Chapter 49 - Something Wrong
By the time the girls returned to the academy, the sun had already begun to sink behind the distant buildings.
Their bags were considerably heavier than when they had left.
Mina looked exhausted.
"Never again."
Celia glanced at the bags in her hands.
"You said that after the third shop."
"And I meant it every time."
Amy laughed.
Nora quietly adjusted the small bag hanging from her wrist.
She had spent most of the walk back insisting she hadn't bought much.
No one believed her.
Lyra looked at the four of them.
For a moment, she simply watched.
The day had passed quickly.
Too quickly.
She hadn't expected that.
"Same time next weekend?" Mina asked.
Celia immediately shook her head.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I need to recover."
Amy laughed.
Nora's lips curved into a small smile.
Lyra looked at them.
"...Maybe."
Mina pointed at her.
"See? Lyra agrees."
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't say no."
Lyra sighed.
"...Goodnight."
She turned toward the dormitory corridor.
Behind her, Mina laughed.
"She's getting better at escaping."
Amy smiled.
"She really is."
Lyra didn't turn around.
But she was smiling.
Later that evening, the academy had grown quiet.
Most students had returned to their rooms.
The corridors were dimly lit, and the distant sounds of conversation gradually faded as night settled over Valmere.
Lyra had gone out for some air.
She wasn't sure why.
Perhaps she simply needed the quiet.
Her feet carried her farther from the main academy building.
Toward the western side.
The western tower stood in the distance.
Old.
Unused.
Its dark silhouette rose beyond the trees.
Lyra slowed.
Her eyes settled on it.
Nothing.
She remembered the last time she'd stood here.
The strange sensation.
The feeling of being watched.
She had convinced herself it was nothing.
A mistake.
A trick of the light.
She almost turned away.
Then—
Her chest tightened.
Lyra stopped.
A strange pressure spread beneath her ribs.
Her breathing caught.
"..."
She pressed a hand against her chest.
Something was wrong.
Not like fear.
Not exactly.
It was deeper.
Something inside her seemed to recoil.
Her stomach twisted.
She took a step back.
Then another.
A sudden wave of nausea rose through her.
Lyra covered her mouth.
She barely managed to turn aside before bending forward and coughing violently.
Her body shook.
She spat out the water she had been drinking earlier, her breathing becoming uneven.
"Kh—"
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
Her chest still burned.
Her eyes lifted toward the tower.
This time...
She knew.
That feeling wasn't imagined.
Something was there.
Something alive.
Something that made every instinct inside her scream.
Footsteps sounded behind her.
Lyra turned sharply.
Kaelen stood several metres away.
Riven was beside him.
Erix followed a few steps behind.
They had clearly been heading toward the western side of the academy.
Kaelen's expression changed when he saw her.
"Lyra?"
Riven's usual smile disappeared.
"You alright?"
Lyra straightened slowly.
"I'm fine."
Erix's eyes moved from her pale face...
To the tower.
Then back to her.
He said nothing.
Kaelen stepped closer.
"You don't look fine."
Lyra swallowed.
She looked toward the western tower again.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then—
"There's something inside."
The three of them went still.
Riven glanced toward the tower.
"What?"
Lyra's fingers tightened around the edge of her sleeve.
"I don't know what it is."
Kaelen's expression remained calm.
But something in his eyes sharpened.
Lyra noticed.
"I felt it before."
Erix's gaze fixed on her.
"You did."
It wasn't a question.
Lyra nodded.
"Last time, I thought I was mistaken."
Her voice became quieter.
"But this time..."
She looked toward the tower again.
Her stomach twisted at the memory of that sensation.
"...I'm sure."
Silence settled between them.
Riven exchanged a brief glance with Kaelen.
Lyra noticed.
"You know something."
Kaelen didn't answer immediately.
"We know the western tower is restricted."
"That's not what I asked."
Lyra's eyes narrowed.
Kaelen remained silent.
Riven shifted his weight.
Even Erix said nothing.
Lyra looked at each of them.
Then—
"You do know."
It wasn't a question anymore.
Kaelen finally spoke.
"You don't need to know what's there."
Lyra's expression hardened.
"Then there is something there."
No answer.
The silence was enough.
Lyra looked toward the tower again.
"Why?"
"We can't discuss it."
"Because it's dangerous?"
Kaelen didn't respond.
Lyra's gaze moved toward Erix.
He was still watching her.
"You knew."
Erix didn't deny it.
"We were informed about the restrictions."
Lyra caught the careful wording.
Not what was inside.
Not why it was there.
Only the restrictions.
She understood.
They weren't going to tell her.
Fine.
She didn't need their explanation to trust what her body had already told her.
"I don't know what you're keeping there."
Her voice was steady.
"But whatever it is..."
She pressed a hand lightly against her chest.
"...it isn't supposed to be there."
Riven's expression lost its usual amusement.
"How do you know?"
Lyra looked at him.
"I don't."
A pause.
"I just know."
The words were simple.
But there was something in her expression that made Riven stop asking.
Lyra looked toward the tower one last time.
The darkness around it seemed almost unnaturally still.
"Be careful."
Kaelen nodded once.
"We will."
Lyra turned and began walking back toward the academy.
After a few steps, she stopped.
Without turning around, she added,
"And if something happens..."
She glanced over her shoulder.
"...don't assume I won't notice."
Then she left.
The three remained where they were.
Riven watched her disappear into the corridor.
"She knows."
Kaelen's gaze remained fixed on the tower.
"She knows something."
Riven frowned.
"That's not what I meant."
Kaelen looked at him.
Riven lowered his voice.
"She reacted before she even knew what was there."
Silence.
Erix finally spoke.
"That's what concerns me."
Kaelen's eyes shifted toward him.
"You think she can sense it?"
"I don't know."
Erix looked toward the distant tower.
"But whatever happened..."
His gaze hardened slightly.
"...it wasn't a normal reaction."
The wind moved through the trees.
The western tower remained silent.
Still.
Waiting.
And somewhere behind those walls...
Something moved.