Chapter thirty four- Paths that devide us
The library always felt like a different world from the rest of the Academy.
It was warmer, quieter, softer around the edges.
Sunlight filtered through the tall arched windows in pale golden beams, catching dust motes that drifted lazily in the air.
The scent of old parchment and ink clung to the wooden shelves, grounding Liora in a way nothing else had since the blood tests.
She needed the quiet.
She needed the stillness.
She needed something that didn't feel like it was closing in around her.
Mira sat across from her at a long oak table, surrounded by scrolls, textbooks, and half?finished notes.
She had already been studying for nearly an hour, her quill tapping rhythmically against the parchment as she muttered formulas under her breath.
Liora tried to focus on her own notes, but the words blurred together, slipping through her thoughts like water.
Her mind kept drifting — to Kael, to the kiss, to the way his lips had felt against hers. Warm. Firm. Certain. Like he had been holding himself back for far too long.
She forced her eyes back to the page.
Mira didn't look up as she spoke.
"You're staring at the same sentence again."
"I'm reading," Liora said.
"You're not," Mira replied. "You're thinking."
Liora didn't deny it. She didn't have the energy.
Mira finally set her quill down and leaned forward, studying her with a seriousness that made Liora's stomach tighten.
"Liora," she said quietly. "Can I ask you something?"
Liora nodded, though her pulse quickened. "Of course."
Mira hesitated, chewing her lip. "Do you... have a crush on Kael?"
Liora's breath caught. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Mira watched her carefully, her expression soft but searching.
"You turned Aiden down," Mira continued. "And you've been sneaking out every night. And when you were recovering from the fall, you asked me about Kael. Twice."
Liora looked down at her hands. Her fingers trembled slightly.
"It's not a crush," she whispered.
Mira blinked. "Then what is it?"
Liora hesitated. She didn't want to say it. She didn't want to name it. Naming it made it real, and real made it dangerous. But the truth pressed against her ribs, heavy and undeniable.
"I don't know when it happened," she said softly. "But... I think I'm in love with him."
Mira's eyes widened, but she didn't interrupt.
Liora continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't turn Aiden down because of Kael. But Kael... he's in my head. All the time. Even when I don't want him to be. And when he looks at me, I feel like I can't breathe. And when he pulls away, it hurts. And when he kissed me—"
She stopped, heat rising to her cheeks.
Mira's jaw dropped. "He kissed you?"
Liora shook her head. "I kissed him. And he kissed me back."
Mira stared at her, stunned. "Liora..."
"I know," Liora whispered. "I know it's stupid. I know it's dangerous. I know he's... Kael. But I can't help it."
Mira reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "It's not stupid."
Liora exhaled shakily. "It feels like it is."
"It's not," Mira said. "It's terrifying. But not stupid."
Liora gave her a small, grateful smile.
Mira brightened suddenly, as if determined to shift the mood. "Anyway, after finals, there's the dance. Everyone's already talking about it."
Liora blinked. "The dance?"
"Yes! The big one. The end?of?year celebration."
"I'm not going."
Mira stared at her. "Why not?"
"I don't have a dress," Liora said quietly. "And I can't afford one."
Mira's expression softened instantly. "Liora. You should have said something. I have dresses. You can borrow one. I'll make sure it fits. You're going."
Liora shook her head. "Mira—"
"You're going," Mira repeated. "End of discussion."
Liora felt warmth bloom in her chest. "Thank you."
"Of course." Mira smirked. "Besides, you're going to get asked. A lot."
Liora groaned. "Please don't start."
"Oh, I will," Mira said. "Do you think Aiden will ask you?"
Liora's heart twisted. "I don't know."
"And Kael?" Mira asked, eyes gleaming.
Liora's breath caught. "Kael is not going to ask me."
"You don't know that."
"I do," Liora said quietly. "He wouldn't."
Mira studied her again, but didn't push.
The library grew louder as the afternoon wore on. Students came and went, whispering excitedly about the finals, the dance, and the sudden wave of invitations already being planned. Liora tried to focus on her notes, but her mind kept drifting.
