Jareth moved behind his desk and opened his laptop.
The screen glowed in the dim office. Viktor stepped closer, watching over his shoulder. Felix and Dante stayed by the wall, waiting.
Kaiel hadn't moved from his spot in Jareth's chair. Eyes half-closed. Fingers still tapping the armrest.
"If there's a witch in this school," Jareth said, pulling up the student database, "she has to be registered."
He typed into the search bar: Moreau
Two names appeared.
"Two results," Jareth said slowly. "Lincoln Moreau. Second year. And Celeste Moreau. First year."
The room went quiet.
Jareth clicked on Celeste's profile.
A picture loaded. A young woman with soft brown hair and a warm, almost innocent smile.
But beneath the photo, her file read:
Name: Celeste Moreau
Year: 1
Age: 18
Classification: Human
Jareth's jaw tightened. "She must be the one."
Jareth stood. "I'll find out where she is."
Jareth stepped into the hallway and dialed.
Professor Onim answered on the second ring.
"Headmaster."
"I need a student located immediately. Celeste Moreau. First-year. Check her dormitory."
"Of course. Give me a moment."
The line went quiet.
Jareth waited, staring out the window at the dark campus below.
A few minutes later, Onim's voice returned. "She's not in her room, sir. The door was unlocked. I checked inside. It's empty."
He paused. "However, I encountered a student attempting to sneak into the building. I stopped her. She admitted she was returning from an unauthorized gathering at the old storage room near the eastern dormitories. The student confirmed she saw Celeste there. At the party."
"Alright, Onim."
Jareth hung up and returned to the office.
Viktor looked up. "Well?"
"She's at a party," Jareth said. "Storage room near the east dorms."
Viktor turned to Felix and Dante. "Bring her in."
Felix pushed off the wall. "On it."
The storage room was chaos.
Music pounded through the walls, bass so heavy it vibrated in their chests. The air was thick with heat and sweat and the smell of cheap alcohol. Bodies were everywhere—dancing, shouting, grinding against each other under flashing colored lights.
Felix and Dante stepped inside.
No one noticed them.
"You see her?" Felix asked, scanning the crowd.
Dante's sharp eyes moved methodically across the room. "Not yet."
They pushed deeper, weaving through the mass of students.
Dante saw her at the back corner. Near the makeshift bar. She was dancing, swirling around like she belonged there.
Her head snapped toward him, as if sensing him.
Her smile vanished.
Her body went rigid.
Celeste shoved through the crowd, pushing people aside without looking back. She hit the back door hard and disappeared into the night.
"She's running," Felix muttered.
They followed quickly.
The cold air hit them the moment they stepped outside.
Celeste was already sprinting toward the tree line, her footsteps crunching over dead leaves.
"Celeste Moreau!" Dante's voice cut through the night. "Stop running!"
She didn't stop or slow down.
Felix sighed. "Why do they always run?"
They moved fast. Celeste had made it deep into the woods before they caught up.
"Celeste," Dante said again, his voice calm but firm. "We're going to do this the hard way or the easy way. You choose."
She spun around, breathing hard, eyes wild.
"Stay back," she said, her voice shaking.
"Just come with us," Felix said, stepping closer. "Make this easy."
"I said stay back!"
She thrust her hand forward.
The air exploded.
A blast of raw energy shot toward Felix, crackling with white-hot magic.
He dodged, diving to the side.
The spell slammed into a tree behind him. The trunk split with a deafening crack, splinters flying everywhere.
"Okay," Felix muttered. "So we're doing this the hard way."
Dante moved.
He was fast—faster than she expected.
Celeste twisted her wrist and the ground beneath him erupted. Thick vines shot up, wrapping around his legs, his torso, yanking him down.
He snarled and tore through them like they were paper.
She stumbled back, already casting again. Her hands glowed brighter now, the magic around her intensifying.
This time she aimed at Dante's chest.
The spell hit him hard.
