Kael froze, his spine tightening. He turned, but Augs pressed a finger to his lips. His expression was unreadable. He wandered back toward his flowers, humming quietly as if nothing had happened.

  So he’d lied. Not to me but to Cassandra. Why?

  A knot formed in Kael’s chest. If she couldn’t know the truth, then the danger must be closer than he’d thought.

  Cassandra’s voice cut across his thoughts from outside.

  “Are you coming or not?”

  Kael blinked and took a few deep breaths before stepping into the street after her.

  He did not see Augs watching him from the shadows between the hanging herbs. His eyes were sharp, ancient, and far too knowing.

  Once they were outside and breathing in the damp afternoon air, Kael glanced at Cassandra.

  “Sorry,” he murmured. "It feels like we came all the way for nothing."

  Cassandra shook her hood, golden strands slipping out as she smiled softly and genuinely.

  "Don't apologize. It was oddly enjoyable. And we even did our heroic deed for the day,” she teased, winking and revealing a playful warmth beneath her usual mask.

  Kael chuckled. For a moment, the world felt lighter.

  Then a voice split the calm.

  Loud. Raw. furious.

  They both turned toward the sound. A trembling, weathered woman stood on a crate in the middle of the square, surrounded by a circle of people. Her clothes were soaked and her hair was matted, but her eyes blazed with conviction.

  Curiosity tugged at them, and Kael and Cassandra slipped into the crowd.

  "This empire is rotten to its core!" the woman cried, her voice cracking with emotion. "The nobles, those gilded tyrants, pull our strings and bleed us dry!"

  Gasps rippled through the crowd. Some nodded, fists clenched.

  "They promise equal chances. Equal rights.” A bitter laugh tore from her throat. "Lies! A silk curtain hiding a rotten throne!"

  Her voice wavered, then broke.

  "My son...my sweet boy...he earned his place in the academy." Pride glimmered for a moment before rage consumed it.

  "On his first day, a noble's carriage stopped in front of him. Just a delay, nothing more." She twisted in agony.

  "The noble ordered his execution because his tea spilled!" Her hands shook violently. "For tea..."

  A hush fell. A few people lowered their heads.

  "And they tell us to obey?" To kneel? To accept our chains?" She raised her trembling arms. "The rebels are right! This empire must fall! Rise...rise and cast off these rotten nobles."

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  A handful of voices echoed her call, some hesitant and some fervent.

  The crowd parted and steel clattered. Knights surged forward, their armored boots slamming against the stone.

  One knight stepped forward, his armor dripping with rainwater. He inspected the trembling old woman with cold efficiency. Then he turned, his voice cutting through the square like steel.

  "This woman stands accused of treasonous incitement against the Empire. The sentence is immediate death."

  Chaos erupted instantly.

  Gasps. Screams. Bodies scattered like frightened birds. Some cursed the knights; others fled in terror. A few dropped to their knees and whispered frantically.

  The old woman only laughed wildly, brokenly, triumphantly.

  "Look!" she cried, her voice cracking. "Look at your order! Your precious peace! This—"she spread her arms as the crowd recoiled"—this is control!”

  Kael stood frozen with horror as two knights forced her to her knees. One pressed a gauntleted hand to the back of her neck. Another lifted his sword.

  He turned sharply to Cassandra.

  "You can stop this," he whispered. "Please. This is madness.”

  Cassandra didn’t move. She didn’t blink. Her hood shadowed her eyes, and her face was carved from ice. Unreadable. Unmoved.

  “Please,” Kael begged, meeting her gaze. "I'm begging you."

  Nothing. Only silence.

  "What is wrong with you?" His voice cracked with disbelief, disgust, and fear.

  Cassandra’s jaw tightened, and for a moment, her fingers curled as if she wanted to stop the blade. She forced her gaze to remain steady, though.

  Kael surged forward instinctively and desperately, but a wall of armor blocked him. All he could do was watch.

  The sword fell.

  A sickening, final sound. The head rolled across the stones, bouncing once before settling. Blood pooled and steamed in the cold air, mixing with rainwater.

  Kael staggered. The world tilted. His stomach clenched violently and he doubled over, retching. The square blurred. Not from the rain, but from tears he hadn’t realized were falling.

  The woman’s last laugh echoed in his skull like a curse.

  Kael wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He was still shaking. The rain mingled with the acidic taste of bile on his tongue. Light, deliberate footsteps approached and stopped beside him.

  "Why didn't you stop this?" he whispered, his voice raw.

  "She earned it," Cassandra replied, her voice as cold as the steel that had ended the woman’s life. "Treason against the Empire. Supporting rebels. The punishment is death.”

  Kael lifted his head and stared at her in disbelief. “How can you say that? She lost her child. Anyone would break after that. Even if her words were harsh, an arrest would have been enough." He gestured weakly toward the bloodstained stones. "This isn't justice. It’s fear. It’s oppression.”

  Cassandra’s gaze didn’t waver. "You don't understand. You don’t belong to this empire.”

  Her words struck like a blade. His breath caught, and pain flickered in his eyes before hardening into something colder.

  "I see," he murmured. “Then don’t waste your time with an outsider.”

  He turned and walked away without looking back.

  “Kael! Wait, please!” Cassandra called, her voice cracking for a moment, but he didn’t stop.

  He slipped into a narrow side street and leaned against a damp stone wall. His chest rose and fell as anger slowly drained into exhaustion. What am I even doing?

  He closed his eyes and forced his breathing to become steady until a presence pricked at the edge of his awareness. Someone was watching him.

  Annoyed, he pushed off the wall, expecting Cassandra.

  But when he opened his eyes, his heart froze.

  Astra stood at the far end of the street.

  Silent. Still. Watching him. Her black hair cascaded like ink over her cloak. Her academy robes were replaced by a dark, form-fitting outfit. Her cold, sharp, and unreadable gaze locked onto his with surgical precision.

  For a moment, neither moved.

  Then, Kael took a step toward her, his breath catching. "Astra—"

  A carriage thundered past, shielding her from view for barely a second. And she was gone.

  He reached the spot where she had been, but there was nothing. No footprint. No whisper. Just wet stone and fading echoes.

  Just like in the academy, he thought, his pulse racing. She wanted him to see her.

  His mind raced: The shopkeeper’s strange warning, Cassandra’s reaction, and Astra’s sudden appearance.

  Everything was tangled, pulling him deeper.

  Kael exhaled, feeling the weight settle in his chest.

  This won’t stop. It will only get more complicated from here.

  He turned toward the academy gates, leaving Cassandra and any hope of returning to a peaceful student life behind.