Evercrest didn't finish his sentence.
Because the moment he turned toward the bookshelf, a rune flared beneath his feet.
Not one of mine.
Not one of the Academy's, either.
Just an echo. A pulse from something that recognized him.
He paused.
And in that instant, I saw it—not the man, not the legend, but the creature beneath the flesh. The ghost of an age so old it could only wear mortality like a borrowed cloak.
"…It's begun," he murmured.
I didn't ask what.
I didn't need to.
The air in my quarters was shifting. Heavy. Metallic. Like the breath before a lightning strike.
"Prepare your class," Evercrest said. "No more games. No more secrets."
He turned.
"And keep Cassandra close."
Then he vanished.
Not teleported.
Just… ceased to be here.
As if he had never knocked at all.
Two hours later, I found Felix in the hallway outside the infirmary.
His eyes were red.
"She's awake," he said quietly.
I entered without knocking.
