The rain fell in relentless sheets, a steady downpour that swept across the Academy's stone grounds. The thunder rumbled far off, a low growl in the distance, but the storm itself seemed almost secondary to the storm inside Eryx's mind. The courtyard, usually teeming with life, now lay empty, save for a few late-night stragglers seeking shelter from the downpour. But Eryx didn't mind the rain. It was the calm before a much larger chaos that had been brewing for days.
The words Zephyr had spoken still lingered, hanging in the air like a thick fog. "Only the strong will survive." To anyone else, it might have seemed like an empty warning, the boastful claims of a student who thrived on power. But Eryx knew better. The Academy was a place built on hidden truths, power struggles, and allegiances that ran deeper than most students could comprehend. Zephyr wasn't just speaking to the crowd; he was speaking to everyone who knew what it meant to be in this world.
"Survival" here wasn't about magic alone. It wasn't just about being strong or skilled. It was about knowing how to navigate the currents beneath the surface—the politics, the whispers, the alliances that would decide who truly thrived.
And Eryx knew he had only just scratched the surface.
His thoughts were interrupted by a soft, familiar voice. "Still standing out in the rain?"
Eryx turned, seeing Liora approach, her dark hair plastered to her face, the faintest of smiles playing on her lips despite the tension in the air.
"Couldn't sleep," Eryx replied. "Too many things on my mind."
Liora gave him a knowing look as she stood beside him, her gaze sweeping over the darkened courtyard. "You're not the only one."
"Did you hear what Zephyr said?" Eryx asked, his voice low. He hadn't yet discussed it with her, but he could tell she'd been listening. There was something in the way she carried herself that told him she had understood exactly what had been said.
"I heard," Liora said, her eyes narrowing slightly as the rain began to soak through her cloak. "He's good at playing mind games. But that doesn't make him untouchable."
Eryx turned his head to face her fully, surprised by the quiet confidence in her words. "You're not scared?"
"Fear's not the issue," she said with a sharpness that made Eryx pause. "It's about control. About knowing what to do when it all falls apart."
Eryx let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "You think it's going to fall apart?"
"I think it already has," she said, her voice distant. "The calm before the storm, remember?"
Her words resonated with him more than he cared to admit. He could feel it, too. The storm wasn't just coming. It was here.
Before he could respond, the sound of footsteps approached, and a figure emerged from the shadows of the courtyard. It was Bastian, still drenched from the rain, his usual exuberance replaced with something more serious.
"Hey," Bastian called out, waving at them. "You two still standing out here? They're about to start the evening rounds. You might want to head inside before you catch a cold."
Liora's expression softened, though her eyes remained distant. "Thanks, Bastian. We'll head in."
The three of them stood in silence for a moment longer, each lost in their own thoughts, before Bastian turned and began walking back toward the entrance of the dorms. Eryx followed behind, his footsteps heavy on the stone, while Liora fell in step beside him, still quiet.
When they reached the door, Eryx paused, glancing back out toward the storm. The rain had intensified, and the wind howled through the courtyard. It was as if the world outside the walls of the Academy mirrored the growing turmoil within.
Liora's voice broke the silence. "You're wondering who you can trust, aren't you?"
Eryx didn't answer immediately, but the question was one he had been asking himself constantly over the past few days. There were so many things he didn't understand yet, so many players moving behind the scenes, and every step he took felt like he was walking deeper into a maze of uncertainty.
"I'm trying not to," he said finally, his voice quiet. "But I know it's only a matter of time before I have to."
Liora didn't respond to that. Instead, she stepped inside, disappearing into the warmth of the building, leaving Eryx standing there for a moment longer.
As he followed her, he felt the weight of her words pressing down on him. Trust—who to give it to, and who to withhold it from—was going to be the hardest lesson he would learn here at the Academy. But he had no choice. The storm had already arrived.
And he had to be ready for whatever came next.