Every time she blinked, she saw Kael's face — the moment before the kiss, the moment after, the way his mask had cracked open just enough for her to see something raw beneath it.
She didn't know what it meant.
She didn't know what he felt.
But she knew what she felt.
She was in love with him.
And it terrified her.
Mira nudged her. "You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Staring into the void like it owes you money."
Liora laughed softly. "Sorry."
Mira grinned. "It's fine. You're allowed to be distracted. You've had a week."
Liora didn't answer. She didn't trust herself to.
When they finally left the library, the courtyard was bright with afternoon sun. Students lounged on the grass, sparred on the training grounds, or whispered excitedly about the dance. Liora spotted Aiden near the edge of the field, his dragon standing beside him — but something was wrong.
The dragon's wings drooped. Its eyes were dull, unfocused. Its movements were sluggish, as if weighed down by something heavy.
Aiden noticed them and waved.
"Liora! Mira!"
Liora approached slowly, unease prickling at her skin.
"Is your dragon okay?" she asked.
Aiden exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "We just came from the examiners."
Liora's stomach dropped. "Why?"
"They gave him a shot," Aiden said. "To make him stronger."
Liora stared at him. "Aiden... did you allow that?"
Aiden nodded. "I asked for it."
Liora felt cold. "Why?"
Aiden's jaw tightened. "Because I need my dragon to be stronger than Kael's. If I want a chance at the throne, I can't fall behind."
Liora's breath caught. She thought of the experiments. The needles. The blood. The danger. She thought of Kael's warning, of the King's desperation, of the way the examiners looked at her like she was something to dissect.
She couldn't tell Aiden any of it.
She couldn't warn him.
She couldn't protect him.
She could only watch as ambition — or fear — pulled him into the same darkness she was trapped in.
"I hope it helps," she said softly.
Aiden smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "It will. I have to be strong enough. For the crown. For the kingdom."
Liora looked at the dragon again — the sluggish movements, the dim eyes — and her chest tightened painfully.
She didn't know how to say it.
She didn't know how to tell him he was walking into danger.
She didn't know how to save him.
So she said nothing.
And for the third time in two days,
she felt helpless.
But this time, she also felt something else —
a sharp, aching pull in her chest.
Because she knew exactly who she wished she could run to.
And she knew exactly why.
She was in love with Kael.
The Academy was silent at this hour, the kind of silence that only settled after every student had gone to sleep and the halls had emptied of footsteps and laughter.
Liora slipped through the shadows with Ashwing at her side, the dragon's wings tucked close to his body as he moved with surprising quietness for his size.
The moon hung low above the courtyard, casting pale silver light across the stone and turning the world into a place that felt suspended between breath and stillness.
This was the hour she and Kael always met — when the Academy slept, when no one watched, when the world felt small enough that the truth could almost be spoken aloud.
Kael was already waiting for her.
He stood in the center of the courtyard, posture straight, hands clasped behind his back, the moonlight carving sharp lines across his face.
He looked like a statue carved from shadow and discipline, unmoving until she stepped into the light.
Only then did he shift, the slightest tilt of his head acknowledging her presence.
"Begin."
Liora moved into position, though her body felt heavy and her thoughts scattered.
Kael stepped forward, his movements sharp and precise, forcing her to react.
She blocked, pivoted, ducked — but her mind wasn't in it.
Every time she blinked, she saw Aiden's dragon swaying on its feet, its eyes dull and unfocused.
The image clung to her like a weight she couldn't shake.
Kael noticed immediately. He always did.
"Your stance is weak."
"I'm trying."
"Try harder."
His tone was clipped, colder than usual, and the distance in it stung more than she expected. She blocked another strike, but her arms trembled. Her breath came too fast. Her chest felt tight, as if the night itself pressed against her ribs.
Kael stepped back, studying her with narrowed eyes. "You're distracted."
"I know."
"Fix it."
"I'm trying."
"Trying is not enough."
The words hit her harder than any blow. Something inside her snapped under the pressure of everything she had been holding in.
