Jax swung an arm over Zion's shoulder as we made our way through the crowded school entrance. "So, since someone forgot to introduce Riven earlier, do we get the full backstory now, or are we supposed to piece together the mystery like a scavenger hunt?"
Zion shook his head. "He just got here a few days ago, Jax. Let him breathe."
Riven, walking beside them with effortless calm, raised an eyebrow. "I appreciate the concern, but I can handle a few questions."
Jax's eyes lit up. "Perfect! Alright, question one: do you have some dark, tragic past we should know about? Maybe you're a runaway prince? A secret assassin? Ooh, a rogue warlock—"
"Jax," Ezzy cut in, shaking her head, "not everyone has a dramatic backstory."
"I don't know," Riven mused, a flicker of amusement crossing his face. "The rogue warlock thing has potential."
Jade gasped. "Oh, now that's an answer."
I huffed a small laugh, shaking my head as we stepped through the school's grand doors. Brightforge's main hall stretched before us, alive with energy, students reuniting after the break, enchanted banners shifting between glowing gold and deep blue, last-minute gossip floating in the air.
We wove through the crowd toward the main office to collect our schedules, slipping into our usual routine.
After grabbing our schedules, we did what we always did, compared them to see who was stuck together in suffering this year.
Ezzy scanned hers and beamed. "Yes! Magical Music Composition first thing in the morning. A perfect way to start the day."
I smiled. Ezzy's voice was her gift, literally. It could influence emotions, soothe or energize, even make someone completely enthralled if she wanted. She'd inherited the ability from her mom, a well-known singer in Lowmere. But in Elarion, musical magic wasn't taken seriously. The elites dismissed it as entertainment, something fun, but not powerful.
Jade groaned. "Lucky you! I've got Visionary Poetry & Prophetic Writing first thing, again. I swear, if we have to 'channel the unseen' through bad poetry one more time, I'm gonna set my desk on fire."
Jade's visions only came through her writing, symbolic, layered, and usually vague enough that we never realized their meaning until it was too late. Her gift was both fascinating and frustrating, mostly because she refused to analyze her own prophecies.
"Better than combat drills," I offered with a shrug.
In our school, there was a balance. We had core subjects like History, Combat & Defense Training, Elemental Mastery, Potionology, and artistic subjects consisting of Music, Poetry, and Dance. The arts thrived in Brightforge, even if they didn't carry prestige.
Meanwhile, at Arcanis Academy, the elites focused entirely on Supernatural Politics, Advanced Elemental Manipulation, Warrior Combat & Defence Training, and Supernatural Ethics & Laws. No arts. No culture. Just pure strategy and power.
Zion leaned over. "Athena, what do you have first?"
I glanced at my schedule and exhaled. Runic Language & Enchantment.
Jax whistled. "Yikes. That class is basically an endangered species."
"I like it," I defended. "At least it doesn't involve anyone accidentally setting me on fire."
"I barely burned you that one time!" Jax shot back.
"You burned my bag, you brat."
"It was an educational experience."
I rolled my eyes as Zion checked his own schedule. "Looks like Jax, Riven, and I have Elemental Mastery first period."
Jax grinned. "Hell yeah! We'll be blowing stuff up before lunch."
"Lucky," I muttered under my breath. Being a null, someone with no magic, I made sure to avoid any classes that required magic manipulation. No one knew my secret. Not even my closest friends.
In Lowmere, weak magic was tolerated. But no magic? That was unheard of in this world.
Luckily, students got to choose subjects aligned with their abilities. Mystic History and Combat & Defense Training were mandatory, though, no escape there.
As we split up for our classes, Jax nudged me. "Meet me after, Athens. We have Astral Navigation & Dream Walking next, and I'm convinced I'm gonna be amazing at it."
I snorted. "Sure. See you after."
For now, though, I was on my own for Runic Language & Enchantment.
I walked into the classroom and wasn't surprised to see only five other students already seated. This subject wasn't exactly popular. It didn't have the flash and excitement of Elemental Manipulation, a class so packed it was held in the biggest lecture theater in the school.
The room had a quiet, ancient atmosphere. It was slightly smaller than most classrooms, with drapes hanging from the walls, embroidered in worn, archaic symbols that I could now read without much effort. I brushed my fingers over the closest one as I passed.
"Power whispers not in conquest, but in patience."
I smiled to myself. The saying reminded me of the subtle magic I had come to appreciate, the kind that didn't need to burn bright to be powerful.
As usual, I chose a seat in the middle row. The other students didn't bother with greetings. Heads were already buried in books or comm crystals. This wasn't exactly the chatty crowd.
Soon, the familiar clicking of stiletto heels echoed down the hall. Ms. Amara entered, her presence as commanding as always. She wore her usual all-black attire, sleek, elegant, and slightly intimidating. Her waist belt shimmered with a gold rune I didn't recognize. It winked at us like it carried a secret all its own.
