2026-09-06 20:20:05A girl hung from the ceiling. Her lifeless body swayed gently in the draft, her feet dangling several feet above the floor. Blood covered the wall behind her. Written across it in large, uneven letters were three words:
SYMON WARDRETH
The moment I stepped into the hall, every eye turned toward me. I swallowed.
“What have you done?”
Lucifero stepped out from the crowd of students.
“I didn't do anything,” I replied quickly.
“Everyone, back to your classes.”
The High Archmage's voice cut through the murmuring crowd. He was drawn to the commotion.
“Not you, Mr. Wardreth. And Miss Amelia.”
My eyes met Amelia's across the hall. She looked away.
Once the students had cleared out, the High Archmage led us to his office. Several academy staff members were already waiting inside.
The moment I entered, I knew what they were thinking. They didn't have to say it. They had already decided I was involved.
“You better not be involved in this,” the first woman growled.
Penel. I recognized her from Symon's memories. She was the guild master of the Siren Song Guild.
“We are not pointing fingers,” Zudrik said. “Mr. Wardreth is here to confirm something for us.”
He took his seat and motioned for me to step forward.
“It has been brought to my attention that you skipped one of your classes today. Care to tell us where you were?”
I swallowed. I knew I was innocent, yet my heart hammered against my ribs.
“I had to clean myself after the mess I caused during Sir Gregor's class.”
“And who can vouch for you?”
“I don't know.”
I hadn't told anyone I was leaving. Not even Sir Gregor.
“I saw him leave for the bathroom to clean himself,” Amelia said quietly, her head lowered.
Zudrik's eyes narrowed.
“It's wise to defend your friend. It is unwise to lie.”
“I'm not lying.” Amelia lifted her head.
She stood straight now, looking directly at Zudrik.
He studied her for several seconds. “You may return to class.”
I nodded and left the room.
Amelia caught up with me in the corridor.
“Are you okay?”
I stopped. The question caught me off guard. When was the last time someone had asked me that?
“Can I trust you with something?”
[Don't you dare tell her.]
I ignored the voice.
“What is it?” she asked.
“How much do you know about the Twin-Souled?”
“Not much. Why?”
“Because your Symon has his soul merged with mine.”
The words sounded insane even as I said them.
Amelia recoiled slightly. “Are you sure?”
“You don't think I've been acting strange lately?”
She shook her head. “I assumed you were avoiding me.” She hesitated, then added, “Does that mean you're not Symon?”
“I am.” I paused.
“We are the same person. That's what I've gathered so far.”
She stared at me. The confusion on her face slowly gave way to something else. Recognition.
“You really don't remember?”
“Not everything.”
“What do you remember?”
“My life.”
I looked at my hands.
“My parents. My school. My friends. Everything from before I came here.”
“And nothing about this place?”
“I remember pieces. Memories that don't feel like mine, even though I know they're real.”
Amelia was quiet.
“Then the person standing in front of me isn't the Symon I knew.”
“Apparently not.”
She looked toward the office behind us.
“That's why you defended me.”
“What?”
“In there. You didn't know what I'd done. You didn't know what kind of person I was.”
“I know enough.”
“No, you don't.”
Her voice softened. “Symon wouldn't have said that.”
I didn't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment.
“So what was he like?”
She looked at me for a long moment. “Difficult.”
I almost laughed.
“Grey said something similar.”
“Grey?”
“My mana guide.”
She frowned. “Right. The thing inside your core.”
“Something like that.”
She looked back toward the office. “You should be careful.”
“About what?”
“Whoever killed that girl knew your name.”
I glanced toward the corridor.
“And wrote it in blood.”
“Yes.”
“Which makes me look guilty.”
“It makes you look like the target.”
That stopped me.
“The target?”
Amelia nodded. “If they wanted to frame you, they could have simply killed her and left. Writing your name there was deliberate.”
“So someone wants me blamed.”
“Or someone wants you afraid.”
I looked toward the empty hallway. Neither possibility was comforting. A distant bell rang, signaling the end of the period.
Amelia stepped back.
“I should go.”
“Wait.”
She turned.
“The girl who died. Did Symon know her?”
“Yes.”
“How well?”
“She was a student here. That's all I know.”
“Was she his friend?”
“No.”
“Enemy?”
“Not that I know of.”
I frowned.
“Then why her?”
Amelia didn't answer. She looked troubled.
“What?”
“There was something strange about her.”
“What?”
“She was missing something.”
“What was she missing?”
“Her mana.”
I stared at her.
“What do you mean?”
“The High Archmage examined her before we left. Almost all of her mana was gone.”
My stomach tightened.
“Someone drained it?”
“We don't know.”
I looked down the corridor again.
“Grey.”
Nothing.
“Grey?”
The familiar screen appeared before my eyes.
[Mana Flow State: Irregularity detected.]
My stomach dropped.
“What irregularity?”
The screen changed.
[Residual mana signature detected.]
I stared at the words.
“Whose?”
The answer appeared.
[Symon Wardreth.]
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
“Simon?”
Amelia's voice pulled me back.
I blinked.
“What?”
“You went pale.”
I looked at the screen again.
Symon's mana had been inside the dead girl's body.
My throat tightened.
“Nothing.”
Amelia clearly didn't believe me.
“What did you see?”
I hesitated. Then the screen disappeared.
“I'm not sure.” That was a lie.
For the first time since arriving in Odbeara, I had a reason to believe that my situation wasn't an accident.
Someone had killed that girl. Someone had written my name beside her body. And now Grey had detected Symon's mana on her.
I looked toward the end of the corridor. Maybe they weren't trying to convince everyone that I was the killer. Maybe they were trying to tell me something.
And I had no idea what.
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