Chapter 26
Rynlee’s POV
We were in the middle of sparring with elemental magic when the summons came. All students and professors were ordered to the courtyard. The call was urgent. And rare. Gia and I exchanged a look before gathering our things and falling into line with the rest of our year.
The air was sharp with frost, and snowflakes drifted slowly from the gray sky, dusting the stone path as we made our way outside.
Something was wrong; I could feel it like a storm in my chest. Aiden was positioned on the raised wooden stage, the same platform where his father once delivered our initiation speech. Now, it was him.
Commander Dagon’s son. Behind him stood the unit leaders, lined up like sentinels. Aiden’s face was carved from stone. But the heaviness in his gaze was evident; what he was about to say was heavy. Dangerous. Real.
“Listen up,” his voice rang out, deep and commanding. The murmurs died instantly. I felt Alaric step beside me, taking my hand. His grip was tight. And the guilt in my chest eased. I squeezed his hand back. “Commander Dagon is gone.” The words hit harder than I expected.
Gasps cut through the cadets, and whispers stirred like wind in the trees.
Alaric’s hand clenched tighter. “He is either dead or missing. I’m not sure which.
But until we know, I’m assuming command of the Academy.
” Shock rolled through the courtyard like thunder.
Professors stiffened. Students looked at each other in disbelief.
A few first-years murmured, panic rippling across their features.
But Aiden kept speaking, his voice clear and unshaken.
“I’m going to be honest with you because we don’t have time for lies.
The Eastern Encampment has fallen. The wards that protected it are gone.
That was our strongest line of defense, and it no longer exists.
” I heard Gia gasp softly beside me. Alaric’s thumb rubbed against my knuckles, but even he looked pale.
Our training had been brutal. The War College was unforgiving. But we were still a few months into this world, not years. None of us were ready for war. Not like this. “The professors knew,” Aiden continued. “They were paid by the High King to keep it quiet. To pretend we were safe.”
He turned, and then the shadows struck. Dark tendrils whipped out like serpents, wrapping around several professors: Wicken, Quinnell.
Others I didn’t know by name but recognized in passing.
Screams echoed. Students backed away, pushing each other to get distance from the writhing mass of darkness.
“You are traitors,” Aiden growled, stepping down from the platform.
His eyes were black as obsidian, tattoos shifting and alive on his arms. “You would have let every student in this courtyard die without warning.”
Professor Wicken struggled against the shadows. “Please, Aiden—uh—Commander, I did it to protect my family—”
“And what about our families?” he barked back, voice laced with fury. That’s when I saw Erebus, watching from the crowd. Smiling. His eyes glinted with something cold. Pleased. Encouraged. Like he was feeding off Aiden’s anger.
Aiden raised his hand, shadows curling tighter around Wicken’s throat.
Hemera’s words rang in my head. “He was born of the moon, and that darkness lives in his blood. If he is left unbalanced, if he loses the light… he will fall.” I didn’t think.
I pushed forward through the crowd and grabbed his arm.
“Aiden…don’t.”
His gaze snapped to me, unreadable. “Step aside, Ruin.”
“No,” I said firmly, keeping my hand on his skin. “They were wrong, yes. But they don’t deserve to die. You’re scaring everyone. This isn’t the way.”
“She would’ve let you die,” he hissed, the darkness barely restrained in his voice.
“But she didn’t. And now she has a chance to make it right.” I searched his eyes, lowering my tone. “Be better than them, Aiden. Please.” For a long moment, no one moved. Then he exhaled, sharp and frustrated, before dropping his hand. The shadows receded, leaving the professors gasping and pale.
“Consider this your second chance,” Aiden stated coldly, stepping back. “But if you screw up again… you better pray your gods are listening.”
Silence.
Then he turned to the crowd. “War is here. Whether we like it or not. We train. We fight. We survive. Unit leaders, keep preparing your cadets. Everyone else stay alert. Stay ready.” And with that, he turned and stalked off, shadows slithering behind him like a warning.
I glanced back at Erebus. His smile was gone. Good.
I took a step toward him, but before I could reach him, Alaric caught my arm. “Rynlee,” he said softly, a warning in his voice. I hesitated, watching Erebus disappear into the crowd. Alaric and I walked back toward our group of friends. Everyone appeared shaken, tension etched in every expression.
