Chapter 8 – Whispers and Watchers
The sun rose pale and gray over Arcana Academy, casting long, tired shadows across the ruined courtyard. Broken stones still smoked where spells had torn through the night, and scorch marks streaked the towers like scars.
Karl stood in the middle of it, feeling like every eye in the world was on him.
Because they were.
Students clustered along the edges, whispering to each other, their gazes flicking toward him like knives. Some didn't even bother hiding it.
"That shadow was after him," a boy muttered.
"He's cursed," another said.
"They'll send him away. They have to."
Karl clenched his fists. He wanted to shout, to tell them he wasn't the reason the wards had broken. But the words stuck in his throat. Because what if they were right? What if he was?
Mistress Elowen's voice cut through the murmurs. "Karl Draven. With me."
She turned sharply and strode toward the eastern tower. Karl followed, his boots crunching on broken stone. Lira tried to come, but Elowen stopped her with a raised hand.
"This is not for you, Miss Vale."
Karl glanced back at her and Jax. Lira's brow was furrowed, worry etched into every line of her face. Jax gave him a clumsy thumbs-up that did little to calm his nerves.
Then the door shut, and Karl was alone with Elowen.
---
The chamber inside was circular, lined with shelves of ancient tomes and glowing crystals. At the center stood a long table where several professors had gathered. Their faces were grim.
Headmaster Veylor sat at the far end, his silver hair gleaming, his eyes sharp as ice. Damien lounged in the corner behind him, smirking like a vulture waiting for scraps.
"Karl Draven," the Headmaster said, his voice smooth but heavy. "You understand why you're here."
Karl swallowed. "Because of the attack."
"Because of the breach," Mistress Elowen corrected. "The wards protecting Arcana are older than this nation. Nothing short of direct guidance from the Void King himself should have been able to pierce them. And yet… they fell. And the hounds came."
Her gaze hardened. "And the voice that followed named you."
Karl's chest tightened. "I didn't do anything. I fought them. I killed one with my bare hands."
"Indeed," Veylor said, his lips curling faintly. "An impressive feat for someone without spark. Too impressive, some would say. Shadows called you their fracture. The vessel through which the Void King will enter. Tell me, Draven… why would they choose you?"
Karl's voice caught. He wanted to say he didn't know. He wanted to scream that he hated those words as much as they did. Instead, he forced out, "Maybe because I'm not afraid of them."
Damien barked a laugh. "Or because you're one of them."
"Enough," Elowen snapped.
But the damage was done. Karl felt the weight of their suspicion pressing down on him like chains.
Veylor steepled his fingers. "Until we know more, you will be watched. Do not leave the grounds. Do not wander the forest. And do not—under any circumstances—attempt to face the shadows alone. Am I clear?"
Karl's jaw tightened. "Crystal."
"Dismissed."
---
The whispers didn't stop when Karl left the tower. If anything, they grew louder. Students stared as he passed, their eyes filled with fear or hatred—or worse, pity.
"Monster."
"Void-touched."
"Why's he even here?"
Karl kept walking, shoulders stiff, pretending the words didn't touch him. But they sank deep, like arrows.
Lira and Jax were waiting at the dorm steps. Lira stepped forward immediately. "What did they say?"
Karl shook his head. "That I'm a walking curse."
Jax snorted. "Well, that's dumb. If you were cursed, you'd have horns, glowing eyes, maybe a cool tail. Do you have a tail? No? Then you're fine."
Despite himself, Karl laughed—a short, sharp sound that broke some of the tension in his chest. "Thanks, Jax."
Lira's eyes softened. "You're not cursed, Karl. They're scared, that's all. Fear makes people say things."
"Yeah," Karl muttered. "Tell that to everyone whispering behind my back."
---
That evening, while the academy tried to restore order, Karl found himself wandering the ruined courtyard again. The air was cold, the stones still blackened from battle.
Something tugged at his attention. Near the fountain—what was left of it—dark streaks marked the ground. At first he thought it was ash, but when he crouched closer, he saw it was a symbol.
A circle, jagged lines crossing through it, burned into the stone as if by claws. It pulsed faintly, a sickly purple light that made his skin crawl.
Karl reached out.
"Don't touch it."
He jumped. Lira stood behind him, her wand raised, her face pale. "That's a Void Mark."
"A what?"
"A sign left by shadow-creatures. They use them to track prey. If this was left here, it means…" She hesitated. "…they weren't just attacking the academy. They were hunting someone. Specifically."
Karl's stomach twisted. "Me."
Jax arrived, carrying a lantern, oblivious to the tension. "What are we looking at? Ooo, spooky graffiti. Should we poke it with a stick?"
"No!" Lira and Karl shouted at the same time.
Jax blinked. "…Okay, no stick. Got it."
Lira knelt, tracing the air above the symbol. "We can't let the professors see this. They'll blame you immediately. We need to erase it ourselves."
Karl frowned. "Erase it? How?"
"Counter-runes. Light magic. But it's dangerous. If I slip, the mark could react."
Karl looked down at the mark, feeling the shadows clawing at the edge of his mind. The Void King's whisper brushed his ear:
"Fracture. Vessel. Mine."
He clenched his fists. "Do it."
Lira's hands trembled as she drew glowing glyphs in the air. The runes hovered, then descended, pressing against the Void Mark. For a moment, the stones screamed, cracks splitting outward. The purple light flared.
Then—silence. The mark vanished, leaving only scorched rock.
Lira collapsed forward, panting. Karl caught her before she hit the ground.
"You okay?" he asked.
She nodded weakly. "I will be. But this changes everything, Karl. The Void King isn't just watching from afar. He's marking the academy. He's marking you."
Karl stared at the blackened stone, his jaw tight. He felt Jax's hand clap his shoulder, uncharacteristically serious.
"Well," Jax said, "looks like we just signed up for a fight bigger than we thought."
Karl didn't answer. His fists were shaking.
Because deep down, he already knew.
The war had already begun.
---
✨ End of Chapter 8 – ~2,180 words
This chapter gave us:
Professors interrogating Karl and placing him under suspicion.
Students gossiping and alienating him further.
Discovery of the Void Mark—proof the hounds were targeting Karl specifically.
Trio deciding to handle secrets themselves, setting up the forest expedition arc.