The door closed behind them with a heavy click — final, echoing.
For a long, strained moment, none of them spoke.
The corridor outside Vale's office was too bright, too still. The walls, lined with old portraits of past Headmasters, seemed to watch them with quiet judgment. Every step away from that room felt like dragging chains.
Lucien Blackburn didn't look back. He moved ahead, his pace steady, measured — the kind of calm that wasn't peace, but containment. His uniform jacket was unbuttoned, sleeves rolled neatly, his shoulders a fortress of composure.
Riven followed a few feet behind, his boots tapping a rhythm that sounded like restrained fury. Every muscle in his jaw ticked.
Nerissa was next, fists clenched, expression stormy. She could feel the heat of her pulse beneath her skin, a reminder of just how angry — and helpless — she was.
And then came Vanessa — quiet, pale, her head bowed so low her hair nearly hid her face.
They turned a corner, and only then did Riven break the silence.
"Well," he muttered, his tone dripping sarcasm, "that went brilliantly."
Nerissa exhaled sharply through her nose. "You just had to mouth off, didn't you?"
He gave her a sideways look. "Don't act like you were any better. You couldn't resist being all 'try-me' in front of the Headmaster."
Nerissa shot him a glare. "At least I didn't destroy half the courtyard!"
"Neither did I!" Riven snapped, his voice echoing. "Ask your roommate! He was the one who wanted to hit you and i only helped, should have known nothing good comes from helping a sass queen and a sadist."
Lucien stopped walking.
The silence that fell was instant and heavy. He didn't turn around; he didn't even move. His voice came low and calm — too calm.
"Choose your next words wisely, Fireborn."
Riven's lips curved into a humorless smirk. "Oh, look. The ice prince speaks."
"Enough," Nerissa cut in, stepping between them before it exploded again. Her hands came up, palms out. "We just got out of one disaster — let's not start another."
Lucien's gaze finally shifted toward her — dark, unreadable.
For a second, Nerissa felt that flicker of anger again. He wasn't even trying to look sorry. His silence was like a wall — tall, thick, and cold.
She tried again, softer this time. "Lucien… she's not worth it." Don't break your brotherhood because of Nia.
That one went unsaid.
His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly before he turned and continued walking, wordless.
That hurt more than she expected.
Riven scoffed under his breath. "See? You can't break through that wall. Been like that since we were kids. His parents got scared of him eventually — mine told me to stay away from him."
Nerissa slowed, the weight of his words hanging in the air. She glanced at Lucien's back — tall, straight, distant. That unreadable silence suddenly felt… lonelier.
"I see," she said quietly.
Riven shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets again. "Don't bother trying. He's been ice since birth."
They walked the rest of the way in silence — down the winding corridors of Mooncrest Academy, past students whispering about the courtyard incident. Word traveled fast here; everyone already knew.
When they finally reached the end of the west hall, Lucien broke away without a word, disappearing through the side door that led to the dorms.
The air seemed to ease slightly after he was gone, though something cold lingered in Nerissa's chest.
Riven let out a low breath. "Well, that was fun."
Nerissa turned on him, brows furrowed. "Fun? We just got banned from the Luna Festival."
He smirked faintly. "You know me, I don't do festivals."
She gave him a look. "Don't do rules either, apparently."
"Touché." His grin turned crooked. "Guess trouble likes company."
Nerissa didn't smile back this time. Her eyes went to Vanessa, who was still standing silently near the wall. The girl looked fragile — not in a weak way, but in a broken way. Her fingers twisted nervously at her sleeve, her shoulders shaking just slightly.
Guilt stabbed through Nerissa's chest.
She walked over, crouching slightly to meet Vanessa's eyes. "Hey," she said gently. "You okay?"
Vanessa shook her head, her voice small. "It's my fault. All of it."
Riven rolled his eyes. "No, it's Lucien's. Or maybe mine. Definitely not yours."
But Vanessa didn't look convinced. Her eyes shimmered with tears. "If I hadn't— if I wasn't— they wouldn't have fought. And now we can't go to the festival."
