Chapter 17: Shadows on the Horizon

  Cassian sank into the couch, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the dimly lit room. The diary still sat on the counter, its weight somehow pressing down on him from across the room. It wasn’t just the act he’d have to perfect—it was the sheer impossibility of keeping up with the intricate web that Cassian Starfall had woven.

  His thoughts spiraled, dark and relentless.

  Not just the act. If I slip, even once, I’m dead.

  The Starfall family’s enemies, the academy’s politics, the people watching Sky—it was a pressure cooker waiting to explode. And if that wasn’t enough, there was Raiden Nightshade.

  The name sent a shiver down his spine.

  He’d heard it whispered before, passed from one fugitive to another like a warning wrapped in dread. Raiden wasn’t just a man; he was a shadow, an enigma whose reputation loomed large. Cassian had no idea what the man even looked like.

  'He could walk up to me on the street, and I wouldn’t even know it was him. '

  That thought alone was enough to make his pulse quicken.

  The bounty on his head was bad enough, but Raiden Nightshade hunting him? That was something else entirely. Cassian clenched his fists, his nails biting into his palms as frustration bubbled up inside him.

  'Why does he hide his face? Why isn’t there anything about him in the media? If he’s so dangerous, why the hell can’t anyone find a damn image of him? '

  His breathing slowed as he forced himself to think logically. Anger wouldn’t help him survive. He needed to focus.

  The problem wasn’t just Raiden; it was the uncertainty surrounding him. The man could be anywhere—anyone—and Cassian wouldn’t even know until it was too late.

  He leaned back against the couch, his head tilting to rest against the worn fabric as his eyes drifted to the ceiling.

  “Damn it,” he muttered under his breath. “This whole thing is a ticking bomb.”

  But as much as he hated it, there was no turning back now. He needed this, and Sky needed him, and whether it was Raiden, the Starfall family’s enemies, or anyone else who came after him, Cassian would have to be ready.

  He closed his eyes, letting the quiet hum of the night settle around him. His thoughts, however, remained sharp, calculating every possible scenario.

  'If Raiden comes for me… if anyone comes for me… I’ll have to be faster, smarter. There’s no other way. '

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  He let out a slow breath, his hand absently brushing against the pearl beneath his shirt. The faint warmth it gave off was a small reminder of the strange power it held.

  And the voice. The one that had spoken to him during his meditation.

  It had called him back to that golden realm, ordering him to meditate there again. Whatever the pearl was, it was no ordinary artifact. It might be his only advantage in a world stacked against him.

  'If the pearl can give me something—anything—I’ll take it, he thought. Because without it, I’m already dead. '

  The room seemed to grow colder as the hours ticked by, dawn still a distant promise on the horizon. Cassian stayed on the couch, his body still but his mind racing with the weight of the days to come.

  Tomorrow, the Starfall villa awaited. Tomorrow, he would step into Cassian Starfall’s life.

  And tomorrow, he would have to face whatever came with it—ready or not.

  The first light of dawn painted the walls in soft gold, but Cassian barely noticed. He still sat on the couch, one hand absentmindedly grazing over the closed diary beside him. His thoughts were tangled, his mind caught between the lies he would have to tell and the weight of the truth he didn’t yet understand.

  Meditation had pulled him into that strange golden world again, but this time, he had snapped back almost immediately—no cryptic voices, no mysterious presence, just a lingering warmth in his chest.

  As he exhaled slowly, the door to Sky’s room creaked open.

  The little boy peeked out, eyes still heavy with sleep but shining with excitement.

  “Brother, brother!” Sky’s voice rang through the quiet space as he padded toward Cassian. “Are you ready?? We should get ready! Let’s make breakfast, take a bath, and then let’s go!”

  Cassian rubbed the back of his neck, exhaustion still clinging to him. "Sky, slow down. First, tell me—what do we say about your parents?"

  Sky blinked. "Huh?"

  Cassian sighed. "People are going to ask where they are. Should we say they had an important business call and had to leave?"

  Sky’s small hands clutched the hem of his oversized pajama shirt, his expression shifting. “I… I don’t know, Brother.” His voice was quieter now. “What if they come back?”

  Cassian’s chest tightened.

  Sky still held onto that hope.

  Cassian knew better.

  He didn’t respond right away, just gave a slow nod. “We’ll think of something. For now, let’s focus on what we can control.”

  Sky hesitated but nodded back. “Okay.”

  Cassian exhaled, shifting the diary in his lap. “Speaking of things we can’t control… This diary. Are you sure it’s your brother’s? Because whatever’s in his head, I don’t get it.”

  Sky tilted his head. “What happened, Brother? What did you find in the diary?”

  Cassian ran a hand over his face. “It’s not just notes. It’s plans, Sky. He mapped out everything—his classmates, their strengths, their weaknesses, the people working at the villa. Some are marked as ‘suspicious.’ He wasn’t just keeping track of people—he was analyzing them.”

  Sky blinked, confused. “Is that normal?”

  Cassian nearly choked. “No, Sky. That is not normal. That’s the kind of thing someone does when they don’t trust anyone.”

  Sky frowned, as if trying to process what Cassian was saying. “… Brother always said we had to be careful. He told me that people don’t always mean what they say.”

  Cassian glanced down at the diary again, flipping through the pages until he found the note that had fallen out the night before. He read it aloud:

  "I wear their trust like a mask, fragile and fleeting, while beneath it, my truth carves paths they’ll never see coming."

  Sky's lips parted slightly. “…Oh.”

  “Oh?” Cassian pressed.

  Sky hesitated before mumbling, “That… sounds like something he’d say.”

  Cassian leaned back, rubbing his temples. “Your brother wasn’t just careful, Sky. He was watching people. Studying them. That means one of two things: either he was paranoid, or…” He exhaled sharply. “Or he knew something. Something dangerous.”

  Sky’s small hands clenched into fists. “…But he was nice. He always protected me.”

  Cassian looked at the boy’s earnest face and sighed. “I’m not saying he wasn’t. But whatever was going on in his head, we need to figure it out fast.” He tapped the diary. “This might be the only way to survive in that villa.”

  Sky’s expression was solemn, but he nodded. “Then we’ll figure it out together.”

  Cassian smirked slightly, reaching out to ruffle Sky’s hair. “Yeah, kid. We will.”

  But as he glanced down at the diary again, the unease in his gut didn’t fade.

  If the real Cassian Starfall had been tangled in something dangerous before his disappearance…

  Then stepping into his life wouldn’t just be a lie.

  It would be walking straight into a trap.