From the stage, Nathaniel glanced toward Damon.
Their eyes met for only a second.
And in that second, I saw something in Nathaniel's expression change.
Just slightly.
But enough.
He knew.
And whatever Damon saw…
he had seen it too.
---ಠ︵ಠ---
The assembly hall emptied gradually, the glow of enchanted lanterns softening into evening light. Laughter and footsteps faded into the distance.
I stood still, the weight of Damon's gaze still pressing between my shoulder blades.
He had shaken hands with everyone.
Except me.
His voice echoed in my mind like a whisper carved from ice.
(You carry death with you)
I lingered by the staircase until Lucien passed, humming softly to himself while studying the scroll Nathaniel had handed him.
Lucien, I said, catching his sleeve.
He blinked, then smiled warmly. Hey. What's up?
Who is Damon? Where did you meet him? I asked, trying to sound casual.
Lucien's smile faltered for just a moment. His fingers fidgeted with the rolled parchment.
I just… helped him, he said.
Helped him how?
I healed his wounds, Lucien replied quietly. He was hurt. Pretty badly. I didn't ask questions. He didn't offer answers.
He hesitated before giving a small, protective smile.
He's kind, Gehan. Really. He's just shy around people.
I nodded slowly, but the answer didn't settle the unease in my chest.
Something about Damon lingered in my mind like a puzzle I couldn't stop turning over.
He hadn't said much.
But the way he looked at me
It felt like he knew something I didn't.
And I could feel it.
Feel it.
That was my problem.
I always felt toomuch.
Tension. Fear. Warmth. Even when people tried to hide it.
And it made me second-guess everything.
Maybe he was just shy.
Maybe he hated me.
Maybe he saw something wrong with me.
My thoughts began to spiral.
Then
You're thinking too hard again.
I turned.
Zuriel stood a few steps behind us with his arms crossed, his face pulled into that quiet scowl he always had.
His golden hair caught the light from the torches with his teal streak bangs
He looked from Lucien to me, eyes narrowing slightly.
You don't know him, Zuriel said.
I know, I replied.
He stepped closer. Then be careful.
Lucien frowned. Zuriel--
No offense, Zuriel added, nodding toward Lucien. I know you trust him. But trusting someone doesn't make them safe.
His eyes returned to me.
Especially now. New people mean new risks.
I swallowed, unsure how to respond.
He wasn't being cruel.
He was just being… Zuriel.
Guarded. Suspicious. Always ready to burn the bridge before anyone could cross it.
But I couldn't ignore the way my heart had quickened the moment Damon looked at me.
Something was there.
I just didn't know what.
Yet.
---•́ ‿ ,•̀---
I was late.
I knew I was late.
I just… couldn't make myself hurry.
The hallways had been too quiet that morning, my thoughts too loud. I walked the side path near the garden walls toward the training fields without much urgency.
The bushes rustled beside the path.
But not like wind.
Like something moving.
I stopped.
There it was again.
Sharp.
Sudden.
Not natural.
I took a step back, heart racing. My fingers curled tightly around the strap of my satchel.
A shape lunged from the brush.
I screamed.
And then - arms , Warm, steady arms caught me just as something soft hit the dirt at my feet with a lazy thump.
A rabbit.
A very large, very alive rabbit blinked up at me like I had disturbed its morning. It flicked its ears in quiet offense before hopping off into the tall grass.
Behind me, a familiar voice chuckled.
Easy, wild one, he said, arms still loosely around me.
I turned my head slightly and met golden eyes gleaming with amusement.
Nikolai, I breathed, trying to steady myself.
He raised a brow. You scream like someone who's seen a dead body . Or maybe just a very judgmental rabbit.
It jumped out of nowhere!!!
You screamed like it was wearing armor and carrying a sword.
It could have.
I'd pay to see that.
I shoved his arm, but didn't move far.
For some reason, I didn't want to.
There was something about standing beside him the quiet curve of his smile, the steady rhythm of his breathing
that made me feel…
Safe.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Like this had happened before.
But I didn't remember it.
The thought settled in me like a cold fog. I looked away fast, trying to shake it off.
You're late, Nikolai said, slipping his hands into his pockets as we walked toward the training grounds.
I got distracted.
Let me guess, he said, glancing at me. You were following invisible threads of some mystery again.
