Night settled heavily over the academy, its silence deceptive—too perfect, too still. Lanternlight filtered through the rice-paper windows of Hana's room, casting long shadows across the floor. The single sheet of parchment in her hand felt heavier than steel.
The Shadow Sect's symbol.
Bold. Unmistakable.
A message meant only for her.
Her heartbeat sharpened, each breath growing colder. They had never sent her such a direct warning inside a fortified academy. This was a declaration.
We've found you.
For a long moment, Hana simply stood there, pulse roaring in her ears. Then, steadying her breath, she forced her mind to cool.
Panic solves nothing. Assess. Choose. Survive.
A soft knock broke the quiet.
"Hana? Are you awake?"
Woojin's voice—low, concerned.
She hid the parchment behind her sleeve and opened the door just a sliver. Moonlight framed him like silver dust, highlighting the quiet tension lining his jaw.
"You felt something," he said, not guessing—knowing.
She hesitated. He stepped closer, eyes searching hers.
"Hana," he whispered, "what happened?"
She exhaled slowly. Woojin wasn't the person she wanted to involve—but he was the one person who wouldn't look away, no matter how dark things got.
She opened the door fully.
His eyes immediately locked onto the paper in her hand. She passed it to him silently.
He unfolded it—and froze.
His entire expression hardened, rage and fear tangling sharply.
"This is—"
"Yes." Her voice was calm. Too calm. "They're inside the academy."
Woojin's hands trembled slightly as he gripped the parchment. "How? How did they get this close without alerting anyone?"
"Because this place wasn't built to stop assassins," she said. "It was built to stop cheating scholars."
A bitter truth.
Woojin's gaze flicked up to her, fierce. "You're not handling this alone."
Before she could argue, he stepped inside and shut the door. His proximity steadied her—dangerously so.
"Did they see you?" he asked. "Were you followed?"
"No."
"Do they know you're the one who stopped the assassin earlier?"
Hana hesitated. "If they don't now… they soon will."
Woojin cursed under his breath, running a hand through his hair.
"Hana, we need to alert someone. The headmaster. Guards. Someone."
Her jaw tightened. "No."
"No?" Woojin stared at her. "Hana! There's a killer organization hunting you inside the academy. This isn't a small matter."
"If the royal officials investigate," she replied quietly, "they'll dig. They'll uncover my past. And then I won't be the only one destroyed."
Woojin stepped closer. "I don't care what happens to me."
"I do," she said sharply.
Silence struck between them, taut as pulled string.
Woojin's shoulders rose and fell, as if pushing back a storm inside him. "Then tell me what we're doing. Tell me what you need."
Hana steadied herself.
"We disappear the body under the floor by morning. Then… I track whoever left this message."
"You mean confront them."
She didn't deny it.
Woojin exhaled slowly, jaw clenching. "I'm not letting you go after them alone."
"You won't even know where I am."
"Try me," he said.
A small, unwanted warmth flickered in her chest.
But before she could speak, a sudden THUD echoed from outside her window.
Hana's dagger was out instantly—blade poised.
Woojin grabbed her wrist instinctively, pulling her behind him despite knowing she didn't need protection. She pushed his hand away, stepping forward silently.
Another sound—soft scraping.
Someone was on the roof.
Hana signaled Woojin to stay back. She slid the window open with barely a whisper, letting the night air rush in.
Nothing.
But the silence felt… intentional.
She scanned the roof tiles. No movement. No breath. No—
Her instincts screamed.
She pulled back just in time as a metal dart sliced past her cheek, embedding itself in the wooden beam behind her.
Woojin's shout was drowned by Hana launching herself through the window.
The night swallowed her instantly.
---
On the Rooftops
The academy roofs stretched like dark waves beneath the moon. Hana landed silently, body low, senses sharp. Her gaze flicked left—just in time to see a shadow leap across to the next building.
Fast. Silent. Professional.
One of her kind.
"Coward," she muttered.
She sprinted across the tiles, every movement fluid, controlled. The figure ahead glanced back, face masked, eyes glowing faintly with moonlight.
Recognition flashed through her.
One of the Upper Hands.
This wasn't just another disposable killer. This was someone ranked—someone who knew her.
They darted toward the outer courtyard. Hana prepared to leap—
A hand grabbed her wrist.
Woojin.
He stood on the roof behind her, chest heaving, eyes wide with fury and fear.
"Are you INSANE? Running off alone—"
She pulled her arm free. "I told you—"
"No," he snapped. "Not tonight."
The masked assassin vanished into the shadows while Woojin blocked her pursuit. Hana's pulse burned with frustration.
"You let them escape," she hissed.
Woojin stepped closer, breath ragged. "If you had gone after them alone and something happened—"
"It's my fight."
"It became our fight," he said, voice trembling with raw intensity, "the moment I watched you risk your life in front of me."
Her breath stilled.
Woojin continued, quieter now. "I can't stand by while they hunt you. I won't."
For the first time, she saw fear—not of the assassins, but of losing her.
Her walls shifted.
Just a little.
But the moment broke as a second dart shot up from below—aimed not at Hana, but at Woojin.
She moved without thinking.
Her hand struck the dart mid-air, deflecting it with a sharp metallic ring. It spun harmlessly across the tiles.
Woojin froze, stunned.
Hana's voice was ice.
"They're not aiming for me anymore."
Woojin swallowed. "They're targeting anyone beside you."
Her chest tightened. "They're forcing me to isolate."
"Too bad," he said, stepping closer, "I'm stubborn."
She stared at him, breath uneven. "You don't understand how dangerous this is."
"I understand enough," Woojin whispered. "And I'm staying."
Before she could respond, a lantern flickered on in the courtyard below. Joon's voice carried through the night.
"Hana? Woojin? Why are you two—ARE YOU ON THE ROOF?!"
Woojin groaned.
Hana sighed.
Joon squinted up at them. "Is this… some kind of secret midnight… um… scholar ritual?!"
Woojin pinched the bridge of his nose. "Joon. Go inside."
"I knew something suspicious was happening! I—wait, why is there a dart in the wall?!"
"Inside," Hana ordered sharply.
Joon yelped and scurried off like a startled rabbit.
Woojin turned back to Hana.
"We need a plan," he said softly.
She nodded. "We start at dawn."
He exhaled in relief. "Good. I'll meet you outside the hall."
"No." Her voice softened. "You should sleep."
"I'm not leaving you alone."
"You're not." Her eyes flicked to the shadows around them. "They're watching."
Woojin's jaw tightened. "Then I'll stay at your door."
She didn't protest.
It was easier to let him than admit she wanted it.
---
Later That Night
Hana lay awake, eyes on the ceiling, as Woojin's quiet presence lingered just beyond her door.
The Shadow Sect was closing in.
They weren't warning her anymore.
They were testing her.
Chasing her.
Cornering her.
But she wasn't the same weapon they had forged years ago.
She had changed.
And the worst part?
They knew.
Hana closed her eyes, letting the faint sound of Woojin's breathing calm her pulse.
Tomorrow, everything would shift.
The hunt… had begun.
And this time, she wasn't running.
She was fighting back.