The courtyard was quieter than usual.
The usual noise of the academy was always a hum, a constant pulse of routine, people going through motions with purpose and precision.
Today, it was as if everything had been muted.
Aiden stood by the fountain, fingers brushing the water, watching the ripples spread outward without ever returning to the center.
This was no longer about the Call.
It had become something more. Something unspoken but undeniable
.
She approached him from behind, her footsteps soundless on the stone. A soft breath escaped her as she stopped just beside him. Not close enough to touch, but close enough to feel her presence shift the air around them.
"The council has called a meeting for you,"
she said, her voice low. "They know about the corridor."
He didn't turn. "Of course they do."
"Did you think they wouldn't notice? Or would you have preferred to stay in the dark about the truth of this place?"
He finally met her gaze, the weight of her words hanging between them like a chain too heavy to ignore. He knew what she meant.
What they both knew. He had already stepped too far. And now the world was watching.
"I didn't mean to go this far," he said quietly, his voice rough. "I never asked for any of this."
Her eyes softened, and for a moment, Aiden almost thought he could see the halo flickering above her, faint but present.
"You didn't choose to fall," she said. "But that doesn't mean you didn't choose to stand."
A quiet beat passed between them.
"What if I'm wrong?" he whispered. "What if everything I've been taught was right, and I'm just, lost?"
"You're not lost," she said, her hand brushing his arm, grounding him in a way words couldn't. "You're asking questions that only those who are awake can ask."
He exhaled slowly, releasing the weight of everything he hadn't been able to say until now.
"I don't know if I'm ready for what happens next."
Her fingers lingered for a moment before she pulled away. "Then you don't have to be. You're never alone in this."
Aiden's heart thudded harder than it should have. Her words were too simple, too clear.
He had heard promises of safety before, but this… This was different. This wasn't a promise to protect him from the world.
It was a promise to walk beside him, no matter what he chose.
The sound of the bell tower echoed in the distance, too loud now, reminding them both that they couldn't linger forever.
The council's meeting would be soon. He couldn't run. He couldn't hide.
But for the first time, Aiden realized that maybe, just maybe, he didn't need to.