The academy quieted after midnight. Kael waited in his darkened room, counting down minutes until the guard rotation changed. He'd spent two weeks studying security patterns, mapping camera blind spots, and timing patrols. Tonight he'd test whether his observations were accurate.
The restricted north wing held faculty offices, including Professor Thorn's. Getting caught there meant expulsion at minimum, criminal charges at maximum. But Kael needed to access Thorn's files, find evidence connecting him to the assassinations.
At twelve-forty AM, Kael dressed in black clothing and retrieved tools from the false bottom of his locker. Lock picks, a signal jammer for electronic locks, and a small camera. Nothing that would raise suspicion if discovered—student pranks happened regularly at elite academies.
He opened his door silently, checking the hallway. Empty. The Shadow dormitory's security was minimal—the academy saved serious protection for Apex areas and restricted zones.
Kael moved through corridors he'd memorized, staying in shadow, avoiding the few cameras that covered main intersections. Most students were asleep. The dedicated ones studied in their rooms. Nobody wandered at this hour without reason.
The path to the north wing required crossing two open courtyards. Kael waited at the first, watching the guard complete his circuit. Twelve seconds between when he disappeared around one corner and emerged from another. Tight timing, but manageable.
Kael crossed in nine seconds, pressing against the far wall as the guard's footsteps echoed nearby. The man passed within three meters, never looking in Kael's direction.
*Complacent. They've never had real threats here, so they've gotten lazy.*
The second courtyard was trickier—motion-sensor lights that activated with movement. Kael studied them from cover, identifying the sensor positions. The lights were designed to catch someone walking normally, but the sensors had dead zones low to the ground.
He dropped and crawled, moving slowly to avoid triggering the sensitivity threshold. Cold rain from earlier had left puddles that soaked through his clothes. Kael ignored the discomfort, focused only on reaching the far side without activating lights.
Forty-three seconds of crawling through mud and water. Then he was across, pressed against the north wing's exterior wall.
The entrance was electronically locked, requiring faculty key cards. Kael pulled out his signal jammer—a device his master had provided, capable of temporarily disrupting the lock's verification system. He attached it to the card reader and activated the sequence.
The lock clicked open after eight seconds. Kael slipped inside, removing the jammer and resetting the lock behind him. Now he was in restricted territory. If caught, there would be no talking his way out.
The north wing's interior was elegant—hardwood floors, expensive lighting, and artwork on the walls. This was where real power operated, away from student eyes. Kael moved silently down the corridor, checking door nameplates.
Professor Vance. Professor Cross. Department offices. And there, at the corridor's end, the largest door: Headmaster Magnus Thorn.
Kael approached carefully, checking for additional security. A camera monitored the door from down the hall—he'd anticipated that. But there was also a pressure-sensitive mat in front of the door itself. Step on it and alarms would trigger.
*Paranoid. What are you hiding, Thorn?*
Kael examined the mat's edges, finding where it connected to wiring beneath the floor. He couldn't disable it without tools he didn't have, but he could bypass it. The doorframe was wide enough that he could reach the lock without stepping on the mat if he approached from the side.
He pressed against the wall and stretched, his fingers just reaching the electronic lock. The signal jammer worked again, though the wait felt like hours. Finally, the lock disengaged.
Kael eased the door open and slipped inside, closing it silently behind him.
Thorn's office was spacious, dominated by a massive desk and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. One wall held photographs—Thorn with various clan leaders, government officials, and corporate executives. Proof of his connections, his power, his reach.
Kael moved to the desk, searching for anything useful. The drawers were locked, but his picks made short work of them. Inside he found standard documents—academy budgets, student files, correspondence about curriculum.
Nothing incriminating. Nothing about assassinations or conspiracies.
*He wouldn't keep evidence in obvious places. Think. Where would he hide it?*
Kael scanned the office more carefully. Behind the desk, a painting of the academy's founding caught his attention. It hung slightly crooked, as if moved recently. He lifted it carefully, revealing a wall safe.
