A strip of metal sliced through the air, nearly grazing my shoulder. Shit! I rolled aside, forming a metal barrier mid-roll.

  Selena lowered her hand. The wind around her gradually died down.

  "Distracted! Third time this session. That's not like you."

  I straightened up, brushing dust off my uniform. Selena was right: my thoughts were tangled, concentration slipping through my fingers like water.

  "Just didn't sleep well."

  "Or you're thinking about your brother? It's been a while since he came back, and you're still not yourself."

  I said nothing. What could I say? Luten had returned different. Closed off. A stranger.

  A first-year ran up, breathless and pale.

  "Elite class! Emergency summons to the director! The dregs' class returned from their mission... There's... People are whispering that not everyone made it back."

  My stomach clenched. Selena's gaze met mine. A second later we both sprinted toward the main building without a word.

  A crowd had gathered near the administrative wing. Through the whispers and gasps, I caught the important part: "Class Thirteen... mines... demon... the shadow guy died."

  Aris. Not Luten. Thank the gods, not Luten. But a strange feeling lingered. A person had died, and I felt relief? What was wrong with me? I barely knew him. He never let anyone in. I'd seen him maybe twice.

  I searched for Luten among those who'd returned, but he was nowhere. Someone said they'd already gone to their rooms. I rushed to the Class Thirteen dormitory but met only a bewildered attendant.

  "Young man, no visitors allowed for the new class students right now. Director's orders. They just got back and..."

  "I'm Luten Caers's brother!"

  "Even more reason you should wait. They need rest and time to prepare their report. I saw Caers. He was the first to go to his room. And he looked..."

  The attendant paused, searching for words.

  "Troubled. Come back tomorrow."

  The whole next day Luten ignored me. He wasn't in classes because his class had been excused. That evening I decided on a more direct approach.

  I sat through the last lecture on pins and needles. The moment the bell rang, I was already making my way to the Class Thirteen dormitory. Curfew hadn't started yet, but it would soon. I sat on a bench in the shadow of an old oak, with a clear view of their building entrance. Maybe I'd get lucky and catch him.

  The sun had nearly set when I spotted a familiar figure. Luten was leaving the dormitory alone, glancing around. He clutched some kind of bundle in his hand. I was about to call out to my brother, but something in his movements stopped me. He moved strangely: carefully, stealthily, nothing like his old self.

  I decided to follow him, keeping to the shadows. Luten crossed the inner courtyard and headed toward the abandoned gazebo by the old pond. There he dropped to his knees and unwrapped the bundle. In the dim evening light, I watched him draw something on the ground, whispering strange words under his breath.

  A quiet voice distracted me.

  "You shouldn't sneak up on those who grieve."

  I flinched. Aura stood beside me, holding a basket of herbs.

  "I wasn't sneaking, just..."

  "Worried. I understand."

  She sat down next to me on the bench.

  "Losing a comrade is hard to bear."

  I watched Luten hunched over his drawings and felt the growing chasm between us.

  "I'm probably one of the few who truly understands what he's feeling right now."

  I turned to her in surprise.

  "Remember that day in the village? When you and your brother found me?"

  Of course I remembered. The village had been strangely quiet. And then we saw Aura. She sat by a fence, hugging her knees.

  "I've never really talked to anyone about this... That demon... It didn't just kill my father. It ripped him to pieces while I watched."

  The thing everyone knew about but never mentioned.

  "All these years I've tried to forget what a person looks like on the inside. How fresh blood smells. How a dying scream sounds."

  I shuddered involuntarily. The image rose before my eyes: a yard stained with blood and livestock remains, the kicked-in door of the house.

  "We lost our parents almost at the same time, Elliot. But you and Luten at least had each other. I was alone until you found me."

  I suddenly felt a heaviness in my chest. We really had been through a lot together. Aura, me, and Luten. But now my brother was losing someone again, and I couldn't reach him.

  "It's harder for him now than it was for us back then. We were children. But losing friends as an adult, when you understand how final it is... That's a different kind of pain."

  She gently touched my hand.

  "Let him sort himself out. Leave him be."

  Aura followed my gaze and squeezed my hand lightly.

