Adam's head throbbed.
A dull, pulsing ache that seemed to echo from the inside out, like his skull had been rung like a bell. His vision blurred at the edges, the world swimming in and out of focus as he tried to make sense of… anything.
What the hell just happened?
One second, he had been laying on the base of the stairs, heart hammering, instincts screaming at him to run. The next, Aiva had lifted her hand, fingers curling in a way that almost looked lazy.
And then…
Nothing.
No impact. No struggle. No transition.
Just... This.
He blinked hard, forcing clarity back into his eyes.
He was sitting.
No, not sitting.
Bound.
Rough rope dug into his wrists, looped tight against the wooden arms of a chair that definitely hadn't been there before. His ankles were secured too, legs locked in place. The fibers looked ordinary at first glance, coarse and beige, but something about them felt… wrong.
Too tight. Too still.
He flexed his fingers instinctively.
Nothing.
The rope didn't even creak.
A flicker of unease crawled up his spine.
That's… not normal.
Across from him, chaos.
"Well, this is bad. This is really, really bad. Oh my God, we're so screwed. We are actually screwed."
The Asian girl in the pink pajamas paced back and forth like a live wire, hands clutching at her hair as she muttered under her breath. Her movements were sharp, restless, like she couldn't physically contain the panic buzzing through her body.
"This wasn't supposed to happen. No one is supposed to get in here. How did he even get in here? I locked the door. I know I locked the door."
She spun on her heel, pointing accusingly at the shelves behind Adam as if they had personally betrayed her.
"If she finds out about this, I'm dead. No, actually dead. Not metaphorically. She's going to kill me."
Aiva, meanwhile, was laughing.
Not just chuckling.
Laughing.
Like she had just witnessed the funniest thing of her life.
"Oh my God, Chloe, breathe," she managed between bursts of laughter, one hand pressed against her stomach as she leaned slightly against a nearby table for support. "You're acting like we just summoned a demon or something."
"We basically did!" Chloe snapped, gesturing wildly at Adam. "I mean just look at him. He's not supposed to be here!"
Adam blinked again, slower this time.
Chloe… So that's her name.
His gaze shifted between the two of them, trying to piece together the situation while his heart slowly started picking up speed again.
Aiva looked… normal.
Too normal.
Zebra-striped pyjamas, loose crop top exposing a sliver of her midriff, baggy leggings pooling slightly at her ankles. Her hair fell effortlessly around her shoulders, slightly tousled like she had just woken up, and yet somehow still perfectly framing her face.
She looked like someone who should be gossiping over snacks at a sleepover.
Not… this.
Not whatever this was.
Chloe, on the other hand, was still spiraling.
"This is not funny, Aiva. This is actually serious. Like, expulsion serious. Worse than expulsion serious. You don't understand."
Aiva wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, finally calming down, though a grin still tugged at her lips.
"No, I get it," she said lightly. "I just think you're overreacting."
"Overreacting?" Chloe stared at her like she had just lost her mind. "We have a non-mage tied to a chair in a restricted magical facility. How is that overreacting?"
Aiva tilted her head slightly, glancing at Adam.
Then she smiled.
Easy. Playful. Familiar.
The same smile he'd seen a hundred times before.
"Because," she said, almost sing-song, "it's an easy fix."
Adam's stomach dropped.
The fuck she means an easy fix?
He leaned forward slightly, the ropes biting into his wrists as his confusion finally spilled over.
"Okay, hold on," he cut in, voice tight, controlled, but laced with something sharper underneath. "What the hell is going on? How am I suddenly tied to a chair, and why are ya'll acting like this is normal?"
His eyes locked onto Aiva.
"And why are you here?"
For a moment, something flickered behind her expression.
Not guilt.
Not quite.
But acknowledgment.
"Yeah…" she murmured, straightening up. "I guess I owe you an explanation."
"You don't owe him anything," Chloe snapped immediately.
Aiva waved her off casually. "Relax. He's already seen too much."
"That's exactly why—"
"It's fine, Chloe."
There was a softness in her tone, but also something firm beneath it. Final.
Chloe muttered something in a language that sounded Korean to Adam, clearly annoyed, but didn't argue further. Instead, she crossed her arms, shooting Adam a glare that promised he was still very much not out of danger.
Aiva turned back to him.
