Part 2 — Castiel
The rooftop became silent.
The soft click of the closing door echoed behind him.
Castiel didn't turn around.
He knew David had gone.
The Academy stretched beneath him, peaceful beneath the moonlight.
Tomorrow...
That peace would end.
A cool breeze stirred his silver hair.
For several minutes...
He simply stood there.
Looking across the campus.
The arena.
Combat Hall Seven.
Dormitory One.
The gardens.
Everywhere he looked...
He saw memories.
David laughing after finally beating him during a spar.
June nearly falling off the roof trying to catch a sandwich he'd thrown into the air.
Nyra convincing everyone to stay and watch a meteor shower instead of studying.
Lucian quietly helping first-years repair damaged training equipment without asking for recognition.
Mira sitting with June while he dramatically explained why losing at strategy games wasn't technically losing.
It had become...
Home.
Castiel slowly lowered his head.
"...How..."
His voice barely rose above a whisper.
"...How am I supposed to report the anomaly..."
He closed his eyes.
"...When he's become like a brother to me?"
The words disappeared into the night.
No answer came.
Only the wind.
His hand slowly reached inside his academy jacket.
For a moment...
He hesitated.
Then withdrew a small crystal no larger than his thumb.
It was unlike any communication crystal issued by the Academy.
Deep crimson.
Smooth.
Ancient.
Faint crimson light pulsed slowly beneath its surface.
Castiel stared at it.
"...What am I supposed to do..."
His fingers tightened around the crystal.
If he didn't report...
Questions would be asked.
If he told the truth...
David could become the target.
He thought back to everything that had happened since entering the Academy.
David standing beside him during orientation.
David refusing to leave anyone behind on Kharos Vale.
David taking responsibility every time something went wrong.
David calling him...
Cass.
A small smile appeared.
Then disappeared just as quickly.
"...I'm sorry."
He pressed his thumb against the center of the crimson shard.
The crystal awakened instantly.
Crimson light spread across its surface before expanding into a translucent screen floating in front of him.
Invisible to everyone except Castiel.
Ancient symbols flowed briefly across its surface before fading.
One word appeared.
**CONNECTED**
A voice emerged.
Distorted.
Calm.
Impossible to identify.
"Report."
Castiel straightened instinctively.
"Reporting."
A brief silence followed.
Then—
"The anomaly."
His heartbeat quickened.
He answered immediately.
"...No current change."
Silence.
Longer this time.
Then...
"You hesitated."
Castiel's grip tightened around the shard.
"I'm reporting on tomorrow's operation."
Another pause.
"The Academy returns to Kharos Vale at first light."
No interruption came.
Castiel continued.
"Gamma Squad has been assigned operational command of Grid H-09."
"Our primary objective is to eliminate the strongest monsters controlling the grid."
"Once they are removed..."
"Planetary Defense forces will advance behind us and clear the remaining hostile creatures."
"The operation will continue across Kharos Vale..."
"...grid by grid..."
"...until no monster population remains capable of preventing the final conversion."
The crimson screen remained still.
The voice on the other side said nothing.
Castiel continued carefully.
"If the campaign succeeds..."
"...Kharos Vale will undergo Whitefall."
"The planet will transform into a stable, Earth-like world."
"And the moment Whitefall is completed..."
"...Kharos Vale will belong to humanity."
Silence followed.
Castiel waited.
Then the voice returned to the subject he had been trying to avoid.
"The anomaly."
Castiel's chest tightened.
He kept his expression perfectly calm.
"...He is participating in the operation."
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
The voice remained silent.
For several long moments...
Only the faint crimson glow of the shard illuminated Castiel's face.
Finally...
"This operation is... acceptable."
A pause.
"You have reported well."
Another silence followed.
Then the voice spoke one final time.
"Return to the Academy alive."
"When the Kharos Vale operation is complete..."
"...Report again."
The words lingered in the night.
The crimson symbols began disappearing one by one.
The connection was ending.
The voice spoke one last sentence.
"Do not fail."
The screen collapsed into the crimson shard.
Darkness returned to the rooftop.
Only the small crystal remained in Castiel's hand.
He stared at it for a long time.
His reflection looked back at him from its polished surface.
Not an Academy cadet.
Not a member of Gamma Squad.
Just...
Someone caught between two worlds.
Slowly...
He closed his hand around the shard.
Hard enough that the sharp edges pressed painfully into his palm.
He welcomed the pain.
It was easier than the guilt.
His voice was almost inaudible.
Carried away by the wind before anyone else could ever hear it.
"...I'm sorry, D."
He slipped the crimson shard back inside his jacket.
Took one final look across the Academy.
Then quietly made his way toward the rooftop door.
Tomorrow...
Gamma Squad would return to Kharos Vale.
And for the first time since entering the Academy...
Castiel wasn't sure which path his own future would follow.