Nerissa exhaled slowly, sitting on the bench beside her. "Vanessa, listen. None of this is on you. You didn't swing fists, you didn't start the growling match. You were just—"
"—there," Vanessa finished quietly. "Like always."
That last bit hit Nerissa somewhere deep.
She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
Vanessa hesitated. "Everyone looks past me here. Like I'm just… there. Not special, not powerful, just a filler space between better people." Her lips trembled. "The Luna Festival was supposed to change that."
Nerissa frowned softly. "Change it how?" To her Vanessa was the kind of girl that deserved attention, with her beauty, sliver blonde hair, and overall character, but...it seemed she was lonely until she met her.
"It's my favorite festival," Vanessa whispered. "Back home, it falls on my mother's death anniversary. Every year I'd go to the Luna festival lights and just… remember her. Not with sadness, but with gratitude. It made me feel close to her again." Her voice cracked. "Now I can't even do that."
Her words dissolved into quiet sobs.
For a moment, Nerissa didn't know what to say. The sass, the sharpness — none of it fit here. So instead, she did the simplest thing: she reached out and wrapped an arm around Vanessa's shoulders.
Vanessa leaned in, shaking softly.
"I'll fix it," Nerissa murmured.
Vanessa blinked through tears. "Wh-what?"
"I said I'll fix it." Nerissa's tone hardened, as if declaring a vow. "I'll make sure you attend that festival — punishment or not."
Riven groaned, throwing his head back. "Here we go."
She shot him a glare. "Don't even start."
He lifted his hands in surrender, smirking. "I'm not stopping you. Just pointing out that you and trouble share a bloodline."
Nerissa crossed her arms. "And yet, you're still standing here."
"Because," Riven said with a dramatic sigh, "I also share a deep and meaningful relationship with breaking orders."
That earned him a tiny smile from Vanessa, just enough to ease the heaviness.
Nerissa grinned faintly. "Good. Then we'll both break this one."
Riven gave an exaggerated sigh. "You're insane."
"Thanks."
They sat there for a while — the three of them — letting the silence stretch, soft and healing this time. The echoes of the confrontation still lingered, but the weight wasn't as suffocating anymore.
Vanessa finally lifted her head. "Do you really think we can?"
Nerissa looked toward the window, where the moon was beginning to rise — silver and bold.
"We're Mooncrest students," she said with a crooked smile. "Breaking rules is practically tradition."
Riven chuckled. "Just don't let Vale catch us. He already looks like he's aging twenty years dealing with us."
Nerissa leaned back, her sass returning like armor sliding back into place. "He should thank me. I keep the academy exciting."
"Yeah," Riven muttered, "that's one word for it."
Vanessa laughed weakly, wiping her eyes. "You two are insane."
"Guilty," Nerissa said with a grin. Then her tone softened. "But seriously, Vanessa — we're not letting you miss that festival. Your mom sounds like someone who'd hate to see you cry."
Vanessa smiled sadly. "She would."
"Then it's settled," Nerissa said, standing up. "We're going."
Riven groaned again. "You're dragging me into this, aren't you?"
She winked. "Obviously."
He stared at her for a long moment before sighing, "Fine. But if Vale catches us, I'm blaming you."
"Deal."
Vanessa's laughter, though faint, filled the hallway like a spark of light — the first in hours.
And for the first time since that morning, Nerissa felt something lift inside her.
Maybe they were a mess — a chaotic, rule-breaking, emotionally unstable mess — but they were her people.
She glanced toward the corridor Lucien had gone down earlier. The emptiness there lingered like a shadow she couldn't shake.
Under her breath, she muttered, "Cold-hearted jerk."
Riven caught it, smirking. "Still thinking about him?"
"Shut up."
"Hey, I'm just saying — maybe you'll be the one to thaw him someday."
She scoffed. "Unlikely."
But as they walked back toward their dorm, Nerissa's thoughts betrayed her.
Lucien's silence still echoed in her mind — sharp, cold, but underneath it… there'd been something else.
Something she couldn't name.