Morning dawned like any other in Arkwell Academy—but Harvey knew better. The air was too quiet. Too sharp. As if the walls themselves were listening.
He moved through the corridors like a shadow, his steps silent, eyes tracking every face.
Someone had betrayed the Academy. Someone had brought the Executioners in.
And they were still here.
The crystal Celestine gave him had opened more than a trail—it had unraveled a web. House Vandrel's involvement wasn't a surprise. What chilled Harvey was how easily the attackers had bypassed the Academy's defenses.
They had help from the inside.
As he entered the central hall of Class F, the chatter dimmed. Not out of respect. Not yet. But out of instinct—he was no longer the background. No longer invisible.
And they could feel it.
He sat in his usual seat, third row, window-side. The light fell on his desk. His eyes flicked to the left.
Two seats over—Rika Valen. Top of Class F, wind affinity, silver-rank. She was chewing her pen, pretending to read, but her body was tense.
Unnatural.
A week ago, she wouldn't have noticed him walk in. Today, she was watching him from the corner of her eye.
Harvey made a mental note.
---
Later, in the Spell Theory Lab
Instructor Bellar was drawing runes on the arcane board. "Today's subject is the Weaving Principle of Tri-Layered Circuits…"
Harvey barely listened. His [System Scan] ran in silent mode, pinging ambient mana fluctuations across the room.
One student—no mana signature.
Too clean. Suppressed by an artifact?
He glanced discreetly at the boy: Mael Dovrin, transfer student. Recent. Quiet. Too quiet.
Two suspects. Already.
The system flickered quietly in his vision.
> [Mini Quest Updated]
Observation Threshold Passed – 2/5 Suspects Logged.
Progression Unlocked: Optional Interrogation Trigger Available.
He didn't act.
Not yet.
---
That evening, in the abandoned Spellforge
Harvey's secret base wasn't glamorous. Just an old storage room under the east wing, cloaked by residual null-space magic. But it worked.
He lit a rune circle and summoned the crystal again.
Celestine's gift glowed faintly, still laced with residual energy.
He pressed two fingers against it.
"Show me."
The vision swirled.
Three figures in dark robes. One raised a hand, casting a complex sequence of flame runes.
But the face—Harvey paused.
The sequence wasn't standard. It was… modified.
Personalized.
He'd seen it before—in the first timeline. In the duel between instructors.
His stomach turned.
An Arkwell professor?
Before he could dwell on it, a soft sound echoed in the chamber.
He turned instantly, spell ready.
But it was only a knock.
Three taps. Then silence.
Only one person would dare find this place.
"Enter," Harvey said.
The door creaked open.
Celestine stepped inside, wearing a midnight cloak and gloves glowing with active runes.
She raised an eyebrow. "Tense?"
Harvey said nothing.
She walked over and placed something on the table. A sealed document.
"What's this?"
"An invitation. House Karsain is holding a private gathering this weekend. Just students. Twelve invitees. Political bait."
He looked at her. "Why include me?"
"Because I want to see who reacts."
He stared at the envelope.
"Twelve students. The Twelve Great Houses," he muttered. "You're setting a trap."
"A silent one," she said. "If they try anything… we'll know."
Harvey looked at the list inside. Every name was powerful. Strategic.
And dangerous.
One name stood out.
Zaine Vandrel.
The heir of the house that sent assassins after him.
He looked at Celestine, eyes cold.
"Then let's start the hunt."
---