Chapter 55 – So What if I’m Crazy?

  The academy grounds stretched wide before them, alive with the sounds of students recovering from the previous day’s trials. The scent of damp stone lingered in the air, a reminder of the early morning storm that had rolled through before dawn. Puddles collected in the cracks of the cobblestone pathways, reflecting the towering spires of the academy buildings. The sky above was a soft blue, wisps of clouds curling along the horizon.

  Kaelin sat on the edge of a stone bench near the academy gardens, her arms folded across her chest. Her boots scuffed against the ground absentmindedly, toeing at a loose pebble. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting there, just that she had no desire to move.

  Across from her, Kana lounged with her legs stretched out, her posture loose but her gaze sharp. The trial’s exhaustion still clung to both of them, evident in the way Kana’s usually neat uniform was wrinkled, and Kaelin’s hair was still tangled from the climb up the cliffside. The academy showers could wait.

  The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was heavy, weighted with the unspoken thoughts of two people who had barely made it through the trial intact.

  Eventually, Kaelin sighed, flicking the pebble with the tip of her boot. “So, what’s your excuse?”

  Kana, who had been absently twisting a strand of hair between her fingers, arched a brow. “Excuse for what?”

  “You know, for trynna kill yourself?”

  Kana scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You’re still on about that?”

  Kaelin smirked. “I mean, I did save you. Feels like I deserve at least a little credit.”

  Kana let her head drop back against the stone wall behind her. “Do you want a medal?”

  Kaelin chuckled, “You know what, that would be great!”

  Kana laughed, but it lacked its usual bite. It was quieter, weighed down by the same exhaustion that made her limbs feel like lead. She let the conversation drop, letting her gaze drift across the academy courtyard.

  Students filled the space in scattered groups, talking, stretching out sore muscles, or simply sitting like she and Kana were, caught between exhaustion and relief.

  The academy had always been like this after the trials. The aftermath was a strange thing, victories and failures all mingling together, the air thick with both pride and disappointment.

  She should have done better.

  The thought came unbidden, unwelcome.

  She had barely scraped by. She had gotten lucky. That fight, they shouldn’t have lost. They shouldn’t have even been there. The only reason she and Kana were still here was because Kana had forced her to move, forced her to escape.

  Kaelin’s fingers curled slightly against her arm.

  Kana nudged her with an elbow. “You’re brooding.”

  Kaelin blinked, shaking herself from her thoughts. “I don’t brood.”

  Kana gave her a look that made it clear she didn’t believe her but didn’t press further.

  Footsteps approached from the main pathway, slow but deliberate.

  Kaelin knew who it was before she even turned her head.

  Lena’s voice cut through the space between them, bright and familiar. “There you are. We’ve been looking for you .”

  Kaelin stiffened.

  She didn’t look up.

  A moment later, Lena and Zephyr stepped into view.

  Lena, still as effortlessly warm as always, had her hands on her hips, her usual smile tugging at the edges of her lips. Her auburn hair was damp, fresh from what was probably an attempt to scrub the dirt from the trials off of her. She looked tired, but relieved. Zephyr stood a step behind her, arms crossed, expression unreadable as always. His golden eyes flicked over them both, taking in their dishevelled states.

  “We figured you’d be hiding out somewhere,” Lena continued, her green eyes scanning them.

  Kana, oblivious to Kaelin’s sudden shift in demeanour, snorted. “More like recovering. Yesterday was hell.”

  Lena tilted her head. “That bad?”

  Kana gave her a deadpan look. “We jumped off a cliff.”

  Lena’s eyes widened. “Oh.”

  Zephyr let out a quiet exhale that was somewhere between amusement and exasperation. “Interesting strategy.”

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  Kaelin said nothing.

  She could feel their eyes on her. Waiting. Expecting her to say something.

  She didn’t.

  Instead, she kept her gaze locked on the ground, fingers clenching slightly against the fabric of her sleeve.

  She didn’t deserve their concern.

  She didn’t deserve the way Lena’s voice had softened when she saw them, or the way Zephyr lingered, like he actually cared enough to check in.

  They had their own battles to fight, their own challenges to face. They didn’t need to waste time on her.

  “Kaelin?” Lena’s voice was gentler now.

  Kaelin clenched her jaw.

  She stood abruptly, brushing off her uniform as if shaking away dust. “We should get going,” she said, directing the words at Kana, ignoring the weight of Lena’s gaze.

  Kana frowned slightly but didn’t argue.

  Kaelin turned on her heel, walking away before Lena or Zephyr could say anything else.

  She didn’t look back.

  She couldn’t.

  Zephyr

  The academy grounds were unusually quiet at this hour. The sun had set not long ago, leaving only the faintest embers of light streaking the horizon, while a crisp wind carried the lingering scent of the forest trial, damp earth, crushed leaves, and the distant trace of smoke from campfires still smouldering in the distance.

