The fight at the hallway spread fast. By the next morning, whispers followed Kael and Renz everywhere they went.
"That's the guy…"
"He scared them without even trying."
"Who is he really?"
Kael ignored the stares, but Renz felt the weight. "Bro… they're all talking about us now."
"Let them," Kael said. "Fear is useful."
But not everyone was afraid. From the far side of the room, Lyra glanced at him. Not with fear, but with curiosity. She remembered his eyes yesterday—the calm that hid something darker.
At lunch, Renz leaned closer. "I heard those guys… they're planning something. They didn't take the loss well."
Kael smirked faintly. "Good. Let them come."
Renz swallowed nervously but nodded.
Later, on the rooftop, Renz asked, "So what now? We keep waiting for them?"
Kael looked at the city stretched out below, the moon already faint in the sky. "We don't wait. We prepare. If they strike, we make sure they don't rise again."
Unseen to them, Lyra had followed quietly. She didn't speak, only listened. And though she didn't fully understand, she felt it—Kael was no ordinary boy. He carried something heavier, like he came from a different world.
And the shadows around them… were only starting to move.