"Alright," she said, clasping her hands behind her back as she took a few slow steps around him, almost like she was deciding how to phrase it. "So… you know how this school has werewolves?"
Adam's jaw tightened slightly.
"…Yeah."
"Cool," she nodded. "So, same concept. Different category."
She gestured around the room.
"There are mages here too."
Silence.
Adam stared at her.
…What?
Aiva continued like she hadn't just casually dropped something insane.
"Not a lot, though. We're pretty rare. There's like… two in third year, but they're basically ghosts right now because of finals and graduations. I'm in second year, obviously."
She tapped her chest with a small, almost proud smile.
"And Chloe's in first year."
Chloe gave a small, stiff nod, still watching Adam like he might explode at any second.
"And then there are a few in middle school," Aiva added. "Unawakened, though. They don't even know what they are yet. We just… keep an eye on them."
Adam's brain struggled to keep up.
Okay for a minute i thought she knew my secret. But this... mages… middle schoolers who don't even know…
He swallowed.
"…Okay," he said slowly. "And this place?"
Aiva's smile widened as she turned, spreading her arms out.
"Welcome," she said, almost theatrically, "to the school within the school."
Adam followed her gesture.
And for the first time since waking up tied to a chair, he really looked.
The room was massive.
Not just big.
Massive.
The kind of space that shouldn't logically exist beneath a library.
The ceiling stretched high above, dimly lit by soft, ambient lights that seemed to glow from no visible source. Shadows danced along the edges of the walls, giving the entire place a surreal, almost dreamlike atmosphere.
To the left, an entire wall was lined with shelves, packed with books of varying sizes and ages. Some looked ancient, their spines cracked and faded. Others were newer, neatly arranged, labeled in ways Adam couldn't fully make out from where he sat.
But the rest of the room…
It felt like a sandbox.
A controlled chaos of tools and training equipment.
Wooden dummies stood in scattered clusters, some charred, others split clean down the middle. A section of the floor was scorched black, like something had repeatedly detonated there.
Tables were cluttered with strange objects, glass containers filled with powders and liquids, chalkboards covered in diagrams and symbols that twisted and curved in ways that made his eyes hurt if he stared too long.
There was even a crafting area.
Stacks of carved wood, half-finished staffs, tools laid out with careful precision. Some of the staffs looked crude, others polished, etched with intricate designs that almost seemed to hum if you looked at them long enough.
It was chaotic but intentional.
Lived in and used.
Adam exhaled slowly.
"…This is insane."
Aiva grinned.
"Right? It's pretty cool."
She turned back to him, rocking slightly on her heels.
"The professor teaches us here. Magic basics, theory, control, all that stuff. Lumen, Lattice, output regulation, beginner spells. You know, the foundation."
She paused, then added with a playful tilt of her head,
"Some of us just happen to be better at it than others."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "She means herself."
Aiva beamed. "I do."
Then she pointed at Chloe.
"But she's good too. Like, really good. Don't let the panic fool you."
Chloe huffed, looking away.
Adam let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
Ah shit this is real.
Magic.
Actual magic.
And Aiva…
She's part of it.
Aiva clapped her hands together lightly.
"So," she said, tone shifting just a little, "now that you're all caught up…"
Adam tensed.
"…there's a small problem."
His stomach tightened.
"What problem?"
Aiva's smile softened, almost apologetic.
"So... This place is kinda top secret," she said. "Like, top secret. You don't come down here unless the professor personally invites you."
She paused as if she expected Adam to complete the sentence.
"And since you weren't invited…"
Chloe leaned in slightly. "…we're kind of not allowed to just let you walk out."
The words settled heavily in the air.
Adam's pulse spiked.
"…What does that mean?"
Chloe didn't hesitate. "We should kill him."
Adam's eyes widened. "What?!"
Aiva burst out laughing again.
"Okay, no. We're not killing him."
Chloe frowned. "Why not? It's efficient."
"It's also illegal," Aiva shot back, still smiling. "And unnecessary."
She turned, pointing toward one of the shelves.
"Go grab the spell book. The one with the memory wipe."
Adam froze.
Did she just say memory… wipe?
Something clicked.
Hard.
His gaze snapped back to Aiva as Chloe walked off.
"Wait," he said, voice sharper now. "That… that memory wipe thing."
