"Ten minutes already!" Garrick slammed his fist on the table, making the wood groan under the impact.

  "It's been only seven minutes," Vera corrected without looking up from her notes. She sat with perfect posture, fingers drumming rhythmically on the armrest.

  "Shut up, it felt like ten."

  "It's going to start soon. Be patient." Dorian leaned back in his chair, speaking with the casual ease of someone used to mediating.

  "This is me being patient! Fifteen minutes already!"

  "We haven't even reached eight." Vera adjusted her glasses, a hint of irritation creeping into her otherwise measured tone.

  "Aaah, I also can't wait." Nyx smiled from the corner, her fingers absently tracing patterns on her armrest. There was something unsettling about the way she said it, like a child anticipating a promised treat.

  They'd all been called here for a reason. Meetings like this weren't uncommon. Recently they'd been happening almost once a month, twice when things developed rapidly.

  The one they called Professor, the leader of the group, stood in silence observing them with a judging look. He was an older man, perhaps in his fifties, with sharp features and graying hair pulled back from his face. His robes were immaculate, scholarly, the kind worn by senior researchers. There was no apparent reason to delay telling the news. Everyone had arrived. Everything was set. But still he stood there, watching.

  Garrick shifted in his seat, making the chair creak under his weight. He looked every bit the battle-worn warrior, scars crossing his arms and neck, his body built like he could break stone with his bare hands. He had to be in his thirties, though the scars made him seem older. His clothes were practical, worn, the kind meant for fighting rather than appearances.

  Dorian sat with easy confidence, average-looking in a way that made him forgettable. Dark hair, plain features, the kind of face that could disappear in a crowd. But there was intelligence in his eyes, and the way he held himself suggested someone comfortable with who they were. Early twenties, probably. He seemed content to wait, unbothered by the tension.

  Vera looked the youngest of all of them, barely out of her teens. She had the appearance of a dedicated researcher: neat hair, precise movements, clothes chosen for function over form. Her eyes kept darting to a journal on the table beside her, like she was itching to get back to whatever she'd been studying.

  Nyx was harder to read. Her appearance was careless, almost deliberately so. Hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed in days, clothes that didn't quite match, a general air of not caring how others perceived her. But her eyes were sharp, predatory, and the way she smiled made the temperature in the room feel colder.

  When fifteen minutes had actually passed, and Garrick was complaining about waiting for an entire hour, the Professor finally stood up properly.

  "The project has been captured."

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "Which one?" Nyx leaned forward, interested now.

  "The kid."

  "Which one?" She insisted, her smile widening slightly.

  "Do not pretend you don't know who I'm talking about." The Professor's voice carried a hint of irritation. "Emberheart found him. Took him to a secret location."

  "That's bad, right? Emberheart's bad news?" Dorian tilted his head, genuinely curious.

  "Heard he has the power of a star. Must be pretty powerful." Vera flipped through her notes.

  The Professor cut them off. "Emberheart is not an issue. If it came down to it, I could deal with him. But he took the project somewhere, and now no one knows where it is."

  "Can't we just detect it?" Vera looked up from her journal. "Standard corruption signature tracking should—"

  "Whatever he did, the project lies dormant. It isn't possible to detect it at the moment."

  "Then we just capture Emberheart and make him tell us where it is, right?" Garrick cracked his knuckles. "Can I go already?"

  The Professor completely ignored him and kept talking. "Whatever magical restraint he used will be eaten by the corruption in time. So he will need to renew it."

  "And that's when we strike?" Nyx's eyes lit up. "Can I get him?"

  "So we follow him?" Dorian straightened slightly, already thinking through the logistics.

  "Neither." The Professor's tone was final. "We will siege the academy."

  All the others looked confused. The silence lasted for a few seconds.

  "Wouldn't following him be more effective though?" Vera frowned, her analytical mind clearly working through the problem. "If he refuses to talk, we'd have no backup plan. The capture rate would be significantly lower than—"

  "We don't need him to talk. The magic he has will decay and the project can escape by itself."

  "But what if he put other protections in place? Or someone is guarding it?" She insisted, leaning forward. "The probability of—"

  "Then so be it." The Professor's expression didn't change. "That project is not important right now. We have something much more valuable at the academy we need to acquire."

  "And what's that?"

  "Silvani."

  "Ah, I get it." Vera smiled, clearly satisfied with the answer. She sat back, already making notes in her journal.

  "I don't, but can we go now?" Garrick stood, his chair scraping loudly against the floor.

  "Yes. We are leaving now."

  "Already?" Dorian blinked. "I barely had time to prepare."

  "Can I get a few students?" Nyx's smile turned predatory. "The last ones didn't last long..."

  "Finally!" Garrick was already heading for the door, rolling his shoulders like he was preparing for a fight.

  The Professor watched them begin to disperse, his expression unreadable. "Remember. Silvani is the priority. Everything else is secondary."

  Vera was still scribbling notes. "If we're moving this quickly, we'll need to account for academy defenses. The barrier systems alone have seventeen documented—"

  "We're aware," the Professor said. "You'll have plenty to study once we're inside."

  That made her smile.

  Dorian stood, stretching casually. "Should be interesting. The academy's been quiet lately. They won't be expecting this."

  "Good," the Professor said. "That's exactly what we're counting on."

  Nyx was the last to stand, taking her time. "How many can I take?"

  "As many as you want," the Professor replied. "But Silvani comes to me intact."

  "Understood." Her smile never wavered. "The rest are mine then."

  Garrick had already left, his heavy footsteps echoing down the hallway outside.

  The meeting was over.

  The academy wouldn't know what hit them.