SOULBOUND: THE ABYSS WITHIN

Chapter 82: The Line Crossed

The midnight hush of Soul Academy's east wing was broken only by the rustling of trees and the distant hum of ambient soul wards. Most students were asleep, their dorms quiet, lights dimmed. But not all.

Inside a private upper-floor dormitory cloaked with layered defensive barriers, Cassandra Ikemba stirred from meditation, a subtle flicker of her aura keeping her alert.

And then—a shift.

A gust of wind, silent but invasive, breached the ward lattice like it belonged there.

She opened her eyes.

Too late.

A figure lunged from the shadows—Mira Hawthorne, expression flushed, breath erratic, brown hair wild, blue eyes gleaming with that same manic intensity.

"You blocked me out for weeks," Mira whispered. "But you didn't change your scent. Your rhythm. You wanted to be found."

Cassandra's response was ice-cold. "I don't have time for this. Get out."

But Mira didn't listen.

Instead, she surged forward, pinning Cassandra to the wall. "Just one more taste… You felt it too that night. Don't lie to me."

"Enough." Cassandra's aura flared.

Mira kissed her—forcefully.

The resulting backlash sent wind and soul energy bursting through the room—yet another presence watched from the shadows, unseen.

Ramses.

Perched quietly on a rooftop not far from the dorm, eyes glowing faintly behind a stealth veil, he watched through a Soul Mirror Lens, a rare spectral tool that recorded both aura and intention—unfiltered. His expression was calm, unbothered, the lens capturing everything as it unfolded.

When Cassandra finally broke Mira's grip with a surge of pressure from her 8th Spirit Cycle and shoved her back violently, Mira staggered, panting, eyes wide with desire rather than shame.

"You'll see," she murmured. "You'll be mine."

Then she vanished, as suddenly as she came, leaving behind the storm of her obsession.

Cassandra didn't chase.

She stood still. Disgusted. Angry.

Tired.

And watched the stars through the shattered dorm window.

---

On the far edge of the courtyard roof, Ramses tucked the Soul Mirror Lens into a dark velvet pouch.

His golden hair fluttered in the breeze, and a low chuckle escaped his throat.

> "Perfect."

He leapt from the rooftop and landed noiselessly in the grass.

> "Now then… Muna Ikemba. Let's see how loud your thunder roars this time."

And he disappeared into the night, the storm ready to be unleashed.