The courtyard was silent again—unnaturally silent—after the Shade Beast vanished.Aeri's breathing was uneven, her hands trembling despite the warmth still pulsing from her magic.
Someone inside the Academy wanted her dead.Someone who knew who she had been before reincarnation.
Her stomach twisted.
"How?" she whispered. "How could they possibly know my past life?"
Lior crossed his arms, his red eyes glinting with something colder than anger—fear, disguised well."That's the part we weren't sure how to tell you," he said.
Soren added, "You're not the only reincarnated soul on campus."
Aeri's eyes widened.
"What…?"
Soren stepped closer, voice low. "There are three of us connected by the same fate. Three whose souls are marked by the old prophecy."
Aeri looked between them, heart thundering.
"You mean you two—?"
Lior looked away, jaw tight.Soren exhaled, shoulders heavy.
"We remembered our past lives before you did."
Her knees nearly buckled.
Lior took a step toward her, his voice gentler than usual."Aeri… in our past lives, we were closer to you than you think."
Aeri's chest tightened. Images flickered in her mind—faceless figures, voices she couldn't place, a warmth that felt familiar.
"But why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked, her voice shaking.
Soren's expression darkened. "Because once you remembered everything… you'd become a target again."
Lior added softly, "And we weren't strong enough to protect you yet."
The wind rustled through the trees, cold and heavy with warning.
Aeri swallowed hard. "Then who is after me? Who hates me enough to send a Shade Beast?"
Soren and Lior exchanged another look—the same look they'd shared before the creature attacked.
Aeri stepped forward. "Tell me."
Lior sighed, rubbing the back of his neck."It's not a simple answer."
Soren's voice dropped to a whisper.
"The one hunting you… was someone who loved you in your past life."
Aeri froze.
Loved her?
"But love doesn't turn into this," she said, motioning to the courtyard where the creature had been.
"It can," Soren replied quietly. "When love turns into obsession."
Aeri felt sick, cold, and strangely hollow.
Lior added, "This person was once your greatest ally… then your greatest enemy."
Aeri's mind raced. "So which is it now?"
Soren's eyes shadowed."We don't know."
The moon dipped behind clouds, casting everything into darkness for a heartbeat.
Then—
A faint glow lit up behind them.A small sigil burned on the fountain's surface… shaped like an eye.
Lior cursed. "We're being watched."
Soren grabbed Aeri's hand. "We need to get inside. Now."
Aeri didn't move.Her eyes were locked on the glowing sigil.
Because inside the eye-shape…there was another symbol.
One she recognized from her dreams.One tied to the moment she died in her past life.
Her voice trembled as she spoke:
"I… I know that mark."
Lior stiffened. "Where have you seen it?"
Aeri closed her eyes.
"In the memory I can't fully remember.The one right before… I died."
Both boys froze.
And then Soren whispered:
"Then the person hunting you now…may be the one who killed you before."