…
The sky over the dome wasn't blue anymore.
It shimmered like glass about to crack… as if the world knew a forgotten name had been spoken and wasn't sure how to hold itself together now.
Dae sat on the academy roof, staring up at it in silence. Wind brushed through his hair, but he barely felt it. The memory of Caladra lingered behind his eyes like afterimages burned into his thoughts.
She had kissed his forehead.
Said she remembered him.
And then vanished again.
It hadn't been a dream. The Book of Knowledge still lay open beside him, humming softly like a heart kept beating out of spite.
Selene leaned against the railing nearby, arms crossed, eyes unreadable. Again.
"You broke something," she said finally.
Dae glanced at her.
"I didn't even touch anything."
"Exactly," she replied. "That's what worries me."
…
Pix's voice crackled across the academy's intercom system, glitching with a strange echo.
"Dimensional interference detected… Auxiliary protocols suspended… Emergency override pending… pending… pen—"
The system gave up halfway through the word.
Down below, students gathered in nervous clumps on the training fields, all glancing at the sky like it might reach down and slap someone. Rea sat cross-legged in the grass, her hair braided unevenly by Nira, who claimed the knots made it more aerodynamic. Zane and Kai were betting on who could flip-kick a shadow clone higher. Vera was arguing with Drayk about crystalline fracture points like it was a TED talk. Kio was eating chips like the apocalypse came with snacks.
Life… weirdly… went on.
Sort of.
An empty chair sat at the center of the group.
A chair none of them had noticed.
And still… no one remembered An.
Except Dae.
And maybe Selene.
And the book.
…
Later that evening, the academy's south wing lights flickered back on for the first time since the attack. Rumor was that wing had been sealed off since the old council collapsed… that it held archives older than even Pix could parse.
So naturally, they were holding class there now.
The hallway felt different—less like a school and more like an ancient cathedral that had been turned into a tech lab. Marble arches curved above floating light nodes… vines slithered along the high ceiling like they had grown into the architecture. Murals stretched along the walls, shifting faintly when you blinked.
"Why does this place smell like existential dread and citrus?" Zane asked, nose wrinkling.
Vera sniffed. "It's orange-flavored knowledge."
"Terrifying," Ash added from behind them, arms folded. "Ten out of ten. Would haunt again."
They filed into the main lecture chamber… only to freeze.
Someone was already at the front.
Two someones, actually.
Girls.
New ones.
One leaned lazily against the blackboard, chewing something spicy and smirking like she'd already won a bet no one had started yet. Her aura flickered red—fiery and restless. Short-cropped hair, combat boots, and an oversized hoodie that said "Rebellion is a subject too."
The other stood like a ghost near the window, back straight, eyes sharp. Her aura was soft… but deadly. Snow-pale skin, violet robes, and a book cradled in her arms that pulsed with the same ancient script as Dae's.
Before Dae could speak, the classroom lights dimmed… and an actual instructor entered.
Which was rare.
Instructors had been missing ever since the dome attack. But this one walked in like she owned the floor and possibly the moon. Long coat, half-mechanical limbs, and eyes like someone who knew what a soul weighed in kilograms.
"Students," she said. "This is Instructor Virell. Temporary."
No one clapped.
She didn't expect them to.
"These two," she continued, "are recent transfers from the Fringe Academies."
Pause. Tension.
"Give your names."
The girl with the hoodie popped her gum. "Lyra."
The book girl lifted her eyes. "Silvane."
The class mumbled polite-ish greetings. Except Kio, who whispered, "Damn," under his breath and got elbowed by Rea.
But it was Dae the girls locked eyes with.
First Lyra.
Then Silvane.
Not just a glance. Something deeper.
Like recognition.
And Dae's stomach twisted.
Lyra winked. "Yo, you look like a guy who's been haunted by at least three ancient memories and a vague prophecy. Am I warm?"
Silvane just nodded slightly. "You're the one the book chose."
Dae froze.
"Which book?"
Silvane lifted hers.
It was nearly identical to the Book of Knowledge.
Except… silver.
And humming in rhythm with his.
Selene tensed beside him.
Pix's voice chimed in, robotic and hesitant:
"Warning… multiple Source-bound artifacts detected in proximity… Unknown resonance pattern forming…"
But Virell only smiled.
"Looks like your group just got a little more complicated."
…
Later that night…
Dae found himself walking the academy's skybridge alone. The structure hung over the artificial waterfall garden—one of the dome's most scenic (and completely unnecessary) places. Magic-laced water cascaded between floating steps, glowing gently under moonlight that wasn't even real.
He wasn't sure why he walked there.
Until he realized he wasn't alone.
Silvane stood on one of the floating platforms, staring down at the water like it held answers. She didn't flinch when he approached.
"You remember me," Dae said, softly.
She didn't answer at first.
Then: "I remember… echoes."
Dae stepped beside her.
"The others don't even know An existed. Not really. But you—"
"I knew An," she said quickly.
Then blinked.
"I think I did."
She touched her book.
"It hums when I think about her."
Dae looked down at his own ring.
It shimmered once. Faintly.
Like it knew something, too.
…
Elsewhere—
Lyra had kicked her boots off and was lounging across Rea's bed, eating noodles out of a cup and watching Kio and Zane play magic-tag with explosives.
"So," she said lazily, "how long have you all been stuck in this fever dream of an academy?"
"Since chapter one," Zane said.
"Technically orientation day," Kio added.
"And what's the vibe? Cult-like? Apocalyptic? Secretly run by an evil council of ex-boyfriends?"
"Yes," said Rea from her desk.
Everyone paused.
Lyra just grinned.
"I like it here."
…
Back in the garden under the skybridge, Dae sat cross-legged, book open, trying to decipher a new page that refused to stay still.
Then, for just a moment—
He heard it.
A whisper not from the book.
Not from Caladra.
Not even from himself.
A new voice.
"You're not supposed to survive this," it said softly.
"But you will."
He looked up.
No one was there.
But in the water's reflection…
He saw three rings glowing.
His.
Silvane's.
And one he didn't recognize.
One that pulsed in time with Caladra's heartbeat.
He stood up.
"Something's coming," he muttered.
And in the shadow of the skybridge, Selene watched him quietly.
Then turned away.
The stars above blinked… and for the briefest second, flickered red.
…
To Be Continued in Chapter 35 – Her Name Was Never Gone