"Wait—" Kael's voice was sharp, suspicious.
"How do you know about Professor Voss? He's new. The students haven't even met him yet."
I froze like a deer in headlights.
Damn it.
I messed up.
Kael stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as if trying to peel back the layers of my mind. "Elias." His voice was low, warning. "Answer me."
My mouth opened, but no words came.
Think, Elias. Think.
But nothing I said would make sense. And the truth? The truth would sound insane.
"I—I just heard someone mention his name." I lied quickly, avoiding his gaze.
"Maybe in passing. I didn't know he was a big deal."
Kael didn't look convinced. His jaw tightened.
"Don't lie to me. Not now. Not when things are this unstable."
I looked away, clenching my fists behind my back.
I couldn't tell him.
Not about the future the system made me live through.
Not about the voices, the visions, the strange pull I felt when I saw Voss.
Kael sighed, stepping back and rubbing his temples. "Elias... whatever you're hiding, it's not going to stay buried for long. Not with the kind of mana you used today. And not with people like Gansovi watching the Academy from the shadows."
I glanced up at him sharply. "You said Gansovi is dangerous... that I should hide my mana."
He nodded slowly. "Yes. Because if he finds out—if they find out—you'll be on their radar. And trust me, Elias, you don't want that."
No…
I couldn't tell Kael yet.
Because the moment I did—everything would change.
And I wasn't ready for that.
"Then maybe it's better you don't know everything." I said quietly. Not with Voss possibly listening in. Not with a hundred eyes I couldn't see yet, waiting to strike.
Kael's gaze lingered on me for a moment longer, searching, calculating... but finally, he nodded.
"Fine. For now." He turned toward the hallway. "But be careful. Whatever you're tangled in—it's only just beginning."
And with that, he walked away, leaving me alone in the dim corridor with my pulse still racing.
I stepped outside, the cool evening breeze brushing against my skin. The sky was tinged in orange and purple now, casting long shadows across the courtyard. Everyone was still there—waiting, watching.
The moment they saw me, their conversations dropped. All eyes turned.
"Uh… hi, guys."
They stared at me like I'd just come back from a battlefield, not a talk with a professor. Serelith rushed over, concern etched into her features as she reached for my arm.
"Are you okay? What happened? What did Kael say?"
Her voice was soft but urgent, and I hated lying to her. But I had to.
"Nothing… uh, he just wanted to ask if I'd be joining the trials."
The lie tumbled out easily, but I could feel how wrong it sounded. Dante caught on immediately. He was leaning against a stone pillar, arms crossed and one brow arched. He tilted his head and smirked—like he knew I was full of crap.
I avoided his gaze.
Slain, thankfully, jumped in and changed the subject, all energy and enthusiasm as usual.
"Did you know how cool you looked with whatever you did back there?" he said, practically bouncing with excitement.
"Seriously, what was that? That mana looked insane! All dark and electric, like it was alive or something!"
"Yeah, I've never seen anything like it." Kaelrix added, walking up behind Slain, his eyes sharp with curiosity. "It didn't look like any common element. Was it void-based? Shadow kinetic?"
Others started murmuring, their curiosity growing.
I blinked, my mind racing.
Say something. Anything.
I couldn't tell them the truth—that I had no idea what I'd done, that my body had moved on its own, that the mana had come from somewhere deep and terrifying inside me.
So I did the next best thing.
I lied. Again.
"Oh, that?" I said with a casual shrug I didn't feel. "It's called… Umbral Vein."
They stared at me.
"Umbral Vein?" Zaden repeated, sounding impressed. "That sounds… dangerous."
"Yeah." I said quickly, riding the wave of their awe. "It's an old family technique. Not really something I use often. Hard to control."
They all nodded like that made perfect sense. Like I was someone who had been trained in secret. Like I actually knew what I was doing.
Only Dante kept his eyes locked on me, unreadable.
"Well, whatever it was." Simyle said, arms folded. "It was effective."
"You kind of freaked everyone out." Serelith added with a small laugh. "In a good way."
I smiled, but inside, my heart was pounding.
Because I had no idea what Umbral Vein was.
I'd made it up on the spot.
And worse, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to use it again.