The walk to the supervised dorm felt like a parade of judgment.
Students whispered behind their hands, eyes flicking toward Lina with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.Lina kept her gaze forward, jaw tight. She refused to look rattled—even though her stomach felt like it was twisting itself into knots.
Kai walked beside her like a silent shield.
Not a step behind.Not a step ahead.
Beside her.
"People are staring," she whispered.
"They'll stop," Kai said.
"How do you know?"
"Because I'll make them."
Her heart did a strange, ridiculous flip. She blamed the adrenaline. And the explosions.Definitely not him.
The guards led them through a narrow hallway into a small, quiet wing of the east dormitory. The air felt different here—sterile, watchful. Sigils glowed faintly on the walls, designed to restrict movement and detect unauthorized magic.
"This room," one guard said, pointing to a door with a dim blue rune. "She stays here. No unsupervised exits."
Kai stepped forward. "And I stay with her."
The guard blinked. "Absolutely not."
Kai tilted his head, expression calm but clearly done with rules. "You can explain that to Councilor Harven. I'll wait."
The guard's face paled slightly. "Fine. But only until she's settled."
Kai entered the room first, checking corners like danger might be crouching there. Only then did he gesture for Lina to come in.
She rolled her eyes. "I'm suspected of sabotage, not hiding assassins under the bed."
"With you, I'm not ruling anything out."
She threw a pillow at him. "I hate you."
"You don't," he said simply.
Before she could think of a comeback, someone leaned casually against the doorway.
Reyon Vale.
Perfect timing—or perfectly annoying timing.
He flashed a slow smile. "Settling in, Lina?"
Kai shifted instantly, stepping a fraction closer to her. Lina didn't miss it.
Reyon's gaze drifted to Kai. "Relax. I'm not here to steal your… position."
"What position?" Lina asked quickly.
"Good question," Reyon said with a smirk. "Kai seems very… territorial."
Kai's voice lowered dangerously. "State your business, Vale."
Reyon held up both hands. "Peace. I'm only here to help."
"By refusing to tell the council what you saw?" Lina shot back.
Reyon's expression softened—unexpectedly serious. "Lina… if I say who I saw, it won't protect you. It'll drag you deeper."
She frowned. "Meaning?"
Reyon glanced at the guards down the hall, then lowered his voice. "I'll tell you tonight. Alone."
Kai stepped between them so fast it startled even Lina.
"No," Kai said. "You tell her now. Here."
Reyon's smile returned—slow, amused, provoking. "Since when do you make Lina's decisions for her?"
Lina stepped forward before Kai could answer, pinning Reyon with a glare. "If you actually want to help me, then start talking."
Reyon hesitated. For the first time, his confidence wavered.
Then he said something that chilled her.
"I didn't see Lina leave the core corridor," he said quietly. "But I saw someone wearing her identification rune."
Lina's breath stopped.
"My… my rune?" she whispered. "That's impossible."
Reyon shook his head. "Not if someone replicated it."
Kai's voice turned sharp. "Rune replication is forbidden—and extremely complex."
"Exactly," Reyon said. "Which means someone skilled wanted Lina blamed."
Lina's heart pounded, fear and anger mixing like fire in her blood.
Her rune… copied?
Her identity… stolen?
"Who would do that?" she whispered.
Reyon looked away. "That's why I didn't say it in there. I'm not accusing you. I'm warning you."
Kai stared at Reyon with a coldness Lina hadn't seen before. "If you're lying—"
"I'm not," Reyon said. "Check her rune."
Kai didn't waste a second. He took Lina's wrist gently—too gently—and brushed his thumb over the glowing sigil on her skin.
The light flickered.
"Slight distortion," Kai murmured. "They tampered with it."
Lina's chest tightened. Someone had violated the one mark tied to her identity, her magic, her proof of belonging.
"Kai…" she whispered. "Why would someone do this to me?"
He met her eyes, expression softening only for her.
"We're going to find out," he said. "I promise."
Reyon stepped back from the doorway, gaze thoughtful. "Be careful, Lina. Your enemy isn't the council."
He paused.
"It's someone closer."
A chill ran down her spine.
Lina looked from Reyon… to Kai… to the glowing rune on her wrist.
Someone was hunting her.
And now?
They weren't hiding it.
To be Continued© Kishtika., 2025All rights reserved.