DON'T READ, SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN UPLOADED THIS TIME
The morning after their infiltration, dawn came with a whisper rather than a blaze. The first streaks of light bled through the academy's misted windows, illuminating a campus that had grown unnervingly silent. The storm that had raged beneath the surface — the secret tests, the tampered dungeon, the lies — all simmered quietly now, waiting for ignition.
Arios didn't sleep.
He sat by the dorm window, back straight, eyes focused on the horizon. His uniform jacket lay draped over the chair, untouched. The crystal archive from last night's discovery glimmered faintly on the desk — a sliver of truth wrapped in silence.
He replayed Garron's words in his mind.
You think you can change the system by exposing me? Foolish boy. The system made me.
The voice wouldn't leave. It echoed like a phantom, stitched into the corners of his thoughts.
A soft knock broke through his reflection.