  "You know what? Let's go to town tomorrow. Clear your head a bit, get away from all this. There are barely any classes anyway."

  I hesitated, considering her offer. In the end, maybe she was right. I really did need to clear my head.

  The smell of fresh bread and coffee hit my nostrils the moment Aura and I passed through the city gates. Small joys of a Saturday morning. Saturday was the only day students were allowed to leave the academy.

  I hadn't been to town in almost a month. A lot had changed. Two new kiosks with otherworlder tech had appeared on the main square. Shiny metal boxes with blinking lights drew crowds of gawkers.

  Aura shrugged, though her voice held a slight tension.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  "Progress can't be stopped, they say. Though it seems strange how fast they're expanding their presence."

  We passed a demonstration platform where an otherworlder in a silvery jumpsuit showed off some square device. The device projected a three-dimensional image of the city into the air. The crowd gasped in delight.

  "Amazing. No magic, just mechanisms."

  "And yet... There's something cold about all this. Like it's hollow inside."

  Aura tugged my hand, heading toward the old market.

  "Let's go where there's real life."

  The atmosphere among the spice stalls and craftsmen's workshops was entirely different. Alive, real. It smelled of cinnamon, leather, and something strangely familiar. Merchants called out to customers, children played between the rows, and in a small tavern at the edge of the square, musicians played old melodies.

  Aura stopped abruptly, nearly making me stumble.

  "Look!"

  A small stall with amulets and charms.

  "This one would suit you."

  She picked out a small pendant of dark metal with flecks of reddish stone.

  "It's for protection."

  She paid before I could react.

  "In our village, we always gave these to loved ones."

  I accepted the amulet, feeling awkward and strangely warm. Aura cared about me, and it was... nice.

  "Thank you."

  I put the pendant under my shirt and flinched. The metal was unexpectedly warm, almost hot. Strange.

  A small tavern took us in for lunch. Around us buzzed a hive of conversations. Laughter, gossip, news. Ordinary life, which I'd been missing so much.

  A fragment of conversation drifted from a neighboring table.

  "...They say there's trouble in the northern mines again. Now they're even sending students there. Have they all gone mad?"

  I tensed involuntarily, listening to the tables around us.

  "My cousin works on the northern road. He says the otherworlders are looking for something there. Outfitting whole expeditions."

  Aura noticed my interest and touched my hand gently.

  "Don't pay attention. People always love to exaggerate, especially after a few mugs of ale."

  She nodded, drawing my attention to another part of the tavern.

  "Look who's here."

  Far corner, half-darkness. Cassandra Veil. Sitting with her nose buried in a book as if all the world's secrets were hidden between its pages. Noticing our gazes, she slowly raised her head. Surprise flickered across her face for a moment, then gave way to cold politeness.

  "We should say hello."

  Cassandra didn't look particularly happy when we approached her table.

  "Caers and... Aura. Of course."

  Something in her tone made a chill run down my spine.

  "Just decided to get some air. It's been a tough week."

  "Oh, yes."

  Cassandra slowly closed her book.

  "That tragedy with Luten's class... Terrible. By the way, how is your brother?"

  "Fine."

  "Really? Strange. I heard the director is very... interested in your family's condition. Especially after all these events."

  "What do you mean?"

  Aura tensed too.

  "Nothing special."

  Cassandra smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

  "I just noticed your surname comes up often in leadership conversations. You must be a very talented family."

  She rose, gathering her things.

  "Lovely seeing you, but I must go. See you at the academy. And... do be careful."

  When Cassandra left, Aura and I exchanged silent glances.

  "What the hell does all that mean?"

  "I don't know. But maybe we shouldn't stay in town."

  We spent the rest of the day wandering through shops and market rows, but the mood had soured. Cassandra's words echoed in my head. What did she mean? The director was still interested in us? I thought Alice had handled everything.

  Evening found us on the city bridge. Below, a lazy river. In the distance, the familiar towers of the academy. Golden sunset, warm breeze. The sunset painted everything in golden tones, and the warm wind played with Aura's hair, making her look like something out of a childhood dream.

