Chapter 22 #2
“Don’t fucking play with me, Rynlee,” he seethed, voice low and lethal. Something twisted in my chest. The way he said my name, not my nickname, sent a jolt straight through me. Gods help me, his anger was hot.
“I’m not,” I snapped. “I’m just doing exactly what you are doing.
Kissing the person I want to be with.” I glared up at him.
“Besides, yesterday was ‘just the bond,’ right?” His hand came up fast, wrapping around my throat, not tight enough to choke, but enough to pin me.
His thumb pressed against my pulse point as he leaned in, lips hovering inches from mine.
“Did you kiss him to make me jealous?” he asked, onyx bleeding into jade. My pulse fluttered.
“Are you jealous?” I whispered instead, my gaze dropping to his mouth.
He rested his forehead against mine, breath hot against my skin. “No,” he growled. “I’m not fucking jealous. I’m angry.”
“Well, you kissed Jasmine,” I shot back quietly. A groan tore from him, low and frustrated, and the bond snapped tight between us.
“So, it was revenge?” His voice was strained now.
“What do you want from me, Aiden?” I demanded. “You kissed me yesterday, then shoved me away. And now you’re losing your mind over this? Even though you have Jasmine?” He drew back, letting out an annoyed sigh.
“I don’t know what I want,” he admitted, jaw clenched. “This bond is fucking with me, mixing with my resentment. And when I see you kissing Alaric, my blood boils and I—”
“What?” I pressed, stepping closer. He stepped back again.
“Nothing,” he snapped. “It doesn’t matter. You’re right. I have Jasmine. And you’re just the girl I’m bonded to because the gods decided it.” The words cut deep.
“You’re right,” I said quietly. “And you’re just the boy I’m stuck with.” I turned to leave, then stopped. “Where were you headed last night?” I asked, glancing back.
He frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I saw you leaving the campus grounds. So where were you going?”
“Why were you out of bed?” he countered.
I sighed sharply. “Gods, seriously? You have to fight me on this, too? Just tell me.”
He hesitated, then let out a breath. “I went for a walk. Needed to clear my head.” I could sense it through the bond. He was lying. But I didn’t press; he probably wouldn’t tell me the truth, anyway.
“Hm,” I hummed, starting to walk away. His hand caught my arm.
“Why were you out of bed?”
“I was looking into the autopsy of the girl who was found dead,” I replied, slipping free before the bond reacted.
“Ruin, that’s—”
“Dangerous?” I cut in. “Something is going on here, Aiden. No one’s paying attention, so I will.”
He sighed, running a hand down his face. “Fine. Just… be careful. And I can help if needed.” I nodded once and headed back into the feeding hall. The bond pulled tight with every step I took away from him.
And it almost hurt, like something inside me was being slowly, painfully torn apart.
As Aiden made his way back to his table, I noticed the way Jasmine watched him, confusion tightening her features. But when her green eyes shifted to me, confusion turned into something sharper. Anger. I looked away first, though the weight of her stare lingered.
After breakfast, it was time for Alchemy class, one of my favorite classes. The moment I stepped inside, the familiar scent of crushed herbs and simmering oils wrapped around me like an old cloak. The room was dimly lit, lanterns flickering from iron sconces along the stone walls.
Dozens of cauldrons sat bubbling atop enchanted braziers, filling the air with a mix of lavender, smoke, and something vaguely metallic.
Dried plants hung from the rafters, labeled glass jars lined the shelves, and in the far corner, a barrel of failed experiments hissed quietly.
I made my way over to our usual table where Jackson and Luna were already standing beside our cauldron, flipping through notes and testing flame levels beneath the iron pot.
“So, I snuck into my aunt’s files last night,” I said under my breath, careful not to let nearby cadets overhear.
“Snuck in?” Luna arched a brow, a sly grin pulling at her lips. “I didn’t know you were such a baddy.”
I smirked. “I have layers.”
“So, did you find anything out?” Jackson asked, leaning in, voice low with curiosity.
“Yeah.” I glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “That girl they found dead. All her blood was missing. No sign of struggle. Nothing.” Jackson and Luna froze.
“That is bizarre,” Luna muttered, her brows drawing together. “How do you even steal all of someone’s blood?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. But it’s definitely strange.”
