Evelyn leaned back slightly, her fingers tapping lightly against the desk, the quiet rhythm filling the space between us. The candlelight flickered in her amber eyes, sharp and assessing, yet unmistakably warm.
For a moment, I almost forgot why I was here.
Almost.
Then, she sighed. "You're certain about this?"
I tilted my head slightly. "Would it change anything if I wasn't?"
Her lips curved, though there was something just barely unreadable behind her expression. "No," she admitted. "I suppose it wouldn't."
I exhaled slowly, my fingers brushing against the pendant once more before letting it fall back against my collarbone. The warmth of it lingered, a steady, quiet pulse against my skin.
Evelyn's gaze flickered toward the necklace once more before she spoke.
"It will protect you," she murmured, almost too soft for me to hear.
I blinked. "You never told me that before."
"I didn't need to." She studied me, her voice calm. "But now… things have changed."
The weight of her words settled in my chest, heavier than I expected.
She had known.
She had always known.
Not just about me, but about the way things would unfold.
Not everything, of course.
But enough.
"How long?" I asked quietly.
Evelyn didn't pretend not to understand.
She tilted her head, considering. "Since the first time I saw you wield fire magic," she finally said. "I knew it then."
I frowned slightly. "That was months ago."
"It was."
I could only stare at her.
Evelyn Sinclair had always been an enigma. A professor, yes. A strict but fair mentor. But more than that—a woman who knew things.
And now, as I stood in her dimly lit office, a war raging beyond the academy walls, I realized something else.
She had been watching over me.
For a while.
Maybe longer than I had even known.
I didn't know how to feel about that.
But I didn't have time to dwell on it either.
"Do you trust me?" she asked suddenly.
I blinked. "What?"
Amber eyes met mine, steady and unwavering. "Do you trust me, Sera?"
It was a simple question.
And yet, somehow, it felt dangerous.
I could hear Chloe's voice whispering in the back of my mind.
'Careful.'
But I already knew my answer.
"I do," I said.
Evelyn smiled, something faint but undeniably real.
"Then take this."
She reached into one of the drawers of her desk, pulling out a small, delicate vial.
The liquid inside glowed faintly, an amber-gold color, shifting under the light as though it were alive.
I stared at it.
"Drink this before you leave the academy," she instructed. "It won't last forever, but it will buy you time."
I hesitated. "What is it?"
"Something to keep them from finding you too quickly," she said simply.
I exhaled slowly. "You really do know more than you let on, don't you?"
Evelyn chuckled softly. "That would ruin the fun, wouldn't it?"
I took the vial.
And for the first time, I realized—
Whatever we were about to walk into, whatever we were about to face—
She wasn't coming with us.
I could see it in her expression.
This was as far as she would go.
At least, for now.
I clenched the vial tightly in my hand, swallowing down the frustration burning in my chest.
She wasn't going to stop me.
But she wasn't going to fight this war by my side, either.
Not yet.
Not the way I wanted her to.
Still—
I nodded once, accepting what I couldn't change.
"Thank you, Evelyn."
She tilted her head slightly, watching me with that same unreadable expression.
"Be careful, Sera."
I turned to leave, but before I reached the door, I heard her speak one last time.
"And remember," she murmured, voice low, almost like a warning.
"They are already watching you."
The candlelight flickered—
And the room felt colder.
Somehow, I felt as if Evelyn and I were similar in some way.
I pushed open the door and stepped back into the dimly lit hallway, the weight of Evelyn's words still settling deep in my chest.
The others were waiting.
Camille leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, her posture casual, but her ice-blue eyes sharp and unreadable. Tessa stood beside her, fingers tapping against the hilt of her sword in an absent rhythm, not impatient, but alert. Claire, on the other hand, was pacing—restless.
The moment she saw me, she stopped mid-step. "Finally."
Tessa arched a brow. "Took your time, didn't you?"
"I had things to discuss," I said smoothly, walking past them.
Claire narrowed her eyes, studying me. "Right. Discuss. With Evelyn Sinclair. Alone. For that long."
I sighed. "Not now, Claire."
"Should I be jealous?" she continued, clearly enjoying herself.
Camille shot her a flat look. "Stop messing around. What did she tell you?"
