Chapter 25 #2
“Well, if I’ve learned anything from this academy, it’s best to follow your instinct.” She hesitated, then asked, “Did you find anything else about the dead students?” Technically Kerian and Derek gave me some useful info, but I couldn’t exactly tell her about them, at least not yet.
“Khonsu’s looking into it,” I replied, trying to sound casual.
“He’s heard of that kind of ancient magic before, but he’s gotta dig deeper.
When I talk to him again, I’ll ask about those…
runes.” Even saying the word made my stomach twist. The runes were calling to me still.
Something about them felt familiar. Powerful. Dangerous. And they wanted me.
“Anything else?” she asked once more, her voice a little too light, too casual.
I crossed my arms and tilted my head. “What do you really want to know, Ruin?”
“Nothing,” she replied with a shrug. “Just wondering.”
I narrowed my eyes at her but let it drop. “Alright. Suit yourself.” I turned to leave, shadows already shifting around my feet. I needed space before I said something stupid. Before I reached out and grabbed the runes just to see what they’d do. But then her voice cut through the stillness.
“Aiden, why do you resent me?” I stopped mid-step. Slowly, I turned back to face her.
“Let’s not talk about that now, okay?” But this was Ruin. She was never going to let this go.
“When will it ever be okay to talk about it?” she asked, arching a brow.
“I don’t know, but—”
“But what, Aiden?” she cut in, irritation flaring through the bond, dragging mine right up with it.
“Drop it, Ruin.”
“No,” she said firmly, taking a step closer.
“Tell me why you resent me.” I opened a shadow portal on instinct, ready to escape this before it ripped me open.
I stepped through, and suddenly I was tackled, momentum carrying us both forward.
We hit the floor of my dorm. Hard. Rynlee was straddling me, breath knocked from both of us.
“Get off me, Ruin,” I snapped. I was flat on my chest, her weight pressing me onto the floor.
“No,” she replied stubbornly. “Now tell me so I can fix it.” I hated that I was aware of her body heat.
The way her curves fit against my harder edges.
I shoved the thought away and twisted, flipping us so she was trapped beneath me instead.
She glared up at me. And smacked me across the chest. “Tell me.”
I grabbed her wrists and pinned her arms beside her head, shadows curling instinctively. “You’re being a little brat, Ruin.”
She scoffed. “Yeah, well, you’re being annoying, so tell me. Does it have something to do with Alaric?”
I scoffed back. “No.”
“The academy? The fact I’m here?”
“No, Ruin.” I exhaled hard.
“Then what is it, Aiden?” she pressed. “Does it have something to do with your father?” That did it. I released her instantly and pushed off her, stalking away like the walls were closing in. “It does, doesn’t it?” she said quietly.
“Shut up,” I muttered.
“You resent me because of your father?” Her disbelief cut sharper than anger. “What the hell did I do that—”
“Shut up, Ruin!” I snapped, spinning back and grabbing her arms. My grip wasn’t rough, but it was desperate. “I resent you because my father showed you pride.” Her eyes locked on mine.
“No matter what I did,” I continued, voice breaking through clenched teeth, “no matter how much I got back up, it was never fucking enough for him.” My grip loosened.
“But you? You could get back up once and he’d smile.
A slap on the back. ‘Good job.’” I laughed bitterly.
“Me? I got ‘again.’ Or ‘your form is off.’ Or ‘be more ruthless.’” Rynlee didn’t interrupt.
Didn’t move. “I know it’s not your fault,” I said hoarsely.
“But every time I saw him praise you, I wondered, why not me? What the hell am I doing wrong?” My voice cracked.
And then she hugged me. Her arms slid around my shoulders, pulling me closer.
I stiffened for half a second before breaking completely, burying my face against her neck as I hugged her back just as tightly.
“I’m sorry, Aiden,” she whispered. I nearly dropped to my knees.
Instead, I held her tighter, breath uneven. “Don’t apologize, Ruin,” I murmured. I’d expected anger. Yelling. Fury.
