Whispers of Worlds Beyond: A Series

The night was colder than Aiden expected. The wind snuck past the tall trees surrounding the academy's rear wall, brushing through the grass and tugging at the edge of his coat as he and Lopt made their way along the hidden path, lit only by moonlight and the occasional shimmer of blue fire Aiden conjured to light their way.

"We need to hurry," Aiden said, his voice low but urgent as he stepped over a gnarled root. "If she gets too far ahead, we might lose her trail."

Lopt, walking ahead of him with his hands casually tucked into his pockets, barely glanced back.

"Relax. I know where she's going. She has nowhere else to go. Besides…" His lips twitched into a slight grin. "She's terrible at sneaking around."

Aiden frowned. "Still, I don't want anything to happen to a classmate."

"She's not helpless," Lopt said, then added more softly, "but I get it."

They walked in silence for a few more minutes, the only sounds their footsteps crunching against the dirt and the far-off rustling of the trees. Then, unexpectedly, Lopt broke the quiet.

"So…" he said, glancing sideways. "What was Earth like?"

Aiden blinked. "Earth?"

"Yeah. You're from there, right?" Lopt's tone was still casual, but there was a strange flicker in his eyes- genuine curiosity beneath the teasing. "What's it like being the heir of the famous Chase family over there?"

Aiden was quiet for a long moment. The wind carried the scent of pine and soil.

"You don't ask light questions, do you?"

Lopt smirked. "I'm an excellent conversationalist."

Aiden chuckled faintly, but it faded just as quickly. His voice dropped, and the firelight dimmed in his hand. "Being a Chase isn't what people think it is. On Earth, it was… suffocating. Eyes on me all the time. Expectations so high I couldn't breathe."

Lopt tilted his head, listening.

"My father- he never let me forget who I was supposed to be. Perfect son. Perfect heir. No weakness. No failure. Even when I just wanted to be… a kid." Aiden swallowed. "There were days I felt like a sword- always ready to be wielded, but never allowed to rest."

He laughed once, bitterly. "You know what I remember most? Silence. Our house was huge, but it always felt empty. Cold halls. Locked doors. And even when it was full, it still felt like I was alone."

Lopt didn't say anything for a moment, just watching him.

"I didn't get to choose this," Aiden muttered. "The blood in my veins, the power. None of it was mine to decide."

Lopt finally spoke, quieter than before. "But you're still here."

Aiden nodded. "Yeah. Somehow."

"I've met a lot of heirs," Lopt said, "but most of them are so obsessed with their legacy, they can't see past their own reflections. You're different."

"Different good or different doomed?"

"Bit of both. That's what makes you interesting."

Aiden smiled faintly. "Thanks… I think."

They kept walking, the forest beginning to thin out ahead of them. Moonlight poured through the canopy, casting ghostly shapes on the grass. Lopt slowed down, raising a hand.

"We're almost there. That ridge just past the tunnel mouth? That's where she's headed."

Aiden glanced around. The air was heavier now, and the sound of rushing water echoed faintly from the cliffs. His fire dimmed further as they stepped into the narrowing stone path between the trees.

The climb up the cliffside was quieter than it had ever been.

Each step scraped against the gravel and loose stone, but even the crunch beneath Aiden's bare feet (yes, he forgot to wear shoes) sounded muted, like the world itself was holding its breath.

The fire in his palm was small, just enough to light the path ahead. The sky above had turned to a velvet, deep blue, streaked with clouds, and the full moon hung low like an eye watching them.

Behind him, Lopt followed at a steady pace, hands casually in his pockets, as if this were just another late-night stroll through the woods.

Halfway up, Aiden's voice cut through the silence.

"How did you know?"

Lopt didn't break stride. "Know what?"

"About Emmeranne. About London Square. When you confronted her in the Mirage Field earlier in the morning."

Lopt was quiet for a moment, then said with a half-smile, "She was never in London Square. That was Karro. Emmeranne was near the station… just outside the border."

Aiden stopped. The wind brushed past, carrying leaves and the scent of damp pine.

"Then why was Karro there?" he asked.

Lopt shrugged. "I don't know. It was all over the news."

That made Aiden pause longer. His gut twisted with something that wasn't fear- more like realization, slow and creeping. They continued up, but Aiden's mind was no longer just on Emmeranne. Something itched at the back of his skull, like he was overlooking something obvious.

