The academy felt different that morning.
Not because of the clouds in the sky… but because one of the students didn't show up for breakfast.
"Where's Runo?" Lian asked, looking around the hall.
"He never misses food," Zehr said, stuffing his mouth. "Even when he broke his leg, he still crawled here."
Kael looked around, quietly.
Runo's bed was untouched. His uniform still hanging on the wall.
Mikaho narrowed her eyes. "Something's wrong."
Zehr leaned in. "You think he ran away?"
"No," Kael said softly. "He wouldn't."
The mood shifted.
Students whispered. Teachers stayed silent.
Later that day, Argon entered the classroom.
"Runo has been… transferred. That is all you need to know."
Kael's hands clenched into fists.
Transferred?
Without warning?
Without goodbye?
Something wasn't right.
That evening, Kael walked to the back garden where students rarely visited. He needed space to think.
Mikaho followed him. She didn't say anything at first, just walked beside him.
"He was scared," Kael said. "The last few days… he told me he saw something in the shadows."
Mikaho nodded. "And now he's gone."
Zehr suddenly jumped out from behind a bush. "BOO!"
Kael jumped slightly. Mikaho raised an eyebrow.
Zehr laughed. "Okay, okay, sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood. You guys are walking like it's your funeral."
Mikaho muttered, "One day I'll kick you into the sea."
That night, Kael couldn't sleep.
He kept hearing a voice. Soft. Whispering.
He followed the sound outside, barefoot.
Near the old well behind the academy… he saw something.
Runo's bracelet.
Lying in the dirt.
Fresh scratches marked the stone beside the well. Deep. As if someone was dragged.
Kael's eyes widened.
He ran back to the dorm, breath heavy.
Runo didn't leave.
He was taken.
Far below the academy, in a cold dark room...
Runo sat, tied to a chair. Eyes wide. Face pale.
A figure in a dark coat stood in front of him. He held a strange device in his hand—small, glowing with green liquid.
"You were close to the marked one," the figure whispered.
Runo said nothing.
The figure leaned forward. "Then tell me… what do you know about Kael?"
Next Episode Preview:
Secrets begin to surface as Kael and Mikaho investigate Runo's disappearance. They find a hidden place in the academy—sealed off for years. And inside… something no one should ever see.