thief of fate-Chapter 48: Manifestations of chaos

The suffocating noise had quieted over the academy after days of chaos and explosions, but the traces of destruction still pulsed in every corner. The solemn silence that follows storms had engulfed the place, broken only by the heavy pounding of hammers and the shouts of builders as they rebuilt what had been destroyed.

In the eastern courtyard, a group of workers stood trying to reconstruct the shattered columns. Smoke was still rising from some of the scattered craters on the ground, and the air was thick with the scent of ash and burnt iron.

One of the guards bent down to the ground, silently digging through the rubble. He quickly recoiled when a charred human hand appeared beneath the stones. He took a deep breath, then called out to his companions in a hoarse voice:

"Another body... Looks like he was one of the infiltrators."

The captain of the guard approached, frowning as she stared at the remains of the burned body, then pointed to one of the clerics and said sternly:

"Examine him. We need to know who he was, or at least if he carried anything."

The cleric began chanting his spells, and with each whisper, threads of light danced over the body, gradually revealing his tattered clothing, then... a black pendant with a unique circular symbol appeared.

The captain gasped and said with a tense voice:

"This... the mark of the Black Moon."

...

In Headmaster "Graven’s" office, papers were scattered across the desk, and maps were drawn with red threads pointing to the attack locations. He stood by the window, staring into the cloud-covered horizon, his eyes burning with silent rage.

One of his assistants entered and said:

"We found something... on one of the infiltrators’ corpses. Records, sealed with an unfamiliar stamp, but after analysis... it matches one of the symbols associated with Selina."

Heavy silence.

Graven turned slowly, his expression frozen, his voice sharp as a blade:

"Selina?"

"Yes, sir. And there’s more..."

No one had informed Selina yet, but a cold feeling had followed her since the moment of the explosion. She was standing at the edge of the western courtyard, silently gazing at the collapse site, the wind toying with her hair as if mocking her.

"He was here..." she thought, her nails digging into her palm. "Ethan... I was so close... Why didn’t I kill him? Why?"

She imagined his face, that twisted smile, those cold eyes, the hand that once waved at her... before setting the world ablaze behind it.

She felt something choking her. As if her old words, her promises to herself, were crumbling over her like the academy’s ruins.

Then came the order: "Immediate summons to the Headmaster’s office. Regarding the recent events."

She stood in the hallway for a long time, staring at the paper as if it were a death sentence.

"An investigation? Me?"

But she wasn’t naive. She knew something was wrong. Something dangerous.

When she entered the Headmaster’s office, there was no one but Graven behind his desk, the light dim.

He said without looking at her:

"Sit down, Selina."

She sat silently. She didn’t try to say anything.

He raised his head, looking at her as a judge looks at the guilty. Then he said slowly:

"How deep is your connection to the infiltrators?"

She froze.

"What?!"

"We found evidence. Methods matching your training, spells protected by your signature, and names used in academy entry records without administrative knowledge... All point to one person: you."

Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Her mind screamed inside: "No... this is impossible..."

She finally said:

"I have nothing to do with any of this. I was at the heart of the battle, I fought to protect everyone!"

Graven slammed the desk with his fist.

"And here we are, repairing your mess, pulling bodies from the rubble!"

Silence.

Selina leaned forward, her voice starting to tremble.

"That bastard... Ethan! If only I had killed him when I had the chance! If only I... hadn’t hesitated...!"

She gasped, then cursed herself aloud:

"I’m a fool... a coward... I should’ve ended him... but he tricked me... like last time...!"

Graven watched her, but his face did not soften.

She said in a whisper:

"I don’t know how he tied all this to me... but he’s smarter than I thought. He used everything against me..."

Graven shook his head.

"Your words aren’t enough, Selina. Not anymore."

Then he pressed a button beside him and said:

"I want to submit a recommendation to suspend her activities and place her under temporary custody until the investigation is complete."

And at the moment the doors opened and two guards entered to take her, the unexpected happened.

Raphael walked in.

His entrance wasn’t normal, but more like the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath. He stood firmly in front of the guards and said:

"You won’t touch her."

The two guards immediately stepped back, even Graven hesitated for a moment.

"Raphael... this is none of your business."

"On the contrary. Selina was on the front lines defending us. And I was with her."

