Lyra found the note tucked into her mirror.
It wasn't written in ink. It was etched — faintly, like a scar.
> "Midnight. Spiral Track. Come alone."
She showed it to Maris, who frowned. "It's a trap."
Lyra shook her head. "It's a pattern."
Maris hesitated. "Then I'm coming with you."
The Spiral Track
At midnight, the Spiral Track was silent.
The debate arena — normally alive with kinetic arguments and emotional choreography — was still. The moon hung low, casting silver shadows across the circular path.
Lyra stepped onto the track.
Maris followed.
Then the others emerged.
- Nova Quinn, glowing faintly, their eyes wide with knowing.
- Corvin Dusk, pale and unreadable, his footsteps silent.
- Saphira Wynn, radiant and sharp, her arms crossed.
- Juno Blaze, fire-haired and tense, her boots scuffing the stone.
- Zephyr Vale, already seated, as if he'd never left.
They formed a circle.
No one spoke.
The Stitched Ones
Nova broke the silence. "We've all seen things."
Corvin nodded. "Memories that aren't ours."
Saphira's voice was low. "Dreams that bleed."
Juno clenched her fists. "Rooms that remember us."
Zephyr finally spoke. "We are stitched."
Lyra looked around. "How long?"
Nova smiled. "Since before we arrived."
Maris whispered, "Then why now?"
Corvin's eyes darkened. "Because she's waking."
The Sharing
Each student shared a fragment.
Nova had seen Madame Calyx teaching a class that didn't exist.
Corvin had walked through a hallway that looped endlessly, filled with mirrors that whispered names.
Saphira had spoken to a version of herself that claimed to be stitched from Calyx's memories.
Juno had burned a book that reappeared in her dreams.
Zephyr had stood in the fifth tower — not physically, but emotionally.
Lyra listened.
Then she spoke.
"I saw her face. And it was mine."
The Theory
They began to piece it together.
- Madame Calyx didn't vanish. She fragmented.
- The fifth tower wasn't destroyed. It was disguised.
- The stitched ones weren't chosen. They were built.
Maris whispered, "We're echoes."
Zephyr nodded. "And echoes return."
The Warning
The Spiral Track trembled.
The moon flickered.
A voice echoed across the arena — not spoken, but felt.
> "You are not ready."
Nova gasped. "She's listening."
Corvin stepped back. "Or watching."
Saphira turned to Lyra. "You're the loudest echo."
Lyra's heart pounded. "Then I need to speak."
The Book Again
Back in the dorm, the book had written:
> "The stitched ones must choose: remember or become."
Maris stared. "Become what?"
Lyra whispered, "Her."