Varis left the room, his long white robes disappearing down the dark corridor.
As soon as he was gone, the unnatural, freezing cold hanging in the air began to fade away slowly.
Sera remained sitting right where she was on the edge of the cot.
She stared down at her own open palm.
The blinding radiance had dimmed down now, leaving only a faint, subtle golden glow pulsing beneath her skin.
”Are you all right?” Kairos asked softly, pulling up a chair and taking a seat near her.
”No,” Sera answered honestly, not bothering to hide the exhaustion in her voice.
”But I can lie to you if that makes you feel better.” A small, faint smile touched Kairos’s lips.
“No.
The truth is better.” Caelum turned away from the window, his expression unreadable as he looked down at her.
”You aren’t going crazy, Sera,” he said flatly.
”If it was all in your head, the entire room wouldn’t have frozen over the moment you got angry.” ”I just…
I need to be alone for a little while,” Sera said finally, rubbing her face with both hands.
”I will walk you back to your room,” Caelum offered immediately.
”Then so will I,” Lucien said, pushing himself up off the wooden table where he had been leaning.
”Otherwise, Your Highness over here will take all the credit for being the protective guardian.” Kairos simply shook his head at them, standing up to head back out toward the courtyard to track down Varis.
Caelum and Lucien walked Sera back to her dormitory room, their quiet, relentless bickering echoing down the empty stone hallways.
When they finally reached her door, Sera turned around and stopped them both in their tracks.
”From here on out, I really just need some time to myself.” Lucien paused for a second, his dark eyes searching her face.
”What?” Sera asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
”Nothing,” he said, though there was a sharp, guarded look in his eyes that he was trying to hide.
”Just make sure you lock your door tonight.” ”Why?” ”Because Varis is gone for now,” he said, his tone unusually solemn.
“But he will be back.
And next time, he might not come alone.” Without waiting for her to respond, he turned on his heel and walked away down the dimly lit hall.
Sera stepped inside, locked the door securely, and sat down on her bed.
Soft, silver moonlight poured in through the narrow glass window.
She closed her eyes and focused inward, pressing her palm against her chest.
Who are you?
she thought, reaching out into the dark space within her mind.
No answer came.
There was no sudden wave of heat, no electric spark, and no lingering presence.
There was only silence—complete, heavy, and suffocating.
”Are you still in there?” she whispered out loud to the empty room.
“I know you can hear me.” Nothing happened.
She stood up, walking over to the cold stone wall and resting her forehead against it.
Why are you quiet now?
she thought bitterly.
When Varis was standing right in front of me, you were so loud, clear, and terrifying.
Now, when I actually need answers, you’re just gone?
She walked back to her bed and sat down, pulling her knees tightly against her chest.
She tried to focus on the memory of her mother, just like she always did whenever the nights grew too dark and quiet.
She waited for that familiar, comforting warmth to fill her chest, but nothing came in response.
”Why is it that whenever I actually need this power, it completely disappears?” she whispered into the dark room, a cold, heavy realization settling deep in her stomach.
It only shows up when it wants to protect itself, she thought bitterly.
It doesn’t wake up for my sake.
It wakes up for its own.
Suddenly, a faint tapping sound echoed off the glass window pane—soft and sudden, like a small pebble had been tossed against it from outside.
Sera’s eyes snapped open.
She crossed the room quickly, pushed the window open, and peered down into the darkness.
Lucien was standing near the edge of the flower garden below, his hands tucked casually into his coat pockets.
”This isn’t normal,” Sera called down in a harsh whisper.
“Normal people use the front door.” ”Front doors are boring,” Lucien called back softly, gesturing for her to look down.
“Come downstairs.
It’s important.” ”Right now?
In the middle of the night?” ”I heard something,” he said, his usual playful demeanor completely gone, replaced by a deadly serious edge.
”Over by the far edge of the garden wall.
Voices that definitely shouldn’t be here.” Sera’s heart skipped a beat.
She grabbed her thick shawl, wrapped it around her shoulders, and hurried down the quiet stairs.
The moment she stepped out into the cool night air, Lucien turned toward her.
”There were two men,” he whispered, leaning in close so his voice wouldn’t carry across the open space.
”Standing just on the other side of the stone perimeter wall.
They were talking about you.” ”What were they saying?” ”They said Duke Malric has been asking questions about you all week,” Lucien answered.
”He’s looking for the girl the shadow rumors are calling the ‘Dragon’s Vessel’.” Sera felt her breath catch in her throat.
“Duke Malric?
Who is that?” ”Someone who has already decided to target you before you even know what you’re capable of,” Lucien said, taking a step closer to stand beside her.
Right at that exact moment, a tall shadow shifted in the thick bushes at the far edge of the garden.
”A Fox Spirit Noble,” a deep, strange voice boomed out from the darkness, heavy and entirely unfamiliar.
”You are standing in a very dangerous place, boy.” Lucien moved instantly, stepping directly in front of Sera and shielding her completely with his body.
”Who are you, and what are you doing on academy grounds?” Lucien demanded, his hand dropping to his weapon.
The tall figure stepped forward, the flickering light of a nearby courtyard torch catching his features.
He had hollow cheeks and sunken, hungry eyes that stayed locked entirely on Sera behind Lucien.
”Duke Malric sent me,” the stranger said with a cold, unsettling smile.
”He wants to see the girl for himself.”