The morning light streaming through our dormitory window felt different somehow, colder, more distant. I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at my hands while the events of last night replayed in an endless loop. Every time I glanced toward Lance's—Finn's—bed, a fresh wave of betrayal crashed over me.
"Ready for breakfast?" Gavril asked quietly, his voice carefully neutral. He'd positioned himself between Lance and me, though whether to protect one of us from the other or simply to maintain some semblance of normalcy, I couldn't tell.
"Yeah," I replied, my voice coming out hoarser than expected.
Lan..I had to keep thinking of him as Finn, especially in public, sat hunched over on his bed, still in the same clothes from yesterday. His eyes were red-rimmed and hollow, like he hadn't slept at all. Which, given the circumstances, he probably hadn't.
"Finn," Gavril said carefully, "we should head down together."
The false name hung in the air like a curse. Lance flinched at it, and I felt a twisted satisfaction that immediately made me hate myself. But I couldn't—wouldn't—soften. Not yet.
We walked to the dining hall in oppressive silence. Students buzzed around us with typical morning energy, discussing tournament rankings and speculating about Level Three, but their chatter felt muffled, like we were moving through water. I caught several curious glances directed our way, probably wondering why the usually boisterous trio looked like we were attending a funeral.
At breakfast, I deliberately sat across from Lance rather than beside him, with Gavril taking the middle position again. Every bite of food tasted like ash, but I forced myself to eat. Lance barely touched his plate, pushing eggs around randomly.
"So," Gavril ventured after several minutes of uncomfortable silence, "Professor Zephyr will want to see us right after this."
"Right," I replied curtly.
Lance nodded without looking up.
The conversation died there, and we finished our meal in the same suffocating quiet that had followed us from our room.
As promised, Professor Zephyr was waiting outside the dining hall the moment we emerged, his usually animated expression replaced by something more serious. Professor Gravitas stood beside him, arms crossed, radiating disapproval, though whether at us or the situation, I couldn't tell.
"Gentlemen," Professor Zephyr said, his theatrical flair notably absent. "Conference Room Seven. Now."
We followed them through corridors I'd never seen before, deeper into the Academy's administrative wing. The conference room was smaller than I'd expected, with a circular table that reminded me uncomfortably of the Hall of Echoes. Elias and Valentina were already there, sitting across from each other with several empty chairs between them.
"Excellent timing," Professor Gravitas said as we entered. "Please, sit."
I took a seat near Elias, who gave me a searching look. Gavril sat between Lance and me again, I was starting to wonder if he'd appointed himself as our personal mediator. Valentina watched our group with sharp interest, clearly picking up on the tension but polite enough not to comment.
Professor Zephyr conjured a floating quill and parchment with a wave of his hand. "Let's begin with what we observed from our commentary position. The attack on your group was coordinated, deliberate, and targeted specifically at Mr. Ardent and, by extension, Ms. Morgenstern while she inhabited his body."
"The timing was too precise to be coincidental," Professor Gravitas added. "Multiple attackers, each using different magical disciplines, moving with tactical precision. This wasn't student rivalry or tournament frustration."
"What can you tell us about your attackers?" Professor Zephyr asked, leaning forward.
I exchanged glances with Valentina, who straightened in her chair. "There were at least six of them," she said, her voice crisp and analytical. "Two void magic users, one specializing in anti-magic nets, at least one reality warper, and two others whose disciplines I couldn't identify in the chaos."
"Their positioning suggested military training," Elias observed quietly. "They moved to cut off escape routes before engaging, and their spell combinations were designed to incapacitate rather than immediately eliminate."
"Meaning they wanted to capture rather than kill," Gavril said, his analytical mind already working on the problem.
"That's our assessment as well," Professor Gravitas confirmed. "The question is: why?"
Lance—Finn—spoke for the first time since we'd entered the room. "They seemed to know our capabilities. The anti-magic nets were specifically designed to counter Asher's probability field, and they had countermeasures ready for most of our usual responses."
