-Alexia-
Whisperwind feels colder lately.
The halls echo too loud. The glances linger too long. Every whispered conversation feels like it's about me—even when it isn't.
Kaia's been trying to distract me with late-night hair braiding and sarcastic commentary about Whisperwind's drama levels. But even she can't mask the unease in her voice when she says, "You know I've got your back, right?"
Soren and Finn still act like everything is fine. But it's not. I see it in the way Soren watches me when he thinks I'm not looking, like he's bracing for something. Like he's already preparing to lose me.
I go to the garden alone.
It's stupid, maybe, but the herbs and wild vines still listen to me, even if no one else does. Zeus pads behind me, alert, his tail low. He always knows.
I kneel in the dirt, pressing my fingers into the soil, trying to steady the chaos churning in my chest. But the ground shifts before I command it. The magic responds too fast—too volatile.
"Careful, little storm," says a voice behind me.
I freeze.
A man stands at the edge of the garden, arms folded, looking perfectly at ease. His piercing blue eyes lock onto mine, calm and unsettling. The wind doesn't even stir his coat.
"What do you want?" I rise slowly, hands trembling.
"You look tired," he says, taking a step forward. "Are the boys not treating you well? Have they turned on you yet?"
"Go away."
He chuckles, low and warm. "Why do you keep pushing away the only one who understands you?"
"You don't understand me. You really don't know me."
"Don't I?" He tilts his head. "I watched you today, trying to hold everything together. But they're slipping from your fingers, aren't they? Soren can barely meet your eyes. Jasper flinches when you're near. Even Finn doesn't know what you're thinking anymore."
"You're wrong," I say, but my voice cracks on the last word.
"You're chaos," he says gently. "You can't be chained. Not by guilt, not by love, and certainly not by that Council of theirs. You were never meant to be tamed, Alexia. You were meant to break things and build anew."
"Why are you doing this? I am not this kind of person, I won't become that kind of person."
His eyes flash, not angry—just… amused. "You're already on the way, darling. I'm not here to convince you. I'm just… planting the truth."
He steps back, the shadows folding around him. "When they come for you—and they will—ask yourself who warned you first."
And then he's gone.
Zeus snarls at the spot where the man stood, ears pinned.
I drop to my knees again, the vines shaking under me, chaos buzzing so loud I can barely breathe.
I find Soren that evening near the west wing, his shadow magic curling faintly at his feet like smoke.
"Soren," I say quietly.
He turns fast with a smile on his face. "Lex."
"I need to tell you something," I say, voice low. "I saw him. The blue-eyed person from my dream, but he showed up in front of me."
His jaw clenches tightly. "When?"
"Earlier. In the garden."
"What did he want?"
I hesitate. "He said the others are pulling away… that I'm meant for more than this place, more than them."
Soren's shadows still.
"And you listened to him?" he asks, voice tense.
"No—I didn't want to. But he got in my head. Everything's already off, and he just... twisted it."
Soren steps closer, eyes sharp and unwavering. "Lex, you can't let him in. Not even a little. You have to question everything Gideon says—don't believe a word. The only one pulling away isn't me or Finn. It's Jasper. But you… you're the one pulling away from us."
I freeze, heart pounding. Gideon. I hadn't said a name nor did I know it. How did he -?
I glare at him. "Wait. How do you know his name? He never gave it to me."
Soren's jaw tightens. "Because I know him. From before you even arrived here and were born. He's dangerous, Lex. More than you realize.
My frustration bubbles up. "So you've known this all along and never told me? That's supposed to help?"
He meets my eyes steadily. "I wanted to protect you. Not scare you. But now, you have to be careful. He's not who you think he is."
I shake my head. "You don't get it, Soren. He knows things—secrets. And I'm tired of pretending everything's fine when it's not. Maybe I am meant for more than this."
Soren's voice hardens. "More than this? More than your friends? More than those who care about you?"
"I don't know anymore," I admit, voice cracking. "Maybe I'm the one who's broken."
He steps back, pain flashing in his eyes. "Don't say that. Don't give him that power."
I look away, tears stinging. "I don't want to lose you all. But it feels like it's already happening."
He sighs, softer now. "You should've called for me or Finn the moment it happened."
"I didn't know if I could."
He studies me for a moment. "You can, Lex. You always can."
I nod, but inside the hollow grows.
Because behind his eyes, I see it.
That sliver of doubt.
The first crack.