The balance had shifted. At first, I hadn't noticed but little by little, the rift widened.
The class was no longer whole. One half gravitated toward Vivian, drawn to her strength, whispering admiration as if she were some shining prodigy. The other half recoiled, voices sharp with fear. To them, she wasn't gifted she was a threat.
Eventually, their whispers found their way to Damian's office.
Pathetic.
The moment I walked in and their eyes met mine, their complaints dissolved into silence. Faces went pale, feet shuffled, and one by one they scrambled out like rats fleeing fire. I didn't have to say a word. Just my presence was enough.
It's not like I'm a devil. What the hell are they so afraid of?
Vivian, on the other hand, was normal after the expedition. Too normal. I kept watch, waiting for the cracks to show for the mania I saw in her eyes to resurface but nothing came. She laughed, she studied, she teased me the same as always. Maybe it was only a one-time slip.
Still…
"So," Damian's voice cut into my thoughts, dry amusement coating every word, "are you done corrupting a good student?"
I looked up from the desk, half a smirk tugging my lips. "I didn't corrupt her. Not yet."
Damian chuckled. "I see. So it's underway." His laugh echoed in the quiet office, sharp and knowing.
I ignored him, going back to the pile of letters stacked like miniature towers before me. This was my cover, 'learning' under the Headmaster. In truth, it was the easiest way to gather information from beyond these walls.
My hands moved automatically, sorting seals and papers, until something slipped from the pile. A single envelope slid to the floor.
Red. With a golden crest pressed deep into the wax.
I paused for a moment, staring at it. The seal was unmistakably the Royal Palace.
And not just anyone. The Second Princess herself.
My brow furrowed. Why would that viper send him a letter?
"You can leave it," Damian said lazily, not even looking up from his papers. "Or burn it. Makes no difference to me."
My fingers brushed the edge of the letter,
Burn it? Pretend I never saw it?
No.
Now I was curious.
I wanted to know why that viper, the arrogant, venom-tongued Second Princess, who never bothered with letters would suddenly write to him. It wasn't her style. I knew her. Which made this all the more intriguing. I was just about to pester him with questions when a knock echoed through the office.
"Headmaster, it's Instructor Cael."
"Come in," Damian said without looking up.
Cael stepped inside, carrying the weight of urgency on his shoulders. His eyes flicked toward me, and for the briefest moment, recognition passed between us. He remembered me from the past though wisely, he had kept silent. If he hadn't… well, I'd have erased him. Entirely.
Even so, he still forced me to the sidelines, always drilling me harder than the rest. If I wasn't training, I was being worked into the ground under his watchful eye.
"Headmaster," Cael began, his tone clipped, "I bring urgent news from the palace." His gaze slid back to me.
"I'll leave," I said, rising.
"It's fine," Cael interjected quickly. "We might need you for this job."
I paused. Job? What kind of job was he about to throw at me now? My mercenary days were long behind me. Or so I told myself.
Cael continued. "The Crown Prince has ordered you to investigate Baron Darien's territory. Strange reports keep surfacing. Every knight dispatched there has failed to return. The palace wants answers. They want you to inspect them personally."
Damian let out a short, humourless laugh. "He could handle it himself, but no. Instead, he wants to send me. Hilarious. All this just to keep me under his thumb."
Keep Damian in check? My eyes narrowed. If the Crown Prince truly saw Damian as a threat… then why was I being dragged into it?
"Instructor Cael," I said, "what does that have to do with me?"
Cael met my gaze evenly. "For the Headmaster to travel there, he requires a… companion."
I tilted my head. "Companion?"
"In a very specific sense," Cael explained, "a daughter or a son. Since Headmaster Damian is, in fact, a count—"
"COUNT? Who—Headmaster?" I cut in, genuinely shocked.
He only smirked.
Cael ignored my interruption. "Since Baron Darien is a family man, he would welcome the Headmaster warmly if he arrived with his said daughter. Which, in this case, would mean you."
At that, Damian's eyes lit with dangerous amusement. He seemed to savour the thought of parading me as his daughter. "I would love to go with Cecilia as my daughter. But unfortunately, I can't. Tell His Highness to find someone else for this little errand."
"But Headmaster," Cael pressed, "if you refuse, the Crown Prince will retaliate—"
"Then you go," Damian snapped. "Find someone else to play companion."
Their argument spiralled, voices like clashing blades. I should have left the moment Cael entered. But then I heard my name.
"Then why not send Miss Cecilia?" Cael said firmly. "She's excellent at these kinds of missions."
I froze.
"Excuse me," I said, my voice like ice. "I retired a long time ago from those kinds of missions. I'm not doing it."
The room fell into tense silence, Damian's gaze burning into me as if he had unanswered questions.
Damian's eyes locked onto me, sharp and unyielding.
"What do you mean by she's excellent at these kinds of missions?" His voice carried suspicion, edged with curiosity.
"Choose your next words carefully," I said softly, but the ice threaded through my tone and froze him where he stood. His jaw shut with an audible click.