He staggered, his hand flying to his ribs, but he didn't fall.
"That all you got?" he said, his voice rough.
Celeste's breathing was ragged now. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Casting this much magic this fast was draining her.
But she didn't stop.
She turned and threw a barrier up just as Felix came at her from the side.
He slammed into it and bounced back, cursing.
"Fucking barrier witches."
Celeste raised both hands, pulling more power. The air around her shimmered. She was preparing something big.
Dante didn't give her the chance.
He moved—blurring forward in a burst of speed.
Celeste saw him coming and released the spell.
A wave of force exploded outward.
Dante took it head-on. It hit him like a wall, but he pushed through, his teeth bared.
Celeste's eyes widened.
She tried to sidestep, tried to run—
But Felix was already there.
He grabbed her wrist hard.
"Let go!" she screamed.
She thrashed, kicking, trying to break free, but it was useless.
"Stop," Dante said. "You're only making this harder."
"Let me go!" Her voice cracked. Desperate and terrified.
She tried to pull magic from somewhere deep inside her.
But she was too tired. Too drained.
Her knees buckled.
Dante pulled her forward and hit her.
One clean strike to the side of her head.
Not enough to kill.
Her eyes rolled back.
She went limp.
Dante caught her before she hit the ground, lifting her easily over his shoulder.
Felix exhaled, brushing dirt off his coat. "She got a few good hits in."
They started walking back toward the school.
When they entered Jareth's office, Viktor was waiting.
He looked up. "You found her."
"Yeah." Dante laid Celeste on the floor, her body limp and unconscious.
Viktor knelt beside her, studying her face carefully.
"She fought?" he asked.
"Hard," Felix said. "Threw some serious barrier magic around. But she's inexperienced. Burned through her energy too fast."
"She's an Ashcroft" Viktor said quietly, almost to himself. "There's no doubt."
Jareth stepped closer, his expression unreadable. "But how? I was there, Viktor. I watched them all die."
"Clearly someone survived," Viktor said. "Or hid Either way, she's here now. And we'll get our answers when she wakes up."
He stood up and sat back down.
Kaiel had left the office a while ago.
All this was becoming too boring for him.
Blackthorn. The place he was quite familiar with.
When he first woke up 600 years ago, this was where he first saw. He couldn't remember his past life or what had happened—only that he was standing here looking at a tall building.
The place was now Blackthorn University. It looked like a school to others, but it was actually a prison.
He moved through the east wing alone.
It was colder here.
He noticed someone on top of the Gothic building, sitting there, but he paid no attention to it and walked past. He moved until he was now in the secluded area of the east wing.
He stopped in the middle of the hallway and closed his eyes.
Listening.
The monster was here.
He could sense it.
But he couldn't see it.
Invisible.
Clever.
He opened his eyes and started walking again, slowly, methodically, tracking the presence.
It was close now.
Very close.
And then—he heard footsteps, and a faint heartbeat pounding loudly, running fast.
Someone slammed into him.
A girl.
She gasped and stumbled back, falling to the ground.
Then she looked up.
Her blonde hair scattered all over her face. Her eyes—deep emerald green, wide and glistening with tears—locked onto his face.
She was crying.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
And then recognition flashed in her eyes.
Horror.
Her mouth opened.
She screamed.
A raw, terrified sound that echoed through the empty hallway.
She fainted.
Kaiel moved. He bent down, picking her up, one arm sliding beneath her knees, the other cradling her back.
She was light. Fragile.
He stared down at her face—pale, streaked with tears, unconscious.
Something about her felt too familiar.
And then he spoke.
"Raven."
A shadow moved.
Raven stepped out of the darkness as if he'd been there the whole time.
His eyes flicked to the girl in Kaiel's arms, then back to Kaiel's face.
"The rogue," Kaiel said, his voice flat. "Deal with it."
Kaiel adjusted his grip on the girl, pulling her closer against his chest.
Then he walked away.
Carrying her into the night.