It had been days since Cecilia had stepped out of her room.
Vivian had knocked more times than she could count. Morning, afternoon, night, it didn't matter. Her knuckles had tapped softly at first, then harder, then desperately.
Every time, she was met with the same answer.
Silence.
Not the quiet of someone resting. Not the muffled sounds of movement behind a closed door. No shifting footsteps, no rustle of fabric, no faint sigh carried through the wood.
Nothing.
The room might as well have been empty.
Or worse.
It was as though Cecilia had… disappeared.
The thought clawed at Vivian's chest every time it surfaced, cold and terrifying. There were moments when the silence felt so complete that a dreadful idea crept into her mind, what if Cecilia was lying there, unmoving, unseen?
What if something had happened?
Fear had eventually pushed Vivian to seek help.
She had gone to Cassian, hoping perhaps foolishly that he might succeed where she had failed. If anyone could coax Cecilia into opening the door.
But even Cassian's presence had changed nothing.
He had knocked. Called her name. Tried reason, patience, even quiet pleading.
The door had remained shut.
And the silence had remained unbroken.
Now the two of them walked side by side down the corridor, their footsteps echoing faintly in the empty hall. The weight of the situation pressed heavily between them.
Cassian exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.
"Do you think we should ask the headmaster for help?" he asked, his voice low, uncertain.
Vivian hesitated.
Her gaze remained fixed on the floor as they walked, her thoughts tangled in worry and doubt.
"How can we?" she said quietly. "We don't even know why Cecilia locked herself in there."
And that was the worst part.
They had no reason. No explanation. Not even the smallest clue.
Since the day they had become friends, Cecilia had never shut them out, not like this. Her door had always been open, sometimes literally, sometimes only in the quiet way she allowed them to sit with her in silence.
But now the door was locked.
Worse than that… It was sealed with a barrier.
She had made sure no one could reach her.
Cassian frowned slightly as he glanced at Vivian. "Still… doing nothing doesn't feel right."
Vivian's chest tightened.
Doing nothing felt unbearable. Every passing hour stretched her worry thinner, sharper. Yet forcing their way in felt wrong too like breaking into a place they had never been invited to see.
Because when someone had closed their heart like that…
It meant there was something inside they weren't ready for anyone to witness.
They seal their hearts away so tightly often. That they fear letting others see the cracks within it.
And sometimes, the more you try to force the door open… the deeper they retreat into the dark behind it.
_____
It was true that Cecilia had locked herself inside her room.
For the first day, she barely moved.
She lay on the bed staring at the ceiling for hours, her violet eyes unfocused as thoughts drifted in and out of her mind like passing shadows. Sometimes anger simmered beneath the surface, slow and heavy, but she forced it down, letting the silence swallow it.
The second day was worse.
Memories crept in uninvited. Words echoed again and again inside her head until the room felt too small to contain them. The ache in her chest deepened, turning sharp and restless.
By the third day, the anger she had tried so hard to ignore finally found its way out.
And once it did—
It consumed her.
_______
Blood splattered across the stone floor.
The metallic scent filled the air as another body collapsed with a dull thud. The man barely had time to gasp before the blade flashed again.
"Don't you think you've had enough blood?" Nox said yawning, watching from nearby. "You look like a psychopath who's gone crazy for it."
"Do I?" Cecilia replied calmly.
Her blade moved in one clean motion.
The man's head separated from his body before he could even scream, crimson spraying across the ground and across Cecilia's face.
Nox sighed.
"One usually say something like that before they slice someone's neck."
Cecilia wiped a streak of blood from her cheek with the back of her hand, completely unfazed.
"It's always fun," she said casually. "Don't you know how thrilling it is to feel hot blood on your hands when you cut someone?"
Nox stared at her.
"Spoken like a true psychopath."
Around them, the ruined chamber burned quietly. Torches had been knocked over during the fight, flames licking at the damp stone walls of what had once been a hidden shrine.
Bodies lay scattered across the floor.
None of them was moving.
"Come on," Nox continued, stretching his arms lazily. "Let's go back. We've destroyed enough cults in three days. If you keep this up, you're going to attract attention."
Cecilia glanced down at the corpse near her feet, her expression cold.
"We can't have that yet."
