Whispers of Worlds Beyond: A Series

The Great Hall felt so suffocating Aiden felt like he'd want to crawl out of his skin.

All the students were herded inside, seated on the long benches beneath the floating crystal chandeliers. The glittering light did nothing to calm the nerves of the crowd; it only made the tension more visible.

Some stared blankly at the Great Hall's towering stained glass windows that once bathed them in warm, Soleil light during feasts and ceremonies. Now, they reflected the moon, casting ghostly patterns across the walls. The hall had never felt so cold.

Since the Headmaster's announcement, no one was allowed to leave. Several professors kept watch near the doors, and some of the top 10 upper years were stationed at the corners.

Still, there was no sign of Emmeranne.

The search had gone on for hours. Whispers flew from one group to another like birds flitting through smoke:

"She vanished. Maybe she's not even on campus anymore."

"She must be hiding somewhere underground. The tunnels? The east wing tunnels?"

"No way she could escape. The wards would've detected her."

"But what if she has help?"

As the theories grew wilder, so did the sense of unease.

Some students were quietly crying, mostly first years. Amihan sat near the center, her shoulders hunched, her amethyst eyes red and glassy. Ivara and Morrigan sat beside her in silence, Morrigan occasionally glancing up every time a door creaked.

Aiden, Adrian, and Sevan were seated near the back, their own thoughts tangled. None of them spoke.

Then, at last, the great side doors of the hall opened again- and Afanasy entered.

It was the Fifth year top one.

He surveyed the students once before speaking.

"First years," he said, voice low and firm. "Get up. With me."

No explanation. No chance to ask questions.

They obeyed.

As they followed him out of the Great Hall, tension clung to the group. The halls of Genvah Academy were dimly lit now, the usual enchantments toned down to conserve power during the lockdown. Every flickering torch and shadowed archway felt like a hiding place.

"Do you think they found her?" Lochan whispered.

Shiloh snorted. "If they did, we'd hear it."

Ambrose added in a trembling voice, "What if- what if she's still here? What if she's just waiting… for the right moment?"

"Yeah," Shiloh said, growing louder, more aggravated. "And what if she tries to take one of us down next, huh? You saw how she looked! Like she was... like she was possessed!"

"Shut up," Afanasy said without looking back.

Lochan and Ambrose immediately went quiet.

But Shiloh didn't.

He narrowed his eyes, puffed out his chest, and said, "You don't talk to me like that. Do you even know who my father is? He's in the High Court. I could get you executed for threats alone. You think you can talk to me like I'm-"

Afanasy stopped.

He turned slowly, and in the half-light of the corridor, his silver eyes seemed to burn like coals. His voice was quiet.

"Try it. Send him a letter. Better yet, I'll do it for you- with your severed fingers still clutching the pen."

The hallway froze.

Ambrose visibly paled. Lochan shrank into himself.

Shiloh stared at Afanasy, lips parted slightly in disbelief. For a heartbeat, it looked like he might say something more.

But then Afanasy gave a small, humorless laugh.

"I'd love to see you try to threaten me again. Just once."

Shiloh said nothing more.

The rest of the walk to the dormitories was thick with unspoken tension. No one dared speak again, and even Shiloh kept his gaze forward.

When they finally reached the dormitory hallway, Afanasy stopped at the arched entrance. He didn't even look back.

"You're all to stay inside. If I find you out after curfew, I won't hesitate to drag you to detention by your hair."

Then, with a sweep of his cloak, he turned and strode off, his figure disappearing into the shadows.

The first years remained in place for a few long seconds.

Then, quietly, one by one, they filed into their rooms.

Aiden, Adrian, and Sevan were the last to enter their room.

When the door finally shut behind them, it felt like the walls themselves exhaled.

-------------------------

The silence of the dorm was thick, the kind that weighed down the chest and muffled even breath. Aiden stirred awake- not from a dream, but from the soft, distinct sound of a door creaking open.

His eyes snapped open, his senses sharpening instantly.

He didn't move for a second. He just listened. There came a sound- subtle, like the familiar rustle of hinges- and then a small click, like a door closing softly but with certainty.

Instinct took over. In a breath, he summoned a small flame to his palm, the fire flickering just enough to light the immediate shadows but not enough to draw too much attention. The warm glow danced on the stone walls, casting long silhouettes of the beds, desks, and coats hanging by the door.

Adrian and Sevan were both still asleep, undisturbed.

Aiden turned his head toward the source of the sound. It hadn't come from their dorm room. The noise had echoed slightly. Aiden quietly slid off his bed, the wooden floor cold against his bare feet. He didn't put on a robe or shoes. He didn't want to risk making noise.

He glanced at the small clock enchanted on the far wall.

2:07 a.m.

Another sound came, this time a breeze. A gust of wind, faint but deliberate, swept through the hallway. Not the kind made by faulty windows. This was something more.

Something like… someone leaving in a hurry.

Aiden pressed his hand to the door, slowly nudging it open just enough to peer into the common room.

The fire dimmed slightly in his palm as he focused.

At first, the room seemed empty. Then, he caught it.

A flash of white hair, long and glimmering under the moonlight streaming through the windows. A faint outline- just at the corner of his vision- slipping through the far door to the outer corridor.

Amihan.

Aiden didn't hesitate.

