The silence that followed the flying lesson was louder than any discussion.
Ariel walked through the pale stone corridors with the uncomfortable feeling that every gaze was weighing on her back. Some angels whispered without even trying to hide it. Others watched her with uncomfortable curiosity—not because of her black wings this time, but because of who had been by her side minutes before.
Kael, a demon.
She clutched her flight lesson books to her chest, trying to ignore the whirlwind of thoughts. Part of her was still grateful.
Another part... confused. And a third part, dangerously curious.
When she turned the corner near the tall windows, she almost bumped into him.
Kael was leaning against one of the columns, arms crossed, his expression too calm for someone who had provoked half the faculty minutes before.
"Do you usually chase people after saving them?" he asked, with that insolent half-smile.
Ariel felt her face flush.
"I wasn't following you."
"Of course not." He tilted his head slightly, his green eyes assessing her. "Just a cosmic coincidence."
An awkward silence settled between them.
"I..." Ariel took a deep breath. "Thanks again... for what you did out there."
Kael shrugged.
"Hey, you don't have to thank me every time you see me, once is enough. I don't like injustice. Or loud peacocks."
Despite herself, Ariel let out a small smile.
She remembered Lumi telling her that Kael doesn't like injustice, even though he's a demon. Which is kind of curious, since that species isn't known for being fair, right?
"I'm going to the library to breathe some of the air of wisdom outside these corridors. You're invited if you want to join me," he moved away from the wall as he looked at how pale her skin had suddenly become. "That is, if you're not afraid I'll bite you or something..."
Ariel hurried to respond quickly.
"N-Nothing like that... I-I'm not afraid," she smiled awkwardly, tucking a strand of hair that had fallen over her eyes behind her ear. "I accept your invitation."
The false confidence in her voice was noticeable.
Kael just nodded with a smile and began walking down the hallways toward the library.
The corridors narrowed as they advanced toward the oldest wing of the school. The walls changed texture, the light stone giving way to a darker, almost bluish tone, and the windows became rarer.
"Do you always escape here when you want to disappear?" Ariel asked, breaking the silence.
"I prefer places where no one pretends to be something they're not," Kael replied. "Books don't lie."
The library appeared before them as a large semicircular hall, supported by high arches and columns finely carved with ancient symbols. Floating bookshelves moved slowly, gliding as if obeying a silent choreography. Small amber lights pulsed between the aisles of books, like fireflies trapped in invisible jars.
The air smelled of old paper, magical dust, and something slightly metallic—residual energy.
Ariel walked to one of the central tables and began leafing through a thick book covered in light leather.
"What are you researching?" Kael asked, pulling up a chair.
She hesitated for a second.
"Angelic history... rare mutations." Her fingers tightened on the edge of the page. "Things they don't normally tell us."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"I like people who ask dangerous questions."
She stared at him.
"Do you always ask dangerous questions?"
"I'm always the dangerous question."
Ariel let out an involuntary laugh—and was surprised by it.
She continued leafing through her book, trying to absorb what she was reading, but she couldn't, because Kael's eyes remained on her, and that disconcerted her greatly.
She took a deep breath, pulling up a chair next to Kael with a courage she didn't even know she had, but still, she moved the chair a few inches away from Kael.
"You'll forgive me, but... I have questions," she said with clear determination.
Kael turned in his chair to face her, quickly assessing her with his slightly surprised green eyes. He rested one arm on the table and crossed one leg over the other.
"Make yourself comfortable," he smiled.
Ariel took another deep breath, her lungs filling with air in an exaggerated and noticeable way. She was nervous.
"I want to know... Why are you you?" She saw that her question didn't make much sense from Kael's confused expression. "I mean... Why do you seem to be different from other... beings of your kind?"
Kael was slightly surprised by the question.
"Although no one has ever asked me that besides you, the answer is not as complicated as you might think."
"So, what is the answer?"
Kael took a deep breath as if he didn't want to say it out loud.
"Simple, I'm not a demon like the others."
Ariel raised an eyebrow slightly in doubt.
Kael found it so... attractive? Cute? He couldn't quite figure out his feelings when he was around Ariel.
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand..."
"I'm just saying that you're right, I'm not like the other demons, that's all."
"But..."
Kael quickly cut her off.
"Changing the subject. If you want to find out more about your species, I know the perfect book, follow me." He quickly got up from his chair and began to walk between the library shelves.
Ariel slowly closed her lips when she was about to finish her argument, but it was obvious that Kael was not willing to talk about his own life at that moment, much less to an angel he had just met.
She didn't even realize she was already following Kael through the library.
"By the way, we haven't formally introduced ourselves. My name is Kael, and this is my second year here at Noxhollow," he politely extended his hand to Ariel, but she didn't respond, clenching her hand tightly. "Oh, okay, no physical contact, that's fine, I respect that."
"My name is Ariel, it's my first year. Don't get me wrong, it's just that..."
Kael cut her off again when they reached a darker part of the library, which had almost no lighting except for a door that actually resembled more of a portal. It glowed and pulsed like a living organism.
Kael stopped in front of it.
"It's there."
Ariel felt her stomach churn.
"Don't even think about it."
"You don't even know what I'm going to say."
"I know exactly what you're going to say." She crossed her arms. "That's the restricted section. Only teachers are allowed in there."
"Wait... How do you know about the restricted section if you've only been here a few days?"
"I don't, I just assumed because of the sign above the door that says 'Restricted Section of the Library'.
Kael nodded slightly, embarrassed, as incredible as it may seem.
"Anyway, rules are there to be questioned. And why would they put a restricted section in a library? They're hiding knowledge from us, and you should know that I hate injustice," he smiled at her. "You deserve to know more about your species."
"Not like that..." She felt her cheeks flush and tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear.
Kael tilted his head, watching the glow of the portal.
"You want answers, don't you?"
Ariel hesitated.
"I do. But not at that price."
"And what is the price of continuing to live in fear of who you are?"
The question was too direct.
She swallowed hard.
"You don't understand."
Kael laughed scornfully.
"Actually, I understand more than you think," he said in a tone slightly lower than normal.
The silence between them grew heavy.
"If someone catches us in there..." Ariel began.
"I'll take the blame."
"That's not how it works, Kael."
"It does. Trust me."
She closed her eyes for a moment, fighting her own conscience.
"This is a terrible idea."
"The best ones usually are."
She took a deep breath.
"Just a quick look. That's all."
Kael's smile appeared slowly, victorious.
Ariel nodded almost imperceptibly.
Kael touched his palm to the chain of light. The barrier reacted, rippling like water.
"Is that supposed to electrocute me?" he murmured.
The chain opened silently.
Ariel's eyes widened.
"That... that wasn't supposed to happen."
"Seems like the library likes me."
"Or wants to devour you later."
She took a hesitant step inside.
The air in there was different. Colder. Denser. As if the shadows themselves had weight.
The bookshelves were taller, the books held in place by delicate chains, luminous seals pulsing slowly.
A distant whisper echoed—not words, just intention.
Ariel felt a chill run down her spine.
"I don't like it here..."
Kael noticed the subtle tremor in her fingers.
"If you want to leave, we'll leave."
She took a deep breath.
"No. We're already here."