I hated that he was right, hated that his insight was valuable, hated that I still instinctively wanted to build on his observations. Instead, I kept my expression neutral and added, "They also knew the Identity Blender would make identification difficult. Even if we saw their faces, we wouldn't know whose consciousness was actually in control."
Professor Zephyr's quill scratched rapidly across the parchment. "Any theories about who might want to capture Mr. Ardent specifically?"
The room fell silent. I could think of several possibilities, my connection to Lady Fortune, the Personifications' interest in me, the tournament rankings, but none of them felt like complete explanations.
"There have been other incidents," Gavril said slowly. "Like the bracelet malfunction, and the timing of various 'accidents' before the tournament."
"A pattern," Elias agreed. "Someone has been probing Asher's capabilities and vulnerabilities for weeks."
Professor Gravitas and Professor Zephyr exchanged a meaningful look. "We've suspected as much," Professor Zephyr admitted. "Unfortunately, with the random nature of the Identity Blender, we can't even begin to identify the actual perpetrators. The students whose bodies were used were likely unconscious of their actions."
"So what happens now?" I asked.
"Now we increase security measures," Professor Gravitas said firmly. "Enhanced wards around dormitories, monitoring of inter-student communications, and additional supervision during tournament events."
"We'll also be conducting discrete investigations into recent Academy communications and any external contacts," Professor Zephyr added. "Someone with detailed knowledge of Academy procedures and student capabilities is involved."
The meeting continued for another twenty minutes, covering security protocols and emergency procedures, but it was clear we'd shared everything useful we could. As we prepared to leave, Professor Zephyr caught my arm.
"Mr. Ardent, a word?"
I waited as the others filed out, noting that Lance—Finn—lingered in the hallway just outside the door.
"Your probability field showed some unusual fluctuations during the attack," Professor Zephyr said quietly. "Lady Althea mentioned concerning readings. How are you feeling?"
"Fine," I lied automatically.
His knowing look suggested he wasn't buying it. "Emotional stress can affect magical control in unexpected ways. If you need to discuss anything, anything at all, my door is always open."
I nodded, not trusting my voice, and hurried out to rejoin the group.
We were halfway to our first lecture when she appeared.
Liora materialized beside me with that particular grace that made reality seem to bend around her, her flowing green hair catching the morning light streaming through the corridor windows. Students instinctively gave her a wide berth, though whether from respect or instinctive recognition of power, I couldn't tell.
"Asher," she said, her voice carrying that musical quality that always made my chest tighten. "Walk with me?"
Elias, Gavril, and Lance—Finn—stopped immediately. Elias gave me that look again, the one that suggested he was filing away every detail for later analysis. Gavril nodded politely to Liora before shepherding our group away with quiet efficiency.
"We'll save you a seat," Gavril called over his shoulder, and then it was just Liora and me in the corridor.
She gestured toward a side passage I'd never noticed before, and we walked in comfortable silence until we reached a small alcove overlooking the Academy grounds. The morning sun painted everything in gold and amber, making the scene look almost ethereal.
"Congratulations," she said suddenly, turning to face me. "Your progress has been remarkable."
I felt heat rise in my cheeks at the unexpected praise. "I had a good teacher," I managed, trying to keep my voice steady.
A smile ghosted across her lips, not her usual smirk, but something warmer, more genuine. "Your control over your chaotic magic has improved dramatically. The way you embraced the probability field during your duel with Valentina, and again during the Identity Blender crisis... it shows real growth."
My chest swelled with pride, though I tried to keep it from showing. Praise from Liora felt like capturing lightning in a bottle, rare, electrifying, and somehow essential.
But then her expression shifted, the warmth fading into something more serious, more troubled. Her voice dropped to barely above a whisper, taking on a weight that made the air around us feel heavier.
"However, there's something else we need to discuss."
I swallowed, recognizing the tone. This wasn't going to be good news.
"The ethical dilemma you faced during Level Two," she continued, her golden eyes fixed on some distant point beyond the windows. "The chains that drained my luck during that test... it was more than a realistic simulation."
"What do you mean?"
