After leaving the library, Kael began to wander aimlessly through the corridors, thinking about what had happened in the restricted section of the library.
But soon his thoughts were interrupted.
Nevermore appears in the corridor like a living shadow, landing in front of Kael.
The owl's eyes shine like fragments of liquid night.
Without making a sound, it slowly spread its wings.
It was an invitation, an order.
Kael sighed.
"Sure... because today clearly wasn't chaotic enough."
The owl took flight, guiding him through the corridors to the headmaster's tower.
The doors to Victor Ravenhall's office opened by themselves with an elegant creak.
The director stands, adjusting the sleeves of his vintage coat, as if he had just stepped out of a theatrical performance.
"Mr. Kael..." he says, with a half-smile that is anything but friendly. "The restricted library. What deliciously reckless audacity."
The echo of his voice reverberates in the air, as if time were... slightly out of alignment.
Kael crosses his arms.
"Yes, it was my idea."
Victor raises an eyebrow.
"Naturally. And Miss Ariel?"
"She just... followed me. She didn't know exactly what she was doing."
"That's a lie." Victor smiles, but his eyes remain sharp. "That girl is anything but naive."
He twirls his cane on the floor.
"I will summon her for a conversation as well."
Kael steps forward impulsively:
"No."
"Hm?"
"It's my fault. If anyone deserves punishment, it's me. She was just curious... I pushed her to the limit."
Nevermore lets out a small, deep croak, almost approving.
Victor watches Kael for a few seconds that feel too long—as if he were looking at several versions of him at once.
Then:
"Very well. Ariel will be excused... this time.
Kael exhales the breath he didn't even realize he was holding.
"But you, reckless young man..." The principal's smile becomes dangerously elegant. "You will not go unpunished."
Victor's cane taps the floor once.
The sound echoes—but not as a simple noise.
It reverberates... delayed, as if time itself were breathing inside the room.
"The restricted library does not exist to satisfy adolescent curiosities, Mr. Kael," says the director, walking slowly in a circle around him. "It holds fragments and stories that should not be reopened."
Kael holds his gaze.
"I know."
Victor stops in front of him.
"But knowing... and respecting... rarely go hand in hand with your kind."
Nevermore flaps his wings on the back of the chair, like a silent judge.
Victor tilts his head slightly.
"Your punishment will be detention in the Archive of Time."
The air in the room seems to cool.
Kael frowns.
"The Time Archive?"
"A wing where time records unstable memories, alternate lines of reality, echoes of decisions that should never be repeated." The director's smile becomes almost amused. "An extremely... honest place."
Kael swallows hard.
"You will organize the volumes that reacted badly to the latest temporal fluctuations. Alone. Until dawn.
"That's not exactly a common punishment."
"No." Victor tilts his cane toward him. "It's a lesson."
The director's eyes shine, deep as an ancient well.
"Some truths choose who can bear them."
Nevermore croaks softly.
"And Kael..." Victor adds, before he turns to leave, "if any book decides to... speak to you... I suggest you listen."
The door closes behind him.
IN THE TIME ARCHIVE...
The Time Archive didn't look like a library.
It was an endless circular corridor, with shelves floating in layers, slowly rotating like invisible gears. Some books pulsed with their own light. Others trembled, as if breathing.
The air smelled of ancient dust mixed with something metallic—almost like dried blood.
Kael walks cautiously.
"Great..." he murmurs.
"Perfect place for an existential crisis."
He touches the first misaligned book.
As soon as his fingers touch the cover, the world around him disappears.
He is on his knees in a burning forest.
The sword in his hand pulses red—alive, hungry.
In front of him is not his mother.
It is Ariel.
Her eyes stare at him, filled with fear.
"No..." Kael instinctively steps back.
But his hands don't obey.
The blade rises.
The scream that echoes is not hers.
It's his own.
Kael pulls his hand away from the book, gasping.
The hallway returns abruptly.
His heart races as if it wants to jump out of his throat.
"This isn't real..." he whispers, but the image won't fade from his mind.
Another book vibrates.
He hesitates.
But he touches it.
Now he sees himself... older.
Eyes completely black.
Veins marked by incandescent lines.
Creatures kneeling at his feet.
A voice whispers behind him:
"Kings are not born. They are made with fear."
Kael staggers away.
The mark on his arm burns.
"Enough..."
But the books continue to tremble, as if they recognize him.
As if they wanted him. Called him.
Hours pass—or maybe minutes. In the Archive, time does not behave as it should.
When the door finally opens, the dawn seems false. He spent the whole night listening to whispers and uncertain visions.
Kael was pale. Deep dark circles under his eyes. His body tense.
Something inside him changed that night.
He doesn't know exactly what.
