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Kathlyn POV
So this is what it's come to.
The words echoed through Kathlyn's mind as she moved silently through the underground tunnel, boots crunching lightly on loose gravel. The space was narrow, the air heavy with the scent of dust, age, and or old secrets. The faint glow of enchanted torches flickered along the stone walls, casting distorted shadows that danced with every step.
She followed behind a small group of students, all cloaked in dark robes. Faces hidden. No names spoken. A quiet procession leading deeper into the earth, into a part of the academy that officially didn't exist.
Kathlyn remained quiet, her arms folded beneath her cloak, keeping pace but staying apart. She didn't know these students well. Didn't care to. This wasn't a social trip. This was necessity.
Stubborn.
That's the word that floated to the surface of her thoughts.
How stubborn must I be to be doing something like this?
Because make no mistake this wasn't the right way. It wasn't clean. It wasn't sanctioned. The relic prisms weren't officially recognized. They weren't monitored by professors or protected by academy wards. They were dangerous. Unpredictable. And often illegal.
But they held power.
, ancient power.
And Kathlyn? She needed it.
She clenched her fists beneath the fabric of her cloak, nails digging into her palms.
I have to do this.
If she wanted to defy the chains of fate… if she wanted to prove her wrong that voice that lingered at the edge of her memories, always doubting, always dictating then she had no choice.
If she wanted to shatter the path that had been laid out for her from birth to forge her own future instead of accepting one crafted by others then she needed to walk roads no one else dared to tread.
She needed to go where strength lived.
"Still sure about this?"
The question came from the student walking in front of her. Male. His voice low and muffled beneath the hood.
She looked up, her expression unchanged.
"You sure you don't want to bring that Kai guy with you? From what I heard, you two are pretty close."
She scoffed softly. "Being close has nothing to do with this."
But the question stuck.
Kai.
She hadn't even told him she was coming.
Not a word. Not a note. Not a warning.
Why?
Why hadn't she?
He'd helped her. More than once. He'd been… present. Annoying. Endearing, sometimes. A perverted idiot, yes, but a driven one. A weirdo, but a useful weirdo. He'd thrown himself into battle for her, trained like a man possessed, and even gone so far as to
Her cheeks warmed slightly.
Beautiful slave Kathlyn.
Ugh. Don't think about that.
Were they close? What even was their relationship?
At most, she saw him as… a benefactor. One with strange boundaries and no sense of social awareness. But he was also someone with his own purpose, and someone who regardless of intent had helped further hers.
Are we even close? she thought again.
She didn't know.
That uncertainty gnawed at her. Kai was unpredictable. A storm with no direction. He didn't think like others, didn't act like others. One moment he was flailing dramatically in the training hall, the next he was cutting through illusions and monsters like a blade forged for war.
He said he cared.
He acted like he cared.
But people acted all the time. Especially around her.
She shook the thoughts away as the tunnel suddenly widened.
And there it was.
A domed chamber, ancient and silent. Moss grew along the curved stone walls. Columns lined the perimeter, each carved with symbols worn away by time. In the center of the room stood a mausoleum weathered, cracked, and half-swallowed by the earth.
And embedded in its heart was the relic.
A prism.
No, not a crystal. Not a gem. A prism in the truest sense an object that pulsed with color that had no name. A warped, burning shape that shifted hues between breaths, between heartbeats. Abstract. Unstable. Radiating energy that made the hair on her arms stand on end.
The other students stopped.
One of them took a slow breath.
"The Fourth Prism," he whispered. "It's awake."
Kathlyn stepped closer.
She could feel it now. The pull.
The promise.
Power.
Potential.
Pain.
All of it.
She tightened her jaw and let her hood fall back, eyes locked onto the swirling core.
"I don't need him here," she told herself. "I can do this alone."
But in the corner of her mind, despite her best efforts, she wondered…
Would he have come if I asked?
Would he have stood next to her like before?
She didn't know.
Just before she disappeared underground, Professor Mallet was waiting.
He didn't say anything at first just stood at the mouth of the corridor, arms behind his back like a shadow that refused to be ignored.
Kathlyn froze mid-step, her cloak draped over her shoulder, her boots already coated in dust from the abandoned stairwell. The two hooded students behind her paused as well, falling silent.
"Mallet," she said cautiously.
His eyes narrowed slightly. "So you've arrived "
She didn't reply.
He stepped forward slowly, his boots making no sound on the stone floor. "The Fourth Prism. One of the most volatile.
Still, she didn't speak. Just adjusted the fit of her glove and glanced down the path ahead.
"I won't stop you," he said finally. "You've earned the right."
Kathlyn looked up at that slightly surprised.
"But I am going to tell you this," he continued, voice growing heavier. "The prism is unstable it won't stay safe for long
"How long?" she asked quietly.
"At most? Three days."
She nodded. "Then I'll be out in two."
His gaze lingered on her. "I've heard that before. Some of the brightest minds I ever taught said the same thing."
Kathlyn's fists tightened slightly at her sides. "I'm not doing this recklessly. You know that."
"I do," he admitted. "But I also know you. You don't back down. Even when you should."
Her jaw tightened. She hated how accurate that was.
Mallet studied her for a long moment.
Then he sighed and stepped aside. "Don't let pride get you killed. If the Prism begins to change leave. Even if it means failing the trial. Even if it means leaving it behind
Kathlyn gave a single nod. "Understood."
He watched her one last time before she vanished into the shadows with the other students.
And as her footsteps faded into the distance, he muttered to himself
"I hope you meant that."