“Shit,” Luna muttered, rubbing her arms. “I can’t believe this is happening. We’re only first-years; we don’t even stand a chance against the Blood Assassins or whatever else might be coming.” Her hands trembled until Ryan reached over and took one, grounding her.
“We just have to keep training. Keep pushing ourselves,” I reply, even though I wasn’t sure that would be enough. It sounded hollow. Hopeful at best.
“How long do you think we have?” Jackson asked, drawing Gia in close. His arm wrapped protectively around her waist, worry tightening his features.
“I don’t know,” I admitted softly, glancing around to make sure no one was listening too closely. “With students dying and the commander gone, it’s obvious whoever’s behind all this is already here. And I suspect it’s Erebus.”
“Erebus? Who the hell is that?” Ryan asked, confusion flickering across his face.
“Gods, sometimes Ryan, you are so clueless,” Luna commented, rolling her eyes. “It’s that creepy dude in the Hera Unit. The one who bit Rynlee, remember? The freak.”
“Oh,” Ryan blinked. “Well, excuse me for not memorizing every shady guy from other units.” I shook my head, but my heart wasn’t in it. The fear was creeping in, sharp and cold, but I couldn’t let it show.
Not now.
“Look,” I stated, lowering my voice, “we need to keep an eye on him. I don’t think he’s working alone.
And… there’s something else I have to tell you.
” They all leaned in as I pulled out the black runes from my satchel.
They pulsed faintly in my palm, and even now, I could feel the heat in my veins recoiling.
“I found these near the bodies. I think they’re what’s killing the students. ”
“I knew you had found something,” Luna commented, meeting my gaze. I shrugged my shoulders with a sheepish smile
“Yeah, sorry I didn’t tell you I just wanted to try and figure it out before this got too dangerous, to find out what they might be,” I replied, now glancing between all of them.
“What are they?” Gia asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I dug through the magic archives in the library. There was a dusty book and barely intact, but it spoke about ancient runes that could be corrupted. I think that’s what these are. They’re not just magical objects… they’re infected. Tainted.”
“Corrupted runes?” Alaric echoed, brows furrowing as he examined the one closest to him.
“Yeah,” I replied, closing my fingers around them again.
“Whatever they are, my light reacts to them. It pulls back like it’s afraid.
Which tells me one thing: these are filled with something ancient and evil.
This isn’t just dark magic. It’s something worse.
” Everyone went quiet for a beat, the weight of the truth settling over us.
“Okay,” Ryan finally said, voice steadier than I expected. “So, what do we do?”
“We stay alert,” I said. “Every morning at breakfast, we check in. We share anything suspicious, even the smallest details. And we keep training. We need to be sharp. Strong. Prepared.”
They all nodded, each of them holding a different expression: fear, determination, disbelief, but they nodded.
I stared at their faces; at the people I cared about most in this gods-forsaken place and felt the quiet ache of fear in my chest. I was scared.
Not just for myself, but for them, for all of us.
But I couldn’t afford to let that fear take hold.
We had to stay united. We had to fight the darkness threatening to consume us together.
After leaving my friends, I made my way to the commander’s office. I needed to check on Aiden after everything that had just happened; I couldn’t shake the tight pull in my chest. I knocked twice.
“Come in, Ruin,” he called, already knowing it was me. I stepped inside. He was seated at the desk, hunched over stacks of defense strategy parchment, quill tapping idly against his palm. His shoulders were tense, jaw clenched tight.
“Hey…” I said quietly, crossing the room at a cautious pace. “I just wanted to check on you. That was… intense.”
“I’m fine,” he replied flatly, not even lifting his gaze from the papers scattered across the desk.
“Aiden…” I hesitated, then pressed on. “You almost killed a professor.” My fingers brushed the edge of the desk as I spoke.
That finally made him look up. His jade eyes were sharp but not calm.
Stormy. Unsettled. The same cold fury that had filled the chamber earlier still clung to him like smoke that hadn’t cleared. I felt it settle in my bones.
“You think I should apologize or something?” he asked, arching a brow as he set the paper aside.
“Well—”
“Let me stop you there, Ruin.” He stood, rising to his full height, voice low and hard.
“I’m not apologizing for protecting this academy.
Or for protecting you.” He stepped closer, shadows twitching faintly at his heels.
“Those professors betrayed us. They lied. They sold us out for coins. I ordered them to be lashed.” His jaw tightened.
“That’s mercy, considering what they deserve. ”