Ronan didn't respond right away. His mind was spinning—between the Anchor Sigil, Lyra's sudden appearance, and the system's new update, things were changing too fast.
He glanced once more at the courtyard. The three students were gone. The strange red energy had vanished. But he could still feel the aftershock lingering in the air like smoke after a fire.
Lyra stood her ground.
"I know I'm not supposed to be involved," she said, breaking the silence. "But I am. Now, either you let me help you figure this out, or I keep doing it on my own. Your choice."
"You don't know what you're walking into," Ronan muttered.
"Neither did you," she replied. "And yet here you are."
He hated that she had a point.
But this wasn't just about curiosity anymore. Whatever The Circle was doing—it was evolving. That sigil on the student's arm wasn't ordinary. It had weight to it. Purpose. And the system confirmed it had never seen anything like it.
They walked back to the library side by side, saying nothing. Ronan's thoughts were buried deep in the system menus. He scrolled through newly unlocked fragments:
[Anchor Sigils – Experimental marks that tether external energy to unstable users. Origin: Unknown. Function: Power compression, emotional suppression, allegiance binding.]
*Allegiance binding.* That meant whoever used those sigils was creating controlled agents—like puppets.
This wasn't about influence anymore. It was about *ownership*.
"Hey," Lyra said quietly, stopping near the library steps. "Whoever's behind this... they're hurting people, aren't they?"
He looked at her, surprised by the calm in her voice.
"Yes," he said. "They are."
She nodded. "Then tell me what I can do."
---
Ronan didn't give her everything. But he gave her enough.
They spent the next two days observing campus closely. Lyra tracked patterns: when certain students seemed absent, where the strange markings were appearing, what faculty members were acting... off.
Meanwhile, Ronan used his system to scan energy spikes, detect the presence of sigils, and build out a growing network of affected zones on campus.
Every evening, the system updated with new information.
*[Anchor Sigil Users Detected: 9]*
*[Known Transfer Sites: 3]*
*[Circle Activity Level: Rising – 72%]*
It was getting out of hand.
And for all his hidden power, Ronan still had no idea how to stop it.
On the third night, the system issued something new.
*[Temporary Ability Unlocked: Sigil Disruption – Lv. 1]*
*[Note: This ability will destabilize active sigils within a 10-meter radius. Use with caution. Risk of exposure high.]*
It was a breakthrough.
But using it would mean revealing himself.
To everyone.
---
The next day, Lyra pulled him aside near the west quad.
"I saw something," she whispered. "One of the students who's usually quiet—her name's Tami—I saw her corner a freshman near the gym. Her arm glowed for a second. When I walked past them later, the freshman looked... empty."
Ronan's jaw clenched. "That's a transfer."
"Whatever it was," Lyra said, "it didn't feel right. It felt like someone was getting erased."
He looked at her. "Where?"
She pointed across campus. "Near the old gym entrance."
That night, Ronan went alone.
He waited until the moon was high and the campus mostly asleep. Cloaked in his *Concealment Aura*, he slipped across the fields and toward the gym. The moment he crossed into the old lot, his system pulsed.
*[Anchor Sigil Detected – 3 Users Nearby]*
*[Disruption Recommended]*
He saw them. Tami and two others. Surrounding a fourth student who looked frightened and confused.
This was it.
Ronan stepped forward.
No more hiding.
"Let him go."
The three turned slowly. Tami's eyes glowed faint red. The sigil on her arm flared with energy.
"Who are you?" she hissed.
He didn't answer.
Instead, he activated the new ability.
*[Sigil Disruption – Activated]*
A pulse of invisible force exploded outward from his body.
Tami screamed. The other two stumbled back, holding their arms in pain as their glowing marks flickered violently and then extinguished. The captive student collapsed, unconscious but free.
"You..." Tami growled, barely on her feet. "You're one of *them.*"
Ronan stepped forward. "No. I'm what comes when you cross the line."
She lunged—but her power was gone.
He let her collapse.
As he turned to leave, the system spoke again:
*[Disruption Successful]*
*[Anchor Sigil User Count: 6]*
*[Circle Activity Status: Reactive]*
*Reactive?* That meant The Circle had felt it. Somewhere, they now knew someone had disrupted their control.
They were watching.
And now, they were aware of *him*.
---
He got back to his room just before sunrise.
Lyra was waiting outside his door.
"I felt something," she said. "Don't ask how. But I *felt* something change."
"It did."
She looked at him, like she was starting to realize just how far he was from the person he pretended to be.
"You're doing something big," she said quietly.
Ronan nodded. "And it's only just begun."
---