The moment he registered the familiar glimmer of white hair and the way the breeze had shifted unnaturally, he knew. Amihan was sneaking out. She was going to find Emmeranne.

He didn't even stop to grab his shoes. He moved quickly, quietly, slipping through the common room and into the hallway. The door closed behind him with a soft click, and he was moving again, his bare feet silent against the cold stone floor.

His mind raced as fast as his footsteps.

Why would she do this?Of course, he knew why.

Amihan wasn't the type to sit still. She loved deeply, with her whole chest, her whole spirit. Her friendship with Emmeranne wasn't loud or showy, but it was the kind that was built from quiet meals and soft conversations. And now that Emmeranne was being hunted and accused, Amihan couldn't handle it.

She wanted answers. Maybe she wanted to say goodbye.

Or maybe… she wanted to prove everyone wrong.

But she was being reckless. The halls were locked down, wards were up, and professors were patrolling. If she got caught, or worse, if something happened to her, Aiden didn't want to imagine it.

He picked up his pace, trailing her carefully down the west wing corridor.

The problem was: she had air magic.

And Amihan was sensitive. With her affinity to the wind, she could feel the smallest shifts in pressure, the faintest of steps, the subtlest breeze. She would know someone was tailing her if he wasn't careful. If she even sensed Aiden's aura behind her, Aiden could get in trouble.

He breathed in deeply.

He'd spent months training, trying to remember Mr. Caleena's advice. Months trying to suppress the way his magic flared with his feelings, trying to control his leaking aura. It wasn't perfect- he was still volatile, especially when he was anxious or angry- but tonight, that training mattered.

And it worked.

Amihan moved without ever glancing back, drifting down the long, winding corridor toward one of the lesser-used exits that led to the back of the academy gardens. Her steps were soundless, her long white hair floated behind her like a phantom, catching the pale moonlight from the stained-glass windows.

Aiden stayed back, barely breathing, but watching her carefully. If she made it outside, she'd be harder to follow.

She could take to the skies if she wanted to.

He had to stop her before that.

"Ivara's going to kill you," he thought to himself grimly. "If the professors don't catch you, she will."

But mostly, he was just worried.

Not because Amihan was breaking curfew, but because Emmeranne had already tried to hurt people.

He hoped if Amihan did find her, that she wouldn't hurt Amihan due to their friendship.

Just as he crouched behind the column near the academy's arched rear corridor, the sound of soft, amused laughter reached his ears like the brush of wind itself.

"Why are you awake, Flame Boy?"

Aiden spun, instinctively raising a hand ready to light up, but stopped mid-motion when he saw the glint of mischief in Lopt's eyes.

"Lopt," Aiden exhaled, shoulders sagging with relief. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

Lopt tilted his head, arms crossed as if he were inspecting a rare beetle. His smile widened. "You're lucky it's me who found you. Could've been Professor Flinders- or worse, that paranoid fifth-year scout hiding behind that statue."

He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, smirking. "You passed about three patrols and two warded halls without triggering anything. I'll give you points for that. Stealthy and stupid."

"Thanks, I think?"

Lopt waved a hand. "Don't worry. I'll let this slide. Consider it a reward for entertaining me."

"I'll take your kindness later," Aiden whispered, eyes flicking back toward the corridor. "Right now, I'm just making sure a classmate doesn't get herself killed."

"Ah," Lopt drawled, leaning forward. "Would this classmate happen to have snow-white hair and a hero complex?"

Aiden nodded, scanning the hall. "Yeah, she-"

His sentence cut short.

The hall was empty.

The doorwas wide open, the soft wind fluttering the bottom of a curtain near it. Amihan was gone.

She was just there," he muttered, stepping out from behind the column and toward the open door. "Damn it."

"She's fast," Lopt said with a shrug, though his voice had changed slightly. "Too fast for you to keep up now. And you shouldn't be out here anyway."

Aiden turned to him, frustration rising. "She's alone! We don't know if-"

"I know," Lopt cut in, eyes suddenly sharp. "But you? You're the one Karro's after."

Lopt's expression was uncharacteristically serious now, his usually playful smirk faded into something more measured.

"You think sneaking out is brave, but for you, it's suicide. I don't know what Amihan's planning or what she thinks she'll find, but if he finds you-" Lopt's jaw tightened. "-there won't be anything left for the professors to rescue."

Aiden didn't respond for a moment. He only stared at the open door where Amihan had disappeared.

His fists clenched.

"I don't care if he's after me," he muttered. "I'm not letting anyone else get hurt."

Lopt let out a long breath, then gave a crooked smile, one that didn't reach his eyes.

"You're too much like Savion, you know that?"

Aiden turned to him slowly. "Then help me. Please?"

But Lopt didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked toward the open door, the breeze still trickling in from outside like the breath of something just waiting beyond the veil.

"You're more reckless than I thought. Fine."

Aiden blinked. "What?"

"I'm coming with you."

"You- what?"

"I might know where she's going," Lopt said, stepping forward, his usual carefree tone replaced with something sharper. "She's not the only one who's been sneaking out lately. I've seen her before, going toward the greenhouse tunnels past the south wall. There's an old gate that leads toward the river cliffs. She might think Emmeranne's hiding out there."

"Then we have to move," Aiden said immediately.