The night was colder than usual.
A thin mist rolled between the trees as Rafe, Selene, Mara, and Lyn followed the faint dirt path toward civilization. The forest canopy thinned with every step, letting moonlight drip through the leaves in pale streaks.
Rafe kept Mara on his left, Lyn on his right. Selene walked behind them, staff in hand, scanning the dark with tired but razor-sharp eyes.
They were leaving the only home they had known together.
And despite the cool air, Rafe's chest felt warm — heavy — uncertain.
Mara broke the silence first.
"So… when we get to this Academy," she said, kicking a stone off the path, "are we going as students? Or are we sneaking in?"
Selene sighed."We are not breaking into one of the most magically reinforced institutions in the region, Mara."
"Well, we broke into a living ruin," Mara muttered. "I'm sure we could break into a school."
Lyn tugged Rafe's sleeve nervously.
"What if… what if they don't let us in?"
Rafe forced a reassuring smile.
"Selene said she has a plan."
Selene nodded once.
"I'll register all of you under new identities. The Academy accepts gifted students from rural areas every season. You three will appear as orphans sponsored by a small guild."
Mara frowned.
"What guild?"
Selene hesitated."…Mine."
Rafe blinked.
"You're part of a guild?"
"Was," she corrected. "I left years ago."
Mara narrowed her eyes."Why did you leave?"
Selene didn't answer.
Rafe didn't push — he sensed the weight behind that silence.He had seen it in her eyes many times, the same way someone might look at an old wound that would never fully heal.
They walked for another few minutes until the trees parted into a clearing.
A small worn sign stood at the edge of the forest, half swallowed by vines.
ASHEN RIDGE — 3 km
Mara squinted at it.
"Ashen Ridge? Weird name."
"It's a trading town," Selene explained. "Small, but large enough to have an Academy intake office. We'll rest there and prepare."
Rafe exhaled.
So this was it.
The road ahead finally had a destination.
But sitting on the edge of his awareness, like a cold fingertip tracing the inside of his ribs, was the distant echo of the Primordial.
Silent.
But present.
Watching his choice unfold.
He pushed the feeling aside as they continued down the path.
Half an hour later…
Lights appeared in the distance — lanterns strung between wooden posts, flickering warm gold against the night.
Ashen Ridge.
They reached the outskirts — a row of modest homes, a few shuttered shops, a blacksmith's forge still smoldering.
Everything seemed peaceful.
Normal.
They weren't used to normal.
Mara frowned."Feels weird."
Lyn agreed.
Rafe kept quiet, scanning the street. He felt eyes. Not Hunters — not machines — but people.
And people could be dangerous in their own way.
Selene approached a small inn with a wooden sign that read:
THE LANTERN HOLLOW
Warm light spilled from the windows. Laughter drifted from inside — tired, late-night laughter of merchants and laborers.
Selene turned to them.
"Stay close. No wandering."
She pushed the door open.
The inn's common room was bright and lively — a stark contrast to the night outside. People drank, played cards, argued over coins.
No one noticed Rafe and the girls at first.
But when Selene stepped inside, cloaked and imposing, the room quieted a little.
She addressed the innkeeper, a round man with curious eyes and thick hands.
"Rooms," Selene said. "Two nights. Quiet floor."
The innkeeper nodded slowly."That'll be eight silver."
Selene paid without hesitation.
But as she finished, the man leaned slightly forward, eyeing Rafe.
"Haven't seen you here before," he said. "Family passing through?"
Rafe opened his mouth, but Selene answered instantly.
"My apprentices."
The innkeeper blinked."Oh? They look young."
"They learn quickly," Selene replied coldly.
The man nodded, satisfied — or at least intimidated — and handed her the keys.
Rafe let out a quiet breath.
Selene motioned for them to follow.
Upstairs…
The hallway was dim, lit by a single oil lamp. Selene opened two adjacent rooms — one for her, one for the three children.
Rafe, Mara, and Lyn stepped inside.
It was small but warm. Two beds, a window, a table, and a woven rug.
Mara flopped onto the nearest mattress.
"This is the best thing I've ever touched."
Lyn giggled softly. "It's so soft…"
Rafe closed the door behind them.
His muscles ached. His head felt heavy. And beneath it all, the director's voice still lingered like a cold breath on his spine.
Grow stronger, anomaly.
Rafe clenched his fists.
He couldn't let that woman near them.He couldn't let the Primordial decide his path.He couldn't let weakness dictate the future.
A soft hand touched his sleeve.
"Rafe?" Lyn whispered.
He looked down.
Her eyes were gentle, worried.
"You're shaking."
He hadn't realized it.
He forced a smile.
"I'm okay."
Mara sat up.
"Liar. You look like you fought a mountain."
Rafe rolled his eyes."It was a wall, actually."
Mara puffed her cheek."Same thing."
Lyn sat beside him on the bed.
"You don't have to be okay all the time…"
Rafe froze.
Those words hit deeper than she knew.
He looked at her — small, quiet Lyn, who had trembled through the Ruins yet followed him every step.
And Mara — fierce, loud Mara, who hid fear with anger.
They were depending on him.
He couldn't break.
Not now.
He placed a hand on Lyn's head and gently ruffled her hair.
"I'll be fine. We're safe tonight."
Mara shot him a look.
"You better be. You promised you wouldn't leave again."
He met her eyes.
"I won't."
The room grew quiet after that.
Lyn curled against him with a tired sigh.Mara stretched out on the other bed.
Rafe leaned back against the wall.
For the first time in a long time…
He felt the hint of peace.
Unsteady.Fragile.Dangerous to trust.
But peace.
He closed his eyes.
Just for a moment.
And in the faint silence before sleep claimed him—
He heard a whisper.
Not hostile.Not commanding.
Just there.
Sleep, little flame.You will need strength.
Rafe exhaled slowly.
Then darkness took him —a far kinder darkness than the one in the Ruins.
But the road ahead was already shifting.
And the Academy waited.