Chapter 21: Whispers Before the Storm
Soahc, Veyna, Sol, and Kael left the briefing hall in silence, each of them lost in their own heads. The weight of the Deathzone felt heavier now than any armour they might receive. Every shadow in the halls of Centralis seemed to lean closer, as if the old stones themselves were listening for cracks in their resolve.
Veyna limped slightly, she kept her head high, but her eyes were locked somewhere far away — maybe at the memory of that Brood's shriek, or the realization that tomorrow they might face four of those horrors each. Sol trailed behind her, his usually calm demeanour flickered with small, restless frowns. His new haircut framed his face in soft, dark curls covering his face, but nothing could hide the clear tension in his jaw.
Soahc's pale eyes darted around the halls, as if measuring every student who passed. He'd been uncharacteristically quiet since the Graven, his jokes replaced with cold calculations. Kael couldn't blame him. They were all changing, and fast.
Kael walked at the back of the group. He could feel his heartbeat, like a slow drum echoing in his chest. He wasn't sure if it was fear or anticipation with all the objectives he has to do. Maybe both. His mind kept replaying Ulreth's words at the end : This trial separates the elite from the expendable.
They reached the intersection where the dorm wings split. One by one, they broke off with brief nods and tired eyes, retreating to prepare in their rooms. Kael kept moving forward, his boots heavy on the stone floors. The arc lights along the walls cast pools of dim light, and each one seemed to flicker as he passed. The halls were emptier than usual but you could feel the buzz of anticipation "The halls were quieter than usual, but beneath the silence, a charged tension lingered — the kind that only comes when tomorrow promises blood, glory, or both.
As he turned a corner, a tall figure stepped out of the shadows. An instructor — but Kael recognized him instantly. Instructor Rovan, a lean man with steel-grey hair and a gaze that always felt like it saw too much.
"Kael," Rovan greeted, voice low, almost casual. "Quite the day, hm Kael?"
Kael stopped. He shifted his weight carefully, keeping his eyes locked on Rovan's. "You could say that."
Rovan chuckled, a dry sound. "How's the centralis been treating you so far?"
Kael glanced around the empty corridor before answering. "Not much to say. I'm about to leave tomorrow anyway."
Rovan's eyes crinkled with a humourless smile. "That's true. But remember why we brought you here, Kael. The things happening tomorrow… they're why Centralis exists. The Deathzone are kind to no one."
Kael's heart stuttered. He knew Rovan was right. Tomorrow wasn't just another exercise. It was the crucible that decided futures. The words tasted bitter in his mind.
He started to answer, but the instructor moved first — with a smooth motion, like he was fixing a collar or brushing a stray thread, Rovan reached out and pressed something cold and sharp into Kael's neck.
Kael gasped, hand darting up, but it was too late. His vision swam for an instant. A dull ache spread under his skin. He tried to form words, to ask what Rovan had just done to him , but the thought slipped away as quickly as it came.
The corridor came back into focus. Kael stood there, breathing heavily. He blinked, confused, his mind foggy. Rovan was gone, the hall empty as if no one had ever been there.
Kael then frowned, rubbing his neck. A faint, stinging sensation lingered, but he couldn't remember the reason why. He shook his head hard, forcing the haze back, and kept walking.
The research classroom loomed ahead, light faintly slipping through the frosted panels of the tall doors. Inside, Kael found the same strange quiet that had settled over the rest of the academy. Desks were scattered with old books and faded diagrams. The faint smell of chalk dust and ink lingered.
And there she was — Iris, the green-and-black-haired girl he'd met only days before, the one who had caught his attention with her quiet intensity. She was seated at a table near the back, leaning over a tattered journal, brow furrowed so deeply it looked like she was trying to break the pages open with her mind.
She didn't notice him at first too focused on her books. Kael paused, watching her. The way she focused made him forget, for a second, the gnawing worry in his gut. There was something magnetic about how completely she threw herself into her thoughts.
She must have felt his stare after a while, because Iris suddenly lifted her head, dark eyes locking onto his. "What are you doing here?" she asked, voice sharper than he remembered.
Kael blinked, surprised by how fast she'd caught him. "I could ask you the same," he shot back, stepping into the room. "Everyone else is either panicking or doing last minute preparations And you're… what? Reading?"
Iris closed her journal slowly. "I'm studying. There's no use flailing around if you don't know what you're facing."
Kael hesitated. His thoughts were still scattered, like static at the edges of his mind. But her words made sense. They always had.
"You really think there's something in those old books that can help you at this point?" he asked.
Iris's gaze hardened. "Do you have a better idea if so please share?"
Kael cracked a tired smile, rubbing his temples. "Yeah you're right ."
She studied him for a moment, eyes narrowing. "Oh wow you don't look well. You look like you've seen a ghost."
Kael opened his mouth to deny it, then stopped. He couldn't shake the lingering sense of something being missing, like there was a hole in his memory. But nothing came when he tried to grasp it. It felt very strange to him.
Almost like he felt it before
Kael stood near the wall staring at iris curiously half expecting her to say something but also his mind raced with the events that will follow tomorrow.
"You know," Iris said quietly, almost like she was thinking out loud, "I used to look forward to attending this place. I was born into it all the crowns, the clans, and the power struggles. But now… it feels different like I'm playing someone else's game."
Kael looked up sharply. He hadn't expected that from her. But the words rang too true to ignore.
He stayed silent staring at her sceptically.
He leaned back, letting his head rest against the cool stone wall behind him. His thoughts drifted — to Rovan's warning, to the instructors' harsh words. And to the Graven, whose screams still echoed in the dark corners of his mind.
He clenched his fists.
They couldnt even handle a single Brood, and now what chance did they have against sixteen? What chance did they have against the other students who looked like they'd kill a squad just to take their base?
Tomorrow, the Deathzone would open. Tomorrow, the culling would begin.
Kael let out a long, steady breath.
He wasn't ready.
But he would have to be.