But he knows he saw things that shouldn't exist.
Two whole days have passed.
Ariel was feeling something different.
The air in the room had changed.
It's a strange feeling — like when a storm is approaching without any visible clouds.
Kael was leaning against one of the columns in the courtyard, arms crossed, his gaze too distant for someone who always seems... present, even when sarcastic.
Ariel had barely seen him in the last two days after the events in the library.
He's not angry.
He's silent.
And that's worse.
Ariel slows down.
She notices how he avoids looking people directly in the eye. How his fingers close and open discreetly, as if trying to make sure he is still in his own body.
When their eyes meet, something crosses his face.
A quick startle.
A recognition.
Almost... fear.
Kael looks away.
Ariel feels a strange tightness in her chest.
"He hasn't been sleeping lately..." she murmurs to herself.
Later, in the hallway, they end up walking in the same direction for a few seconds.
The silence is heavy.
"Are you okay?" she ventures, carefully.
Kael takes half a second longer than usual to respond.
"I'm fine."
But his voice doesn't match his words.
He forces a half-smile.
"Just a long night."
Ariel frowns slightly.
Something about him seems... out of place.
As if part of him is still somewhere else.
When Kael walks away, Ariel watches his back, uneasy.
A strange feeling settles in her chest:
the impression that he is carrying something too heavy to continue pretending everything is normal.
And, without understanding why...
Ariel feels the urge to protect him.
IN THE DINING HALL.
The dining hall was noisier than usual that night.
Cutlery clinked, laughter echoed, wings flapped distractedly in the air. But Ariel barely touched her food. Her gaze wandered restlessly, searching for a specific face among the tables.
"Are you looking for the sarcastic hottie?" Lumi teases, sitting down next to her with her tray.
Ariel rolls her eyes.
"It's not that."
"Uh-huh. Sure."
Lumi chewed a piece of fruit before adding, in a seemingly casual tone:
"I heard something strange today."
Ariel looked up.
"What?"
"After that day at the library... Nevermore showed up to pick up Kael. Right in front of the courtyard. Everyone saw it."
Ariel's fork pauses in midair.
"Pick him up... what do you mean?"
"A direct summons to the principal's office." Lumi tilts her head, thoughtful. "Probably because of the restricted section."
Ariel's stomach tightens.
"But... I was there too."
Lumi frowns.
"Exactly."
The silence between them lasts a second longer than is comfortable.
Until Lumi's eyes widen slightly.
"Wait... could it be...?"
Ariel feels her heart race.
"Could it be what?"
"Could he have taken the blame himself?"
Ariel turns pale.
"No..." she murmurs.
"He couldn't have done that."
Lumi watches her reaction carefully.
"Ariel... he's kind of... proud. And he clearly likes to play the irresponsible hero."
Ariel jumps up, almost knocking over her chair.
"That's not heroism, that's stupidity! He was punished alone!"
Lumi blinks, surprised.
"Hey, calm down—"
But Ariel is already walking away toward the hallway.
"I'm going to talk to him."
Ariel heads toward the most isolated places in the school at that moment. She knew Kael liked to be alone.
Especially now that he didn't seem to be doing well at all.
Kael was alone near one of the school's internal balconies, leaning on the railing, watching the sky slowly darken.
He doesn't even notice Ariel approaching—until he hears her voice, more tense than usual.
"Why did you do that?"
Kael turns around, confused.
"Do what?"
"You took the blame for the library." Her eyes sparkled with indignation. "You had no right to do that for me!"
Kael crossed his arms.
"First: I went in there because I wanted to. Second: it was no big deal."
"No big deal?!" Ariel took a step forward. "You were summoned by the principal! You were punished!"
"And you weren't. Just as it should be."
Ariel clenches her fists.
"You don't get to decide that on your own!"
Kael lets out a short, humorless laugh.
"And you get to decide to throw yourself into trouble without thinking? Because that seems to happen quite often."
"That's different!"
"It's the same," he retorts. "You're putting yourself at risk without even realizing it."
The two stare at each other for a moment, the air thick.
"You don't know me well enough to act like my guardian," Ariel says, more quietly.
Kael hesitates.
"Maybe not... but I know enough to know that you don't deserve to pay for something I caused."
The silence weighs heavily.
Ariel takes a deep breath.
"You're impossible."
"I know."
She shakes her head in frustration.
"Next time, talk to me before you play the martyr."
Kael raises an eyebrow.
"Next time, promise me you won't go into forbidden places with me."
She almost smiles—but controls herself.
"Idiot."
"Stubborn."
They stare at each other for another second... something unsaid hangs in the air.
Then Ariel turns and walks away.
Kael watches her walk away, his expression becoming more closed.