The next morning, Caelum almost didn't go to school.
Not because he was sick.
Not because he was injured.
Because he didn't know how to act normal.
The metal block was gone.
Not broken.
Not damaged.
Gone.
And he couldn't stop thinking about it.
The train ride felt longer than usual.
Every reflection in the window seemed unfamiliar.
Every conversation around him sounded distant.
When the Institute finally came into view, his stomach tightened.
He hated that.
He hated feeling afraid of a place he'd spent years in.
"Morning."
Caelum looked up.
Tavian had somehow appeared beside him.
"You look terrible."
"Good morning to you too."
"Didn't sleep?"
Caelum hesitated.
That was enough.
Tavian sighed.
"Yeah."
"What?"
"You do this thing."
"What thing?"
"When you're worried."
Caelum already knew where this conversation was going.
"You stop talking."
"I don't talk much anyway."
"Exactly."
Caelum groaned.
Tavian smirked.
For a moment things felt normal again.
Only for a moment.
The Bureau agents were still there.
Near the entrance.
Near the administrative wing.
Near the courtyard.
Not hiding anymore.
Students noticed.
Whispers followed them through the halls.
"Who are they?"
"Government?"
"Investigation?"
"Someone get arrested?"
Nobody had answers.
Which only made the rumors worse.
By lunch, half the Institute had invented a conspiracy.
Tavian was personally responsible for at least three of them.
"Obviously they're here because Ashcroft is secretly an international criminal."
Ilya took a bite of her food.
"Obviously."
"Thank you."
Caelum rubbed his forehead.
"Please stop encouraging him."
"No."
That answer came from both Tavian and Ilya.
At the exact same time.
The two looked at each other.
Then burst out laughing.
Caelum immediately regretted introducing them.
The weird thing was...
He liked this.
The three of them sitting together.
Talking.
Arguing.
Laughing.
It felt easy.
Comfortable.
The kind of thing he'd never realized he wanted until it existed.
And because of that...
He found himself watching Ilya more often.
Not intentionally.
At least not at first.
She was strange.
Not in an obvious way.
In small ways.
The kind that only became noticeable once you'd spent enough time around someone.
She rarely seemed surprised.
She noticed details before other people.
And sometimes...
Her reactions didn't quite match everyone else's.
A student slipped on a staircase that afternoon.
Nothing serious.
A bruised arm.
A few embarrassed laughs.
Most people immediately rushed over.
Concerned.
Ilya watched.
Interested.
Not worried.
Interested.
Her head tilted slightly.
Like she was studying something.
Then she noticed Caelum looking at her.
Instantly, her expression changed.
Concern.
Sympathy.
Normal.
Too normal.
The transition happened so quickly that Caelum wondered if he'd imagined it.
"Something wrong?"
she asked.
"No."
He wasn't sure if that was true.
After classes ended, the library remained open for another hour.
Caelum spent most of it pretending to read.
Ilya sat across from him.
Eventually she closed her book.
"You're distracted."
Caelum sighed.
"Am I that obvious?"
"To me?"
She smiled.
"Yes."
The answer felt oddly intimate.
For some reason, neither of them looked away immediately.
The silence stretched.
Not uncomfortable.
Just... different.
Then footsteps echoed between the shelves.
Heavy.
Purposeful.
Not a student.
Not faculty.
Both of them noticed.
A Bureau agent walked past the aisle entrance.
Gray band visible.
Scanning.
Observing.
Moving on.
The moment passed.
But the atmosphere didn't recover.
Something had changed.
Caelum could feel it.
The pressure behind his eyes flickered.
Tiny.
Brief.
Gone.
Ilya noticed.
For the first time since they'd met...
Her smile disappeared completely.
Not concern.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Only for a second.
Then it was gone.
"Caelum."
Her voice sounded quieter.
"Yeah?"
She hesitated.
Which was unusual.
Very unusual.
Then she shook her head.
"Nothing."
The answer bothered him.
Because for the first time...
It sounded like a lie.
That evening, deep within the Bureau's Luminex branch, Senior Analyst Serin Vale reviewed the newest reports.
The fluctuations were increasing.
Not dramatically.
But consistently.
Enough to matter.
Enough to worry her.
A message appeared on her screen.
REQUEST STATUS UPDATE
Serin stared at the file attached.
The same name.
Again.
CAELUM VEY
She leaned back in her chair.
Something was happening.
She just couldn't see the shape of it yet.
And that uncertainty frightened her more than certainty would have.
Across the city, Caelum stood by his apartment window.
The skyline shimmered beneath the evening lights.
Normal.
Predictable.
Safe.
Yet lately...
It felt as though the entire world was holding its breath.
Waiting for something.
Waiting for him.
And for the first time...
Caelum was starting to wonder if he should be waiting too.
End of Chapter 7