She had originally come looking for information, clues about the strange obsession that Frore seemed to have with a certain pervert.
Instead, what she had discovered was something far worse.
Disgust curled in her stomach as she looked around the ruined chamber.
No matter how many of these places she destroyed, they always seemed to return.
Like rot.
Like a disease that refused to die.
In just three days, she had wiped out ten separate cults.
Ten.
Each one was worse than the last.
They called themselves worshippers of a peaceful goddess, preachers of salvation and purification.
But what Cecilia had seen inside their temples told a very different story.
Children locked in cages.
Innocent people chained to altars.
Blood rituals being performed in the name of "divine blessings."
They spoke of mercy and light, yet everything they did was soaked in cruelty.
"They're nothing but monsters," Cecilia muttered.
Nox floated lazily beside her, watching the fire spread across the broken shrine.
"These bastards," she continued coldly, "no matter how many times I destroy their nests, they rebuild them even worse than before."
"Fanatics rarely learn," Nox replied.
Cecilia didn't answer.
Instead, she stepped over the bodies and walked toward the far end of the chamber where a tall figure stood waiting patiently.
Zisel bowed the moment he approached.
"Yes, my Liege."
"Take care of the aftermath," Cecilia ordered. "And send the remaining children back to their homes safely."
Zisel placed a hand over his chest.
"As you command."
Cecilia didn't linger.
Her job here was finished.
Normally, she would have summoned Lux and ridden back through the night sky. The dragon would have enjoyed the flight and it would have given her time to clear her head.
But tonight, she didn't want the delay.
Without another word, she raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
Space folded silently around her.
In the blink of an eye, she stepped through the distortion and disappeared.
Less than a minute later, Cecilia reappeared inside the academy dormitory.
Her boots touched the floor quietly.
The familiar room materialized around her as the teleportation spell faded.
She exhaled slowly.
For a brief moment, she allowed herself to relax.
And then—
Knocking.
Loud.
Persistent.
Coming from the other side of her door.
Cecilia closed her eyes.
"Seriously," she muttered under her breath.
"Give me a break."
She was tired, bone-deep tired. All she wanted was silence, a few moments of rest where she could have a few moments alone. But the commotion outside her room refused to fade. Voices murmured, footsteps shuffled, and the constant disturbance scraped against her already frayed nerves.
If circumstances were different, she would have dealt with the ones responsible herself. Swiftly. Permanently. But she couldn't, not with those who were outside causing that said commotion.
A long sigh escaped her as she rubbed her temple. The barrier she had cast around her room shimmered faintly, the thin veil of magic pulsing along the walls. It had kept everyone out for days, sealing her away from the world and its endless noise.
Reluctantly, she lifted her hand.
The magic unravelled at her command.
The barrier dissolved like mist under sunlight, the invisible pressure in the air vanishing instantly.
The effect was immediate.
The door burst open with a sharp creak, slamming against the wall as though whoever stood outside had been waiting for that exact moment.
Before Cecilia could react, a hand shot forward grabbing her wrist and yanking her out of the dark room that had become her refuge.
To say she was furious would have been an understatement.
The moment Cecilia saw the face of the person who had grabbed her, the anger that had barely settled inside her flared back to life.
She jerked her hand free from his grasp.
"How dare you step foot into my room without my permission," she said coldly, her voice sharp as a blade. "Do you have a death wish?"
"Lia," Vivian said quickly, stepping forward. "It was me. I gave Asier permission to enter."
Cecilia's eyes flicked toward Vivian for only a moment before returning to the man standing in front of her.
I am getting tired of Vivian bringing that vermin around us.
The only reason I tolerate his existence at all is that I cannot kill him… yet.
"Leave," Cecilia said flatly, gesturing toward the door. "While I am still telling you nicely."
Vivian remained where she stood, watching the two of them from the side. For a moment it seemed she might intervene.
Unfortunately, she chose exactly the wrong moment to speak.
Cecilia had returned to the academy in a surprisingly good mood after everything that had happened. She had hoped foolishly, perhaps for a brief moment of quiet.
Instead, that fragile calm was shattered within seconds.
"I'm sorry, Asier," Vivian said apologetically. "It seems like Lia isn't in a good mood tonight. I'll apologize on her behalf."
