The chamber beneath the Black Veil headquarters was colder than the dead.
Two assassins knelt in silence, heads bowed low. Blood still dried on their armor, their masks cracked from the fight. Before them, a tall figure stood cloaked in shadows—his robes black as pitch, adorned with subtle silver lining that shimmered with unseen runes.
Vice Archon Verrian.
His gaze could not be seen, hidden beneath the hood—but the weight of it pressed down like a storm ready to break.
On a stone pedestal between them, a holographic projection displayed four images: Liam, Kaela, Dreck, and Lucas.
The assassins said nothing. They dared not.
"You were given a simple task," Verrian said at last, his voice like a razor sliding through silk. "Two children. Is that beyond your capabilities now?"
One of the kneeling assassins dared to speak. "My lord, we didn't anticipate the presence of two awakened adults. Their power signatures were masked—"
"Enough."
The word echoed like a guillotine blade.
The projection vanished. Silence returned.
Verrian stepped forward, his boots making no sound, and extended one hand. Aether stirred, black and suffocating, like smoke that hungered.
"You failed. And worse—you were seen. Tracked. Data on the children was compromised."
"My lord, please—!" one assassin pleaded, lifting his head.
A mistake.
Verrian's hand snapped forward.
The assassin convulsed violently, dark veins spreading across his body. His scream barely lasted a second before his body disintegrated into ash and bone, collapsing into a smoldering pile.
The other one did not move a muscle.
Verrian circled him like a predator.
He stopped behind the last remaining assassin. "You disgraced us all. And now…"
He raised his hand again.
The assassin closed his eyes.
"…you face your punishment."
A bolt of black aether shot from his palm, striking him both through the heart. No scream. No mercy. Just silence, followed by the soft thuds of lifeless bodies hitting cold stone.
Verrian exhaled and lowered his hand. "Send word to the Eye of Silence. It's time to escalate."
A figure stepped from the shadows at the edge of the room—a tall woman clad in bone-white robes, her eyes glowing faintly behind a porcelain mask.
"Yes, Vice Archon," she said softly.
Verrian turned back to the ashes.
"They think this is over. They think surviving a single battle is victory."
He smiled.
"They've only tasted the beginning."
At Saint Zaphra's hospital
Liam sniffled, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. The room was quiet again, filled only with the soft hum of machines and the faint rhythm of their breathing.
He glanced over at Kaela, her eyes soft but heavy with exhaustion.
After a pause, Liam frowned slightly. "Kaela… I thought Mr. Lucas was just our teacher. But back there… when he fought—it didn't feel like something a normal teacher could do."
Even when he visited with Uncle Dreck, his words were a little different from when he taught in class."
Kaela's eyes flicked away.
"He moved like…" Liam hesitated. "Like Dreck. Like he knew Aether Combat really well. And he saved us, didn't he? I remember… just barely. But he was there.
Kaela looked tense now. Her fingers tightened around the blanket.
Liam tilted his head. "Why does a school teacher fight like an elite warrior?"
There was a long silence.
Kaela's lips parted slightly, as if unsure what to say. She stammered, then forced out a quiet, "Yes."
Liam blinked. "Yes?"
She turned her head, finally looking at him again.
Emm. Ummm he's.
"He's… he's my brother," and my master she admitted, voice low.
Now it makes sense—there was something different about the air around him compared to the other teachers." Liam said.
Liam's eyes widened. Wait. "Your whaat?"
Liam shouted as the word echoed in his head.
She nodded slowly, wincing at the motion. "Lucas… Lucas Thorne. He's my older brother."
Liam's jaw dropped. "Wait. Your brother is Lucas? Our Lucas? British Lucas? Our teacher?"
Kaela gave a sheepish smile, the faintest one through her weariness. "Yeah. That one."
Liam just stared for a second, then muttered, "I need stronger pain meds…"
Kaela actually laughed, soft and wheezy through her oxygen mask.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked after a moment.