“Could be black magic. Or a rune,” Jackson suggested, drawing my attention back to him. “I used to read about that kind of stuff when I was younger. Creepy stuff... and accurate, apparently.”
“Well, yeah, black magic is evil,” Luna said, waving him on impatiently.
“But get to the point, what did you find?” Before Jackson could respond, the classroom door swung open with a creak, and everyone fell silent.
Professor Honeyburg swept in, tall and composed, with fair skin, vivid emerald eyes, and long, bright red hair woven into a thick braid down her back.
She wore her usual dark green robes and a no-nonsense expression.
“Good morning, students,” she greeted firmly, striding towards the head of the class. As always, she was straight to business, no small talk, no hesitation.
Jackson leaned in as the students began to settle.
“I’ll tell you guys after class,” he whispered quickly.
We turned our attention back to the front, just as Professor Honeyburg started explaining today’s objective: how to brew a paralyzing poison designed to immobilize an enemy for exactly three minutes.
As her voice echoed across the room, my mind wandered, bloodless bodies, shadowed mountains, and magic that was never meant to be touched. I needed to find out more.
After sparring and more classes, I headed straight for the one place that always seemed like it had answers: the library. If Arcanna kept any deeper records on dark runes, the truth had to be there. I was halfway down the path when Ryan fell into step beside me, his easy grin already in place.
“Hey there, sparky. Where are you off to?” he asked, bumping my shoulder lightly.
“The library,” I replied, unable to hide my small smile. He rolled his eyes.
“Is there ever a moment when you’re not in the library?”
“No. Not after everything that’s happened. I need to understand more.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
“Well… mind if I join you? I’ve got some classes I should probably study for.”
“Yeah, of course you can,” I replied, smiling as we pushed open the carved wooden doors.
The familiar scent of ink and parchment washed over me, mixed with a faint minty tang drifting in from the alchemy wing.
Students whispered between stacks, but the hush of the place wrapped around us like a blanket.
I headed straight for the shelves near where Ryan and I had found that scroll: ancient texts, forgotten prophecies, anything remotely forbidden.
Ryan peeled off toward the history section.
I scanned the bindings until something caught my eye: a thick, dark-bound book tucked between cracked leather tomes.
The gold lettering on its spine gleamed faintly: Arcane.
“This could be interesting,” I murmured, pulling it free.
I brought it to a table, settling into a chair as Ryan returned with his own book and sat across from me.
I opened the heavy cover and began to read.
Arcane Mountain was formed ages ago by the gods, a conduit to channel magic from Celetian.
When Celetian became dark for two years, the gods bestowed four mortals with divine power, one for each tier of magic.
My eyes widened. Seraphine Vaelor was the mortal granted Elemental magic, the first headmistress of Arcane.
Varos Nightfall wielded Conjuration and Manipulation.
Elyandra Vaelwyn carried Zeus’s power: lightning, storms, divine fury.
And lastly, Torren Malvyr embodied Body Augmentation, strength beyond mortal limits.
Together, these four fought against the spreading darkness and restored Celetian’s light.
I drew in a quiet breath, heart pounding.
The founders weren’t simply legendary figures; they were god-touched.
Chosen. Just like… the fourth tier. Once the four founders had restored balance, they came together and built Arcanna, so that if darkness ever rose again, there would be a force strong enough to fight it.
At the same time, the Blood Assassins were beginning to grow in number as well.
The more I read, the more I started to wonder if the Blood Assassins weren’t the enemy at all…
just another piece in a history twisted by whoever wrote the books.
I looked up to tell Ryan what I’d discovered, but instead found him slumped over the table, fast asleep on top of three open books.
I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips. Jeez. This guy really could sleep anywhere. Shaking my head, I went back to reading. The next pages shifted away from Arcanna’s foundation and into the history of the founders themselves.
That was when things took a darker turn. Elyandra’s section had been proud at first, lightning incarnate, divine fury in mortal flesh. But halfway down the page, the tone changed. It described how Elyandra began to unravel. How her power fractured inside her like glass under pressure.
How she punished students harshly and without reason. How she rambled about “hearing Zeus in her head.” My heart rate picked up. Was… was she also able to see her god? The text continued, colder now. Elyandra grew erratic. Dangerous. Her mind splintered under the strain of divinity.