“We need to talk. Get your ass up and follow me,” Jack said, his eyes fixed on Nova before shifting his gaze to Darius.

  “You—take me to Nova’s villa.”

  Darius’s eyes instinctively flicked toward Nova. Noticing the glance, Nova turned his head and met Darius’s gaze, giving him a subtle nod.

  “This way,” the general replied, leading Jack without further delay.

  As the two disappeared into the distance, Nova remained where he was, eyes lifting to the sky, a dazed expression settling across his face.

  “What the fuck just happened,” he muttered under his breath, the words barely more than a whisper.

  Minutes passed before he finally stood, stretching lightly. With a resigned shake of his head, he stored his spear in the Inventory before setting off toward his villa.

  On the way he passed his generals without a word—his thoughts too tangled in Jack’s sudden and strange behavior.

  The generals, for their part, said nothing. They exchanged brief glances but made no move to stop him or question what had transpired. They understood well enough: if there was something they needed to know, Nova would tell them—eventually. But that time wasn’t now.

  Before long, Nova found himself seated at his kitchen table, facing Jack. Behind him, Darius stood respectfully, though the tension in his posture betrayed his nerves.

  “You can go,” Jack said, eyes never leaving Nova. His tone was sharp, commanding—like someone far too used to giving orders.

  Darius glanced at Nova once more, who gave a simple nod in response.

  With a slight bow, the general turned and exited in silence.

  Watching him leave, Jack gave a low, amused chuckle. “Huh. You've really built yourself a little following, haven’t you?”

  “Cut the crap,” Nova said, his voice dropping as he crossed one leg over the other. His expression had hardened, the usual casual demeanor gone. “Tell me what happened.”

  Jack exhaled, his features tightening. Even trying to say it seemed to ignite something volatile in him.

  “Fine,” he muttered, steadying himself. “Cassie entered a Blue portal.”

  Nova leaned back slightly. “My generals already told me that, so—”

  He didn’t finish. A sharp sting bloomed across his cheek—just enough to jolt him from his detached tone. The burn was faint, but unmistakable.

  Nova didn’t take his eyes off Jack, even as the other man looked like he was ready to tear him apart. Calmly, he reached up and touched his cheek. When he pulled his fingers away, there was a faint smear of blood.

  “You better start explaining yourself, Jack,” he said, his voice dropping several octaves.

  Jack stared at him in silence for a long, heavy moment. Nova didn’t flinch, didn’t even blink. Finally, Jack spoke.

  “Why do you think she went into one?”

  Nova’s eyes narrowed. “Are you going to tell me, or do you expect me to start guessing?”

  A dry, humorless chuckle escaped Jack as he shook his head. “If I waited for you to figure it out, we’d be sitting here for a damn week.”

  He exhaled sharply, clearly battling frustration. There were days when Jack could tolerate Nova’s inability to read between the lines—but this wasn’t one of them.

  Before Nova could fire back, Jack pressed on. “It was because of you. You disappeared without a word. No note, no explanation—nothing. We waited. We worried. And after four months of silence, Cassie decided she couldn’t wait anymore.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  His voice grew colder with each word. “So she left. On her own.”

  Nova’s expression shifted—first confused, then thoughtful, then troubled. Finally, it settled into a cold, analytical calm.

  “How long has it been since she entered it?” he asked, wasting no time.

  “Two and a half months,” Jack replied coldly. “Soon it’ll be three.”

  Nova nodded, his gaze dropping as he fell into thought. “If we account for the time difference on my end… then there’s a chance she’s still alive.” He paused, then slowly lifted his head, locking eyes with Jack. His next words were deliberate, cutting.

  “The real question is—was she strong enough to survive when she left?”

  Jack let out a quiet breath, eyes drifting to the ceiling. “Not fully,” he admitted. “If she got lucky and spawned in a remote area, maybe. She could’ve had a chance to grow stronger by hunting creatures at her level. But…”

  His gaze dropped back down, sharp and unflinching. “The odds weren’t in her favor. And Victor’s temper is getting worse by the day.”

  ‘So she’s not necessarily dead… there’s a chance.’

