The Academy council chamber felt smaller than it should. Five tutors sat behind a curved table. Their faces were shadows in candlelight. Ethan and Maya stood in the center, still holding their fragments.
Master Donovan sat at the left end. His gray eyes met Ethan's briefly. A warning passed between them.
Professor Thorne occupied the center seat. His smile was sharp as winter steel. "Please, sit. We have much to discuss."
Two chairs waited for them. The wood was old and worn smooth. Ethan's back ached as he settled. The fragment had aged him again during the battle. His body felt heavier than before.
How much older do I look? Can they tell?
"Let's begin with the obvious question," Thorne said. "Where did you acquire Divine Weapon fragments?"
Maya's hand tightened on her staff. Light flickered beneath her skin. "We found them."
"Found them where?"
"In the old vaults beneath the Academy." Ethan kept his voice steady. No point lying about that now. "We were exploring."
Professor Aldurren leaned forward. The Mark of Vexus was hidden beneath her sleeve, but Ethan knew it was there. "Those vaults are sealed. Have been for decades."
"The seals were already broken," Maya said.
It wasn't entirely false. The wards had been weakened by time.
"Fascinating." Thorne made notes on parchment. "And these fragments simply... bonded to you?"
"Yes."
"No preparation? No ritual? No training in Divine Weapon theory?"
Ethan shook his head. "They chose us."
That much was true. The fragments had called to them through dreams. Drawn them deeper into the Academy's secrets.
Master Korlan, the Academy's historian, spoke next. His voice carried doubt. "Divine Weapons haven't chosen wielders in two centuries. Why now? Why you?"
Because the world is breaking. Because demons are returning. Because someone sent me back to prevent the end of everything.
"We don't know," Ethan said.
Thorne's smile widened. "Come now. Surely you have theories."
The silence stretched.
"Perhaps," Donovan said quietly, "we should discuss their training."
All eyes turned to him. Ethan's pulse quickened.
"Training?" Thorne asked.
"Private lessons. Advanced techniques." Donovan's voice carried the weight of confession. "I've been working with both students for weeks. Their potential was... exceptional."
Professor Aldurren's eyes narrowed. "You trained commoners in advanced combat meant for Commander Blackwood without council approval?"
"I trained Academy students in techniques they were ready to learn." Donovan met her gaze steadily. "Nothing more."
He's protecting us. Giving us cover.
"These techniques," Thorne said. "They wouldn't happen to include Divine Weapon theory?"
"Basic principles and Historical context. Nothing forbidden."
It was a careful lie. Well-crafted and hard to disprove. Ethan felt grateful and guilty in equal measure.
The questioning continued for another hour. Details about their training. Questions about their backgrounds. Probing inquiries about how long they'd known each other.
Through it all, Ethan watched the tutors' faces. Donovan remained supportive but cautious. Thorne and Aldurren asked pointed questions with hidden meanings. The others seemed genuinely confused by the entire situation.
How many cult members are there? How deep does this go?
Finally, Thorne closed his notebook. "I think that's sufficient for now."
"Are we free to go?" Maya asked.
"You're free to return to classes. With conditions." Thorne's smile never wavered. "Weekly check-ins with the council. Supervised training sessions. And those fragments will be examined by our specialists."
"They can't be removed," Ethan said quickly.
"So you mentioned. We'll see."
The threat hung in the air like smoke. They were dismissed, but not cleared. Watched, but not trusted.
As they left the chamber, Donovan caught Ethan's arm.
"Careful," he murmured. "Not everyone here wants to help you."
I know. The question is who we can trust.
**********
They found Kaleb and Lydia waiting outside the council chamber. Both looked worried.
"Where were you during the fight?" Maya asked immediately.
Kaleb flushed red. "Locked in a storage closet. Someone barred the door from outside."
"And you?" Ethan looked at Lydia.
"Dealing with temporal traces." Her amber eyes were serious. "Your fragment usage created ripples. I had to smooth them before someone noticed."
More magic I don't understand. More secrets.
