The tournament grounds of Arcadia… Yeah, no, they weren’t anything like the training pits. The air felt different. Heavy, tense. The kind that crawled up your skin and made your stomach twist even if you weren’t the one stepping onto the field. Rows of tiered seating wrapped around the dueling field, climbing higher and higher, crammed full of bodies. Students, professors, alumni who came back just for this show, even outsiders from the city. Everyone wanted to see blood or glory—or both. The field itself was obsidian tile, glowing faintly with pulsing runes. Every tile carried a hum, like the whole floor was alive, waiting to drink in the fights. The academy crest hung above in polished banners, but scattered among the stands were other sigils too. Family crests. Personal emblems. This wasn’t just a school event anymore. It was politics, money, pride, all crammed into one stage. It wasn’t just a tournament. It was a showcase. A test of reputations. The opening bell rang. L

The night after the first round didn’t settle the way the academy hoped it would. They had lit lanterns along the courtyards, hung banners celebrating the victories of “promising duelists,” played music in the dining halls. But the whispers had drowned all of it out.The name people whispered wasn’t Lina’s.It wasn’t Cyrus’ either.It was Kai’s.“Ten seconds.”“Shadow magic—no, not shadow, something else.”“Rafe’s ghost walking.”Kai ignored most of it, walking with his hood pulled up. Lina walked beside him, carrying two meat buns she hadn’t touched yet. She was buzzing with energy after her win, but she kept sneaking glances at him like she was waiting for something to break through that silence of his.The night air smelled of smoke. It was sharp.Kai slowed. His eyes shifted toward the courtyard near the east wing.“Do you smell that?” Lina asked, nose wrinkling.He didn’t answer. He already knew.Someone was waiting.They reached the fountain before she appeared. Valeera.She st

The library always felt colder at night.It wasn't the sharp kind of cold that comes from wind. More like the deep chill that gets into your bones when old stone walls keep too much quiet for too long. Even the corridor torches burned softer here somehow. Their flames leaned sideways like they were listening hard for something.Kai kept walking forward at an even pace. But every sense he had was buzzing with alarm signals. Something wasn't right about this place. The vault’s letter had left a mark on him—not just the words but the way the parchment had nearly hummed in his hands, as if even in death Rafe had found a way to leave behind teeth.If you’re reading this, you’ve already lost once.That line gnawed at him.Beside him, Lina whispered, “This part of the library is closed after dusk. We shouldn’t even be here.”Her voice trembled despite her attempt at calm.Kai glanced at her. "You're the one who said secrets don't stay buried," he said. She didn't argue. Rafe’s shadow hung

The hilt trembled in Kai’s hand, its jagged edge wet with his own blood. His arms felt like lead, every muscle screaming after that final collision. Dust filled the air and caught in his throat, made it difficult to breathe. The arena looked less like a battleground now and more like the ruins of something already lost.Darius was lying on the floor covered in blood looking wild-eyed and staring. The staff in his grip throbbed with a red light that crawled across it like veins. His skin was pale. He was still smiling —hungrier than ever. He appeared less human and more like something that had put on the form of a man.The crowd rose as one. The noise smacked Kai, all at once, a wall of it that hammered in his head. Cheers, gasps, screams — they all began to blur, unable to tell one from another. What they were shouting didn’t matter. What mattered was the truth behind it. They weren’t watching a fight anymore. They were watching him fall apart.The wards shimmered overhead, containi

The storm had loomed all afternoon. Dark waves rolling over the horizon. The pressure had built to some point, each breath warm with the heavy humidity of rain that refused to fall.Without a word! And, with the winner barely acknowledged, Kai exited the arena. His opponent was sprawled unconscious against the stone floor, having been sent down with a single blow that produced neither cheers nor jeers — only silence, as if the crowd didn’t know if it should fear him or doubt him.He didn’t care.Shadow clung like a second skin to his boots, his cloak drawn low over his head. He needed space. The fight had ended clean, but too clean. It felt staged. As though someone had pulled back, waiting for something worse to happen later.And that unease hadn’t left him.Lina trailed after him, her footsteps quick on the stone. “Kai, wait!”He didn’t slow. The corridor curved along the outer wall of the arena, and slits of narrow windows let in the gray light. Rain pattered on the glass — fir