  Nova’s mind raced, but his face remained calm. ‘They jumped to conclusions and pinned this on me? Have they gotten dumber since I left?’

  Outwardly composed, he spoke with quiet clarity. “Then if she still has a chance to survive…”

  His tone darkened slightly.

  “…we now have another problem.”

  “Which one?” Jack asked, confused by the sudden shift in Nova’s tone.

  “You blamed me without reason—and even had the nerve to hit me,” Nova replied, calm but his words could freeze the air. Jack’s face flushed, cycling through shades of red and pink, but Nova didn’t stop.

  “She snuck out on your watch while I was out there, risking my life to grow stronger. I don’t owe anyone a letter or an explanation. What are you supposed to be—my parent?”

  His voice grew colder, more distant with every word.

  “You, of all people, should understand what I’ve been through. If Cassidy returns, I’ll talk to her. But you…” He met Jack’s gaze with an icy stare. “…blaming your own failures on me? You’ve truly disappointed me.”

  Jack stood frozen, stunned into silence. He hadn’t expected his anger to unravel things like this. Somewhere deep down, he knew—maybe he had known all along—that he’d screwed up. With Cassie. And now with Nova. But what could he do? Turn back time?

  He couldn’t.

  Lost in thought, Jack stared blankly ahead as Nova stood, every trace of warmth gone, his expression seemed as if he was talking to a stranger.

  “There’s nothing more for us to talk about,” Nova said quietly.

  Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked out into the courtyard, leaving only silence in his wake.

  Still too stunned to process what had just happened, Jack remained silent. It wasn’t until several minutes later—once he realized Nova was nowhere in sight—that a single word finally escaped his lips.

  “Fuck.”

  Meanwhile, Nova approached his generals, who were still stationed near Alaric. His expression was unreadable, but his voice was sharp.

  “Plans have changed. We’re leaving the academy.”

  The generals didn’t question him aloud. They exchanged brief glances, unspoken thoughts circling in their minds about what had occurred inside the villa. But none dared speak them.

  Pleased with their silent obedience, Nova gave a small nod.

  “Have your commanders follow us. Leave the captains here to recruit. If they find talent worth keeping, they can nominate them for captaincy—provided they pass a test, one you or your commanders choose.”

  He paused, then turned slightly, speaking over his shoulder, his face hidden from their view.

  “And one more thing… Tell them to recruit the best this academy has to offer. Promise them whatever they’ve got here—and more.”

  Turning back to face them fully, he looked each general in the eye.

  “Any questions?”

  Malachi spoke up without hesitation. “How long do we have to prepare?”

  “Less than five minutes.”

  Hector stepped forward, a spark of excitement in his voice. “Where are we going?”

  Nova’s gaze shifted eastward. Calmly, he replied, “To Quarath.”

  Seeing the others didn’t want to add anything he said “If there’s nothing else then go and prepare.”

  A unified voice rang out in response.

  “Yes, Boss.”

  Adira paused in thought, then turned to Shira.

  “You should have all the information on our factions and their members, right?”

  Shira gave a small nod, her expression unchanged as she tilted her head slightly. “Yes.”

  Adira’s voice took on a hopeful edge. “Can you inform every commander and captain from each of our faction using your network? It’ll save us a lot of time.”

  It was the most efficient option—Shira’s spies were already scattered throughout the academy and they had a communication method set in place unlike their own people, who would take too long to track down individually. With no communication tools available and less than five minutes to act, every second counted.

  Shira’s eyes lingered on Adira for a moment before sweeping across the others, who were now silently watching her, waiting.

  With a soft sigh, she relented. “I’ll inform your factions.”

  Then, she turned to Nox. “I assume I don’t need to handle yours as well?”

  “No need,” Nox replied curtly.

  Without another word, he took a swift step forward and vanished into the courtyard’s exit, a blur of motion. Shira followed close behind, her presence ghostlike as she didn’t make a sound.

  Nova’s fists clenched tightly at his sides, knuckles pale with tension. One thought echoed through his mind, unwavering and absolute: ‘I won’t make the same mistake again. This time… I’ll oversee everything myself.’

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