"I mean… I didn't really have a reason. I just felt like it wasn't that important.
Why did he even choose teaching? I mean, he could've just opened a dojo or something, you know?" Liam said.
"He only took the teaching job to keep an eye on me… on us, really. Things are more dangerous now. That's why he revealed himself today."
Liam's brain was spinning, trying to reconcile the snarky, calm literature teacher with the deadly fighter who dropped an assassin in one hit.
Watching over me?
Why would he do that.
I don't know the details. Kaela said.
Now that I think about it… I don't really know anything about you," Liam said quietly. "I don't know who you live with, where your home is, or even anything about your parents. You know so much about me… but I barely know you."
Kaela didn't answer right away.
She looked away, her eyes distant, almost glassy. The hum of hospital machines filled the room, steady and soft.
Then, in a quiet voice, she said, "My parents... they're gone."
Liam's breath caught. Your parents?"I'm… I'm sorry."
Kaela shook her head gently. "It's alright. It's been a few years. It wasn't sudden like yours—it was sickness. Slow and cruel." She swallowed. "By the time we understood what was happening, it was already too late."
Liam sat in silence, the weight of her words pressing against his chest.
"I live with my brother alone she continued. "Lucas.he swore to take care of me Gave up everything to take care of me. That's why he's so strict… why he watches everything so closely. He lost them too. And he doesn't want to lose me."
She looked over at Liam, her expression softer than he'd ever seen. "I never told anyone before. I don't talk about it.
Liam was quiet for a long moment, eyes fixed on the ceiling.
Then, his voice came—low, raw.
"I'm sorry, Kaela… I didn't know. I've been so caught up in my own pain, I didn't stop to think that maybe… you were hurting too."
He turned to look at her, and there was something vulnerable in his gaze.
"You always seem so strong. Like nothing gets to you. But hearing that… that you lost them too…"
His voice cracked.
"I hate that you had to go through that. I know how much it breaks you. How it never really goes away."
He swallowed hard, tears threatening again.
"But I'm glad you told me. It means a lot. Really."
He reached out, slowly, uncertainly—then gently squeezed her hand.
"You're not alone, Kaela. Not anymore. I'm here too."
Kaela chuckled softly, a breathy laugh that cut through the heaviness in the room.
"I'm the one that told you you're not alone, remember?" she said with a playful smirk. "That I'd be with you always. So stop copying my line."
She gently nudged his arm, her eyes still a little glassy, but her voice lighter now—trying to wave away the sorrow that had settled between them.
"I'm the tough one, remember?" she added, her smile softening. "If we both get all emotional, who's going to pretend we've got this all under control?"
She squeezed his hand back, this time with warmth and just a touch of strength. "But seriously… thanks, Liam. For listening."
Liam leaned back on his pillow, still stunned.
Liam looked down, his gaze falling to their intertwined hands. His throat tightened.
Kaela... she's the opposite of me, he thought. Even after everything, even after losing her parents, she can still smile… still laugh. She holds herself together.
But me…
His hand trembled slightly as he squeezed it into a fist.
"I'm the one falling apart," he whispered, barely audible.
Silence stretched for a moment before he looked up at her again—his eyes filled with something raw. Not just sadness, but admiration.
"You're stronger than me, Kaela," he said softly. "You really are."
I'm happy to be with you," Liam said with a small smile, his voice softer now, a quiet warmth in his chest.
He met Kaela's eyes, the bond between them solidifying in that simple moment, like a promise. No matter how dark the path ahead might be, he knew he wouldn't have to face it alone.
Yh I'm also happy.
"Your brother's terrifying," he mumbled.
Kaela nodded. "Yeah. But he's also the reason we're still alive."
A quiet moment passed between them again.
Then Liam muttered, "Next time… I'd like a heads-up before I nearly die next to a secret assassin sibling."
Kaela chuckled, despite everything. "Noted."