"No need," Asier replied with a dismissive shrug. His lips curled slightly as he glanced at Cecilia. "That wench is always like that. Nothing new for me."
Cecilia said nothing.
Her gaze simply followed him until he finally turned and left the room.
The moment the door closed behind him, Vivian's attention shifted fully toward Cecilia.
"What were you doing inside your room for four days?" she asked, her voice tight with frustration and concern. She gestured toward Cassian, who was sitting quietly on the couch nearby. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?"
Cecilia didn't respond.
Vivian frowned.
"Why was your room locked?"
Cassian remained silent, leaning slightly forward on the couch. His eyes moved between the two women, already sensing where this conversation was heading. His posture looked calm, but his eyes told a different story.
They practically screamed a warning.
Do not dig your grave further, Vivian.
"And why," Vivian continued slowly, "is your face covered in blood?"
Cassian closed his eyes briefly.
Please stop questioning her, Vivian.
But Vivian didn't notice the silent warning in his expression.
"It's nothing that you need to concern yourself with," Cecilia said coldly.
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
There was no warmth in it. No softness. No hint of the gentle patience she usually had when speaking to Vivian.
Tonight was different.
Normally, Cecilia would have answered Vivian kindly. She would have offered some vague explanation or brushed the concern aside with a gentle lie. But tonight she had no patience left to give.
Nor did she have any obligation to explain herself.
For Cecilia, Vivian was still the girl she had once rescued. A child she had taken under her protection, someone she had come to care for deeply. Vivian had always been one of the few people Cecilia allowed close enough to see pieces of her true self.
But even friendships had boundaries.
And this was where Cecilia drew the line.
Vivian stared at her in stunned silence.
Cecilia could be cold sometimes. Vivian had seen that side of her before.
But this…
This felt different.
For the first time, Vivian felt as though there was a wall between them she could not cross.
"Let go," Cecilia said quietly. "If you're done with your interrogation."
Vivian blinked.
Only then did she realize she was still gripping Cecilia's wrist.
Slowly, reluctantly, she released her hand.
Cecilia didn't look at either of them.
Not at Vivian.
Not at Cassian.
Without another word, she stepped back into the darkness of her room and closed the door.
The sound echoed softly.
And once again,
She shut them out.
The next morning, Vivian tried again.
She waited for Cecilia outside the dormitory room longer than usual, hoping that maybe the night had softened whatever had hardened inside her.
But when Cecilia finally appeared, Vivian's hope slowly faded.
"Cecilia…"
The name left Vivian's lips carefully, almost cautiously.
Cecilia did not respond.
She didn't even look at her.
Her gaze remained fixed straight ahead as she walked past Vivian like a stranger passing another stranger on the street.
Cold.
Distant.
Untouchable.
It was as if the Cecilia who had slowly begun opening up at the academy had vanished overnight.
What remained was the Cecilia from before she had ever set foot inside its gates.
The one no one dared approach.
Vivian felt something twist painfully in her chest.
"What happened…?" she asked quietly, though Cecilia had already stopped listening.
Cecilia continued walking.
Not a word.
Not a glance.
Nothing.
The silence between them was heavy, suffocating, stretching longer with every passing step.
Vivian stood there watching her leave, unable to understand what she had done wrong.
Just yesterday—
Just yesterday things had been different.
Hadn't they?
Her fingers curled slightly at her side.
It felt like something fragile had shattered between them.
Something neither of them knew how to fix.
And somehow…
It felt like there would be no chance to fix it at all.
Eventually, Vivian turned and walked the opposite way.
Neither of them looked back.
They simply went their separate ways.
—
I've thought about it.
The decision had kept me awake the entire night.
Vivian.
Cassian.
I can't drag them into my fight.
If anyone notices they're close to me…
They will become targets too.
And I refuse to watch anyone else get destroyed because of me.
I've already lost too much.
The thought settled in my chest like cold iron.
There are times when a person must choose.
And this…
This is the choice I've made.
A few more preparations. A few more careful moves.
And my revenge will finally be within reach.
The thought alone tasted strangely sweet.
Like a fruit that had been ripening in darkness for years.
How satisfying it would be…
When it was finally ready to be plucked.
