The campus festival was in full swing by Friday evening. Food stalls lined the main courtyard, string lights hung between trees, and a local band played on a small stage near the fountain. Students crowded everywhere, laughing, eating, and taking pictures.Kael wasn't much for crowds, but Marcus had dragged him out."Come on, man. You can't just train and fight all the time," Marcus said, walking backward through the crowd. "Live a little.""I'm here, aren't I?""Barely. You look like you're planning an escape route."Kael shrugged. He actually was scanning exits, but that was just a habit.They stopped at a taco stand. Marcus ordered three, Kael got one. They found a spot under a tree, away from the thickest part of the crowd."Did you see Emma earlier?" Marcus asked between bites."No. Why?""She was asking about you."Kael raised an eyebrow. "What about?""I don't know, man. Girl stuff. If you were coming tonight. If you were seeing anyone." Marcus grinned. "I think she likes you."

Dorian led Kael through the city, away from the campus and into older neighborhoods Kael had never explored. The buildings here were different. Crumbling brick, faded signs, narrow alleyways that seemed to twist in on themselves.They stopped in front of an abandoned warehouse. Rusted metal doors, broken windows, graffiti covering the walls. It looked like every other forgotten building in this part of town."This is it?" Kael asked."Looks can be deceiving." Dorian walked to the side entrance and knocked three times on a metal panel. "Remember that lesson. It'll keep you alive."The panel slid open. A pair of eyes stared out, looked at Dorian, then at Kael."New blood?" a gruff voice asked."He's with me," Dorian said.The panel closed. A moment later, the door opened.Inside was nothing like Kael expected. The warehouse exterior was a shell. Beyond the entrance, stone steps led downward into the earth. Torches lined the walls, casting flickering shadows. The air smelled of smoke and

Kael woke up drenched in sweat.The dreams were getting worse. Every night, the same images. A battlefield covered in bodies. A sky bleeding red. And a voice calling his name, distant and desperate.He sat up, breathing hard. His alarm clock read 3:47 AM.Sleep wasn't coming back.He got dressed and headed to the campus gym. It was the only place open this early, and the repetitive motion of hitting bags helped clear his head.The gym was empty except for one other person. Lyra.She looked up from the treadmill when he entered. "Couldn't sleep either?""Something like that," Kael said."The dreams?"He stopped. "How did you know?""Everyone who enters the Crucible gets them eventually." Lyra slowed the treadmill to a walk. "Something about that place, it wakes things up inside you. Things that were meant to stay buried."Kael moved to the heavy bag and started wrapping his hands. "Dorian said I have a legacy. A bloodline. You know anything about that?""Only rumors. The old families,

Kael spent three days recovering in a safe house Dorian had arranged.It wasn't much. A rundown apartment in the warehouse district, barely furnished, with windows that didn't close properly. But it was hidden, and that was all that mattered.His ribs hurt with every breath. His ankle was swollen. The burn marks from Valtor's attack still covered his chest.But he was alive.Dorian visited every day, bringing food and medical supplies. He didn't say much. Just checked Kael's injuries, made sure he was healing, and left.On the fourth day, Dorian brought someone else."Kael, this is Mira," Dorian said, gesturing to the woman behind him.She was small, maybe five foot four, with dark hair cut short and sharp brown eyes that seemed to take in everything at once. She wore a leather jacket and carried herself like someone who'd seen too many fights."You're the Draven kid," Mira said. It wasn't a question."That's me," Kael replied.She looked him over, unimpressed. "You don't look like mu

The meeting place was an old theater on the east side of the city.Mira and Kael approached on foot, keeping to the shadows. The building looked abandoned from the outside, but Kael could see figures moving past the windows on the upper floors."Stay close," Mira whispered. "And let me do the talking."They entered through a side door. Inside, the theater had been converted into something else entirely. The seats were gone, replaced by tables and equipment. At least thirty people filled the space, clustered in small groups, talking in low voices.Kael recognized some of the symbols on their clothing. Covenant. Order. Even a few Veil Walkers."They're all here," he whispered."That's the point. Neutral ground. Nobody fights during these meetings. It's the only time they cooperate." Mira guided him toward the back. "Just observe. Learn what you can."They found a spot near the wall. Kael watched the crowd, trying to pick up on conversations. Most of it was coded language he didn't under