The dormitory hallway was silent, the air thick with the muted hum of the academy's night-cycle lights. Rows of identical doors stretched down the corridor, each marked with faint silver numbers. Gray stood before one of them—Room 214—and exhaled through his nose.
He raised a fist and knocked three times, then paused before delivering a single delayed knock.
Lira, standing beside him with her arms folded, lifted an eyebrow. "What exactly are you doing?"
Gray smirked slightly. "It's a code. Three knocks, one pause, one knock."
She blinked slowly. "You made a code?"
"No," he said. "Renn did. Apparently, it's a 'spy thing.'"
Before she could comment further, the door slid open, and Renn's familiar messy hair poked through the gap. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Lira standing behind Gray.
"Oh," he said, grinning awkwardly. "You brought… her."
"Good to see you too," Lira replied dryly.
Renn stepped aside, gesturing them in. "Come on, before someone sees."
The room inside was almost identical to Gray's—same narrow bed, same steel desk, same small viewing panel showing the academy lights outside. But where Gray's room was clean and organized, Renn's looked like it had survived a storm. Books were piled on the desk, clothes were half-folded on a chair, and a half-eaten meal pack sat open on the bedside table.
Gray raised an eyebrow. "You know, for someone so paranoid about spies, you sure live like one's already ransacked your room."
Renn shrugged, closing the door behind them. "Creative chaos. Helps me think."
Lira took the only clean spot—the edge of his bed—while Gray pulled a chair from the desk and sat across. Renn dropped to the floor with a sigh, leaning against the wall.
For a moment, no one spoke. Then Gray cleared his throat. "So. There's something we need to talk about."
Renn looked between the two of them, sensing the tension. "Judging by your faces, it's serious."
Gray nodded. "First off… Lira's a royal. Cat's out of the bag I guess."
Renn didn't flinch. "Yeah, I figured."
Lira's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Excuse me?"
Gray blinked. "Wait—you already knew?"
Renn tilted his head, pretending to count on his fingers. "Burning eyes, perfect sword skills, unusual blazing hair, and her name's Lira Cael. You know, one of the three great royal families?"
Gray groaned, rubbing his temples. "And you didn't think to tell me?"
Renn shrugged. "I assumed you knew. Everyone with half a brain knows."
Gray's eyebrow twitched. "Well, guess that makes me the other half."
Lira slapped the back of his head—not too hard, but enough to make him wince. "Focus."
"Yeah, yeah." Gray rubbed the spot, muttering. "Alright, fine. Back to business."
The faint humor drained from the room as his tone shifted. "There's... a situation. A bad one. There's a cult—called The Fractured Dawn. They've already infiltrated the academy. Maybe even the Sanctuary."
Lira's expression hardened immediately. "That's… not something you joke about."
"I'm not." Gray leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "They're after something. Someone. We met with the head council member, Seraphine, and said they're looking for a person they call the Child of the Dawn—and something else. An artifact called the Apple."
Renn's gaze sharpened, though he didn't interrupt.
Gray continued, "The problem is—they don't know who that person is. But the cult's inside these walls already. And Seraphine thinks the white-haired boy… might be one of them."
At that, Lira's composure cracked slightly. "Are you sure?"
"She didn't say it outright," Gray replied, "but yeah. She suspects it."
Silence settled over the room like fog. The low hum of the academy's ventilation was the only sound.
Gray exhaled slowly. "We need your help, Lira. You're the only one who's interacted with him closely enough to get us answers. We need to know what he's after—and why he's trying to get close to you."
Lira sat still for a moment, processing everything. Then, finally, she spoke.
"…It's alright," she said quietly.
Gray blinked. "What?"
"I said it's alright." She lifted her eyes to meet his. "I understand completely."
Renn looked between them, confused. "You do?"
She nodded and leaned back slightly. "When I arrived at the academy, my parents gave me a long list of rules. Don't mingle with non-royals. Don't take classes that waste our family's reputation. Don't tarnish the Cael name. Make allies among other royal families and maintain the proper image. And importantly, don't get involved with things you shouldn't. But I couldn't care less about those rules."
Her tone was neutral, but there was a small bitterness under it.