I shifted my eyes back to Damian, calm yet devoid of warmth, "It is not something you need to know, Headmaster. What you do need to know is this: if infiltration is required, I can wield my status as heir to the Florence household. That alone will grant me access."
Cael gave a small nod but Damian's refusal was immediate. "Absolutely not. There's no way you're setting foot in Darien territory alone."
"Headmaster," I said, voice flat, emotionless, "I am capable of handling this on my own. I don't need protection. I don't need rescue. I am enough. If a situation demands survival, I am the solution."
Damian leaned back in his chair, folding his hands as his gaze locked with mine.
"You can tell yourself that as often as you like, Cecilia, repeat it until you believe it. But self-assurance doesn't make you invincible. It doesn't mean you have the strength to shoulder the weight or the responsibility that comes with missions like these."
His eyes narrowed, almost as if he was measuring me against ghosts of the past.
"Do you think walking into a viper's nest alone makes you fearless? No. It makes you arrogant. And arrogance," his lips curled faintly, "is what gets people buried in unmarked graves."
My eyes narrowed ever so slightly, the faintest edge of threat hidden behind a smile that wasn't a smile.
"You don't have to worry about that, Headmaster."
A smile tugged at my lips, cold and deliberate, the kind that felt less like reassurance and more like a blade pressed lightly against the throat.
"I've carried burdens heavier than this, long before you or anyone else thought to test me. Fear or survival, they're all the same coin, and I know how to make people pay in whatever currency is required." My gaze sharpened, unwavering, unblinking. "So, with all due respect… Your concern is unnecessary. And unwanted."
The silence stretched, taut and dangerous, until Cael broke it. "Headmaster… I'll vouch for her. Miss Florence is more than capable of executing this alone."
Damian studied me, as though weighing whether to push further. At last, he exhaled slowly. "Fine. You'll go. But you will not go alone."
Cael suggested Cassian. I suggested Vivian.
He chose both.
And so, the three of us were bound for Baron Darien's territory where the crown prince's paranoia and the baron's secrets waited.
I left the office with Cael at my side, ready to brief me further on the mission. Behind me, I could still feel Damian's stare pressing into my back, his thoughts unspoken but loud.
Just what are you hiding, Cecilia…
The air shifted. A shadow stirred.
"Stay in your limit," Nox said, his presence like a blade grazing the back of Damian's neck. "Do not try to cross the line you're not meant to cross."
"This is the last time I'll warn you."
Damian's composure faltered. His voice rose, sharp, desperate. "You! The hell you are—I'm worried about her."
"Your concern is unnecessary for her," Nox replied, his voice calm, which made it cut all the deeper. "Let me tell you something, Count. She does not believe in concern. It holds no meaning for her. To her, it is a hollow gesture. Empty. Worthless."
"You—" Damian's voice collapsed on itself. Words deserted him.
Because Nox's truth was undeniable.
No matter how much time Damian had spent with her, no matter how much he thought he'd glimpsed, Cecilia was not someone to be understood. She remained an abyss. Vast, bottomless, unreachable.
And the more he stared into it, the more he realized it was staring back. As it was cold, unfathomable, and eternal.
Cael led me down the corridor, away from the headmaster's suffocating office. His boots struck the stone floor in measured rhythm, his silence sharp enough to cut. I followed without a word until we entered his office dim, sparsely furnished, a table scattered with parchment maps and sealed reports.
He exhaled once, then spoke. "The situation is simple on the surface, but in truth…" He tapped a finger against the red wax seal of one document. "It reeks of rot. The Baron Darien territory has gone dark. Reports of missing patrols, settlements vanishing without explanation. Every knight dispatched to investigate has failed to return."
He glanced at me, eyes narrowing. "They want us to find out why."
I said nothing. My eyes swept over the map over the blacked-out marks where villages once stood. One finger trailed along the parchment, stopping at the Baron's crest.
"And eliminate the source," I finished for him, my tone flat, as if I were reading a sentence already written.
Cael didn't deny it. His silence was answer enough.
The chamber door opened with a groan. Two figures stepped in Cassian first, posture straight, his eyes sharp as always. Vivian followed, a little breathless, her expression bright but taut, masking nerves she thought I couldn't see.
"You called for us, Instructor?" Cassian's tone carried steel.
"Yes." Cael's tone was clipped as he folded his arms, the dim lantern-light throwing sharp shadows across his face. "You two are to go on an assignment with Miss Florence. The headmaster has finalized this. The three of you will depart at dawn for Baron Darien's territory. Your assignment is reconnaissance first, elimination if necessary. No hesitation. No delays."
Vivian's brow creased. Her hands tightened on the hem of her robe. "Baron Darien's territory? With just the three of us?" Her voice wavered for an instant before she caught herself. "Wouldn't that be… reckless?"
I tilted my head slightly, watching her. "It will be dangerous." My voice was quiet, steady, cutting through her words like steel through silk. "And the truth is we don't know what kind of situation awaits us there."