By the time they reached the top of the cliff, the view had opened wide- forests blanketed the landscape, dark waves of green stretching out forever. The lake glittered like black glass in the distance, and the moon's reflection danced across it.

There was no sign of Amihan or Emmeranne.

Aiden stepped toward the edge, the cool breeze brushing his hair back. He let the fire in his hand fizzle out and breathed in deeply. Despite the cold, sweat clung to his neck, from the hike… and the unease.

He turned.

Lopt stood behind him, his face obscured partially by shadow.

Aiden narrowed his eyes.

"You said it was on the news?"

Lopt nodded, almost bored. "Mm-hmm."

"No, it wasn't."

"I was there, Lopt. The Caleenas were given a secret mission by the headmaster to retrieve me from the Chase Mansion. My identity wasn't given up until when Karro himself announced it. I reckon even the Hunters Association would say anything. If word got out that I was a Magi, let alone the heir to the Chase name, it would've shattered them. My entire background in regards to Earth was probably erased or covered up. I assume they have presumed me dead or taken by the person responsible for the killings in the station. That's what they would've told the media. If anything was released, it would've been half-truths and redirections. There was no way it could've made it to the news. Not the real story."

Lopt tilted his head slightly, saying nothing.

"You wouldn't have known where I was, or that Karro was there, or that I was tied to it. Unless…"

The cliff was silent.

"Unless someone told you," Aiden finished, his voice low.

The clouds thinned, and the moonlight caught the side of Lopt's face.

Aiden took a step back, instinctively, his feet scuffing the stone behind him.

"You wouldn't have known that unless you were working… under Karro."

Lopt smiled faintly, but it didn't reach his eyes.

There was a long pause. The wind died down for a beat. No rustling leaves, no sound of nightbirds. Only the slow thud of Aiden's heart, rising now, steady but heavy, like a war drum beneath his ribs.

He waited for Lopt to deny it.

To laugh.

To mock him like always.

But Lopt didn't.

He just stood there. Watching.

"I trusted you," Aiden said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I thought you were…"

He didn't finish the sentence. Because suddenly, he didn't know what he thought anymore.

Lopt took a step forward, and Aiden instinctively tensed.

But Lopt didn't attack.

He just looked at Aiden, like he was trying to see something deeper inside him.

Then, quietly, Lopt said, "It's dangerous to stand that close to the edge. Especially when the truth starts to feel like a push."

Lopt just smiled at Aiden. His expression was hollow, vacant in the most unsettling way, like he was wearing a mask that had long since stopped fitting.

The fire in his hand reignited without thought, flames crackling softly in the quiet air.

Lopt took a slow step forward and Aiden reacted.

He hurled a blast of fire directly at Lopt's chest, expecting it to force him back- if not burn him, at least give Aiden the space to run.

But Lopt moved and sidestepped it, almost as if he knew it was coming before Aiden had even lifted his hand. The fire fizzled against the rocky cliff behind him, leaving only black scorch marks in its wake.

Lopt kept walking.

And Aiden, without realizing it, kept walking backward until the wind hit his back and the solid ground was gone.

He was at the edge.

"Do you trust me?" Lopt asked quietly.

The question threw Aiden off. He blinked, his fire still lit, though the flicker was uneven now, responding to his scattered emotions.

"What?"

"Do you trust me?" Lopt repeated, stopping just a few feet away from him.

Aiden narrowed his eyes. "Why the hell would I trust you?" he snapped. "You... you've been lying this whole time. You knew, you... backstabbing bitch."

Lopt laughed jusr softly, like something in him was still amused by the way Aiden clung to anger like it would save him.

He didn't respond.

"Answer me!" Aiden shouted, the fire in his palm flaring up with his voice.

Lopt tilted his head.

"Do you trust me?"

This time, the question wasn't casual. There was something heavier beneath it, something that pressed against Aiden's chest like a warning, or a promise.

"No."

The smile dropped from Lopt's face like it had never been there.

Without another word, Lopt reached out and shoved Aiden.

Aiden's feet slipped. His balance disappeared. The night tilted, and for a single, breathless heartbeat, all he saw was the moon in the sky and the look on Lopt's face- smiling.

Then the cliff was gone beneath him.

And Aiden fell.