Chapter 4 The Gold and the Ghost

The Academy courtyard was alive that morning-laughter ringing in the crisp air, robes flashing in shades of blue, silver, and red. Students from Class A moved like they owned the sky. They did, in a way. They floated through power-imbued halls, spoke spells with ease, and lived in dorms kissed by sunlight.

Kai stood far back, just beyond the arched bridge that connected the main campus to the lesser towers. His robe-still dirt-smudged from the training pit-hung too loosely on his shoulders. He watched the crowd from the shadows like a ghost watching the living.

Then the carriage arrived.

Sleek. Blackwood. Drawn by a mechanical griffin, its wings glinting with silver threads. The courtyard quieted.

The door swung open, and a boy stepped out.

Tall. Golden-haired. Blue eyes like summer storms. His presence hit like sunlight-everyone looked, everyone smiled. He waved like he didn't notice the attention, which only made it worse.

Cyprus....top-ranked prodigy. Crown jewel of Class A. Arcadia's rising star.And the most dangerous person in the school, depending on who you asked.

He looked around once-slowly-and then his gaze drifted...Right to Lina.

She had come out of the library, arms full of spellbooks, her hair slightly frizzy from the wind. Her robe was frayed at the hem. She didn't look up until she was directly in his path.

Their eyes met.

Cyrus smiled.

And Lina-Lina blushed.

The books slipped from her arms.

Cyrus knelt without hesitation, helping her gather them.

Kai felt it. That uncomfortable twist in his chest.

He didn't know why.

Was it envy?

Or something else?

Later, in class, Kai sat in the back row while Professor Rhoan discussed defensive spell theory. His voice was like dry stone scraping across tile.

"Power," the professor droned, "isn't just about offense. True masters know how to control-how to restrain. If all you do is destroy, you're not powerful. You're dangerous. And dangerous people get erased."

Kai tried to take notes. His pen scratched uselessly at the paper.

Behind him, someone muttered, "Bet Rafe didn't care much about restraint."

The class snickered.

Kai froze.

He didn't turn around.

He didn't need to.

The whispers were growing more frequent lately. And louder.

A few desks over, Lina sat perfectly still, her quill moving. Her eyes darted to Kai just once.

He didn't return the look.

He didn't want pity.

By the end of the lesson, the halls had filled with heat. Rumors traveled faster than wind spells.

"Cyrus asked about her."

"No, not asked. He said she was interesting."

"Lina? From Class E? You're joking."

"She must've brewed a love potion. There's no way."

Kai stood at the base of the stairwell, listening. The voices weren't even trying to be quiet.

He spotted her ahead, walking alone, her head bowed under the weight of attention. Her steps were small. Uneven. Like she didn't want to take up space.

She hadn't seen him.But he followed,not closely and not like a stalker.Just close enough to make sure no one tried anything.

Class E had been known to take rumors personally. Especially when one of their own climbed even a millimeter out of the pit.

She turned down a side hall, one lined with tall stained glass. It reflected in broken rainbows across the stone.

"Kai?"

He turned. Startled.

Cyrus stood there.

Unsmiling now.

His presence-so warm earlier-had shifted.

Colder. Sharper.

"I've seen you," Cyrus said, voice casual. "You're the one from the trial. The duel with Valeera."

Kai nodded, wary. "And you're the prince of the tower."

A small grin tugged at Cyrus's lips. "So people say."

"What do you want?"

"Lina."

Kai stiffened. "What about her?"

"She's... interesting." He looked past Kai, as if talking to himself. "She doesn't fit here. She's not like the others."

"She's not yours."

Cyrus blinked. Then laughed. "Yours, then?"

Kai didn't answer.

"I don't believe in ownership," Cyrus said. "But I do believe in gravity. And sometimes people are drawn together for reasons even magic can't explain."

"Stay away from her," Kai said quietly.

Cyrus raised a brow. "You think you're protecting her?"

"I'm sure not watching her get used."

Cyrus's grin dropped.

In its place: something flatter. More dangerous.

"You have power," he said, stepping closer. "But no control. No allies. No place. If you think that mark on your chest scares me-"

"I don't."

"Good." Cyrus leaned in. "Because it shouldn't scare me. It should scare you."

He turned and walked away.

Kai didn't breathe again until the hall was empty.

That night, back in the dorm, Kai stared at the ceiling.

The others had fallen asleep.

But he couldn't stop seeing Cyrus's face.

His words.

And Lina, standing in that sunlight, books in hand, blushing at someone who didn't scare her.

Kai didn't blame her.

Cyrus was bright, charming, safe.

Kai was a question wrapped in bruises.

But still, that feeling.

The ache in his chest that wouldn't let him sleep.

Somewhere past midnight, he wandered.

Back to the library.

Back to the place no one went after dark.

He slipped past the barrier spells.

They didn't reject him.

That was the first clue something was wrong.

He walked through the dusty shelves, back to the corner where the book had called to him.

It was there waiting.The leather was darker now.

The sigil on the spine pulsed with faint red light.

He placed a hand on it and boom it opened on its own.

Pages flipped and words shifted, arranging themselves into shapes he didn't fully understand-but felt.

Like muscle memory or instinct.

A page titled: The Mirror Shard.

Another: Veil of Ash and Blood.

Then one that wasn't written at all-just burned in symbols he couldn't read.

But he heard something.

A whisper.

Like the voice from his dreams.

You don't need to be Rafe... but you do need to stop being Kai.

He snapped the book shut.

His chest burned where the mark was hidden beneath his robe.

He turned and saw her.

Lina.....standing in the archway, eyes wide.

"You followed me," he said.

She nodded. "I saw you leave. I... I was worried."

"You shouldn't be here."

"Neither should you."

They stared at each other.

Then she said, "You went back to that book."

"It's calling me."

"That's what evil does."

Kai's jaw clenched. "I don't think it's evil. I think... it's me. Or what I used to be."

"You're not him."

"How do you know?"

"Because he wouldn't have hesitated to use that magic. And you did."

He looked away.

"I saw you with Cyrus," he muttered.

Lina blinked. "What?"

"You smiled."

"I smile at people sometimes, Kai."

"Do you like him?"

"I don't know him."

"He likes you."

She tilted her head. "Are you... jealous?"

He didn't answer.

She stepped closer.

"Cyrus is... nice. But he's also polished. Controlled. He talks like he's already decided how people fit into his life."

Kai swallowed.

"I'm not polished," he said.

"No," she said. "You're not. You're honest. And scared. And angry. And kind-when no one's looking."

He met her eyes,there was no magic in the air.

No glowing sigils.

Just silence.

And then she said, gently: "Be whoever you are, Kai. Not who the world remembers."

He nodded.

Then looked down at the book again.

For the first time, he didn't feel afraid.

But he did feel something else.

Like a lock turning.