They walked toward the dormitories in tense silence. Students watched them pass. Whispers followed in their wake. The battle in the courtyard had made them celebrities of the wrong kind.
"We need to talk," Lydia said when they reached the East Wing. "Privately."
They gathered in their usual abandoned classroom. Dust motes danced in afternoon light. The familiar space felt different now. Charged with danger.
"The cult knows about us," Ethan said without preamble. "They'll move faster now."
"How much faster?" Kaleb asked.
"Days, maybe. Not weeks." Ethan looked out the window. Somewhere beyond the Academy walls, Alexander fought a battle against the demon in his mind, or maybe he'd already lost. "We need to accelerate our progress."
"To do what?" Maya's staff fragment glowed softly in her hands. "We're barely holding together as it is."
She was right. Their alliance was small. Inexperienced. They had fragments of Divine Weapons but no real plan for using them.
In my old life, the resistance took years to build. We don't have years.
"We need more allies," Ethan said. "People who can fight. Who can be trusted."
"The other students?" Kaleb suggested.
"Some, maybe. But we need adults. Experienced fighters." Ethan thought about the Academy's staff. "There have to be others like Master Donovan. People who see what's happening."
Lydia was quiet during this discussion. Her fingers traced patterns on the dusty table. When she finally spoke, her voice was troubled.
"There's something else. During the fight, I felt temporal disturbances. Not from your fragments. Something bigger."
"What kind of disturbances?"
"Time magic. Advanced techniques. Someone is manipulating events." Her amber eyes met his. "The cult has temporal mages."
Ice filled Ethan's stomach. They can change time too. Undo what I've done.
"How is that possible?"
"Divine Weapons aren't the only tools that affect time. There are rituals. Ancient techniques. If the cult has been preparing for decades..."
She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to.
"We're running out of time," Ethan said. "Literally."
A knock at the door made them all freeze.
"Come out," a voice called. "We know you're in there."
It wasn't a tutor's voice. It belonged to someone younger. A student.
Ethan moved to the door and opened it carefully.
Raymond Blackthorn stood in the corridor. Three other students flanked him. All wore the same cold expression.
"Raymond." Ethan kept his voice level. "What do you want?"
"To deliver a message." Raymond's smile was sharp. "From people who matter."
"What message?"
"Stop meddling. Return the fragments. Accept what's coming." Raymond stepped closer. "or face the consequences."
Behind Ethan, Maya's fragment blazed to life. Light spilled into the corridor.
"And if we refuse?" she asked.
Raymond's eyes reflected the light like a predator's. "Then you'll learn why resistance is futile."
The students with him shifted position. Blocking escape routes. Preparing for violence.
This is how it starts. The direct attacks.
"We'll consider your offer," Ethan said carefully.
"Good. You have until tomorrow at sunset." Raymond's smile widened. "Choose wisely."
They left as suddenly as they'd arrived. Footsteps echoed down the corridor until silence returned.
"That was a threat," Kaleb said unnecessarily.
"That was a declaration of war," Lydia corrected. "They're done being subtle."
Ethan closed the door and turned back to his friends. The fragment pulsed against his ribs. Power waited there, hungry and patient.
Tomorrow at sunset. Less than twenty-four hours.
"We need to find allies tonight," he said. "Because tomorrow, the real fighting begins."
Outside, afternoon shadows grew longer. Time moved forward like an enemy march.
And somewhere in the Academy's depths, cult members prepared for the next phase of their plan.
The hidden war was about to become very public indeed.
**********
That night, Ethan lay awake staring at the ceiling. Kaleb's breathing filled the small room, asleep as usual despite everything they are up against.
How much time do I have left? How many more fights can I survive?
The fragment pulsed against his ribs. Each use aged him months. Maybe years. At this rate, he'd be dead before his eighteenth birthday.
But what choice do I have? Let everyone die to save myself?
Outside their window, Academy bells chimed midnight. A new day beginning.
The day everything would change.
Ethan closed his eyes and tried to find sleep. But dreams of silver light and shadow creatures chased him into darkness.
Tomorrow would bring answers. Or it would bring the end.
Either way, the waiting was almost over.