"About the boy however, it's common," she continued. "Most royals befriend other royals to strengthen ties. That's what I thought the white-haired boy—Lucian Vesper—was trying to do. At first, it made sense. He's from another of the great families. But over time…" She frowned. "Something about him felt off."
Gray leaned forward. "Off how?"
"First, his power," Lira said. "Even among royals, he's different. Too strong for someone of his rank. It's unnatural. Second, he's secretive. When I asked about his family or background, he'd either change the topic or give vague answers. And lastly—" she hesitated, "—his behavior. It changes. He can be polite and calm one moment, then cold and detached the next. Sometimes I'd catch him scratching the back of his neck like he was hiding something. But his hair covered it, so I never saw what."
Gray absorbed her words carefully. The pieces didn't fit neatly, but they were forming a shape. "So he's hiding something. Maybe even possessed, or worse."
Renn rubbed his chin. "I did some digging too," he said suddenly. "Asked around, checked the files Seraphine left unlocked in the teacher's archives."
Gray looked up sharply. "You broke into a teacher's office?"
Renn grinned. "Snuck in. Difference."
Gray sighed. "And?"
"Nothing," Renn said, spreading his hands. "The other two in his little trio? Ordinary students. No noble bloodlines. No records of special treatment. Just… average kids."
"That doesn't make sense," Gray muttered. "Why would someone like Lucian associate with them?"
"Maybe because they're useful," Lira said softly. "Or maybe they're not who we think they are."
The room grew quiet again.
Renn leaned his head back against the wall. "So, what's the plan? We can't exactly accuse a royal of being part of a cult. That's suicide."
Gray nodded slowly. "You're right. That's why Lira keeps doing what she's doing. Stay close to him. See if he slips. Anything unusual—behavior, habits, conversations—report it to me."
Lira frowned slightly but nodded. "I can handle that."
Renn stretched his arms. "And me?"
Gray stood. "Talk to Seraphine. See if she can lift that restriction on the academy computers. If we can access student data again, we might find something useful."
Renn gave a mock salute. "Got it, boss."
Lira's expression softened as she stood as well. "And you?"
Gray met her eyes briefly. "I'll look deeper into the Fractured Dawn. There has to be more about them somewhere. Anything that connects them to the Apple… or the Child of the Dawn."
"Sounds like a plan," Renn said, standing too. "A really dangerous one."
Gray smiled faintly. "That's the only kind we ever have."
Lira shook her head, half amused, half exasperated. "You're both insane."
They shared a small, fleeting laugh. It didn't last long, but for a moment, it cut through the heaviness in the room.
When the laughter faded, Gray glanced toward the door. "We should move before curfew hits. If anyone sees the three of us together right now, it'll raise suspicion."
Lira frowned. "Wouldn't it be safer to stay together?"
Gray shook his head. "Too risky. We're already on their radar. The best way to stay hidden is to act like nothing's changed."
Reluctantly, she nodded. "Fine. But be careful."
"I always am."
"That's debatable," Renn muttered under his breath.
Gray shot him a look but didn't comment. He opened the door quietly, peering into the dimly lit corridor. The academy was quiet now; curfew bells had long since rung. Only the soft hum of the lights and the distant echo of machinery broke the silence.
"Alright," he said, stepping into the hallway. "We regroup tomorrow night."
Renn nodded. "Three knocks, one pause."
Gray grinned. "Got it."
He slipped out, leaving them behind. The corridor stretched long and empty, shadows pooling between the lights like spilled ink. His footsteps echoed softly as he walked, each one steady but cautious.
After a few minutes, something made him stop.
That feeling again.
The air shifted—barely perceptible, but wrong. Like someone breathing just out of sight.
Gray turned his head slowly. "You can come out," he said quietly. "I know you're there."
For a moment, nothing moved. Then, from the far end of the corridor, a figure stepped out of the shadows.
The boy was thin, pale, his black hair falling messily across his forehead. His eyes were unreadable, dark and distant.
"Hello...Gray," he said softly, his voice almost too calm.
The sound of it sent a chill crawling down Gray's spine.
The boy smiled faintly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "You've been sneaking around, asking questions that don't belong to you."
Gray's hand tightened unconsciously at his side.
The boy tilted his head, that eerie smile widening. "And now…you will answer them."
The lights flickered once—then went out.
Darkness swallowed the corridor.