I didn't answer.
He smirked. Damon?
I nodded before catching myself. Maybe.
You've got that look, he said. Eyes half-focused. Not here, not there. Like you're chasing answers you haven't found the questions to yet.
I glanced at him. And you read people now?
He shrugged. Treasure hunting teaches you how to see what others miss.
I let the silence stretch between us.
I didn't know how to explain what I felt.
I barely understood it myself.
Something about Damon had stayed with me.
His stare.
His voice.
(You carry death with you)
I hadn't stopped thinking about it.
And worse
Part of me agreed.
I wasn't sure what that meant.
But I could feel it.
Something was here.
Inside me.
Behind my thoughts.
Sometimes I wasn't sure where I ended and something else began.
---(•‿•)----
By the time we reached the training grounds, students were already paired off.
Magic sparked quietly through the air in controlled bursts. Nothing dramatic just energy gathering before spells were cast.
Movement.
Focus.
Eris stood at the front of the field like she belonged there.
Her hair was tied back with a dark ribbon, her pink-and-black vest fitted for movement. A sword rested easily at her hip.
She spotted me and lifted a brow.
Late.!
Sorry.
She was attacked by a vicious carrot-eater, Nikolai offered.
Eris smirked. I hope you survived.
Barely.
She turned back to the group.
Sir Nathaniel's away for now. Until he finds someone qualified to teach this mess, I've been appointed student leader. Try not to embarrass me.
She waved a hand, signaling everyone to spread out.
Today we're training aura perception, she continued. Magic always leaves a signal. Learn to read it, and you'll survive longer.
Before I could choose a partner, Zuriel walked over and placed something small in my hand, wrapped in black ribbon.
A gift? I asked.
He rolled his eyes. Nathaniel told me to give it to you. Said it's your 'test.'
I unwrapped the ribbon.
A deck of cards.
They were pale. Smooth.
And completely blank.
…Tarot? I asked.
Zuriel shrugged. Apparently, it's supposed to tell you something about your magic. Or maybe you're just cursed to spend your future reading palms in some dark alleyway.
He smirked.
But his eyes lingered.
I drew a slow breath and pulled the top card from the deck.
Blank.
The noise of the training field faded as I focused.
The card felt colder than it should.
Heavier.
Then
It changed.
Ink spread across the surface like blood thinning out in water.
Suddenly, an image started to take shape.
It wasn't just one card
it was all of them.
The whole deck seemed to twist and change at the same time.
Death.
A voice inside my mind whispered calmly.
(You are what I was seeking all that time ago. Yet you elude me.)
I smile, but it carries a sadness I can't name.
The image sharpened.
A sleek black crow, wings spread like blades.
Below it, a skull The colors were wrong.
Deep, unnatural indigo filled the card.
Fine lines of gold traced through the design
My stomach dropped.
The aura spilling from the cards wasn't evil.
But it wasn't warm either.
I wasn't afraid of the cards.
I was afraid that part of me had been waiting for them.
Waiting like something long lost had finally been found again.
Zuriel's smirk vanished.
He stepped back slightly. Okay… that's intense.
Nearby students had turned to look. Even Eris paused mid-instruction.
Quickly, I pressed the cards back together and wrapped the ribbon around them again with stiff fingers.
Nikolai watched from across the field.
He didn't speak.
But for a moment just a flicker his expression changed.
Not surprised.
Not confused.
Just…
Quietly sad.
As if he had seen it before.
And suddenly I realized something.
So had I.
---•́ ‿ ,•̀---
I was still clutching the ribbon-wrapped deck when it began.
The air shifted.
Wrong.
Sharp.
The wind stopped.
Birdsong vanished.
Then a crack split the sky.
Not thunder.
Something deeper.
Like wood breaking far beneath the earth.
And far too large to be natural.
The forest beyond the training grounds stirred
Eris lifted her head mid-instruction.
Zuriel's wand snapped up instantly, his stance tightening.
A second crack followed—not from the sky this time, but from right under our feet.
The ground at the edge of the training circle split wide open. Roots burst out of the dirt, twisting upward like snakes and pulling clumps of soil with them. The trees nearby shook so hard it looked like something deep underground was forcing them to bow.
Then
She stepped out.
A woman. Tall. Radiant.