The chamber felt colder after I spoke. Vivian bit her lip, but nodded quickly.
Cassian, however, said nothing. He stood rigid, his arms crossed, his silence deliberate. His eyes flicked between me and Cael, unreadable.
Cael carried on, "Regardless, the chain of command will be absolute. Cassian. Vivian." His gaze sharpened on the two of them. "No matter what happens, you are to follow Miss Florence's lead. Under every circumstance. No questions asked. No exceptions."
Vivian was the first to respond, her voice eager. "Understood."
Cassian's reply was slower, "Understood."
I let my gaze linger on him, studying him.
He reached across the table, tapping the map once with his finger. "You'll leave first thing in the morning. Supplies and transport will be arranged. Your cover will be simple: you're on a routine assignment. But make no mistake…" His eyes flicked to me, holding for a fraction longer than necessary.
The words hung heavy in the air. Vivian stiffened, her throat tightening. Cassian's jaw clenched. And I smiled faintly, but there was nothing warm in it.
The courtyard was swallowed in mist when I arrived. The first light of dawn struggled through the fog, pale and thin, painting the world in shades of grey. The academy's spires loomed like silent sentinels, watching us go.
Vivian was fidgeting with the strap of her satchel. Her hands wouldn't stay still. Sometimes fidgeting with the hem of my cloak
"Calm down, will you," I said, my voice cutting through her nerves. "Nothing's going to happen. Besides…" I leaned back slightly, meeting her wide, anxious gaze with my own steady one. "I taught you myself. Don't forget you killed a high orc all on your own."
The words landed heavily. I could see it in her face, the way her memory fought her fear.
"That ought to calm your nerves," I added, faintly amused, though my tone was soft.
She swallowed, shoulders easing only a fraction.
Cassian arrived moments later, He carried no visible burden beyond a sword at his hip. His eyes found me first, then flicked to Vivian. He greeted us both.
Cael was the last to step into the courtyard, his boots echoing against the stones. He surveyed us with a soldier's eye, one hand resting on the hilt at his belt. "Good. You're here."
He handed me a sealed document. "This will serve as proof of authority if questioned."
I tucked the document into my cloak without a glance. "Understood."
Vivian hesitated before asking, "Instructor… is there anything else we should know about Baron Darien's territory?"
Cael's silence was long enough to make her shift uneasily. Finally, he said, "You'll understand when you see it. And when you do… remember what I told you. Follow Miss Florence." His eyes lingered on her, then Cassian. "No matter what."
Cael gave one final nod. "Your carriage is waiting. Go."
We turned as one, the mist swallowing our footsteps as we crossed the courtyard. The weight of the mission pressed in from every side the silence, the fog, the uncertainty.
Vivian finally broke it, her voice soft but trembling with forced optimism. "We'll be fine… right?"
"Of course," Vivian said, voice a little too bright, "I'll make sure to protect both of you, no matter what."
As we approached the carriage, Cassian stepped forward, offering his hand. Vivian hesitated, then placed hers in his. For a fleeting second, I caught the faintest flush on her cheeks.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"It's my pleasure," Cassian replied with a smile.
I ignored their little exchange and stopped before the carriage door. "Alright, you two. Listen carefully before we reach Baron Darien's territory."
From my pocket, I pulled out three slim, silver pieces that glinted faintly in the dim light. I handed one to each of them. "Put this in your ear."
Cassian frowned, turning the piece over in his palm. "These are… artifacts. Where did you—"
"Did you forget?" I cut him off sharply. "My mother is the Lord of the Magic Tower. She gave them to me."
He seemed unconvinced but wisely held his tongue. Vivian fitted hers into her ear obediently. I had Vivian make them last night. These artifacts were in the grimoire and they are incredibly rare now.
"Good. Now, pay attention. This isn't a simple assignment it's a mission personally ordered by the crown prince." My gaze settled on Cassian for a fraction longer than necessary. "I hope you know how to keep your mouth shut."
Cassian nodded once, serious now.
"This will be more dangerous than either of you expects," I continued coldly. "If you ever feel your life is in danger, run. Don't try to be heroes. Lead the threat to me, and I'll deal with it."
Vivian bit her lip. "But… What if we don't have to fight? We're only investigating the disappearances, right? The missing settlements, the knights—"
I met her eyes without blinking. "If it were that simple, the crown prince wouldn't have sent for the headmaster. Don't delude yourself. Something waits for us there."
Her expression faltered, but she nodded reluctantly.
I turned to Cassian. "Stay with Vivian at all times. Whatever happens, don't let her out of your sight."
He inclined his head with quiet confidence. "You can leave it to me. I'll protect Miss Vivian."
"Good," I said, leaning back against the carriage door as the coachman prepared the horses. "Then let's continue."
I outlined their roles, every contingency I could think of. But deep down, I knew, it was only a matter of time before they saw it. The part of the world is drenched in cruelty, merciless and unforgiving. The side I had long since stopped fearing.
To be continued.