The others were already there. She only knew their names from hallway whispers, from those conversations, that always died the second she walked in. And still, they didn't feel hostile. Like they'd known each other forever. Like maybe they owed each other their lives.

  Juno had that look like she was carrying some secret in her back pocket that could blow the whole place up if she ever let it slip.

  Cain was loud, and reckless, with a grin that didn't know when to quit. Eden was quiet, like a thought that got cut off too soon.

  And Mira's long dark hair braided tight, moved like she was trained by the military or something, but her eyes- they'd seen way more than someone her age ever should've.

  The courtyard pulsed with the noise of boots scraping, weapons clashing, and air hissing through gritted teeth. The sun was brutal, already blazing overhead though it wasn't even noon yet, burning into her eyes. The dust hung in the air like it didn't wanna settle. Ezra was nowhere to be seen, and that pissed Lia off more than she wanted to admit. She hadn't stopped thinking about his excuses since yesterday.

  Maliel looked like a holy ghost cast in gold, sunlight bouncing off the hem of his white tunic, eyes cold and sharp like glass.

  He didn't have to raise his voice, not even once. Every command sliced through the noise like a scalpel. You couldn't ignore him even if you tried.

  He was a teacher, but not like Ezra, who liked to provoke, push buttons, and break limits. Maliel was composed and precise.

  But there was also warmth there. Not in him directly but in how the others looked at him. The way they moved around him was like he was the anchor in all this chaos.

  He drifted between the practicing pairs like a ghost, barely making a sound, giving quick corrections from time to time. Lia caught Juno smirking at him when Cassia nudged her in the ribs after he pointed out a mistake. That closeness, that trust, that it wasn't just discipline. It was loyalty. Real loyalty.

  "Cassia. Balance. Again."

  "Cain, drop the elbow before you strike. You're wide open."

  If Ezra was the storm, Maliel was gravity- quiet and inescapable, the center of everything circled without even realizing it.

  "Positions," he said calmly. "Lia. With Cain. Now."

  She moved before she had time to think. The wooden staff in her hands was already slick with sweat. Cain gave her a quick nod- gruff, but not unfriendly- and the second their weapons touched, it all came back to rhythm and reaction.

  Cain was built like a damn wall, which would make him slower than Lia. Her strikes were sharp and low, aimed at ankles, knees, and gut. He blocked, and countered, but she faked a swing and clipped his shoulder clean.

  He gave her a crooked, unimpressed grin. "Damn. Someone's pissed."

  "I'm not mad," she panted. "I'm focused."

  "Same thing with you, huh?"

  Before she could answer, Maliel's voice cut through.

  "Switch. Cassia, with Lia."

  Her heart jumped as she turned. Cassia stepped up, lighter on her feet, eyes still sizing Lia up like she couldn't quite figure her out and maybe didn't fully like what she saw. The blows came faster, more calculated. Cassia moved like a dancer in a graceful, deliberate manner.

  Lia fought like a storm with something to prove.

  She knew she was impulsive. Always had been. But she didn't care.

  A twist. A miss. A sharp counter from Cassia slammed into her hip hard enough to make her flinch. She gritted her teeth and struck back, harder this time but missed again. Her pulse pounded like the bass in a packed club.

  Another pair switch.

  "You and me," Mira said, with a small wink.

  Lia nodded too hard, a little too defensive. Like someone who'd learned to flash a blade before saying her name.

  They started slow. Then faster. Hits, dodges, footwork. Lia wasn't bad but Mira was better all along. She read every move calmly and controlled, and when she struck, it was almost kind. No mockery, no pressure.

  "You've got strength," Mira said in between blocks.

  Lia raised an eyebrow. "Thanks? I guess."

  Mira smiled. It wasn't smug. Just real, warm, dimples and all.

  "Sure," she said quietly.

  Then she dodged clean, let Lia's kick swing wide, blocked her arm, and pushed it down like it was nothing.

  "Enough," Maliel called. "Lia. With me."

  The courtyard quieted, just enough to feel the shift.

  Lia turned slowly, blinking sweat from her lashes. Her staff felt heavier now, the grip slippery. Maliel hadn't sparred with anyone all morning. He just watched and corrected. Now he stepped forward with no weapons. But his size, his cold stare- he was terrifying in a way that had nothing to do with weapons. She swallowed hard.

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  "Ready?" he asked, like a dare.

  "Always," she lied. No way she was showing weakness in front of him.

  The recruits circled up around them. A couple of older warriors had joined them too, watching silently from the edge. Lia tried to ignore them, tried to block out the roar in her ears, or the echo of Ezra's absence still screaming in her head.

  She struck first fast, messy jabs, low and hard.

  Maliel moved like water, slipping just out of reach every time. Didn't even block, just flowed.

  She grunted, spun, and went for a wilder swing.

  He caught the staff mid-air effortlessly.

  For a second, their eyes locked. Her breath stopped.

  "Again," he said.

  She yanked the staff back and went in even harder. Her Muscles burning, her knees screaming but she didn't hold back. She threw everything, spins, shoulder checks, upward swings. He blocked two. The third finally grazed his side.

  He frowned slightly. Then, in one smooth move, disarmed her from an angle she didn't even see coming. Her staff clattered to the ground between them. She cursed under her breath, breathing heavily. Her tank top stuck to her back. He tightened his jaw. She tried to read his face for anything.

  "You're improving," he said with a slight smile.

  This was the first time she actually felt like he didn't disapprove of her. She hadn't expected that. It was real. She blinked, caught off guard.

  "So are you," she muttered. "You're losing your edge."

  His smile vanished in a blink. He nodded barely like he didn't overdo anything, not even praise. The courtyard held its breath. Somewhere, a sword hit a stone. And just like that, the moment broke. Maliel turned and walked away without a word.