Her skin was a pale green like tree bark, with gold veins running through it. Her hair was a mess of vines and flowers, with petals falling around her. She wore a dress made of wet dry leaves that made a soft sound when she moved.
But it was her eyes
they weren't just looking at us.
They were searching.
When her eyes landed on me, it felt like she was looking through every life I'd ever lived.
She looked old. And she looked angry.
You burn. You break. You take!!!...
Her voice was quiet, but it echoed through the trees as if the whole forest was talking at once. A few students started to back away, and you could feel the panic starting to spread.
Eris stepped forward and pulled her sword out in one quick move.
Identify yourself!
This was our land,
the diwata whispered. We let you live beneath our roots, in the shadow of our trees. We watched as you chopped, paved, poisoned, and praised yourselves for it.
She lifted one hand.
The vines behind her twisted up, showing the mess left across the training grounds. There was burnt bark, scorched dirt, and broken branches everywhere, with torn leaves trampled into the ground.
Zuriel swore under his breath.
Humans, she hissed,
do not understand boundaries.
The roots struck.
They snapped through the air like whips. One lashed the ground right where a student had been standing only seconds before.
Zuriel jumped forward, pulling the newer students behind him. His wand flashed, and a huge burst of fire shot out.
The flames struck the roots and immediately dimmed.
The diwata raised her arm slightly.
Fire dies here.
Eris's voice cut sharply across the field.
Defensive wards! Protect the line!
Magic erupted around the clearing.
A vine slammed into the stone border, cracking it in half.
A student screamed.
Spells hit the twisting branches, sending dirt and magic sparks flying everywhere.
But nothing reached her.
Nothing touched the diwata.
The forest itself bent around her.
Like she was part of it.
Then something inside me snapped awake.
The cards in my hand burned.
I gasped.
The ribbon unraveled on its own.
One card lifted slowly into the air.
The Death card.
The crow on its surface gleamed in gold and indigo.
It pulsed once
and then shot forward.
When I reached for it, it answered instantly
I didn't chant.
I didn't draw runes.
The card moved like it was part of me.
A root lashed toward me.
The card cut through it.
Clean.
The power tore right through me.
I couldn't breathe. My arms shook so hard I could barely stay up.
The card just hung there in front of me, flickering. It wanted more. I needed more.
I dropped to one knee.
Without thinking, I pulled.
Energy rushed up from the grass and the vines under my feet. The bright green color drained away, leaving the grass looking gray and dead.
The pressure stopped. My arms stopped shaking, and I could stand up and breathe again.
The diwata saw it. Her eyes narrowed as she watched me.
You take from life itself.
My throat tightened. I..I didn't mean to, I said. I… I didn't know I could.
She stepped closer, slowly now.
You are not just human.
I wanted to deny it.
To shout that she was wrong.
I couldn't deny it. I knew she was right I was different, and I didn't have a way to explain why.
I don't know what I am, I said honestly. But I know I don't want this.
The vines hesitated.
I took another careful step forward.
I don't want war, I said. I don't want to hurt your home. No one should. But please let us find a way to share it. Help us heal what's broken.
The diwata watched me silently.
Behind her, the trees creaked softly. Flowers bloomed along the branches then withered, then bloomed again.
You speak like a dreamer, she murmured. Peace is a wish made by those who still have hope. Her eyes darkened.
And sometimes peace is only born from destruction you have to break things to build them again.
I didn't move.
Maybe, I said quietly. But I'll keep wishing for peace anyway.
The wind shifted across the clearing.
The diwata raised her hand again.
But this time
gently.
The roots loosened.
The vines slowly withdrew back into the soil.
You drain life to survive, she said. That is why I will not strike.
You are not a destroyer.
Her gaze lingered on me.
You are a reminder.
She turned away.
With one last look at the forest, her body fell apart into drifting leaves and vines, disappearing back into the trees.
The clearing fell silent.
The Death card floated gently down into my hand.
It felt lighter now.
Not gone.
But waiting.
The grass where I had knelt remained pale.
Just… drained.
Like the life inside it had been sipped slowly, reverently.
I stood at the edge of the training field, watching the wind move through the tall trees
They looked calm again.
But beneath the roots, I could still feel it
tension.
The diwata was gone.
But she had left a mark.
Not just on the earth.
On all of us.