The guards finally walked off, leaving Lina alone with two of the most confusing boys in existence.
Reyon stood leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed, eyes unreadable.Kai remained close beside her—too close—his attention locked on the flickering rune pulsing faintly on her wrist.
For a moment, the room felt too quiet.Too heavy.Like the air itself was waiting.
Kai spoke first, voice low and controlled."There's a trace of rune distortion. Someone forced an echo spell into it."
Lina frowned. "Echo spells are illegal."
"Exactly," Kai said. "Only skilled rune casters can replicate someone's identity signature. And very few would dare."
Reyon's voice slid in smoothly. "Which means your enemy isn't an amateur."
Kai shot him a look sharp enough to cut stone. "You're not helping."
"I'm offering information," Reyon replied. "Maybe if you didn't glare at everything, you'd see I'm not your enemy."
Kai stepped forward, dangerous calm settling over him. "Then stop acting like you enjoy this."
"I don't enjoy her being targeted," Reyon said, expression darkening. "I enjoy you losing your composure."
Lina exhaled sharply. "Enough. Both of you. This isn't—"Her breath hitched unexpectedly.
The reality of it crashed into her all at once:Someone stole her identity.Someone wanted her expelled.Someone inside these walls wanted her gone.
Her hands trembled before she could hide it.
Kai saw instantly.
He stepped closer, voice gentler than she'd ever heard from him."Lina. Look at me."
She did. His steady gaze held hers, grounding her, pulling her back from the spiral. He placed a hand lightly on her shoulder—not possessive, not demanding—just steady.
"You are not alone in this," he said.
Something warm tightened in her chest.
Reyon watched them with an unreadable expression—something between irritation and something softer.
But before anything more could be said, a faint crackle sounded.
Lights flickered.The sigils on the door glowed—then dimmed.
Kai stiffened. "Someone's at the barrier."
Reyon moved immediately, fingertips brushing the edge of the door frame. "A subtle pulse spell. Someone tagged this door with magic."
Lina rushed forward—Kai grabbed her wrist to slow her—but she shook him off and crouched near the door.
A small blackened mark was etched into the wood.
A sigil.
A warning sigil.
Her chest tightened. "What does it mean?"
Kai crouched beside her, examining it with narrowed eyes. "This… isn't a threat."
Reyon knelt on the other side. "It's a message."
Lina's voice came out a whisper. "What kind of message?"
The boys exchanged a look—brief but intense.
Kai answered first."A watcher's rune. Someone is saying they saw what happened."
Reyon added, "Someone who knows you're innocent."
Lina's heart thudded painfully."Then why not go to the council?"
"Because," Reyon said softly, "whoever left this knows the council is compromised."
Kai's jaw tightened. "Or they fear being the next target."
Lina stared at the sigil again, her pulse quickening. A stranger. A witness. Someone in the shadows trying to help—quietly, secretly.
"But who?" she whispered.
Kai stood, crossing his arms. "We'll find out."
Reyon pushed off the wall. "Not if you keep glaring at everyone who breathes."
"Not if you keep flirting with everyone who breathes," Kai shot back.
Lina pinched the bridge of her nose."Can you both not be like this right now?"
They fell into tense silence. For a moment, only the faint crackle of magic filled the room.
Then Lina noticed something else—something carved beneath the sigil, nearly invisible unless you were looking for it.
A word.
Just one.
RUN.
Her blood turned cold.
"Kai…" she whispered. "Someone left a warning."
He moved instantly, kneeling beside her. When he saw the word, his expression hardened in a way she'd never seen before—protective, fierce, dangerous.
Reyon's eyes narrowed. "Whoever wrote that… knows what's coming."
Kai straightened, turning toward her with quiet urgency.
"Lina," he said. "You're not safe here."
Her heart pounded. "Then where am I safe?"
Kai didn't hesitate.
"Beside me."
Reyon stepped forward. "Or with me."
Lina blinked. "Seriously?! Now!?"
Both boys stared at each other—silent sparks crackling.
But the sigil on the door pulsed again, faint and urgent.
Someone knew she was in danger.
Someone wanted her to run.
And tonight…the shadows of Aetherion Academy felt closer than ever.
To be Continued..
© Kishtika., 2025
All rights reserved.