"Kael, stop."
He froze mid?movement, the air tightening around them as if the courtyard itself held its breath.
Liora lowered her hands, her breath shaking. "I need to talk to you."
"We are training."
"This is more important."
Kael didn't move, but something in his posture shifted — a subtle tension, a warning that she was stepping into territory he didn't want her to enter.
"It's about Aiden."
Kael's jaw tightened. "What about him."
"He got a shot today," Liora said. "From the examiners. His dragon is barely standing. Kael, we have to tell him. About Erevos. About the experiments. About what your uncle is doing. He deserves to know."
Kael's voice was quiet, but the words cut through the night like a blade. "He already knows."
Liora stared at him, her breath catching. "What?"
"Aiden knows," Kael repeated, his tone flat and unyielding. "He has known for a long time."
Her heart lurched painfully. "But he wouldn't— he wouldn't agree to—"
"He does," Kael said. "He stands with my uncle."
Liora felt the ground tilt beneath her. "Kael... no. He wouldn't choose that."
"He already chose," Kael said. "He chose ambition. He chose the throne. He chose their methods."
Liora shook her head, her voice cracking. "But he's your cousin."
"And he is loyal to the crown," Kael said. "Not to me. Not to you."
Liora swallowed hard, her chest tightening. "Kael... his dragon is suffering. He's suffering. He doesn't see it."
"He sees it," Kael said. "He simply does not care enough to stop."
The words hit her like a blow. She stepped closer, her voice trembling. "Then what do we do?"
Kael looked away, his jaw clenched, his expression carved from stone. "We do nothing."
"Nothing?" Liora whispered. "Kael, he's going to get hurt. His dragon—"
"Is already hurt," Kael said. "And he will continue to be. That is the path he chose."
Liora felt tears sting her eyes, but she blinked them back. "He's our friend."
Kael's expression didn't soften. "He is your friend. He is my cousin. And he is the future heir if he succeeds. He made his decision."
Liora's chest tightened painfully. "I can't just watch him fall apart."
"You will have to."
The cold finality in his voice made her chest ache. She took a shaky breath, trying to steady herself, but the weight of everything pressed down on her until she could barely speak.
"Kael... why are you being like this?"
He didn't snap at her. He didn't raise his voice. He didn't shut down or turn away. Instead, he exhaled slowly, and the sound carried a heaviness she had never heard from him before. It was the kind of breath someone released when they had already made a decision they hated.
"Enough," he said quietly. "He chose his path."
Liora froze, the words settling over her like frost.
Kael lifted his hands into position, his expression unreadable. "Let's start the training. It will be our last one."
The words hit her harder than any strike he had ever thrown. She knew he was graduating. She knew he wouldn't be here next year. But hearing him say it like that — cold, final, like a door closing — made her chest tighten in a way she wasn't prepared for.
"Kael..." she whispered.
He didn't look at her.
"Stance."
And just like that, the conversation was over.
Liora raised her hands, though her chest felt tight and her breath uneven.
Kael moved first — sharp, fast, controlled — but something in him was different.
His strikes were harder, his movements tighter, as if he were fighting something inside himself with every breath.
She pushed herself to keep up, her muscles burning, her lungs aching, but she didn't stop.
She couldn't. Not when this was the last time. Not when he was slipping away.
When he finally lowered his hands, the moon was high, and the courtyard was empty.
"That is enough."
Liora nodded, though her legs trembled beneath her.
Kael stepped back, putting distance between them again. "Go."
Liora hesitated. "Kael—"
"Go," he repeated, and this time his voice cracked on the word.
She turned slowly, her heart heavy, her chest tight. Ashwing rose and followed her, rumbling softly, his warmth brushing against her side.
Just before she left the courtyard, she looked back.
Kael stood alone in the moonlight, his posture rigid, his head bowed slightly — as if he were fighting a battle she couldn't see, one he had no intention of letting her near.
And for the first time,
Liora understood something with painful clarity.
He wasn't pushing her away because he didn't care.
He was pushing her away because caring was the one thing he couldn't allow himself to do.