The library was almost empty at this hour. Rain tapped faintly against the tall windows, blurring the outside world into streaks of gray. Kael sat at a wooden table surrounded by scattered notes, the glow of the desk lamp throwing long shadows across his tired face. He hadn't been able to sleep since the confrontation with Lucian. Every word from that verbal duel still echoed inside his head, each one a poisoned chess piece waiting to tip over.
Riven sat across from him, silent, focused on flipping through an old map they'd stolen from the restricted archive. His dark hair was damp from the drizzle outside, clinging to his forehead. Kael wanted to reach out, brush it away, but he forced himself to look down at his notebook instead.
Jordan had been gone for nearly an hour, off chasing a lead in the archive's sub-basement. He'd said there were "sealed files," things even faculty weren't supposed to see. Kael had laughed it off at first, but now—now the silence stretched too long. Now even Kael himself wanted to know what the connection was between this university and himself, the string that binds him with his past selves.
The door creaked. Jordan stumbled in, his glasses fogged and his hands full of old folders, the kind that looked like they belonged in a museum. His face was pale, his voice hushed.
"You won't believe what I found."
He dropped the files on the table. Papers spilled out, yellowed with age, ink faded but legible. Kael leaned forward and froze when he saw his own name.
Not Kael. Another name. One that looked like it belonged to someone else, someone from another time. Yet deep inside, he felt the same jolt of recognition as if it were his own.
Riven's eyes narrowed. "Where did you get this?"
Jordan swallowed hard. "The sub-basement. Locked cabinet. It shouldn't have been there. It's… it's like someone deliberately wanted it found out, loosely hidden, but not destroyed."
Kael's fingers trembled as he picked up one page. It was a diary entry, written in sharp, hurried strokes.
"September 12. Contact established with Operative R. Mission continues as planned. But the boy—K—is becoming more than a liability. If emotions interfere, the entire operation will collapse. Must decide: eliminate or protect."
The entry was signed with a symbol Kael didn't recognize. But Riven stiffened the moment he saw it.
"That's Lucian's mark," Riven said flatly.
The room went still. Kael felt cold spread through his chest. "You mean… he knew me? Back then?"
Jordan pushed his glasses up, voice shaking. "It looks like… Lucian wasn't just an enemy. He was part of the same unit as you. Both of you."
Kael staggered back from the table. His heart pounded. Images from his flashbacks came rushing in—the gunfire, the kiss, the blood. Only now, there was another shadow lurking behind it all. Lucian. Watching. Waiting.
Before he could ask more, the library lights flickered. Then went out. Darkness swallowed the room.
"Stay close," Riven ordered, pulling Kael toward him instinctively. His hand brushed Kael's arm, firm and protective. Kael's pulse skipped despite the fear clawing at him.
From the far end of the library, footsteps echoed. Slow. Deliberate.
The cloaked figure stepped into the thin beam of emergency light, their hood dripping with rain. They didn't raise a weapon. They didn't run. They just stood there, like a piece of the night itself had entered the room.
Jordan hissed under his breath. "Not again…"
Kael's voice cracked. "Why are you following me? What do you want?"
The figure tilted their head, as if studying him. Then, in a low voice that carried more weight than a shout, they said:
"You've already been chosen. Long before this life. Long before him."
Kael's skin prickled. "Chosen for what?"
The figure didn't answer. Instead, they tossed something onto the table—a silver locket. It spun across the wood and landed in front of Kael. When he picked it up, his stomach twisted. Inside was a faded photograph.
Two young men, standing side by side. His face. Riven's face.
But in the corner of the photograph, blurred but unmistakable, was another figure. Watching. Lucian.
Kael's breath caught. The room tilted. He wanted to scream, to demand answers, but when he looked up, the cloaked figure was gone. The door swung shut with a whisper.
Riven caught Kael's wrist gently, grounding him. "Hey. Breathe." His voice was low, steady. The kind of voice that could pull someone back from the edge.
Kael looked at him, heart aching with something he couldn't name. "Why does it feel like… like I've already lost you once?"
Riven's jaw tightened, his usual wall of control cracking for just a second. "Maybe because you have."
The silence that followed was heavy with everything they couldn't say. Kael's fingers curled