The evening air outside the academy carried a quiet weight to it.
The sun was already sinking behind the western spires, painting the stone paths in long bands of amber and shadow. Students trickled past in small groups—laughing, arguing, exhausted from the day—but Nolan and Phoebe walked against that current, moving with purpose toward the outer gates.
Nolan broke the quiet first.
"So," he said, hands shoved into his jacket pockets, "you dragged me out like we're about to commit a crime. What's this about?"
Phoebe didn't answer immediately. She waited until they were far enough from the academy walls, until the hum of wards and listening spells faded into nothing more than background noise.
Then she spoke.
"I found a lead," she said.
Nolan slowed a step. "A lead on…?"
"The gang that killed Sara."
The name landed hard between them.
Nolan stopped walking.
Phoebe turned to face him, her expression serious in a way he rarely saw. Gone was the teasing grin, the casual sharpness. This was Phoebe when she meant business.
"I've been looking since I woke up," she continued. "Quietly. Records, old cases, things no one bothers to read unless they already know what they're looking for."
Nolan stared at her. "How long?"
She hesitated. "Long enough."
He exhaled slowly, then gestured for her to keep going. "Alright. Tell me."
Phoebe resumed walking, and he fell into step beside her.
"You remember the symbol you described?" she asked. "The snake coiled around a gun?"
Nolan nodded. "Hard to forget."
"I searched for it in archived cases," she said. "My family oversees the western region, but documents tied to the Imperial Court are shared among all pillar families. That's where I found something… strange."
She reached into her coat and tapped the folder tucked inside, but didn't pull it out yet.
"A year ago," Phoebe said, "a missing children case was filed. A small town called Cohen."
Nolan frowned. "Never heard of it."
"Most people haven't," she replied. "That's part of the problem."
She glanced at him briefly. "Children started disappearing. Not one or two. Enough that the town couldn't ignore it anymore. The mayor himself brought the case to the Imperial Court."
Nolan's jaw tightened. "That alone should've made it serious."
"It did," Phoebe said. "At first. The mayor claimed it ran deeper than ordinary kidnappings. The said people were afraid to speak. Witnesses vanished. Evidence went missing."
She paused.
"The suspects were two men. Both were identified by witnesses. Both are carrying the same symbol."
Nolan stopped again.
"The snake and the gun," he said quietly.
Phoebe nodded. "That's not even the crazy part."
His eyes sharpened. "Go on."
"The case was dismissed," she said flatly. "Thrown out. Official reason: lack of evidence."
"That's bullshit."
"Exactly," Phoebe said. "And do you know who intervened?"
Nolan felt a cold knot form in his stomach.
"…Who?"
"The Elders of Imperial Court," she said. "Specifically, the one named Farbauti Hern."
Nolan's breath caught. "Michael Hern's father."
For a moment, Nolan couldn't speak.
The city sounds felt distant. Muted.
"You're telling me," he said slowly, "that a mass child disappearance case was buried by the elder… and the same symbol shows up in Sara's murder."
"Yes."
"And where was Cohen?" he asked.
Phoebe didn't hesitate.
"On the edge of Theron's province," she said. "Near the border between Theron and Brightburn."
Nolan stared at her.
"That's…" He swallowed. "That's dangerously close to—"
"To families we know," Phoebe finished.
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, Nolan asked, "Where did you even get all this?"
Phoebe let out a tired laugh. "Archives. Old petitions. Handwritten testimonies were not digitized. Stuff that only exists because no one thought anyone would ever look again."
He shook his head. "How much time did you spend on this?"
She didn't meet his eyes. "Enough."
Nolan exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face. "Then… Vivi and Lily's father. He would've known about this."
"Yes," Phoebe said. "He would have."
Nolan's confusion deepened into something sharper. "Then why hide it? Why bury something like that?"
Phoebe stopped walking and turned to him with a grim smile.
"Because someone big is involved... Like The Church"
The word big felt inadequate.
Nolan let out a breathless laugh. "So that's it. That's the missing piece."
She tilted her head. "Bingo."
He looked up at the darkening sky. "Then we should tell the Police or the Royal Guard."
Phoebe's expression tightened immediately. "No."
Nolan frowned. "Why not?"
"Because we don't know enough," she said. "And because if we're wrong—or even if we're right—we'll be watched the second we open our mouths."
She lowered her voice. "You don't bring something like this to the throne unless you're ready to be silenced."
He nodded slowly. "…Monitored. Pressured. Maybe worse."
"Exactly."
They resumed walking.
After a moment, Nolan said, "We should at least tell the others. Solace. Vivi. Lily. Lex."
Phoebe shook her head. "Not yet."
"Why?"
"Because they're all barely holding things together," she said. "Lex has his family breathing down his neck. Vivi's… Vivi. Lily's situation is complicated."
"And Solace?" Nolan asked.
Phoebe snorted quietly. "Solace would scold us."
Despite himself, Nolan smiled faintly. "Yeah. He would."
"We're just confirming for now," Phoebe said. "If this really connects back to the Church, then we bring them in. All of them."
She finally pulled the folder from her coat and handed it to him.
"Read it," she said. "Every page."
Nolan took it carefully, as it might burn him.
As they walked on, the weight of what they carried felt heavier than any weapon.