I took a slow breath, my fingers brushing against the pendant at my neck. Evelyn's last words echoed in my mind.
They are already watching you.
"Not here," I said. "We talk outside."
The others didn't question it.
We moved quickly, slipping through the dim corridors, each of us falling into a practiced silence. The academy had always been quiet at night, but now?
Now, the silence felt heavier.
Not the stillness of an empty hall.
But the kind of quiet that warned of listening ears.
Camille must have felt it too, because I caught the flicker of her magic at her fingertips, cold and sharp, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Tessa muttered something under her breath, keeping her hand near her sword. "Feels like we're being watched."
"We are," I murmured. "Keep moving."
By the time we reached the courtyard, the night air hit my skin like a cold whisper, the scent of rain lingering in the distance.
A storm was coming.
Not the kind that brought thunder and lightning.
The kind that brought war.
Once we were a safe distance from the academy, I finally spoke. "We don't have much time. They're already aware we're looking into this."
Camille gave a slow nod, her expression unreadable. "The Headmaster?"
"Evelyn didn't confirm anything," I admitted, "but she didn't deny it either."
Tessa exhaled through her nose, shaking her head. "Of course he's involved."
Claire ran a hand through her hair, shifting her weight. "Alright, so what's the plan? Because I know for a fact you didn't just bring us out here for fresh air."
I turned toward them, voice calm. "We leave tonight."
Camille nodded once, already understanding. "I'll get what we need."
Tessa smirked slightly, but there was no humor in it. "And here I thought I'd get some rest for once."
Claire exhaled sharply, rolling her shoulders as if shaking off hesitation. "Well. War campaign it is."
I turned toward the academy one last time, looking up at the looming towers, the darkened windows, the place that had been my home and my cage all at once.
We weren't coming back the same.
None of us were.
"Let's go."
And just like that—
We disappeared into the night.
Or at least, we would have.
Because the moment I took the first step forward, a familiar, persistent voice echoed through my mind.
'Before that, change back! I'm tired of being stuck in your head!'
I paused.
A slow smirk curled at my lips, though I made sure none of the others noticed.
'Hmm… fine. I've had my fun.'
Chloe let out a dramatic sigh of relief, as if she had just been released from a prison.
'I swear, if I had to sit through one more of your smug little mind games, I was going to—'
'What? Complain at me some more?'
Silence.
Then, a muttered, 'I hate you.'
I chuckled under my breath.
And then, I let go.
The shift was immediate. Like stepping through a door that hadn't been there a second ago. Like exhaling after holding my breath for far too long.
My body was mine again.
I sucked in a sharp breath as my vision blurred for a split second, my balance shifting, adjusting to the familiar—**and yet somehow unfamiliar—**feeling of being back in control. My fingers twitched slightly at my sides, my senses sharpening to the cool night air pressing against my skin.
I rolled my shoulders, shaking off the lingering echo of her presence.
She was still there.
Not fully, but enough.
A trace of laughter at the back of my mind, a whisper of something sharp and knowing.
I pushed it away.
Camille's voice cut through the quiet. "You alright?"
I turned to her, my expression smoothing into something neutral. "Fine." My voice came out steady—almost.
Not enough for them to notice.
But I noticed.
The way it lingered differently in my throat, the way my pulse still thrummed with an odd energy that hadn't quite faded.
Tessa stretched her arms above her head, cracking her neck. "Alright, then. Let's move. The longer we stand around, the more likely someone will realize we're up to something."
Claire exhaled dramatically. "We're really doing this, huh?"
Camille's lips curved ever so slightly. "You were expecting otherwise?"
Claire scoffed but didn't argue.
I took one last look at the academy.
The looming towers, the cold stone walls, the dim lanterns that lined the pathways. The place where I had been dropped into this world. Where I had tried, desperately, to stay out of the plot.
And failed.
Because now?
Now I wasn't just caught in it.
I was rewriting it.
"Let's go," I murmured.
And as we stepped forward into the darkness, I could still feel it.
That lingering presence beneath my skin.
A memory. A mark.
Something that wouldn't quite fade.
I clenched my jaw and kept walking.
Because whatever came next—
I would face it on my own terms.