Her piercing blue eyes scanned the room. "Six students this year," she murmured, almost to herself. Her voice had a velvety, yet serious edge. "Let's see if we make it to the end of term with the same number."
No one dared to laugh. Ms. Amara wasn't harsh, but she didn't tolerate nonsense. Rumor had it she was a survivor of an ancient, eradicated coven, a witch who had lived far longer than she appeared. No one knew the truth, and she wasn't the type to indulge gossip.
"Runes are the foundation of all written magic," she began, pacing slowly in front of the class. "They are far more than symbols. They are conduits, pathways between intention and manifestation."
She paused, letting the weight of her words settle.
"Each rune carries not only history but meaning, layered meaning, tied to language, energy, and emotion. You must learn to listen to them. Read them not just with your mind, but with your senses."
As she spoke, I found myself focusing on the intricate symbols hanging around the room. The idea of runes as living conduits fascinated me. I'd already become fluent in some ancient languages, but the depth she described hinted at something more.
"You may have heard this class described as dull," she continued, raising an eyebrow. "Those people lack vision. The patient will unlock power that others can't even comprehend."
I leaned forward slightly. Maybe I wasn't a magical prodigy, but this was something I could excel at. Symbols. Patterns. Meaning. I had already built my own understanding, and now I wanted more.
Ms. Amara swept her gaze across the room, her presence impossible to ignore. "We'll begin with a review. Take out your notes on the Primary Runes of Essence."
I grabbed my notebook and prepared for the lesson. Whatever the world thought of this subject, it was mine to master.
The Runic Language & Enchantment class soon ended, but my mind was still tangled in the intricacies of the symbols we had just studied. The way they shifted with intent, how they carried ancient power, it was as if they were alive. I traced absent patterns on my palm as I walked, my thoughts lingering on the lesson long after I'd stepped into the hallway.
Jax's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Athens! Took you long enough."
He was leaning against a row of lockers, arms crossed, wearing his signature grin. But it wasn't just Jax. Standing beside him was Riven.
Of course.
My breath hitched before I could help it. Riven's gaze locked onto mine, sharp and unreadable. There was something about the way he stood, calm, effortless, like he knew more than he let on. His presence had weight, and it was doing something very inconvenient to my pulse.
I forced myself to look unimpressed. "I was learning, Jax. You should try it sometime."
Jax pressed a hand over his chest dramatically. "You wound me."
Riven watched, his lips curving slightly, just enough to be dangerous. "You really take runes that seriously?" His voice was low, almost amused.
I folded my arms. "Of course. Ancient symbols? Secret meanings? The fact that people think they're boring just means they don't know what they're looking at."
Something flickered in his eyes. Interest. Amusement. Something else I couldn't place. "That's an unusual way to see it."
"I'm an unusual person," I shot back before I could think better of it.
His gaze held mine for a beat too long, steady, searching, as if he was reading something in me even I didn't understand. My breath caught, and for a brief, dizzying second, the air between us shifted. I wasn't sure if it was real or just me overthinking, but my skin prickled like something unseen had stirred.
Jax, of course, had to ruin the moment.
"Alright, lovebirds," he clapped his hands loudly, grinning when I turned to glare at him. "If we're done making heart eyes at each other, can we get moving? Astral Navigation & Dream Walking waits for no one."
I scoffed, ignoring the warmth creeping up my neck. "First of all, I don't know what delusions you're under, but—"
Riven leaned slightly closer, his voice just for me. "For the record... I do believe runes are more than just symbols."
I barely had time to process that before he turned away, walking ahead like we hadn't just had a moment.
I let out a breath and followed after him, resisting the urge to look at Jax, who was definitely about to be insufferable about this.
We made our way toward the building where we had our next class. I was trying to focus on Jax's rambling, but my mind kept drifting back to Riven, who walked quietly beside us. His presence was both comforting and unnerving, like a storm held in perfect balance.
Then, without warning, my hand brushed against his.
A fleeting touch.
A sharp current of something I couldn't name crackled through me, jolting my heart to a stop.
His fingers barely grazed mine, but the warmth of it lingered, too noticeable, too sharp. My breath caught, my skin prickling as I tried to pretend it hadn't happened.
Riven didn't react immediately. No flinch. No sudden movement.
But I saw it: the subtle shift in his posture, the way his gaze flicked to me, just for a second. Like he had felt it too.
His fingers twitched, then he casually adjusted the strap of his bag, as if that brief connection hadn't sent a storm through my entire nervous system.
Jax, completely oblivious to my internal crisis, kept talking. "Anyway, this class is gonna be my ticket to mastery! I mean, astral navigation? Piece of cake, right?"
I tore my gaze from Riven, forcing my voice to work. "Uh-huh. Sure. Easy," I said distractedly, my pulse still racing.
