Left alone, she stood frozen to the spot, her heartbeat thudding loudly as adrenaline coursed through her.
There was no mistaking it—he cared.
But… does he like me?
The question slipped in, uninvited, as she sat at the edge of her bed, hand over her heart.
Do I… like him?
Memories lingered—moments from when she first arrived.
He was cold… still is. But he's softened, she muttered.
There were fleeting moments when his ice cracked.
"I'll continue looking at you tomorrow," she said, turning to the equipment.
---
Back in her room, Aria swore under her breath.
"Where's my phone?" she muttered, frantically searching drawers, the lampstand, and every table in sight.
A thought struck her.
"The wardrobe!"
She rushed over, only to sigh in defeat. Not there either.
Where could it be? Pressing a hand to her temple, frustration mounting, she groaned.
The bathroom. That's the last hope.
Trudging toward it, she rummaged until—there, behind the drape in the corner.
"Found you," she muttered, picking it up. "Must've left it here while listening to music."
Phone in hand, she returned to her room.
With a sigh, she scrolled through her contacts.
Theo.
There he was.
"It's been so long since I heard from him," she whispered, typing a message. The signal was shaky—but it was worth a shot.
Uhm, hey… It's been so long...
No. Delete.
I'm sure you've heard where I am. What happened to me... and maybe even more freaky stuff. I wonder where you are now. We'll see each other soon, definitely.
Click. Send.
She leaned back.
Message not sent.
"Again?!" she groaned.
"Like I said when I got here… this is a cage. A big one."
---
— ✦ — ✦ — ✦ —
"Varek," she said, clutching the phone to her ear, pausing mid-search.
"Any news?" Her breath caught in anticipation.
"She was called to the council. She's not supposed to train until further notice."
"Hmmm…" Aria murmured, distracted as her fingers trailed along rows of books.
"Where is the book?" she thought, frustration creeping in.
"Alright then, keep digging for more information," she said, ending the call.
"When was the last time I saw it?" she whispered, eyes scanning frantically.
"Another day's search," she sighed, resting against the shelves.
---
— ✦ — ✦ — ✦ —
"Morning already?" Aria yawned, blinking into the sunlight spilling through the curtains.
"I feel like I've forgotten something…" she mumbled. Before my training, maybe?
Sitting up, the thought struck.
"Yes—the library!" she said, springing from bed. At least she had something to do today.
There was something about that place. That book.
It felt… magical.
Her smile faded. People were always watching.
"That'll have to wait till nighttime, after training," she thought, a wave of sadness passing through her.
Staring into space, she muttered,
"Another day to read a book. Might not be so bad."
"Worse could happen," she added, dragging her feet to the bathroom.
"Might as well change my breakfast environment. Better to have people stare at me than stay in this boring room alone again."
No sign of anyone, she noticed, walking the quiet hallway.
It stretched long, seemingly endless today.
"So much for wanting to see people," she muttered, rounding a corner near the stairway.
Still no one.
"Maybe I should take a walk around the building."
Faint bells rang in the distance, audible to someone with sharp senses.
Wolves howled.
"Probably a gathering… training, maybe," she guessed.
"No wonder the place is eerily quiet."
After a quick breakfast of cereal, she wandered through the gallery of portraits.
"This looks calm," she said, admiring a painting of a blue sky above a sprawling landscape and lake.
Then one caught her attention.
A woman with blonde hair tied high, soft features, and bright—no, muted violet—eyes.
She looked strikingly like Ronan.
"His mom, maybe… definitely family."
"That was Ophelia," she murmured, studying another portrait.
"I'll save the right row for another day," she added, heading for the entrance.
Stepping outside, she took a long, deep breath.
The estate stretched endlessly—trees, grass, open skies.
"Nothing much to see now," she said, savoring the breeze and birdsong.
With one final inhale, she stepped back inside.
"Time for that book," she said, closing the doors.
---
— ✦ — ✦ — ✦ —
"Ronan," a voice called coldly from behind a desk.
"What's taking you so long?"
"You were assigned a simple task," it continued.
"Watch her. Report signs of power or strength. So what's the delay? Are you incapable? Should someone else take over?"
The man's eyes narrowed, probing Ronan's.
"I am capable," Ronan replied, jaw tight.
"But she might not be as dangerous as the prophecy suggests. I've seen her myself. Just give me more time. If it escalates… I'll handle it. Without hesitation."
"Do I have your word?"
"Yes," he said through clenched teeth.
"Very well," the voice concluded, turning back to his desk.
---
— ✦ — ✦ — ✦ —
"Young Master Damien's Pet," she read aloud, flipping the book open.
"Who touched you?" a voice in the story asked, sharp and thunderous. "WHO?"
"Interesting…" she muttered, shifting on her bed, flipping to the next page.
A knock snapped her back to reality.
"But I thought this part of the house was empty…"
Opening the door, she blinked.
"Lucien?"
"The Alpha said training is paused until further notice."
"Oh," she replied, closing the door again.
"He's so unpredictable," she muttered, her mood dipping.
"Nice today, cold tomorrow."
"At least now I can go to the library. No one's around… and I'm not saving my energy anymore."
"I haven't even seen Kaelith in days," she noted, slipping on her shoes.
---
— ✦ — ✦ — ✦ —
The corridors felt different today—empty, quiet, lifeless.
Even the trees outside seemed still.
After a two-minute walk, she reached the hallway leading to the library.
With one last glance around, she stepped inside.
Counting shelves…
One. Two. Three.
Stopping at the fourth—there it was.
Half-drawn out.
She must've left it like that in a rush.
It looked the same… but it felt different.
It felt like hers.
"I'll have to borrow it this time… decipher this language."
The moment her hand touched the runes, a sound echoed through the room.
It was as if the magic had been waiting for her first training to awaken.
Drawn by the noise, she followed it, winding deeper through the maze of shelves.
A voice whispered in her ear:
You're almost there.
Without hesitation, she reached the vault and pulled it open.
Inside, a shard of moonlight hovered, glowing.
It surged toward her, pulled by some invisible force.
As if it had been waiting.
As if it recognized her.
Instinct screamed at her to run, but she couldn't move.
Frozen.
It looked familiar.
Too familiar.
Like something from her childhood.
Then—
A radiant wave of light struck her, bursting with raw magic and flooding the entire vault.
And when the light finally faded…
She was no longer alone.