She was quiet for a long moment, and when she spoke again, her voice carried an uncertainty I'd never heard from her before. "It felt like a premonition. A prediction of something yet to come. The scenario you faced, being forced to choose between sacrificing friends or innocents, it resonated with something deeper in the threads of fate."
My blood ran cold. "Are you saying it's going to happen for real?"
"I don't know," she admitted, and the vulnerability in those three words shook me more than any of her previous warnings. "That's what's so troubling. My connection to probability usually gives me glimpses of potential futures, but this... this feels different. Heavier. Like watching shadows cast by a fire I can't see."
She turned to look at me directly, and I saw something in her eyes that terrified me, fear.
"Combined with the coordinated attack, the bracelet incident, the pattern of targeting you've experienced... someone is planning something, Asher. Something that goes beyond simple tournament sabotage or student rivalry."
I thought about the void spears, the anti-magic nets specifically designed to counter my abilities, the tactical precision of the attack. "Any idea who?"
"That's what I'm trying to determine." She stepped closer, and I caught a faint scent of winter wind and starlight. "But until I do, you need to be careful. More careful than you've ever been. Don't go anywhere alone, don't trust unexpected opportunities, and if anything feels wrong, anything at all, find me immediately."
"Liora…"
"Promise me," she interrupted, her voice carrying a note of command that made my magical pathways resonate. "Whatever is coming, it's aimed at you specifically. Your connection to chaos, to me, to the other Personifications, you represent something unprecedented, and that makes you valuable to some and dangerous to others."
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. "I promise."
She studied my face for another moment, then nodded. "Good. And Asher?"
"Yeah?"
"Trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, it probably is. Your chaotic nature might be the only thing that keeps you ahead of whatever is coming."
With that cryptic warning, she began to fade, her form becoming translucent like morning mist. But just before she disappeared completely, she spoke one more time:
"Be careful who you trust. Sometimes the greatest threats come from the most unexpected sources."
And then she was gone, leaving only a chill that had nothing to do with the morning air.
I stood in the alcove for several minutes, my mind racing. The ethical dilemma test had felt significant when it happened, but the idea that it might be a glimpse of actual future events made my stomach clench with dread. Combined with the coordinated attack, the mysterious targeting, and now Liora's obvious fear...
Someone was definitely planning something. Something big enough to make the Personification of Luck herself uncertain about the outcome.
By the time I made it to our first lecture of the day, the others had already claimed seats in our usual section. Valentina had, predictably, gone to sit with her own social circle near the front, leaving our group noticeably smaller.
I slid into the empty seat Gavril had saved for me, hyperaware of the cold shoulder I was giving Lance—Finn—who sat stiffly on Gavril's other side.
"Everything alright?" Gavril asked quietly as Professor Gravitas began arranging his materials at the front of the classroom.
"Fine," I lied, the same automatic response I'd given Professor Zephyr.
Elias leaned slightly in my direction, his voice barely audible. "Judging by your expression and the fact that you're twenty minutes late, I'd venture that conversation was anything but 'fine.'"
Lance—Finn—glanced over with obvious concern, and I felt that familiar stab of conflicted emotion. Part of me wanted to share Liora's warning with him, to fall back into our old pattern of facing problems together. But the larger part of me, the part still raw from betrayal, couldn't bring itself to bridge that gap.
"Just tournament stuff," I said instead, opening my textbook with more force than necessary.
All three of them clearly knew I was lying. Gavril's analytical mind was probably already cataloging the inconsistencies in my behavior, Elias was undoubtedly filing away details for later strategic consideration, and Lance—Finn—looked like he wanted to say something but didn't dare.
The silence stretched between us, filled with unspoken questions and unaddressed tensions. Professor Gravitas began his lecture, but I found it nearly impossible to focus. My mind kept drifting between Liora's warning about unexpected threats and the greatest unexpected threat currently sitting three seats away from me.
But one thing was becoming increasingly clear: whatever was coming, it was going to test more than just our magical abilities. It was going to test our friendships, our loyalties, and our ability to distinguish between allies and enemies.
And right now, I wasn't sure I trusted my judgment on any of those things.