The sun rose slowly, as if hesitant to warm a world that no longer felt safe. Ronan had barely slept. His mind had been replaying Lyra's words on loop — *"You're not invisible."*
And now, he couldn't afford to be. The Circle was growing bolder. He felt it in the atmosphere around campus. There were more whispers. More students with hollow eyes. More strange symbols scratched into benches and backs of classroom chairs.
The system hadn't said a word since last night.
But Ronan knew better.
Sometimes, silence was a warning too.
He headed to the library first thing that morning. Not to meet Lyra — she hadn't shown up — but to think. To strategize. His *Observation* skill, though low-level, helped him pick up small details others missed. Like the unnatural stiffness in a lecturer's walk. The strange pattern some students tapped on their desks, like a coded rhythm.
He pulled out a blank notebook and began sketching a map of the campus. He marked possible places The Circle had already infiltrated.
Then the system flickered:
*[New Passive Alert: Ambient Energy Flux Detected – Courtyard, North Wing.]*
*[Warning: Overload activity may be in progress.]*
He didn't hesitate.
---
Ronan moved quickly, taking the quieter side paths. When he reached the North Wing courtyard, he spotted three figures — students — standing in a triangle, palms raised. Their eyes were rolled back slightly. In the center floated a faint orb of flickering red light.
*It wasn't a ritual. It was a transfer.*
He ducked behind a tree, activating *Concealment Aura*, heart pounding.
And then, the energy pulsed outward.
For a moment, time felt like it folded.
And when it snapped back — two of the students had collapsed. The third, taller and older-looking, stood straight, breathing heavily.
That's when he saw it — *a mark glowing* on the student's forearm. Something the system had never shown him before.
*[Unknown Mark Detected: Modified Anchor Sigil]*
*[Source: External – Not recognized by user system]*
A rogue system? Or something worse?
Ronan backed away carefully.
Then someone grabbed his wrist.
He spun, about to trigger *Blast*, but stopped.
It was Lyra.
Eyes wide. Face pale.
"I saw you running. I followed. What—what *was* that?"
He yanked his hand free. "You shouldn't be here."
"I *am* here," she said. "Ronan, whatever you're into, it's getting out of control."
He looked her dead in the eye. "This isn't a game."
"Then stop treating me like a bystander!" she snapped. "I don't have a system, or powers, or secret quests. But I *see* what's happening. I care about what's happening. Isn't that enough?"
He didn't answer.
The system flickered again.
*[Quest Updated: Discover Origin of Anchor Sigils – In Progress]*
"Go back," he said quietly. "Please, Lyra. If anything happens to you because of me…"
But she didn't leave.
Instead, she looked past him toward the now-empty courtyard.
"I'm not leaving," she said. "You don't have to tell me everything. But I'm not walking away."
He swallowed hard.
This secret world was never meant for her. But somehow, she was already inside it.