Electronic combination lock, eight digits. Impossible to crack without the equipment Kael didn't have. But wall safes had a weakness—the wall itself. Kael examined the installation and found what he expected. The safe was mounted securely, but the wall surrounding it was standard construction, not reinforced.
He couldn't access the safe tonight, but now he knew where Thorn kept sensitive materials. That was progress.
Kael photographed the safe's model number and the office layout, documenting everything for future planning. He was checking the bookshelf when footsteps echoed in the corridor outside.
*Damn it. Guard patrol changed routes.*
The footsteps stopped directly outside Thorn's door. A radio crackled. "North wing, checking offices."
Kael scanned for hiding places. The desk offered no cover. The closet was too obvious. Behind the curtains would show his silhouette. That left one option—the narrow space between the bookshelf and wall, barely wide enough for a person.
He squeezed into the gap as the door handle turned. The lock was still disengaged from his entry. The guard would notice immediately.
The door opened. Heavy footsteps entered. "Headmaster's lock is open. Possible security breach."
More footsteps—a second guard joining the first. "Check the room. I'll call it in."
Kael pressed himself flatter against the wall, controlling his breathing to absolute silence. The gap was dark, and the guards' flashlights swept the office without reaching his position. But if they checked systematically, they'd find him.
"Windows secure," the first guard reported. "Desk drawers... locked. Wait, no. This one's unlocked."
*I relocked them. I know I did.*
"Check the safe."
One guard moved to the painting, lifting it. "Safe's closed, appears secure."
"Could be maintenance forgot to lock the door," the second guard said. "Happened last month with Professor Cross's office."
A long pause. Kael's muscles ached from staying perfectly still, but he didn't move even a millimeter.
"Probably nothing," the first guard finally agreed. "I'll note it in the log. Let's finish the circuit."
They left, pulling the door closed. The lock engaged automatically. Kael waited a full minute before moving, his body protesting as he extracted himself from the tight space.
*Too close. Way too close.*
He needed to leave immediately, but he also needed to check one more thing. Kael moved to Thorn's computer, powering it on. Password protected, as expected. He didn't try to hack it—that would leave traces. Instead, he photographed the model and serial numbers. His master might have resources for remote access.
Kael shut down the computer and prepared to leave. He reset everything to how he'd found it, erasing his presence. At the door, he listened carefully before using the jammer to exit.
The return journey was faster, urgency overriding caution. Kael took chances he shouldn't have, moving quickly through shadows, praying he wouldn't encounter guards.
He made it to his dormitory at one-thirty AM, slipping into his room and locking the door. Only then did he allow himself to breathe normally, adrenaline draining away and leaving exhaustion.
The night's intelligence was limited but valuable. He knew where Thorn kept sensitive files. He knew the office security could be bypassed. And he knew the guard patterns shifted unpredictably, making future operations riskier.
Kael changed into dry clothes and collapsed on his bed. His encrypted phone showed a message from his master: *Progress report.*
He typed quickly: *Located Thorn's safe. Electronic lock, eight digits. Need equipment or an alternative approach. Office security is tight but manageable.*
The response came within minutes: *Equipment risky. Too traceable. Find alternative access. Thorn must have physical keys or backup codes somewhere. Look for leverage points—people close to him, systems he relies on.*
Kael considered that. Leverage points meant manipulating people in Thorn's inner circle. Faculty members, trusted students, and administrative staff. Anyone with access to information Thorn wanted protected.
It meant expanding his operation, taking bigger risks, and building networks beyond his current careful isolation.
*The ghost needs to become more visible. Needs to be trusted by the right people.*
That thought brought back Raven's offer and Aria's curiosity. Both dangerous, both potentially useful. Could he trust either of them with pieces of his mission?
Not yet. Maybe not ever. But he could use their interest, guide it toward targets that served his purposes.
Kael set an alarm for six AM and tried to sleep, knowing tomorrow would bring new challenges. The academy was starting to reveal its secrets. Slowly, carefully, the ghost was infiltrating the world of the living.
And the living had no idea what was moving among them.