When we reached the doorway to his class, Riven finally stopped.
He turned to me, just for a second. His eyes lingered, as if memorizing something.
"Looks like this is where I leave you two," he said, voice low, smooth, like the secret I wasn't supposed to hear.
Then, he smirked.
Not just any smirk. The kind that sent a slow, lazy roll of heat down my spine.
And before I could even react, he disappeared into the Dimensional Studies classroom, leaving me standing there like an idiot.
Jax shook his head, sighing. "Man, that guy's got the whole 'mysterious cool guy' thing down. I should be taking notes."
"Yeah, you do that," I replied, laughing softly despite myself. But my mind wasn't on Jax anymore.
It was on the warmth of Riven's hand and the way his gaze had lingered just a second too long.
We finally got to our class and Jax, typical, insisted on sitting in the front row, much to my annoyance.
"I need the professor to know I'm serious about this class," he said, winking.
"Or so you can annoy him up close," I muttered under my breath.
Professor Arkin graymark soon entered, a tall, silver-haired man with an air of calm authority. He wasted no time launching into his lesson.
"Astral Navigation is not a talent learned overnight," he began. "It requires focus. Patience. Years of practice. Even those with natural affinity for it often fail to master its intricacies."
Jax leaned over to whisper, "Great. I'm already hearing 'patience' and 'years.' This is gonna be fun."
I elbowed him lightly. "Focus, genius."
The professor continued, instructing us to close our eyes and picture a place in vivid detail. "Start small," he said. "An object, a person, a memory. Learn to center yourself before expanding outward."
The room grew quiet as students tried the exercise. I peeked at Jax, who was actually taking it seriously for once, his brow furrowed in concentration. Jax already had a strong connection to his abilities, something that usually took years to master. He could actually leave his body and project himself to other places, though he didn't exactly have full control over it yet, and it only happened once during a freak incident with Zion. Apparently, he'd accidentally appeared in Zion's bathroom mirror, scaring him half to death. Classic Jax.
I wasn't here for astral projection, though. I took this class for different reasons: curiosity and a way to blend in. Astral travel was one of the hardest things to achieve, so late bloomers weren't uncommon. It gave me an easy cover.
After class, Jax and I headed to the dining hall, where Zion, Jade, and Riven were already seated at our usual table.
"Finally!" Jade called out. "What took you so long?"
"Blame Jax," I said, dropping into my seat across from Riven.
"Hey, I'm a dedicated student now," Jax replied, puffing his chest. "Astral mastery in the making, baby."
"More like an astral disaster," Zion muttered, earning a round of laughter.
We fell into easy conversation, everyone sharing stories about their first classes. Ezzy joined us a few minutes later, flopping into her chair with an exaggerated sigh. "Ugh. First-day chaos already. I'm exhausted."
"You'll survive," Jade said with a grin.
As the chatter continued, my focus kept drifting back to Riven. He wasn't saying much, but he didn't have to. His presence spoke louder than words. I tried to keep my eyes from wandering in his direction, but it was impossible.
He leaned back slightly, resting his forearm on the table, fingers tapping an absent rhythm against his water bottle. Strong hands. Long fingers. I traced the intricate bracelets on his wrist: leather and metal, woven with designs that looked almost… ancient. The rings on his fingers had strange markings, like forgotten symbols waiting to be translated.
I had the ridiculous urge to ask what they meant.
And then, he looked up.
Directly at me.
My breath hitched, caught somewhere between surprise and something else. His dark eyes pinned me in place; steady, unreadable, like he knew exactly what thoughts had just been running through my head.
My heart stuttered.
For a second, I forgot how to move. How to breathe.
Then, he smirked.
Slow. Knowing. Like he was in on a secret I wasn't even aware of yet.
The air between us tightened, a heartbeat of silence stretching too long. My skin prickled with awareness.
And suddenly, I needed to look anywhere else.
I ripped my gaze away, reaching for my napkin like it held the answer to my impending crisis.
"Earth to Athena!"
I snapped back to reality as Jade waved a fry in front of my face.
"Huh?" I blinked, praying no one noticed how flustered I was.
Jade smirked. "You good?"
"Yeah." I cleared my throat, too quickly. "Totally. Just… thinking."
Ezzy arched a brow. "Thinking?"
"Yeah. You know, about... uh freshening up before Combat & Defense," I said, grasping for the nearest excuse. "Which is where we're headed next, right?"
Zion didn't even try to hide his amusement. "Yep. We'll meet you there."
I grabbed my bag and stood quickly, smoothing down my shirt like that would somehow calm my racing pulse. As I turned to leave, I felt it again - Riven's gaze. It followed me, lingering on my back like a whisper I couldn't quite shake.
I didn't dare look back. I wasn't sure I could handle it.