Michael woke with a jolt, drenched in sweat. His breath came fast, chest heaving. The dream clung to him like fog, the voice echoing in the back of his mind. He sat on the edge of the bed, hands gripping the sheets, willing the chill to pass. After a long moment, he dragged himself to the shower.
When he came downstairs, damp hair still clinging to his forehead, Daniel and Mia were already waiting by the door.
Michael approached them with a sheepish, apologetic smile. "Sorr—"
Daniel cut him off, eyes burning.
"Don't you dare tell us you're sorry." His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. "I should be the one apologizing. You're my friend, Michael—and I wasn't there when you needed me." He looked up slowly, locking eyes with him. "And don't you dare forget about us. We're going to find you—wherever you are. And next time, I'll be able to help you properly."
Mia, beside him, nodded through teary eyes.
Michael gave a crooked smirk.
"Don't worry, Daniel. I'll be fine. I'm not short on friends."
That stunned them both.
"After all," Michael added with a grin, "books do talk back, right?"
The heaviness in the air shattered. Daniel burst into laughter, his voice echoing through the hall. Even Mia couldn't help but giggle behind her hands.
—
As they made their way toward Sir Edward's office, the three walked in mostly silence. Eventually, Michael broke it.
"By the way… how did you guys find out I was leaving today?"
Daniel and Mia exchanged a look. After a few seconds, Daniel cleared his throat and answered.
"It was Mia. She was eavesdropping," he said, throwing her a mock glare. "When she told me, we both went to confront Sir Edward for more details."
He paused, then continued, quieter now.
"He told us that… if we started some kind of training, we might be able to join you one day. That we could protect each other."
Daniel stopped walking and turned to face Michael directly.
"I know I'm not like you. I don't know the whole story—how you ended up with… that other side of you. But I do know this: you smile more when you're with us. And whatever you're facing out there… we'll meet you. Alright?"
Michael opened his mouth, but Mia cut in—awkward, eyes darting.
"Actually… I'm going in a few months," she admitted, fidgeting with her fingers. "Sir Edward's been training me for a while now. I'm allowed to go on my next birthday."
Daniel's jaw dropped.
"Wait—so… so you're both leaving me alone?" he said, like he'd just seen a ghost.
Not long after, they reached Sir Edward's office. The mood was noticeably uneven—Michael calm and focused, Mia quietly composed, and Daniel still gloomy, dragging his feet like someone left behind in the dark.
Just as Michael raised his hand to knock, a woman's voice erupted from inside:
"HE DID WHAT?!"
The three froze in place, eyes wide, exchanging glances.
"Do either of you know who that is?" Michael whispered.
Both shook their heads.
After a moment of shared uncertainty, Michael knocked—three light taps.
A deep, tired voice responded, "You can come in."
They stepped inside slowly… and stopped, stunned.
Seated across from Sir Edward was a woman of arresting beauty. Her long, chestnut-brown hair fell just past her mid-back. Her crystal-blue eyes shimmered with unnatural sharpness—eyes that could bewitch a monk. She had a lean, feminine build draped in gear clearly meant for battle: a dark leather chestplate reinforced with etched silver lines, forest-green sleeves tight to her arms, throwing knives lining her boots, and a hunter's cloak draped over one shoulder, stitched with runes that faintly pulsed.
Her presence was as commanding as it was alluring. Daniel and Mia both stood frozen, mouths ajar.
Michael stepped forward.
"Hello, Sir Edward. I'm here as you asked."
Sir Edward gave him a long, unreadable stare, his gaze heavy with expectation.
"If you're here," he said at last, "then you're ready to leave."
Michael looked back over his shoulder, his eyes lingering on Daniel—still slack-jawed.
He chuckled. "Yeah, I'm ready. My goodbyes are done. I know my friends will meet me there."
His tone softened.
"But… I want to ask one thing. Please take care of Elliot. He has the same look I had back then."
At that, the woman stood, her eyes narrowing with interest.
"Ohhh, so that's what you meant by a chivalrous heart and the will of a youngling." She stepped closer, eyes studying Michael with unnerving precision. "And what a presence… Even when he tries to hold it in, I can feel it—cold, restrained, murderous. Like a wolf in sheep's clothing."
She turned to Sir Edward. "So you think he's the one, Eddy?"
Sir Edward slowly stood, walked around his desk, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
His voice dropped to a chilling register.
"Alice… You know the rule about my nickname."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Alice froze. Beads of sweat gathered on her forehead. Her eyes darted to the open door beside Daniel.
Then she bolted.
But before she could reach it, a pressure unlike anything the others had felt slammed down from above—a crushing, invisible force that pinned her to the floor with a loud crack. It was stronger than the aura Sir Edward had once used on Michael. It was suffocating.
"So–rry, Major Edward," Alice wheezed, her face pressed to the ground. "This subordinate… asks for… forgiveness."
With a sigh, Sir Edward withdrew the aura and coughed lightly. He gestured toward the seats across from him and returned to his chair, as composed as if nothing had happened.
"Apologies for the display," he said. "Let it serve as a warning—for the kind of place you're about to step into."
He leaned forward, eyes hard.
"Ashthorne is not a school. It's a crucible. A gathering place for the dangerous, the gifted, and the broken. Not all who enter it survive. Some leave as monsters. Others never leave at all."
He glanced at each of them, voice growing quiet.
"There are factions that would use you. Creatures that feed on your weakness. And powers beyond our world that are watching. The question is not whether you're strong enough to enter."
He looked straight at Michael.
"It's whether you're strong enough to choose who you become once you're there."