Not this. She was becoming the one person who could break my heart and heal it in the same damn breath. I pulled back slowly, cupping her cheeks. “You’re not mad?”
She smiled softly. “No. Well… not entirely,” she teased. “I only wish you would’ve told me sooner. Maybe I could’ve stopped it.” I chuckled despite myself and rested my forehead against hers.
“Of course you’d think that.”
She shrugged, then stepped away out of my reach. “Well… it’s late. I should go to bed.” Part of me wanted her to stay. Gods, I wanted her to stay. But space was good. Necessary.
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “See you in the morning.” She slipped out of my room, leaving silence in her wake.
I collapsed back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling as the weight in my chest finally eased.
It felt as if something had been lifted.
And yet one question wouldn’t leave me alone.
Was I starting to fall for her…or was this just the bond?
“Aiden, your father wants to see you,” Brandon said as I lifted my coffee, steam curling lazily above the rim. I paused, mug hovering just short of my lips.
“Wants to see me?” I asked flatly. “Why?”
Brandon shrugged, clearly uninterested. “Didn’t say.
Just told me to come get you.” I exhaled through my nose and took a long sip anyway; the bitterness grounding me.
My gaze drifted across the dining hall before I could stop it, straight to Ruin.
She was laughing at something Luna said, head tipped back slightly, sunlight catching in her golden hair as if it belonged there.
The sound hit me harder than it should have.
That laugh. That warmth. And just like that, last night crashed back into me, her arms around my neck, the way she’d held me like I might break if she didn’t. I tore my eyes away. Focus.
“Fine,” I muttered, setting the mug down and standing. “If I’m not back by training, have my unit run laps.”
“You got it,” Brandon replied easily. As I turned for the exit, I felt it, that familiar tug in my chest. I glanced back despite myself. Ruin was looking at me. For a heartbeat, the noise of the hall faded. The bond hummed low and steady, not demanding, just… there.
I remembered how my forehead had rested against hers. The way she’d listened. Really listened. Maybe we weren’t enemies anymore. The thought startled me. A smirk tugged at my mouth before I could stop it. Subtle. Barely there. Her lips curved in response, just as small, just as restrained.
Then I looked away and stepped into the shadows.
The moment I emerged outside the mess hall, the chill air bit into my skin.
I didn’t slow. I formed another portal and stepped through, landing at the threshold of my father’s office.
The heavy oak door loomed in front of me, solid and unyielding, like the man behind it. I knocked twice. And waited.
“Come in,” came the voice. It sounded like him.
Almost. But the second I stepped inside, everything in me screamed no.
My shadows hissed violently at my feet, coiling like snakes sensing a trap.
The familiar scent of my father’s pipe tobacco was gone, replaced with something charred and wrong.
Ash. Rot. The man behind the desk looked up.
Commander Dagon. Same long gray beard. Same salt and pepper hair slicked back.
Same cold eyes. But it wasn’t him. But it wasn’t him.
“You wanted to see me,” I said evenly, every sense on high alert. I scanned every twitch, every blink, every breath that didn’t quite fit the man I used to call father.
“Yes,” he replied, folding his hands. “Another student has been found dead.” No shock in his voice. Just like before.
My jaw tensed. “Really? Which unit?”
“Athena’s,” he replied.
“You mean Jasmine’s unit,” I corrected, watching the way he blinked a second too long. There it was, a crack. “So… Commander Dagon,” I continued, tilting my head. “Remember what you told me when I got the Moon God powers?” His brows furrowed.
“I told you that I was proud of you,” he said slowly. “That you have great power now.”
I smiled, slow and cold. “Wrong answer.” In an instant, my shadows lashed out, grabbing the man and slamming him into the wall hard enough to rattle the bookshelf.
He gasped, struggling, but not like my father would have.
“Who the fuck are you!” I snarled, stepping closer as my shadows wrapped tighter, binding his arms like chains. His flesh began to bubble, warp, peel.
“I—I’m your father,” he choked, the illusion still trying to hold.