For that, however, I needed to collect a debt.
A favour someone owed me.
—
The training grounds were loud as always.
Steel clashed against steel. Orders echoed across the field as cadets sparred under the watchful eyes of instructors.
At the center of it all stood Cael.
He moved through the rows of trainees like a storm contained in human form, correcting stances, barking orders, knocking careless weapons aside with effortless precision.
A group of cadets was currently being dismantled by him one by one.
Poor fools.
I walked across the field until I stood at the edge of the training circle.
"Instructor Cael."
My voice was calm, steady.
"May I have a bit of your time?"
His blade stopped mid-motion.
The cadet in front of him froze as well.
Cael slowly turned his head toward me.
"Cadet," he said flatly, "is it important?"
"It is."
I held his gaze.
"Commander."
For a brief moment, something shifted in his eyes.
Without another word, he dismissed the cadets and gestured for me to follow him.
We entered one of the nearby training rooms.
The moment the door closed behind us, I raised my hand.
A quiet spell slipped from my lips.
The air shimmered faintly as a barrier formed around the room, sealing any sound inside.
Cael noticed immediately.
He leaned back slightly against the table behind him, crossing his arms.
"So," he said slowly, studying me with sharp eyes, "what is it you wish to discuss… Vice Commander?"
I didn't react to the title.
Instead, I reached into my coat and placed a sealed envelope on the table between us.
"I believe," I said calmly, sliding it toward him, "it's about time you repay the favour you owe me."
Cael stared at the envelope.
Then he exhaled quietly.
"I knew this was going to come back to bite me sooner or later," he muttered under his breath.
He picked up the envelope but didn't open it yet.
"What do you want me to do?"
"It's nothing difficult," I replied. "Nothing extraordinary."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You say that, which makes me think the opposite."
"I want you to take charge of the Florence household knights."
For a moment—
Silence.
Then Cael blinked.
"You want me to do what?"
I stared at him flatly.
Was he deaf? Or pretending to be an imbecile?
"You heard me."
He leaned forward slightly now, frowning.
"Why?" he asked. "The Florence household has the most elite knights in the kingdom. Even the royal fleet would struggle to stand against them."
His gaze sharpened.
"So tell me why you want me involved."
If only he knew.
Those knights… Don't exist anymore.
But explaining that would take time I didn't care to waste.
"Will you do it," I asked calmly, "or not?"
Despite my calm tone, impatience flickered beneath the surface.
Cael watched me for a long moment.
"I will," he said slowly, "if you give me a reason."
I sighed quietly.
"I want to take back my house," I said.
"My home."
"From my uncle."
For the first time since this conversation started, Cael looked genuinely stunned.
I couldn't blame him.
He probably believed what the rest of the world believed.
The carefully crafted lies. The ridiculous stories.
The false history that had replaced the truth.
He studied me silently, clearly weighing his options.
Then he spoke again.
"No wonder a child like you was standing on a battlefield."
The comment caught me off guard.
Of all things I expected him to say…
That wasn't one of them.
After another brief moment of silence, he straightened.
"I'll do it," he said simply.
"It's about time I repaid my debt."
I had expected resistance.
I had even prepared ways to force his cooperation if necessary.
Yet he agreed so easily.
"Tell me what you need," Cael continued.
I explained everything.
Whom to watch. Who not to trust. What movements to track?
And most importantly—
To send me a detailed report every month until the day I came of age.
Until the day I returned to take everything back.
Cael listened without interruption.
When I finished, he pushed away from the table and stood.
"You can leave everything to me," he said.
His voice carried the steady confidence of someone who had lived through wars.
"You just enjoy the few academy years you still have."
For a moment, I looked at him.
Then I answered honestly.
"I'll enjoy myself when I'm dead."
The room fell silent again.
Because we both knew…
I wasn't joking.
_____
Cecilia had barely taken ten steps away from the training grounds when a voice stopped her.
"Cecilia."
She didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
Cassian.
Of course, he wouldn't let it go.
She continued walking.
Footsteps followed behind her, long and impatient.
"Cecilia, stop."
She didn't.
The next moment a hand caught her wrist and pulled her to a halt.
Cassian stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
His brows were drawn together, frustration clear in his expression.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
Cecilia slowly pulled her wrist free from his grip.