  Lia bent down, and picked up her staff, feeling it hot against her palm. Around her, everyone started moving again. Something had shifted.

  Not just between her and Maliel. The fire was finally burning the right way.

  She wanted to say something snarky. Something funny. But instead, she just quietly nodded in defeat.

  "Nice work," Cassia said, clapping her on the shoulder.

  Cain handed her a bottle of water.

  For the first time, Lia didn't feel like a total outsider. Not totally alone. The pressure in her shoulders eased, not because she nailed everything, but because no one was waiting for her to screw it up this time.

  "Last week for me," Mira said, flopping down in the grass beside her. "Then I'm off to the convent in Finland. Rough place. Not much light."

  "You excited?" Lia asked. Her own voice surprised her. She sounded curious.

  Mira shrugged. "Yes and no. Been here a long time. Astoria's different. Not the place. I mean, the people."

  "You came here by choice?"

  Mira chuckled. "Nobody comes to Astoria by choice. Not at first."

  She hesitated. Then added,

  "I was wild. They almost kicked me out. Maliel trained me."

  "And now?"

  "Now he trusts me. And I trust him."

  She looked at Lia.

  "Stick around long enough and you will too."

  Cassia dropped down next to her, shoulders raw from training, hands bloody from the staff.

  "You hit hard, newbie," she said, smirking. "Some of us thought you'd play the princess role. But you bite. I like that."

  Lia blinked. Was about to throw back a snappy line, but Cassia kept talking.

  "I was thirteen when I got here. Lost my brother. Killed a demon with my bare hands. Don't even ask me how. Maliel found me. I hated him. And somehow, everything he said felt true. Weird, right?"

  The shower was hot as hell and exactly what she needed. Lia stood under the stream, letting the steam crawl into every sore muscle. Water echoed off the walls, and she ran her fingers through her messy, soaked hair. Her whole body was a patchwork of bruises, a courtesy of days of brutal training, but the pain wasn't what messed with her head.

  It was something else.

  Something she couldn't name. Something buzzing just beneath her skin.

  Yeah, training had been intense. And sure, Maliel had treated her differently, maybe kinder. But not in a way she'd expected. That one sober nod from him had meant more than anything he'd ever said before.

  But that wasn't all that was in her head.

  Ezra had vanished into the shadows like he was part of them. Still, she could feel him, his presence was everywhere. Like some invisible ghost in every corner.

  Lia closed her eyes. Hot water ran down her face as she tried to wash the last remnants of training off her mind. But then that feeling crept in like someone was watching.

  The air was thick with steam, but her gut wouldn't let go of the thought that she wasn't alone. Like some unseen gaze was cutting right through her. The thought that Ezra might be nearby made her chest tighten. But she didn't turn around. She didn't wanna see what was on his face or what he thought of her.

  She took a deep breath, wiped the water from her eyes, and grabbed the towel off the hook. Every move was slow and mechanical. She wrapped it around herself, as She stepped out of the shower, and wiped the sweat-slick heat off her arms. The room was quiet except for the soft drip of water from her hair hitting the floor.

  When she caught her reflection in the mirror, it hit her something in the air had shifted. Like the tension was alive, Tangled around her like an invisible thread.

  She inhaled sharply, clutching the towel even tighter before turning, then grabbing the nearest shirt and pulled it over her head fast, feeling the fabric cold against her damp skin.

  She flopped down on her bed, the room lit only by pale moonlight slipping in through the window. She pulled the blanket up over her head like she could shut the world out, and hide in the dark.

  But her brain wouldn't shut up. Ezra. Maliel. The training. That freaky look Ezra kept giving her like he knew something she didn't.

  She could feel the gap between them wide and charged, like static you could actually choke on.

  This wasn't the first night she felt hollow.

  She rolled onto her side, staring into the pitch-black she knew too well.

  Everything was still. The wind outside whispered now and then, but the room felt off. Not just quiet.

  Something brushed her skin. Soft. Barely there. But it was real.

  A chill. An inhale. Like the room itself exhaled. Lia froze, every nerve sharp.

  And then she heard it.

  "Lia... you are the salvation."

  The voice slithered out of the silence.

  Old and Raspy. Like wood creaking in a dead house. A whisper from another lifetime. The words curled inside her skull like cold smoke.

  Her heart kicked into overdrive. She shot upright, breathing hard.

  The Room was empty. But the words echoed in her bones like a curse that wouldn't quit.

  Lia... Salvation.

  It spun in her head, tearing through the calm like a storm.

  She gripped the blanket like it could anchor her but her body felt like it wasn't even hers.

  She fought to stay grounded. Fought the weird presence pressing in.

  Hell no.

  She shook her head like that'd be enough to throw the voice out like maybe she could convince herself she was just losing it.

  But the dark wasn't just dark anymore.

  It was heavy, Suffocating. She bolted from the bed.

  The room tilted. Her legs wobbled like she was stuck in some messed-up dream.

  Breathing shallow and skin buzzing with adrenaline.It wasn't the first time she'd heard a voice that didn't belong. But it was the first time she felt truly haunted.

  "Leave me the hell alone!" she shouted into the room, panic cracking her voice.

  She spun, eyes searching, like she could catch the voice but there was nothing.

  Only the wind, hissing softly outside. No more whispers.

  Just that awful weight hanging in the air, like something unseen, was still watching.

  Her hands were shaking as she grabbed her hoodie and jeans from the chair.

  She got dressed fast, trying to ignore the chill crawling over her skin. But the words from that old, sharp, and terrifying voice kept repeating in her head like a broken record.

  She had to get out. Outside felt safer. Anywhere but here. And with One last look at the empty room, she slammed the door behind her.

  From the shadows just beyond her window, Ezra silently stepped forward from the balcony door.