn on the protection shift today.
He held an open book in his hands, but his eyes kept darting toward the heavy door.
”You’re thinking again,” Kairos said suddenly, breaking the silence.
Sera turned around to face him.
”Yes.” ”About what?” ”About that riddle,” Sera muttered, keeping her tone quiet.
“The messenger’s eye…
ancient books…
the moonlight.” She paused, looking down at her shoes.
”I’m starting to put the pieces together, but nothing’s solid yet.” Kairos closed his book with a soft thud.
”No need to force a conclusion today.” ”Just hang tight.” ”Tomorrow is the final stretch anyway.” Sera kept silent.
Her fingers brushed against the metal key resting in her pocket.
It sat heavy against her hip, never letting her forget what was at stake.
Then came a sound.
Three sharp, quiet raps against the wood of the door.
Not loud, but clean and deliberate.
Kairos stood up instantly.
He made a quick hand gesture, signaling Sera to step back behind him.
He walked over and pulled the door open just a few inches.
There was no one standing in the corridor.
Only a small, pitch-black envelope rested on the floor right outside the threshold.
Kairos reached down and picked it up.
His eyes narrowed sharply.
”This is…” Sera stepped closer to his side.
”From Malric?” Kairos tore open the dark envelope.
Inside was a thin piece of paper with no name written on top.
There was only a single line: The messenger’s eye in the west wing is awake now.
Someone else is going to reach it before you.
— M Sera felt her heart skip a beat.
Kairos folded the note back up, his jaw tight.
”This was dropped off just seconds ago.
That means someone is actively moving around us.” He pulled out his communication crystal and sent an urgent signal to the other three.
Within five minutes, Lucien, Caelum, and Riven were all inside the room.
Lucien read the note over Kairos’s shoulder.
”What kind of garbage is this?
Does he already know the riddle?” He paused for a second, a slight smirk touching his lips as he tried to lighten the mood.
”Or does Malric have a friend like Kairos who reads poetry at night and solves riddles for fun?” Kairos glared at him coldly.
”Not the time, Lucien.” ”I’m just saying,” Lucien raised his hands in self-defense.
”If Malric has his own ‘Team Sera’, I’d like to meet them.
Strictly out of professional curiosity.” Riven looked over the note carefully, ignoring Lucien completely as he usually did.
”He doesn’t just know the riddle,” Riven muttered.
“He knows the physical location.” ”Or someone leaked it to him.” Caelum’s face remained stone-cold.
”Which means he already sent someone to the west wing ahead of us.” Sera pulled the metal key out of her pocket.
”If they reach it first…” ”Then whatever documents her mother hid will fall right into his hands,” Riven finished for her.
A heavy silence settled over the small room.
Caelum spoke up first, his tone sharp.
”We move right now.” Kairos raised his hand to stop him.
”Not in a big pack.
It’s dark.” ”If all five of us march down there together, guards will spot us instantly.” Lucien raised his hand casually.
”Then Riven and I will go check it out.” ”You two stay right here with Sera.
Simple.” Riven turned his head to stare at Lucien.
”You even know where to turn?” ”Nope,” Lucien replied honestly.
“That’s why you’re leading.” ”I’m just extra hands.
And moral support.” ”Plus some commentary if it gets boring.” ”We’re looking for hidden papers,” Riven said flatly.
“Skip the commentary.” ”You get the whole package or nothing,” Lucien grinned, heading straight for the door.
”Trust me on this.” Caelum thought it over for a second, ignoring their back-and-forth bickering.
”Fine.
Riven and Lucien handle it.” ”Avoid any direct fights.” ”Just scan the area.
If someone’s waiting, pull out immediately.” Riven gave a firm nod.
“Got it.” The two of them slipped quietly out the door and disappeared down the hall.
Only Sera, Caelum, and Kairos remained in the room.
Sera looked back out the window toward the dark garden.
”If Malric is already this far ahead…” ”Then the three-day deadline was just a distraction,” Caelum said softly.
”He started his move long before he gave us that warning.” Kairos looked down at the note again.
”He sent this message to make you panic.” ”He wants you to make a careless mistake.” Sera clenched her hands into tight fists.
”I’m not panicking.” Deep inside her chest, that familiar golden warmth surged forward again.
Heat spread rapidly across her palm.
A second later, a cool grey current rippled through her veins, shifting the air in the room.
Caelum and Kairos both noticed the sudden change in temperature, but neither of them said a word.
Twenty minutes passed in total silence.
Then thirty.
Sera kept her eyes glued to the wooden door.
Finally, heavy, rushed footsteps echoed down the outer hallway.
The door burst open, and Lucien stepped inside.
For the first time since she had met him, his playful smile was completely gone.
”Riven is right behind me,” Lucien said, catching his breath.
”The west wing…” ”What happened?” Caelum demanded, stepping forward.
Lucien took a deep breath.
”Someone was definitely inside.” ”We didn’t catch them, but they had already smashed the lock to the old library.” ”And…” He hesitated, looking at Sera.
Sera stepped toward him.
“And what?” Lucien looked directly into her eyes.
”There was a sound coming from inside the room.” ”It sounded like…
old books drawing breath.” A chilling quiet fell over the entire room.
Riven stepped inside a moment later, his dark clothes dusted with faint stone powder.
He looked straight at Sera.
”Some of the papers hidden in the wall,” Riven said quietly, “are already gone.” Sera’s fingers tightened so hard her knuckles turned white.
”How many?” Caelum asked.
”Hard to tell,” Riven answered.
“Base records are missing.” ”They smashed the outer lock on purpose so we would find it.” Lucien leaned back against the wall, tapping his heel against the wood.
”So Malric beat us to the first step.” He tried to force a small smile to break the heavy tension.
”On the bright side, at least he left us a polite note.
The man has manners.” ”That isn’t a compliment,” Kairos said coldly.
”I know,” Lucien shrugged his shoulders.
“Just trying to lighten the mood.” Sera looked down at the key resting in her palm.
The metal felt heavier now, but its immediate value had dropped.
Some of her mother’s secrets were already in the wrong hands.
”We need to double the shifts,” Kairos noted grimly.
Caelum turned his gaze toward Sera.
“Are you alright?” Sera gave a small, quiet nod.
“Yes.” But her eyes held a sharp, burning intensity.
Malric had cracked part of the riddle.
He had made the first move.
And he now held pieces of her mother’s past.
Sera closed her fingers around the metal key until it dug into her skin.
”Tomorrow,” she whispered, her voice steady and clear.
“I’m going to the west wing myself.” All four men turned to look at her.
”Not alone,” Caelum stated firmly.
”Not alone,” Sera agreed.
“But I am going.” ”Whatever my mother left behind, I am not letting him take the rest.” Outside, the night grew darker and colder.
And somewhere in the shadows beyond the academy walls, Duke Malric was likely smiling.
Because he had just won the very first round.