The Words "More Coming" echoed in my mind—but then.
The scratching stopped.
Not faded. Not slowed.
It just… stopped.
One moment the doors were shaking under a relentless barrage of claws, the next—nothing. No scrape. No growl. No low, bubbling laughter. Just silence. Thick, unnatural silence that pressed against my ears like water.
Elara held her barrier for another full ten seconds, silver threads still shimmering, muscles tense. Then she slowly lowered her hands. The dome dissolved into faint sparks that drifted to the floor and died.
Lyra's amulet dimmed to a soft glow. She stared at the doors, head tilted. "They're… gone?"
Elara exhaled, shoulders dropping. "Withdrawn. Not defeated. Just… gone."
I stayed where I was, back against the wall of the practice circle, Celestite Fang still in my hand. The violet blade had stopped humming. The star-flecks had stilled. My arms burned—both now. The left graze from the first watcher had turned into a dull, throbbing ache; the right shoulder wound was worse—deep tear, blood soaking the sleeve, black veins crawling like roots across my collarbone. Every breath pulled at the wounds like strings tied to my lungs.
I looked at the doors.
No sound.
No movement.
Just silence.
Lyra walked over, knelt in front of me. Her eyes flicked to my arms. "You're a mess."
Elara joined her, crouching on my other side. She gently lifted my right arm, inspecting the tear. Her fingers were steady, but her expression tightened. "The ichor spread fast. We stopped the worst of it, but it's still in your system. We need to purify it properly."
Lyra nodded. "First thing in the morning. Infirmary. Full cleanse ritual. No arguments."
I looked between them. "What about the curfew? The basement? Miss Miora…"
Lyra raised an eyebrow. "You worried about getting scolded by the dorm supervisor?"
I gave a weak half-smile. "A little. I didn't come back to the dormitory tonight. She'll notice. She already warned me about staying out."
Elara snorted softly. "Miss Miora has bigger problems than one missing F-Class kid. But yes—she'll be pissed. We'll deal with it. Tell her you were with us. She knows me. She'll believe it."
Lyra grinned. "We'll say we were tutoring you. Late-night mana theory. She'll buy it. Probably."
I leaned my head back against the wall. The stone was cold. Comforting in a strange way. "I didn't think I'd end up here. With you two."
Lyra sat cross-legged beside me. "We didn't think we'd end up babysitting a glitch who attracts Abyss monsters. Life's full of surprises."
Elara sat on my other side, legs stretched out. "We need to rest. But not too deeply. They could come back."
I nodded. "I know."
We settled in for the night—Elara reinforcing the wards one last time, tracing silver lines across the floor in a protective circle around us. Lyra kept watch near the doors, amulet glowing softly. I stayed in the center, letting the mana from the practice runes slowly push back the poison. It wasn't enough to heal everything, but it dulled the fire to a bearable ache.
For a long time, no one spoke.
Then Lyra broke the silence, voice quiet. "You really think you're a glitch?"
I looked at her. "The book does. The watchers do. I feel it. Like I'm… not supposed to be here. Like the story keeps trying to correct itself."
Elara nodded slowly. "I've read about anomalies before. Old texts. Rare cases where someone doesn't fit the prophecy. They either die early… or change everything."
Lyra leaned her head against my shoulder—casual, tired. "You're not dying early. Not on our watch."
I didn't pull away. For once, the touch didn't feel like a threat.
Elara looked at the ring on my finger. "The book. We need to read it. Carefully. Together. If it's tied to you, maybe we can use it. Turn the tables."
I hesitated. "It's dangerous."
Lyra gave a tired laugh. "Everything's dangerous here. But we're not letting you face it alone."
I looked at them—really looked. Elara's steady gaze. Lyra's crooked smile. They weren't nobles looking down on me. They weren't strangers judging me. They were… here.
"Okay," I said again. "Together."
Elara smiled—just a little. "Good. First thing tomorrow: infirmary. Then the book. Then we figure out how to stop the next wave before it starts."
Lyra yawned. "And maybe some sleep. If the scratching stays quiet."
We settled in—Elara reinforcing the wards one last time, Lyra keeping watch near the doors, me sitting in the center circle letting the mana slowly push back the poison.
For the first time since I woke up in this world, I didn't feel completely alone.
The scratching outside had stopped sometime during the night. Not faded, not slowed—just…gone. The doors stood silent, the wards still intact, silver threads glowing faintly in the dim mana-light. The air in the training hall felt different now—less heavy, less suffocating. Whatever had come for us had withdrawn. For now.
Elara was already awake. She sat cross-legged near the doors, back straight, eyes half-closed but alert. She'd taken the last watch, letting Lyra and me rest. Her breathing was slow, steady. She looked tired, but not defeated.
Lyra was curled against the wall beside me, head resting on her folded arms, amulet dimmed to a soft glow. Her breathing was deep and even—finally asleep after hours of tension.
I must have drifted off sometime after the silence settled. My arms ached—dull, constant throb from the black veins—but the poison had stopped spreading. The silver and green light from Elara and Lyra's runes had done their job. For now.
A sound broke the quiet.
Footsteps.
Not claws. Not scratching.
Normal, human footsteps—firm, measured, coming down the corridor outside. Someone doing morning training, probably. The academy never really slept.
Elara's eyes opened fully. She tilted her head, listening. Then she smiled—just a small, tired curve of her lips.
She leaned over, first to Lyra. Her hand rested lightly on Lyra's shoulder. "Hey. Wake up. Morning people are coming."
Lyra groaned, burrowed deeper into her arms. "Five more minutes…"
Elara's smile grew a fraction. She shook her shoulder gently. "You'll miss breakfast. And the infirmary opens soon."
Lyra muttered something unintelligible but sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Fine. Fine. I'm awake."
Elara turned to me next. Her hand found my shoulder—light, careful, avoiding the bandaged wounds. "Eryndor," she said quietly. "Time to wake up."
I blinked, disoriented for a second. The room came into focus—Elara's face above me, soft in the dim light. Her voice was gentle, almost soothing.
"Morning," she added. "You slept. That's good."
I sat up slowly. My arms protested—sharp pain flaring—but it was bearable. The black veins had retreated a little more overnight. Not gone. But not worse.
Lyra yawned, stretching. "We should get you to the infirmary first thing. Clean those wounds properly. The poison's slowed, but it's still in your system."
Elara nodded. "Agreed. And then breakfast. You both need food. And rest. Real rest."
I looked at them—Elara's steady gaze, Lyra's sleepy but warm smile.
For the first time, the silence didn't feel like a threat. It felt like… safety.
I exhaled. "Okay. Let's go."
Elara helped me up—gentle, but firm. Lyra grabbed our things. We left the training hall together, stepping over the claw marks that still smoked faintly on the floor.
The footsteps outside grew louder—someone jogging past. Normal. Human.
The watchers were gone.
But I knew they'd be back.
And the book in my ring stayed quiet.
For now.