Arin had never felt so acutely aware of everything around him. Each step he took resonated in his mind like a loud drumbeat, bouncing off the cold marble walls of the dormitory hallway.
Ever since he stumbled upon the ransacked room and the Flameblood list, the eerie silence felt dangerously like a trap one that waited patiently for him to slip up. Varik hadn't shown up since that fateful night, and Lyra had grown quiet, too. She remained close by, always vigilant, her eyes scanning the shadows as if she were anticipating something or someone to emerge from the darkness. Arin couldn't help but admire her strength; it anchored him during moments when he wanted to drown in questions that had no answers. Yet one undeniable truth nagged at him: Someone was aware of the Flamebloods. And they didn't just want to know more; they were intent on snuffing out the threat before it had a chance to rise.
Meanwhile, back in Professor Kale's class, everything seemed to settle back into a routine at least on the surface. Today, they were going over the laws of elemental bonding, a tedious but essential topic before diving into spellfusion. However, Arin could hardly focus on the lecture. His attention drifted to the back of the room, where a student he didn't recognize sat near the window. That wasn't unusual Emerald Crest had a sea of students. But this boy's gaze was fixed on him. Not subtle, but direct. He had sharp features, pale gray eyes, and a silver earring shaped like a dagger. Every time Arin moved, the stranger's eyes followed, as if he were examining him. When class ended, Arin got up to leave, but the boy was gone. No footsteps, no sign of movement. He had simply vanished.
"Did you see that guy?" Arin asked Lyra as they stepped into the courtyard. "The one with gray eyes? Yeah," she replied, her voice tight. "He didn't blink once. Super creepy." "You know him?" Arin inquired. "No. But his vibe was... off. Too calm, like someone trained to conceal something." They paused at the edge of the Fountain of Aether a peaceful spot where students usually gathered to study or meditate. The wind was cool, brushing against their cloaks, but neither felt at ease.
Then, Lyra said something that caught Arin off-guard. "There's a file room in the west wing of the library. It's off-limits to first-years, but I've been there before." Arin raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Why?" "I was digging into my father's past. He died under mysterious circumstances." Her voice wavered slightly, but she quickly steadied herself. "Back then, I discovered something pages on Flameblood research. Experimental notes. Suppressed by the Council."
"Do you think the Academy is hiding something about us?" Arin asked, curiosity flashing in his eyes. Lyra's face grew serious, shadows flickering across her features. "Not just hiding. I believe they're watching us especially those of us with unusual traits. Particularly those linked to bloodline anomalies."
Arin instinctively ran his fingers over his forearm, where the strange sigil had materialized weeks earlier the one that haunted his dreams and sometimes flickered to life when danger lurked nearby. "Then we have to get into that file room," he murmured. Lyra nodded firmly. "Tonight."
Under the cover of enchanted silence charms borrowed from Lyra's older sister, they slipped through the narrow, winding passages behind the main library that night. The west wing felt colder older as if it were a forgotten corner of the Academy, untouched by time. Carved stone gargoyles perched in the upper corners of the hallway, and even though their eyes were hollow, Arin had the unnerving sensation that someone or something was keeping an eye on them.
They arrived at a heavy wooden door. Lyra inserted a small crystal shard into the lock and whispered a word in Aetherian, causing the door to click open with a soft sound. Inside, the air was thick with dust and the musty scent of ancient parchment. Tall shelves reached up to the ceiling, overflowing with records, scrolls, and lost knowledge.
"Start over there," Lyra pointed to a stack labeled Classified: Bloodline Research. Arin began to flip through the fragile pages, and a few phrases jumped out at him:
Subject 17 – Flameblood Reaction to Astral Flame triggers volatile resonance... Warning: Direct exposure to Whispering Void increases aggression, hallucinations... Case log: Incident at Arendale entire village incinerated. Survivor marked with sigil.
Arin froze, his heart racing. Arendale was his hometown. But the memories were a blur, only waking up in the care of foster parents after a fire took his family. His hands trembled as he turned to the next page. There it was a drawing. A swirling, crimson sigil shaped like a phoenix's eye. Just like the one on his forearm.
Before he could read further, a voice sliced through the silence. "I wondered when you'd start digging." They spun around. The silver-eyed stranger from earlier stood in the doorway, now draped in a black coat marked with a serpent crest.
Lyra stiffened. "Aegis Watch? I thought that organization was gone."
"Oh, it's very much alive," Calen replied smoothly. "We deal with... anomalies. Flamebloods. Void-touched. Runeborn. We study them. Guide them. Or eliminate them if the situation calls for it."
Arin's heart raced. "Why are you watching me?"
"Because your sigil is active. That makes you a target not just for us, but for others as well. You don't fully grasp what you are, Arin." He pulled out a small metal box and tossed it onto the floor. A shimmering projection sprang to life images of charred villages, arcane rifts, and creatures unlike any Arin had ever encountered. "These are the results of unstable Flamebloods," Calen explained.
Arin gasped, his breath catching in his throat. "Your kind must either learn control... or lose everything."
"What do you want from me?" Arin asked, trying to mask his fear.
Calen's gaze was icy. "Come with me. I'll help you understand what's stirring inside you. Or you can stay here and wait for the next assault because make no mistake, others are already aware of what you are."
Arin glanced at Lyra. She didn't respond her eyes conveyed all her doubts. He turned back to Calen. "I'm not going with you."
Calen sighed as if he had anticipated the refusal. "Very well. But I won't be far. When the flames come and they will don't say I didn't offer you a way out." With that, he turned and vanished into a shadow that shouldn't have existed in the lantern-lit room.
Later that night, back in his dorm, Arin found sleep elusive. The sigil on his arm pulsed faintly. He realized he was no longer just a first-year student trying to keep up with classes. He was marked. Hunted. And somehow connected to an ancient force potent enough to annihilate villages.
Opening his journal, he scribbled a single line: If this is the truth of what I am, I'll uncover it before they do or die trying. Outside, in the shadows, a pair of silver eyes blinked once… then vanished.