The cafeteria buzzed like it always did trays clattering, voices rising over each other, the smell of fresh bread mixing with roasted meat.
Sunlight cut through the tall windows in bright strips, painting everything gold.
Lily barely noticed. She sat with her fork hovering over her plate, moving lettuce around without actually eating.
Kind of.
That one word kept looping in her head. The way Kael had said it so casually, like it didn't matter. Like it was nothing.
Like she was nothing.
He likes her. He actually said it.
Her chest felt tight, like someone was squeezing her ribs from the inside. She couldn't name what it was jealousy, anger, something uglier she didn't want to examine. Just the ache. Sharp and constant.
She took a breath. It didn't help.
"Earth to Lily!" Finn waved his hand in front of her face, grin wide. "Are you still with us? Or did Aldric's lecture finally bore you into a coma?"
Aeron laughed from across the table, tipping his chair back. "Yeah, you've been staring at that salad like it personally offended you. What's going on?"
Oliver pushed his glasses up, studying her with that analytical look he got sometimes. "Are you okay? You haven't said anything in like ten minutes."
Lily blinked, forcing something that might pass for a smile.
"Nothing. Just tired."
Her voice came out quieter than she meant it to. She could hear it herself the lack of energy, the emptiness where her usual warmth should be.
Finn raised an eyebrow. "Tired? Come on. What's really going on?" His grin turned sly. "Wait. Is this about Kael disappearing again?"
Her heart jumped. Actually jumped, like it forgot how to beat properly for a second. Heat crawled up her neck.
Don't. Don't react. Don't give it away.
"It's nothing," she said, looking down. "Really."
The guys exchanged looks the kind that said they didn't believe her but weren't going to push. Yet. She could feel their concern pressing down on her shoulders.
Aeron leaned forward. "If it's about Aldric's class, I get it. Listening to him drone on about curse classifications for an hour? I almost fell asleep three times. Pretty sure I did fall asleep once."
Oliver nodded, flipping through his notebook. "Though the Special Grade distinctions were interesting. The intelligence scaling, the domain abilities. Imagine actually encountering one."
Finn slammed his fist on the table, making everyone jump. "I'd punch it! Just bam! One hit, curse gone!"
Despite everything, despite the weight in her chest, Lily felt her lips twitch. "You're all idiots."
The word came out softer than usual. But at least it was something.
Finn smiled like she'd given him a prize.
That's when Avelline appeared.
Lily saw her before the others did. She moved through the cafeteria like she owned it smooth, confident, turning heads without trying. Her smile was small but perfect as she stopped at their table.
The knot in Lily's chest tightened.
"Hey everyone." Her voice was light, musical. She tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "Has Kael come for lunch yet?"
The table went silent.
Finn's grin froze. Aeron's chair dropped back onto all four legs with a thunk. Oliver suddenly found his book fascinating.
Lily stared at her plate, jaw so tight her teeth hurt. Something dark twisted in her stomach hot and ugly and unfamiliar. She couldn't look at Avelline. Couldn't speak.
Finn recovered first, scratching the back of his neck. "Uh, no actually. Professor William grabbed him after class. Haven't seen him since."
Avelline's smile dimmed just a fraction. "Oh." A pause. "He promised we'd have lunch together."
Promised.
The word hit Lily like a physical thing. The cafeteria noise suddenly felt too loud voices overlapping, laughter grating, dishes clattering like small explosions.
How long has this been going on? Why didn't he tell me?
Aeron cleared his throat. "Well, uh... you could sit with us if you want? There's room."
Avelline laughed lightly. "That's sweet, but I'll pass. Just let Kael know I stopped by, okay?"
She turned and walked away, leaving silence in her wake.
"Bitch," Lily muttered under her breath.
The word slipped out before she could stop it. Low and bitter. It tasted wrong harsh and ugly.
Aeron's head snapped toward her. "Whoa. Lily, are you good? That didn't sound like you at all."
Heat rushed to her face. "I'm fine. Really."
I'm not fine. Nothing's fine. He promised her lunch. Was I just imagining everything between us?
Her hands were shaking slightly. She pressed them flat against the table.
Finn jumped in. "Hey, don't stress about it! Kael's just... Kael, you know? Dense as a brick sometimes. He probably doesn't even realize."
"It's fine," Lily cut him off. She took a breath, tried again softer. "Really. I'm fine."
Oliver nodded slowly, clearly not convinced. "Avelline seems nice, but you're the one who's always been there for him. That has to count for something." He gestured at her untouched food. "Your salad's wilting faster than you are. Eat something."
Aeron grinned. "Or we could plan revenge. Swap Kael's food with something super spicy. Make him regret everything."
Despite herself, Lily smiled. "You guys are terrible." She reached for her water glass. "But thanks."
The liquid was halfway down her throat when it happened.
The temperature dropped.
Not gradually. Like someone had ripped open a door to winter in the middle of summer. Lily's breath caught. The cold bit into her skin.
A wave of darkness rolled across the cafeteria, spreading outward from nowhere and everywhere at once. It moved too fast, too purposefully. Shadows lengthened, stretching across tables and walls and faces, moving independently.
The lights flickered once. Twice. Dimmed to almost nothing.