Her face remained expressionless.
"I don't know what you're referring to."
Cassian let out a humourless laugh.
"Really?"
His voice dropped.
"Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you just decided to pretend Vivian doesn't exist anymore."
She said nothing.
Her silence only made the tension worse.
Cassian ran a hand through his hair in irritation.
"She waited for you this morning," he continued. "Do you know how long she stood there like an idiot hoping you'd say something?"
Cecilia's gaze shifted slightly away from him. But she still didn't speak.
Cassian's eyes narrowed.
"You were fine yesterday," he said. "You two were laughing together, training together, acting like actual friends."
His voice hardened.
"So what changed overnight?"
Still nothing.
Cecilia's calm mask remained firmly in place.
Cassian had known Cecilia long enough to recognize the truth beneath her expression.
What stood before him was not indifference.
It was a wall.
Thick. Deliberate. Carefully built, brick by brick.
And she was standing firmly behind it.
"Do you really believe," Cassian said slowly, studying her face, "that shutting Vivian and me out is doing us some kind of favour? Whatever reason you've decided this for—do you actually think this helps anyone?"
Cecilia's gaze sharpened, the faintest shadow passing over her expression before it hardened again.
"That," she replied coolly, "is none of your concern."
"Oh, it absolutely is."
Cassian stepped closer, his boots echoing softly against the stone corridor. His voice lowered, but the firmness in it only grew stronger.
"Because whether you like it or not," he said, "Vivian and I care about you."
The words struck deeper than they should have.
For the briefest moment, Cecilia felt something tighten painfully in her chest, an unwelcome pressure rising beneath her ribs.
She crushed it immediately, buried it before it could surface.
"You're mistaken," she said, her voice turning colder, stripped of even the faintest trace of warmth.
Cassian stared at her.
Then he let out a quiet scoff.
"No," he said flatly. "You're lying."
The accusation lingered in the air between them, heavy and unyielding.
Cecilia's eyes turned sharp as frost.
"You're crossing a line."
"And you're being a coward."
The words slipped out before Cassian could stop himself.
For a moment—
Everything went still.
Their surroundings seemed to fall silent, as though even the air had frozen around them.
Cecilia's gaze slowly darkened, her eyes turning glacial.
"Choose your next words carefully," she said softly.
The softness in her tone made the threat far more dangerous.
But Cassian didn't retreat.
"You think pushing people away is protecting them," he continued, his voice steady despite the tension tightening the space between them. "But all you're really doing is hurting them before anything even happens."
Cecilia's jaw tightened slightly.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain it!"
His voice echoed faintly down the empty hall.
But Cecilia only shook her head once, slow and dismissive.
"I don't owe you an explanation."
Cassian stared at her for a long moment, searching her face for something anything that resembled the Cecilia he knew.
The one who laughed with Vivian.
But the girl standing before him now looked like a stranger.
When he spoke again, his voice was quieter.
More deliberate.
"Is it because of what happened at the banquet?"
Cecilia froze.
It lasted less than a second.
But Cassian saw it.
And that was enough.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"So that's it."
Instead of looking away, Cecilia suddenly laughed.
It wasn't a warm sound.
Nor amused.
It was hollow.
Mocking.
"Don't delude yourself," she said, her voice turning colder than before. "You give yourself far too much credit."
Her gaze sharpened as she looked at him, each word delivered with chilling precision.
"If Vivian possesses even a shred of intelligence," Cecilia continued calmly, "she'll stay as far away from me as possible."
Cassian's expression hardened immediately.
"See, that's where you're wrong."
Cecilia lifted a brow ever so slightly, the movement slow and almost bored.
"Oh?"
Her voice carried faint amusement, though her eyes remained completely devoid of emotion.
"Then do enlighten me."
Cassian met her gaze without hesitation.
"Because Vivian isn't the kind of person who walks away from someone she cares about."
He paused for a moment.
Then added firmly,
"And neither am I."
Silence stretched between them.
Long.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Two stubborn wills standing on opposite sides of a line neither seemed willing to cross.
And Cecilia stayed completely still.
Cold.
Unreachable.
Like a fortress that refused to open its gates.
To be continued.....