The Versatile Thief

Chapter 6: Shared Secrets

The silence of the infirmary felt different now. Before, it had been a suffocating shroud of isolation; now, with the weight of Nadia’s revelations hanging in the air, it felt like the quiet before a storm. Santiago shifted against the pillows, the linen sheets scratching against his skin.

"You’re really going to just walk away?" Santiago asked, his voice cracking slightly.

Nadia stopped, her hand hovering just inches from the brass handle of the door. She didn't turn around immediately, her posture rigid, shoulders squared as if she were bracing for a strike. "What do you want me to do, Santiago? Sing a lullaby? You’re in one piece, and the alarm bells haven't started ringing for you yet. That’s a win."

"That’s not what I mean," he said, pushing himself up to a sitting position. The room swayed for a second, a dizzying reminder of his near-collapse. "You said you could see the lines. You said you could see my intent. Prove it."

Nadia turned, her expression unreadable. She walked back toward the bed, her movements measured. "You want a demonstration? You're exhausted. You don't have enough mana to hold a conversation, let alone a shield."

"I don't want a shield," Santiago said, narrowing his eyes. "You said you could see the structure of everything. Tell me what’s in this room that shouldn't be here."

Nadia let out a short, cynical laugh. She stepped closer, her eyes sweeping over the infirmary—past the rows of empty beds, past the dusty shelves of glass vials, and finally, settling on the small, wooden bedside table where Santiago’s confiscated belongings lay in a neat pile.

"You’re a terrible strategist, Pratama," she said, nodding toward the table. "You’re hiding a surveillance charm in your own jacket pocket. It’s a low-grade seeker-tag, probably planted by one of the faculty’s sycophants to track your 'recovery'."

Santiago felt a jolt of cold realization. He hadn't even checked his pockets when he arrived. He reached over, digging into his satchel, and pulled out his coat. Tucked deep into the lining of the inner pocket was a tiny, translucent slip of parchment, pulsing with a faint, sickly yellow light.

"How?" he whispered, holding the tag between his thumb and forefinger.

"I told you, I see the threads," Nadia said, her voice dropping to a low, intense hum. "It’s not magic in the way they teach it in the lecture halls. It’s the framework beneath the surface. That tag is screaming. Its intent is to anchor to the nearest heartbeat and broadcast a signal. It’s sloppy, amateur work."

"And you could see it from the doorway?"

"I could see it the moment I walked into this ward," she replied, stepping closer. "The question is, why are you keeping it? Are you hoping to track back who sent it?"

"I'm not that smart," Santiago muttered, his hand trembling as he crushed the parchment. The yellow light flickered and died, the structure of the spell unraveling as his void-like influence touched it. "I just didn't want to get caught."

"Well, you just took care of that," she said, her eyes flicking to the dead parchment. "But don't get comfortable. The school is buzzing with the fallout of your little stunt in the courtyard. The faculty is convinced there’s a rogue anomaly on campus. They’re looking for a signature, not a person."

"Which is why you should stay away from me," Santiago said, looking down at his hands. "If they find you with me, they’ll think you’re my accomplice."

"I am your accomplice," she corrected, her voice firm. "Don't mistake my pragmatism for altruism. I need to know why the academy’s foundation is warping, and you’re the only person I’ve found who is actually touching the gears."

"We’re going to get expelled," he said, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face.

"Expelled? If we’re lucky, we’ll be expelled," she replied, her eyes flashing. "If we’re unlucky, we’ll be dissected. So, keep your voice down. We have an agreement: I tell you when the threads are coming, and you use that vacuum of yours to pull them out of our way. We keep each other off the radar."

"That sounds like a lot of work for a 'dud' and an honors student," Santiago said, though the fear in his gut was beginning to be replaced by a strange, surging confidence.

"The honors title is just a costume, Santiago," she said, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "Like your 'dud' routine. We’re both playing roles that don't fit. Now, stop worrying about the politics and focus on your recovery. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"Why tomorrow?"

"Because tomorrow, Harth is going to realize his gravity anchor didn't just dissipate," she said, her gaze drifting toward the window. "He’s going to realize it was stolen. And he’s going to be hunting."

Santiago leaned back, the weight of her words sinking in. "You’re really enjoying this, aren't you?"

"I’m enjoying the clarity," she said. "For the first time in years, the world isn't a blur of static. It’s finally starting to make sense."

She turned to leave again, but a sudden, piercing sound tore through the room. It wasn't the rhythmic chime of the class bells, nor the steady hum of the wards. It was a jagged, discordant screech that seemed to vibrate the very stone of the infirmary walls.

The luminous charm floating over the bed flickered, turned a harsh, warning red, and shattered into dust.

"What was that?" Santiago jumped out of bed, his legs unsteady.

Nadia was already at the door, her hand gripped tight around the frame. Her face had gone pale, her eyes wide as she stared into the dark corridor. "That’s not a security drill. That’s a perimeter collapse."

"A collapse?" Santiago followed her to the door, his heart hammering against his ribs. "The containment fields are supposed to be absolute. Nothing gets through the outer wards."

"Nothing is supposed to," Nadia said, her voice strained. She grabbed his arm, pulling him back into the shadows of the alcove. "Listen."

From the darkness of the hallway came a sound that made Santiago’s blood run cold—a rhythmic, heavy thumping, like the tread of something massive dragging its weight across the polished floorboards. Interspersed with the thudding was the sound of wet, tearing metal and the faint, unmistakable smell of pine needles and rotting leaves.

"Something’s in the building," Santiago whispered, his breath hitching.

"Stay here," Nadia hissed.

"Are you crazy? We shouldn't be here at all!"

"Look!" she pointed down the hall.

A shadow moved across the arched window at the end of the corridor—a shape that defied the geometry of the academy. It was hunched, tall, and covered in a thick, matted coat of something that looked like moss and serrated, crystalline bark. It stopped, its head—a shifting mass of bioluminescent spores—turning to sniff the air.

"It’s a Chimera from the Forbidden Woods," Santiago breathed, his pulse spiking into his throat. "How is that even possible? The forest wards are layered six deep!"

"The wards didn't fail from the outside," Nadia murmured, her eyes tracing the air around the creature. She shuddered, her composure breaking for the first time. "Santiago, look at the threads. It’s not just walking in—it’s being pulled. Someone is calling it."

"Pulling it?" Santiago felt the familiar, cold itch in his stomach. The vacuum inside him, usually a dormant threat, suddenly pulsed with a hungry, protective heat. He looked at the creature, then at Nadia. "If we stay here, it’s going to scent us."

"We need to move," she said, her voice sharp. "The supply room in the back has a reinforced door. If we can get there, we might be able to hide until the prefects respond."

"And if they don't?"

"Then we’re the first meal the forest has had in a century," she replied, grabbing his hand. Her palm was ice cold, but her grip was iron. "Ready, vacuum?"

Santiago felt the void in his chest expand, reaching out toward the creature. It was a terrifying sensation, but as the creature let out a low, guttural growl that shook the floor, he didn't feel the paralyzing fear of the 'dud' he used to be. He felt a weapon.

"Ready," he whispered.

They stepped out into the darkness, moving in tandem. As they rounded the corner, the creature turned, its eyes glowing with a feral, predatory light.

"Run," Nadia commanded.

They sprinted, the sound of their footfalls echoing against the stone, the beast roaring in pursuit. Behind them, the fabric of the reality of the academy began to tear, the air warping as the vacuum inside Santiago started to feed, pulling at the very foundations of the school to keep the monster at bay.

He didn't know what was ahead, but for the first time, he wasn't afraid of the drain. He was finally ready to see how much he could take.