  I leaned on the railing, looking at Aura.

  "Thank you. For today. I really did get my mind off things."

  Aura smiled, and there was something in that smile that made my heart beat faster.

  "I'm glad I could help... I'll always be here, Elliot. Whatever happens."

  She stood so close... The scent of herbs and honey. I could smell the faint aroma of herbs from her hair. Our eyes met, and for a moment the whole world seemed to freeze. I leaned forward, almost touching her lips with mine...

  And stopped. I hadn't expected this from myself. Suddenly, before my eyes: Luten. Pale face. Empty eyes. A stranger's gaze. This moment of happiness felt like betrayal.

  Aura understood without words. She gently pulled back, lowering her eyes.

  "I'm sorry..."

  We returned to the academy at dusk, and I walked Aura to the doors of the women's dormitory.

  "Tomorrow I'll try talking to Luten again."

  "Good luck."

  She held my hand for a moment.

  "And remember: whatever happens, you have me."

  I watched her disappear behind the door and thought about how fast my world was changing. Something was happening with Luten, something I didn't understand. And for the first time in my life, I wasn't sure I wanted to understand it.

  The next morning I was woken by a touch on my shoulder. I jumped up, ready to fight, but it was Selena.

  "Calm down, it's me."

  "How did you get into the men's dormitory?"

  She just smirked.

  "Not everything requires magic. Get dressed, we need to go."

  "Where? We have classes in..."

  "Today something more important. A personal request from the princess. Is that reason enough to skip?"

  I frowned but started dressing. Selena always knew how to intrigue.

  Half an hour later we stood in a far corner of an old mansion. Three people in expensive clothing spoke quietly, casting appraising glances my way from time to time.

  Selena whispered.

  "Marquis Deyron, Count Torvik, and Lady Charlotte. All against the otherworlders, but afraid to speak openly."

  The thin marquis raised his glass.

  "Lady Estrell assures us you can be trusted, Caers. Because your brother has witnessed things beyond others' reach."

  "Luten?"

  "The northern mines."

  Lady Charlotte interjected.

  "Our people report increased otherworlder activity in those areas. And demons. As if something is... attracting them."

  Count Torvik nodded.

  "They found ancient ruins in that area. The otherworlders are looking for something but won't say what. And then they send students there."

  "Like lambs to slaughter. Your brother survived. And saw something. Something that could help us understand..."

  "What the otherworlders have in common with demons. We need to know, Elliot."

  I stood stunned.

  "Why don't you ask him yourselves?"

  Selena looked away for the first time.

  "He won't let anyone close. But maybe he'll talk to you. Or... I could try to find out personally."

  Something in her tone made me tense. Personal interest? In my brother?

  "I'll talk to him myself."

  Returning to the academy, we walked through the old training ground, an abandoned area with rusty targets. Suddenly Selena grabbed my arm, pulling me into the shadow of the trees.

  "Look."

  Luten! Completely alone in the empty training ground. In his hands, a curved scythe with a long handle gleamed ominously. It looked like the one I'd hastily made for him in the mountains. He moved... wrong. Too fast. Too precise. Swing. Turn. Strike. The scythe sang through the air, tracing invisible patterns.

  My breath caught. I watched my brother but didn't recognize him. No one without magic should be able to move like that.

  "Amazing. Your brother has... changed."

  "After that guy Aris died..."

  "No."

  Selena stared without blinking. Her eyes spoke volumes.

  "Something else. Something deeper."

  A whistle through the air, and a thick wooden post fell apart. Inhuman speed. I involuntarily recoiled. Luten suddenly froze and, turning, looked directly in our direction. His eyes were empty. Cold.

  "Does he see us?"

  But my brother had already turned away and continued training.

  "I have to go, but think about it. Something's going on, Elliot. Your brother is right in the middle of it."

  I watched her leave, and everything inside me twisted with anxiety. A lump in my throat, heaviness in my stomach. On one hand, Luten was my brother, no matter how much of a stranger he seemed. On the other, these aristocrats, Selena, and growing suspicions.

  Aura was right. Everything was getting more complicated. And I no longer knew whose side I was supposed to be on.