  Zephyr stood near the training yard, arms crossed loosely over his chest, watching as Kaelin’s figure disappeared into the dimly lit corridors of the academy.

  She left without a word.

  Not like she usually did, quick exits weren’t new for her. But this time, there was no playful remark, no roll of her eyes, no irritated sigh. Just a deliberate, measured silence that felt heavier than it should have.

  Lena, standing beside him, shifted her weight. “Well,” she muttered, arms folding as she tilted her head. “That was… something.”

  Zephyr hummed in agreement but didn’t reply. His golden eyes flicked toward Kana, who had followed after Kaelin without hesitation. A week ago, those two had been at each other’s throats. Now, they moved like allies, like they had always been on the same side.

  Lena seemed to notice the same thing. “Did I miss something?” she asked, her brow furrowing. “When did they stop hating each other?”

  Zephyr smirked slightly. “Almost dying together does that to people.”

  Lena huffed a quiet laugh but still seemed unconvinced. “Maybe. But something’s wrong with her.”

  Zephyr didn’t argue.

  He had noticed, too.

  Kaelin had been acting differently since the trials ended. Not just tired, everyone was exhausted. But she carried something else. Something unspoken.

  The way she brushed them off was different this time. It wasn’t wierd, none of the teasing or the sarcastic comments that usually kept people at a distance.

  No, this was her pushing them away.

  Zephyr didn’t like not knowing why.

  Kaelin

  The academy at night always felt different.

  The stone hallways were quieter, the usual hum of voices and footsteps replaced by an eerie stillness. Lanterns flickered against the cold walls, casting long shadows that stretched and wavered like silent sentinels. The faintest draft wound its way through the corridors, carrying the distant scent of parchment, ink, and the lingering embers of burned-out torches.

  Kaelin walked with purpose, though her thoughts swirled in a mess of tangled threads.

  She hadn’t meant to shut out Lena and Zephyr, but right now, she didn’t know how to deal with them. Not when everything felt so… uncertain.

  There were too many thoughts in her head, and the last thing she wanted was to sort them out in front of other people.

  Right now, she needed to focus.

  She needed to talk to Aric.

  Future Sight was something few could grasp beyond a handful of seconds. Five, maybe six, if they were exceptionally skilled. Anything beyond that became unstable, fragmented glimpses that slipped through the cracks of time like sand through fingers. For most it was impossible even.

  But Kaelin wasn’t like most mages.

  She could hold on longer.

  She had seen things, things that lasted far beyond the limits of most Time wielders. And if she was going to understand why, she needed guidance.

  She reached Aric’s office and knocked firmly on the wooden door, it was unlocked, but she daren’t enter.

  Silence.

  She frowned. Aric wasn’t the type to leave his office unlocked if he wasn’t in.

  Knocking again, she waited.

  Still nothing.

  A small unease prickled at the back of her mind. Testing the handle, she pushed the door open slightly, peering inside.

  The candlelit glow barely illuminated the space beyond. Stacks of books teetered on the edges of his desk, loose pages scattered across the surface in organized chaos. The scent of old parchment and ink lingered in the air, mingling with something subtler, something faintly metallic, almost like rust.

  Then she saw him.

  Aric sat hunched over at his desk, his fingers twitching slightly as he muttered under his breath. His voice was low, words tumbling out in rapid, disjointed fragment, spoken to someone who wasn’t there.

  Kaelin’s breath hitched.

  She remained still, listening.

  “Not yet… No, no, the time isn’t right… We must be patient.”

  A pause.

  Then, louder, almost pleading

  “I said not yet! Won’t you listen!? They can’t know. No, no no no no no, NO... not yet. Not ever. This is for you, don’t forget it. Remember. Remember, please just remember. It was you and me... it still is! Just us, always us. You, me. US.”

  Her grip on the door tightened.

  Something was wrong.

  Aric’s posture tensed. His head jerked slightly, his breath shallow, as if caught in some unseen struggle. His eyes, half-hidden beneath the shadows, flickered with something unnatural. A glimmer of movement beneath the surface.

  Then, his eyes darted up, staring into her soul. Before he looked back at his papers, muttering to himself, as if she wasn’t even there, like he'd never noticed her in the first place.

  For a brief, chilling moment, it was as though someone else was looking out from behind his eyes.

  Kaelin’s heartbeat slammed against her ribs.

  Her fingers curled instinctively, but she didn’t dare move.

  Then, her foot scuffed against the floor.

  The sound was quiet. Barely more than a whisper.

  But in the silence of the room, it was deafening.

  Aric’s head twitched toward the door, his entire body shaking iwht a strange consistency.

  Kaelin’s pulse pounded in her ears.

  Without hesitation, she stepped back, slipping into the corridor with measured silence. She didn’t run, running would make noise, but every fibre of her being screamed at her to get away.

  Far away.