Raziel walked through the halls of St. Celeste, but he wasn't really there.
His mind was stuck in a loop, replaying Marius's smile over and over again.
That cold, calculating smile, not like a priest, but like a merchant who just found out his goods were worth a fortune.
The feeling of having an invisible price tag on his forehead.
'He saw me as useful... Shit, that's worse than if he had threatened me.'
He was so deep in his thoughts that he almost crashed into someone.
"Hey, Raz! Watch where you're going!" Lucian's voice snapped him out of his trance instantly. "You have a look on your face like you saw a ghost."
Raziel blinked, forcing himself to focus.
Beside him, Lara looked at him with those serious eyes that seemed to see too much.
"Are you okay?" Lara asked quietly. "You look terrible."
Raziel tried to smile, although the muscles in his face felt stiff.
They were his friends, but that was exactly why he couldn't drag them into his personal mess.
"I'm fine," he lied, his voice coming out like a whisper. "Just... a lot of things on my mind. Can we talk later? Somewhere more private."
Lucian's eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline.
"Ooh, secrets? Count me in! In the library after dinner?"
Lara nodded without hesitation.
"Of course. You know we're here for whatever, Raziel."
As they walked away, a small spark of warmth relieved the cold he felt in his chest.
Friends.
He prayed he wasn't about to screw up their lives.
The rest of the day was torture.
Every class, every sermon, was background noise while his mind wouldn't stop spinning around the meeting with Caelum, Marius's calculating gaze, and above all, the constant fear that his lie would shatter into pieces.
By dinner time, his nerves were wrecked.
He picked at his food without appetite, feeling Lucian and Lara's worried glances from across the dining hall.
He couldn't take it anymore, so he got up and went straight to the library.
He looked for a hidden corner among the highest shelves, a little book fort where he could think.
'How much could I tell them? How much should I tell them?'
Trust was a luxury he could no longer afford.
"Well, Raz, spit it out already," Lucian's voice almost made him jump out of his skin.
He had entered without making a single sound, with Lara right on his heels.
Raziel looked at both of them. Lucian, with that confidence that sometimes bordered on arrogance, and Lara, with her quiet strength and empathy.
He made a decision, even though it wasn't the one his heart wanted.
"I have to tell you something," he whispered, because he felt like if he spoke louder the walls would hear him. "Something that could change things."
Lucian leaned against a bookshelf, crossing his arms.
His expression was curious, but the worry hadn't left.
"Well, don't leave us in suspense, man."
Raziel closed his eyes for a second, looking for the courage to drop the half-lie he had prepared.
"I have... decided to follow the path of the Healer."
The words hung in the air, so far from the truth it almost made him laugh. But it was a start, a half-truth that could protect them.
Lucian blinked, clearly surprised.
"The Healer's path? You? I thought you'd become a Scribe or something, with how much you read."
But Lara smiled, a genuine and bright smile.
"That's wonderful, Raziel! Healers do very important work."
Raziel nodded, feeling that for the first time in days a real smile formed on his face.
"I feel like it's the right thing. After everything that happened... I want to help people, make a real difference."
Lucian started pacing back and forth, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Funny you say that. Because I've also decided to be a Healer."
Raziel's jaw dropped to the floor.
"You? But what about your family...?"
Lucian dismissed it with a gesture.
"My father is going to scream to the high heavens, because he wants me to be a Paladin, but after what happened in the capital..." his face darkened for a moment. "Let's just say I lost the urge."
Lara clasped her hands, excited.
"This is amazing! Because... well, I have also chosen the path of the Healer."
Now Raziel was truly speechless. A mix of relief and panic ran through his body.
Relief for not being alone, but panic for their safety and a horrible doubt: was this too much of a coincidence?
"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice tense. "Both of you? It's not an easy path, and there could be consequences."
Lucian gave him a slap on the shoulder, strong and sure.
"That's exactly why we're doing it, someone has to watch your back so you don't get into more trouble."
Lara nodded, very serious.
"We are in this together, Raziel."
"Thanks," he managed to say, his voice cracking. "To both of you."
Lucian smiled.
"Now tell us, why do you have that face like the Inquisition is stepping on your heels? What is really happening?"
Raziel hesitated.
He opened his mouth to speak, but something moved out of the corner of his eye.
A shadow that slipped between the shelves.
"Did you see that?" he whispered.
Lucian and Lara looked at each other, confused.
"See what?" Lara asked.
Raziel shook his head, while a chill ran down his back.
"Nothing. Forget it. It's getting late, we should go back."
They didn't look very convinced, but they nodded.
As they left the library, Raziel couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching them from the darkness.
When they reached the point where their paths separated, Lucian grabbed his arm.
"This isn't over. Whatever it is you're hiding, we are here for you."
Lara squeezed his hand.
"You don't have to face it alone."
Raziel swallowed hard and nodded.
"I know, I'll explain soon, I just... need time."
They said goodbye and everyone went to their room.
Raziel closed the door and leaned against it, letting out all the air he had been holding.
He was exhausted, but the paranoia wouldn't let him relax.
He was about to throw himself onto the bed when he saw it.
A piece of folded parchment on his pillow.
The handwriting was elegant, but the message froze his blood:
"They know you remember. They are coming for you."
Raziel stepped back, dropping the note as if it burned.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[Critical Stress Level detected.]
[Acute Paranoia (Level 1)]
[Effect: Auditory and visual hallucinations are more frequent. Threat perception increases by 20%. Trust in allies decreases.]
'Shit, shit, SHIT!'
He turned sharply, sure he had seen movement in the corner of the room.
For a fraction of a second, he swore he saw a tall, hooded figure standing in the corner. But when he blinked, there was nothing there.
'They know you remember.'
Who were "they"? The Church? The Inquisition? Or something much worse that he didn't even know from his past lives?
He had to get out of there.
He started packing his few things into a bag, his hands shaking.
He didn't know where he would go, but staying was a death sentence.
Then he thought about Lucian and Lara.
He couldn't leave them behind, not after what they had just promised him, but taking them with him was putting a target on their backs.
Stay and risk them all? Run away alone and leave them vulnerable? Or drag them with him into the hell that was his life?