Conversations cut off mid-word. Trays clattered. Someone's glass shattered on the floor.
Lily's heart hammered. The water glass slipped from her fingers, hitting the table with a dull thunk.
"What the hell?" Oliver was on his feet, chair scraping back. His eyes scanned the room, wide. "Something's wrong. Really wrong."
Finn moved to the window. His face went pale. "Uh... guys?"
They rushed over.
The sky was black.
Not clouds. Not a storm. Just darkness. Thick and solid, pressing down on the academy from above, swallowing sunlight. The air felt heavy and like the weight before an earthquake.
Lily pressed her palms against the cold glass.
This can't be real.
The cafeteria erupted around them. Students shouting, pushing toward exits, panic spreading. Chairs scraped back. Tables overturned. Someone was crying.
"What's happening?"
"Is this an attack?"
A kid maybe a second-year grabbed Finn's collar, eyes wild. "This is your friend's fault, isn't it? That blank kid who suddenly got strong? He did something!"
"Back off!" Finn shoved him hard enough to make him stumble. "Kael has nothing to do with this!"
Aeron grabbed the guy's arm, pulling him back. "Fighting won't help anything. Just calm down."
The student backed off, muttering, as chaos swirled around them.
Lily pressed her hands to her chest, trying to slow her breathing. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. But her heart wouldn't stop racing.
Her mind went straight to one person.
Kael. Where is he? Is he safe?
Kael ran.
His boots hammered against the floors, echoing in empty hallways. Sweat stuck his shirt to his back. His lungs burned. The air felt thick and cold not temperature cold, but wrong. Like trying to breathe something that wasn't quite air.
William's voice kept playing in his head: Get back to your class. Stay with people. We don't know what's coming.
The shadows were getting darker. Longer. Moving when they shouldn't. Sometimes Kael thought he saw shapes in them.
He told himself it was his imagination.
He didn't believe it.
He rounded a corner and stopped dead.
Aurélien stood in the middle of the hall, hands in his pockets, posture completely relaxed. Like he was waiting for a friend. His blue hair caught what little light remained, silver earring glinting once. His expression was calm.
It made Kael's frustration boil over immediately.
What do you want? The words came out harsh.
Aurélien's expression didn't change. "Nothing."
Kael froze. Wait. I didn't say that out loud. Did I?
His mouth opened. Then closed.
A small smile touched Aurélien's lips. "You didn't."
He's reading my mind. He has to be.
"I'm not," Aurélien said simply.
"Then how?" Kael's fists clenched. "I don't have time for this. My friends are out there, and something's wrong. Something's really wrong."
"I know."
The casual agreement made Kael want to hit his face so bad.
"Then why are you here?" His voice rose.
"Why are you standing here instead of."
"Because I'm curious." Aurélien tilted his head slightly. "What if you're behind this?."
Heat rushed through Kael's veins. "You think I did this? Why the hell would I?"
"I didn't say you did it on purpose."
Aurélien's voice remained maddeningly calm. "Just... think about it."
What the hell does that mean?
The void in his chest stirred.
Professor William burst into the principal's office, nearly slamming the door. He cradled his burned hand against his chest, skin red and blistered.
Principal Elida sat behind his desk, reading. The book had an ancient leather cover, pages yellowed and brittle. He didn't look up when William entered.
Just turned another page.
"Principal!" William's voice cracked. "The academy the darkness covering everything we need to."
"I know."
Elida turned another page.
William stared. "You know?"
"Yes."
Another page turn.
"Then why are you sitting here reading?" William's control was slipping. "We need to call the Wardens. This is beyond anything the academy can handle alone. This is."
"No."
The word was quiet but absolute.
William blinked. "No? No what?"
"No Wardens." Elida finally looked up. He closed the book gently, removed his glasses, folded them with precision. "No one from outside gets involved in this."
"Are you insane?" William took a step forward, wincing. "This darkness isn't natural! It's covering the entire academy. Maybe more. We need help! We need."
"I suspect," Elida said slowly, "that there's a powerful dark energy manifesting here. One I haven't encountered before."
"That's exactly why."
"Which is exactly why we handle it internally." Elida's tone left no room for argument. "The Wardens would cause more problems than they'd solve. They'd panic. Overreact. Turn this academy into a battlefield."
William opened his mouth. Closed it. His throat worked.
"Then what do we do?" His voice came out quieter now. "If we can't call for help, what's the plan?"
Elida leaned back. The leather creaked. He steepled his fingers. "There's only one student I suspect could be connected to this." He paused. "When was the last time Luxian Crown attended classes?"
The name hung in the air.
Deep in the academy's belly, in a room that shouldn't exist on any map, a figure turned a doll over in his hands. The wood was smooth, worn from handling. Strings dangled from its limbs, swaying though there was no breeze.
The walls were lined with books no student should ever read texts bound in strange leather, covered in languages that predated modern script. Candles flickered along the shelves, their flames dancing in patterns that didn't match the still air.
The temperature in the room was cold.
His lips curved into a smile.
"Luxian Crown," he whispered.
The name echoed softly, bouncing off walls. Growing rather than fading.
Something answered.
The candles flickered in unison. The doll's strings moved on their own.