Selina stepped back slightly, looking at Raphael with a mixture of surprise and relief. His face was as usual: hard, emotionless, but his eyes... there was something in them that resembled protection.

"The evidence against her is clear. It cannot be ignored."

"Maybe. But until something is proven, she’ll be under my protection. My responsibility. And not a hair on her head will be touched as long as I’m here."

Everyone fell silent.

Then he added in a cold, unquestionable voice:

"And if you think you can stop me... try."

Seconds of heavy silence passed, then Graven sighed and said:

"Fine... but if it turns out she’s guilty, not even you will protect her."

Raphael nodded:

"True justice. I have no objection."

He turned to Selena and extended his hand.

She looked at him, then at the guards, then at the ground.

"I don’t trust myself anymore... but you still believe in me?" she wondered inside, then reached out and took his hand.

In the corridor, as they walked out, she said in a low voice:

"I should’ve killed him... I could’ve."

Raphael replied without turning:

– "Some decisions... aren’t measured by ability, but by the price."

She understood what he meant, but her heart still ached.

The halls went quiet once more. But the academy was no longer the same.

And neither was Selena.

But maybe, just maybe, in the shadow of the ruins, there was a chance for a new beginning.

The news spread like wildfire. It wasn’t an official statement, no one from the administration announced it. But it leaked, as poisons often do, through whispers in corners, and exchanged glances.

"Selena was with them."

"She betrayed the academy."

"Ethan wasn’t acting alone. She was covering for him."

"Who knows who’s next?"

The great hall, which had always been a place of warmth, competition, and challenges, had become cold, saturated with tension.

Students no longer sat close together. The seats were spaced out, and small groups looked like scattered islands in a sea of suspicion. Voices softened, and eyes observed more than they conversed.

Selena walked through the corridors, touching the walls that had shared with her years of training, laughter, and screams. The walls were now silent, as if they too were watching her.

Every time she passed, she saw someone whispering, someone turning their face away, someone silently pulling their friend away.

She heard one student whisper shakily:

"She’s... a spy. That’s what they said. And she was close to Ethan... how can they let her walk around like this?"

While another said:

"How can we trust anyone now? If Selena’s a traitor, who’s left?"

Even the teachers, despite their official silence, seemed shaken. Professor Nydrom hadn’t said a single word to her in the last class, simply stared at his board the entire time. Professor Alina, who always defended her students, chose silence, and started avoiding passing by her.

Everything wrapped around her in one overwhelming feeling: isolation.

But she wasn’t alone.

In one of those evenings heavy with silence, while she sat in a nearly empty corner of the library, a soft voice spoke behind her:

"If you were a traitor, you wouldn’t have saved any of us."

She turned. It was Evelyn, holding two cups of tea, a sad but sincere smile on her face.

Selena said in a cracked voice:

"How can you still trust me after all this?"

Evelyn sat beside her and placed the cup in front of her:

"Because I saw you protect everyone in the middle of the battle, before you even thought of yourself. Traitors don’t do that."

It didn’t take long before Zenith came in, walking quietly. He didn’t say anything, just sat beside her and pulled out a small book.

He said without looking at her:

"People believe what makes them feel safe. Believing you’re a traitor makes them think it all makes sense. But the truth is always more complicated."

As for Leonard, he came the next day, just as she was about to leave the library to escape the stares.

He stopped her with one word:

"Stay."

She looked at him, and he continued in a firm voice:

"Those who don’t know you won’t understand. And those who do, need no explanation."

Those nights, despite their weight, were the beginning of a bond stronger than any vow before. Evelyn would laugh when she could, and cry when she saw Selena collapse. Zenith was the silence she leaned on when words failed her.

But even so, fear was creeping through the academy’s walls.

Students started doubting each other. Every friend became suspect in their loyalty, and every word could be interpreted in two ways.

And in one class, a student suddenly exploded in a loud voice:

"Why should we trust anyone? Even Ethan was like a brother to us! Even the teachers... maybe they’re the ones who let him in to begin with!"

A heavy silence spread, and no one replied.

That outburst wasn’t just aimed at Selena. It was aimed at the entire world.

And in this chaos, Selena kept walking, shoulders raised, even if her heart was crying.

Because now she understood: the real battle... isn’t only fought with swords or spells, but in people’s glances, in unspoken words, and in your ability to endure when your very existence is put in question.

And luckily for her... she wasn’t alone in that battle.