Aiva glanced at him.
"Yeah?"
His eyes narrowed.
"…Was that you?"
He paused a beat.
"Morris," he added, more accusatory now. "Was that you?"
Aiva blinked.
Then her expression shifted. Not defensive.
Just… surprised.
"No," she said quickly. "That wasn't me."
Adam didn't look convinced.
"Then who—"
"The professor, probably," she cut in. "If his memory got wiped, it wasn't by me."
Adam leaned forward as much as the ropes allowed.
"Who is this professor?"
Aiva hesitated just for a second. "…I'm not allowed to say."
Before Adam could press further, Chloe returned, holding a thick, worn book.
"Found it."
Aiva took it, flipping through the pages with practiced ease.
"Let's see… where was it again…"
She hummed to herself, clearly enjoying this far more than she should.
Adam's breathing picked up.
No. No, no, no.
His hands tightened against the restraints, muscles flexing as he tried to break free.
Nothing.
The ropes didn't budge.
Not even a little.
What the hell are these made of?
Aiva stopped flipping.
"Ah, here we go."
She glanced over the page, lips moving slightly as she read. Then she looked up at him.
"Alright," she said brightly. "This won't hurt a bit."
Adam stared at her. "I don't believe you."
She laughed. "That's fair."
She took a step closer.
"If I do this right, you'll just… forget tonight ever happened. To you, it'll be like you went to bed and woke up in the morning. Easy."
Adam's chest tightened. "And if you don't do it right?"
Aiva tilted her head. "…Let's not think about that."
"Yeah, no, let's think about that!" Adam snapped, panic bleeding into his voice now as he pulled harder against the ropes. "Aiva, don't do this. Just—just let me go, I won't say anything, I swear—"
"Sorry," she said softly. "It'd be really awkward tomorrow if I didn't."
She raised her hand.
"Plus, I don't feel like getting in trouble."
The air shifted.
Two faint blue circles began to form around Adam's head, thin lines of glowing glyphs spinning slowly, humming with a low, almost hypnotic energy.
His vision wavered.
No…
Aiva's voice dropped, the tone changing as she began to chant.
"Memoria… laxare… oblivium… retinere…"
The glyphs brightened.
They rotated.
Then split.
Crossing into an X shape around his head.
"…mentis claustra… solvere… lumen… dirigere…"
The hum deepened.
Adam's thoughts began to blur at the edges.
Like sand slipping through his fingers.
"Aiva, wait—"
"…tenebrae… cedant… veritas… recedat…"
Think.
His heart pounded.
Think!
"Aiva, I didn't even tell you why I came down here!"
No response.
The circles shrank.
Closer.
Tighter.
"…animae… vinculum… dissolvere…"
"Aiva!"
"Shut up already!" Chloe snapped.
The world tilted.
Heavy.
Soft.
Like reality itself was turning into a dream.
I'm running out of time.
Adam clenched his teeth.
Then—
"I came here because I want to learn magic!"
The chant stopped.
Silence.
The glyphs flickered.
Aiva froze.
Then—
She laughed.
Not a small laugh.
Not a polite one.
She broke.
"Oh my God—" she doubled over, clutching her stomach, laughter spilling out uncontrollably. "You? Magic? Are you serious right now?"
The circles shattered into fading light.
The pressure lifted.
Adam sucked in a sharp breath, his mind snapping back into place as clarity returned.
"I'm serious," he said quickly, doubling down despite the sweat running down his neck. "I used to… mess around with it as a kid. I just, y'know… stopped. I want to pick it back up."
Aiva wiped a tear from her eye, still smiling as she straightened.
Then she stepped closer. Slow and measured.
Her fingers reached up, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she studied him.
There was something different in her eyes now. A mix of sharp curiosity and amusement.
"Oh yeah?" she murmured.
Her gaze locked onto his.
"Prove it."
She snapped her fingers.
The ropes fell away instantly, slithering off his arms and legs like they had never been there.
Chloe groaned. "You were literally about to finish the spell!"
Adam rubbed his wrists, exhaling shakily as feeling rushed back into his hands.
Okay… okay… good thinking. Now think harder.
He looked up.
Aiva was still watching him. Smiling coyly and waiting.
The room suddenly felt a lot bigger.
A lot quieter.
And somehow…
A lot more dangerous.
Now what?