Sylphie took a step back, her body tense. "Sorry, but I really need to go."
"Really?" the blond one said, his eyes narrowing predatorily. "Not without answering a few questions first."
"Yeah... would be a shame if something happened to someone as... special as you," the dark-haired one added with a crooked smile.
Sylphie narrowed her eyes. Magic began to accumulate discreetly in her palms, but she hesitated. Attacking fellow academy students could have consequences, even if they were being hostile. Besides... something about them felt wrong. She could sense it — like the air around them was contaminated.
That's when a shadow moved behind them.
Silent. Fast.
Kael appeared like a blade cutting through the mist — precise, lethal, and inevitable. He didn't speak at first, simply stepped between Sylphie and the two boys, glaring at them like they were insects that dared crawl too close.
