…
It had officially become impossible to tell what counted as a "normal" day at Blackridge Academy.
At one point, it was lectures, training drills, and nearly dying in potion class because Zane tried to charge a bottle of liquid sleep with lightning. Now? Now it was sleepwalking into secret vaults, dreaming in ancient languages, and waking up surrounded by sarcastic roommates and unasked-for emotional flashbacks.
Dae sat on the common room couch like it might explode if he blinked too hard.
Rea perched beside him, reading a protocol scroll with one eye and watching him with the other. Mira leaned against the window, arms folded, her expression unreadable. Lyra was upside down on the armrest, braid hanging like a mood indicator.
"So," she said, popping a gum rune between her teeth. "Are we gonna talk about the girl in your dream, or just pretend that's normal?"
"She wasn't in my dream," Dae muttered, running a hand down his face. "She was real. In the Vault. Her name is Caladra."
Rea's eyes narrowed slightly. "And she's… what? Another relic soul?"
Mira's tone cut sharper. "Or the original source of your ring's power?"
"I think… both," Dae said. "She said she was the Vault once. That the ring was created to contain power, not give it. And now she's free."
Lyra's eyebrow quirked. "Free as in sexy-powerful-warrior-goddess-who-wants-your-soul… or free as in she's gonna murder us all by next week?"
Dae hesitated.
"Why not both?" he finally said.
"Nice," Mira muttered. "Love that for us."
…
The academy had changed after the attack. Not just the people.
The place felt heavier. Like the stone walls were keeping secrets even from themselves.
New glyphs shimmered on every archway. Security sigils hummed low enough to trigger headaches. Pix's voice crackled through the intercom twice a day, reminding everyone that "danger levels remain elevated. Stay in groups. Avoid unsupervised corridors. Do not tamper with structural anomalies."
Which meant… of course, Dae tampered with one the second he found it.
He wasn't alone, though.
Zane followed him because he was bored. Syra came because she thought there might be drama. And Ash followed because, in her words, "if something explodes, I want a front row seat."
They ended up at one of the lower atriums—glass-roofed, half-shattered, vines curling through the cracks like nature itself was eavesdropping. The floor was covered in faint rings of ash.
"This is where the shadow breach started," Dae murmured.
Syra crouched by one of the broken pillars. "Smells like regrets."
Zane arced a spark between his fingers. "Should we not… touch stuff?"
Ash was already doing exactly that—poking at a rune etched into the side of a bench.
"Too late," she said cheerfully.
A hum started beneath their feet.
Syra's head snapped up. "Oh, you really did it now."
The runes flared blue… then black.
The air bent.
And something opened.
A flicker. A tear. A shimmer in reality right in the center of the courtyard.
And from it, two figures stepped out.
Both girls.
Both… not from around here.
The first had short platinum hair, eyes that glowed like dusk caught in a snow globe, and a blade strapped to her back that vibrated faintly with what Dae recognized as language. Not speech. Literal language.
The second looked like she'd stepped out of a dream powered by chaos and candy—half her cloak made of living threads, fingers trailing ink that turned to symbols midair.
Both of them looked at Dae.
And smiled.
"Found him," the first one said.
"Told you he'd be shiny," the second giggled.
Dae blinked. "Who… are you?"
"We're your new classmates," the first replied, offering a salute that might've been mocking or respectful—unclear. "Transfer students. From… somewhere you forgot."
The second girl leaned in, eyes glittering. "And we remember you."
Dae's head pulsed.
Pain.
Flash.
Caladra's voice in his mind: They're part of the ring too. Fragments of thought made real.
"Nope," Dae said, backing up. "I'm not dealing with another memory girl today."
Zane, ever helpful, asked, "Are they single?"
Syra sighed. "Of course they are."
Ash whispered, "Oh good. More trauma in the shape of hot girls. My favorite genre."
…
The next morning, they were officially introduced to the class.
In the main courtyard, the students gathered—still bruised, still shaken, but functioning. The academy's central tower loomed above, glass terraces spiraling around its heart like veins pumping faint golden light. Garden bridges connected buildings overhead, where vines curled along railings and students leaned to eavesdrop.
Instructor Maelis, who had finally returned from wherever the hell they all were during the shadow ambush, stood in front of the gathered first years with her usual strict composure and unblinking gaze.
"We have two new additions to Class D," she announced. "Due to interdimensional displacement during the recent event, their files were… incomplete. But they've been accepted into your cohort."
Dae whispered to Kio, "We're just accepting void-walkers into class now?"
Kio whispered back, "Bro… if I had cheekbones like that I'd accept 'em too."
The two girls stepped forward.
The first bowed slightly. "I am Elira. I specialize in runic compression, echo translation, and silence combat."
Syra whispered, "She talks like a lost email."
The second girl did a backflip, landed in a split, and beamed. "Hi! I'm Faye. I… do stuff."
The class stared.
Noor looked mildly impressed. Lune started beatboxing softly. Jin cracked his knuckles.
"Are they dangerous?" Vera demanded.
"They're breathing," Mira muttered. "So yes."
Instructor Maelis continued like she hadn't heard any of it. "They'll be assigned to Dorm Cluster 3 with Dae, Rea, Kio, Mira, and Lyra."
Faye perked up. "Ooooh, roommates! I call top bunk next to Dae."
Elira glanced at Dae. "He radiates unstable artifact energy. I approve."
Dae stared at the sky. "I miss when girls just had normal hobbies like archery or murder."
…
That night was chaos.
The dorm now looked like a hurricane made of glitter and cursed scrolls had hit it.
Faye brought six bags of god-knows-what. Elira requested silence sigils in the corners and turned one of the lamps into a floating orb that followed her around like a passive-aggressive moon.
Rea sat on the windowsill with Mira, the two of them silently exchanging glances like generals during wartime.
Kio whispered, "This harem arc is wild."
Lyra leaned over and whispered back, "No kidding. Think we'll survive it?"
"Probably not."
Dae flopped onto his bed and groaned.
Then the book glowed.
Of course it did.
One of the pages flipped itself open.
A new diagram.
A key.
Made of sound.
"What the hell does that mean?" he asked aloud.
Faye peered over his shoulder. "Ooh, that's a resonance cipher!"
Elira murmured, "It's a gateway lock. Language-based. Very old. Very dangerous."
Dae blinked. "How do you know that?"
They didn't answer.
But the book whispered:
"They were once shards of Caladra. Now they seek their own shape."
Dae closed the book with a snap.
"Great," he muttered. "More girls made of lore and trauma."
Faye winked. "Hey, at least we're cute."
Rea hissed, "Don't flirt with him."
Elira blinked. "I was not flirting. Yet."
Lyra groaned. "Can we please survive one week without awakening new girls with mysterious powers and romantic tension?"
Kio raised a hand. "I vote no."
Dae just sank lower into his bed.
Because something deeper was brewing again.
The Vaults were opening.
His memories were slipping.
And someone, somewhere, was watching.
Again.
…
To Be Continued in Chapter 30 – Mirrors Don't Lie, People Do