Author's POV Rune would have stayed there longer, but he began to hear them moving around. He knew that Aeris would come out soon and the last thing he needed was to be caught. He held his breath for a moment and waited, listening again, “What do you mean?” He heard Aeris ask. He would have waited a while more but then footsteps began to approach the door. Rune quickly rushed away, as fast as he could, to hide behind a pillar. Once he was safe there, he rested against the wall and waited. The door opened, footsteps moved farther away, and then silence. He knew he was alone again. He leaned forward to check and he was right. Once it was clear, he rushed back to the dining hall so that Aeris didn't get there before him. They didn't pay too much attention to him when he took a seat again. It was almost as if they hadn't even noticed that he was gone. Rune was grateful for that. When he slid back in his chair, he looked up and met Zayan's eyes. Zayan didn't say a word, but Rune could

Rune’s POVI slowly opened my eyes, and the overwhelmingly bright light around me felt like a thousand knives stabbing into my brain, causing me to wince in pain.Everything was hazy, and my head stayed pounding like crazy. I blinked, forcing my eyes to adjust to my surroundings. It was bright, almost too bright. I placed a hand over my eyes, trying to shield them from the blinding lights.A jolt of pain shot up my arms, and I noticed for the first time just how much everything seemed to hurt.I tried to remember what had happened, but my memories seemed to be shrouded in a thick fog. I vaguely recalled a training session, but the details were sketchy. I carefully sat up, my eyes scanning my surroundings. I was in a brightly lit room, with cold, grey walls that seemed to close in on me.I stretched out a hand when my body threatened to lose its balance, letting the wall hold some of my weight as I battled to remain on my feet.My body was hurting in places I didn’t know could hurt, th

Author’s POVAeris took center stage in the room, his hand spread out as he addressed them collectively, “The last couple of days have been scary for all of us,” he paused, looking around as if to make sure he still had all their attention. Satisfied, he continued, “I know what it feels like to be on the brink of losing someone.”This wasn’t some random pep talk, you could tell it was personal from how tight his voice grew when he spoke and the small pauses he took as if to collect himself.“But the enemy we are to face doesn’t sleep or take rest, and time isn’t on our side either.” He let his hands drop to his side, the noise echoing around the room momentarily, “As much as I want you to put in your best efforts, you cannot, under any circumstance, push harder than you can manage.”Zayan snickered, nudging the edge of a chair until it scraped loudly against the floor, drawing everyone's attention to him, a grin plastered on his face.He looked surprised at first when he noticed the at

Author’s POVAeris’s office was small, with boxes littered in almost every corner. The smell of old books seemed permanently suspended in the air, and brown pages of books tainted by age stuck out of almost every box.It was a wonder how anyone managed to keep up with anything in here. But somehow, you could tell Aeris did, effortlessly even. He moved around with ease, reaching for things blindly, like he could pin point the location of anything blindfolded.Rune let his gaze sweep through the entirety of the room, taking in everything as he walked towards the large brown table placed in the center, different files covering a large percentage of its surface.“Please, do make yourself comfortable,” Aeris said, his hands gesturing towards the leather chair opposite him.He collapsed into his chair, letting out a loud sigh of relief, his eyes pressed shut momentarily.Rune sat still, unsure what any of this was about but patient enough to give the man time to comport himself.When Aeris

Aeris’s POVThe silence that plagued the room seemed suffocating, a physical weight that pressed down on me like an unseen hand. It seemed to have a presence all its own, an unusual absence of sound that was almost deafening.I sat behind my desk still, my eyes fixed on some invisible point on the wall as I tried to escape the crushing emptiness that had been following me for weeks.Lost in thoughts, my hand moved of its own accord, reaching blindly under the desk for the familiar shape of the bottle that sat there. My fingers closed around the cool glass, and I pulled it out with a quiet clink.The amber liquid glowed in the dim light of the office as I stared at it, my one source of temporary relief from the weight of my thoughts.I poured a generous measure into the cup that sat on my desk, the liquid flowing smoothly into the glass with a soft gurgle.Once content with the quantity, I raised the cup to my lips, taking hurried gulps as if trying to drown my sorrows in a haste. The