The moon hung heavy over the Academy, its pale light spilling through the arched windows of the library.
Rayan sat alone at a corner desk, the black flame orb wrapped tightly in cloth before him. Even covered, it pulsed faintly, as if breathing.
He should have been resting after the trial. Instead, his mind was a storm.
That… thing inside the crypt… why did it call me "Vessel"?
A shadow moved in the corner of his vision.
"Studying late, hero?"
It was Kael, leaning against a bookshelf, eyes full of mischief but voice lower than usual.
"Kael," Rayan whispered, "we need to talk. Alone."
Kael glanced around, then slid into the seat across from him. "You're shaking. This isn't just about passing the trial, is it?"
Rayan hesitated. Can I even trust him with this? But Kael had saved his life twice already.
He untied the cloth, just enough for Kael to glimpse the orb's dark glow.
Kael's smirk vanished. "That's… that's not Academy magic. Rayan, where did you—?"
Before he could finish, a soft voice cut in.
"You shouldn't be showing that here."
Both boys turned.
The silver-haired girl — Liora — stood in the aisle, arms folded. The moonlight through the window lit her like a blade of frost.
Rayan stiffened. "Were you following me?"
"No," she said, eyes flicking to the orb, "but that thing… it's dangerous. And it's not meant for you."
Something in her tone wasn't just caution — it was fear.
"How do you know what it is?" Kael asked.
"I'll explain," Liora said, "but not here. Too many ears." She glanced over her shoulder, her voice dropping. "Someone is already hunting it… and if they find out you have it, Rayan, they won't just kill you. They'll use you."
The candle beside them flickered — and then, as if snuffed by invisible fingers, went out.
From the darkness of the far end of the library came a low, guttural whisper.
Vessel…