Whispers of Worlds Beyond: A Series-Chapter 148: Orchestral Symphony [13]

The night had settled thickly around Genvah Academy, blanketing the halls in eerie silence. In their dimly lit dormitory, Aiden was stirred awake by the creaking sound of the door swinging open.

He groggily turned over, blinking through the haze of sleep.

"Adrian? Sevan?"

But when he sat up, rubbing his eyes to get a clearer view, he saw that both beds were empty.

Frowning, Aiden pulled his blanket tighter around his shoulders and stared at the door, waiting, half-expecting the two to reappear with some ridiculous excuse. Maybe they had snuck out for Adrian to do some business in the restroom, or maybe to find a midnight snack. That wouldn't be unlike Adrian.

But minutes passed. Then more.

The quiet tick of the clock in the corner became maddening.

He considered getting up and looking for them, but exhaustion tugged at his limbs. So instead, he laid back down, his eyes watching the ceiling, waiting, until the wait grew heavy and lulled him back into a shallow, dreamless sleep.

SLAM.

The door burst open again, the sound echoing like a crack of thunder in the stillness.

Aiden shot up straight in bed, heart hammering in his chest.

"Adrian?" he called groggily, blinking hard against the darkness. "Sevan?"

No answer.

Aiden squinted.

It

wasn't them.

His breath caught in his throat as he saw the silhouette- a cloaked figure had stepped into the room, blade in hand, glinting faintly in the low moonlight bleeding through the windows.

The air seemed to drop in temperature all at once, a chill running up Aiden's spine.

He stumbled out of bed, heart racing, his hand instantly flexing to make way for his flames. "Who- what the hell- ?"

But the figure didn't answer.

They raised their sword in silence.

The blade swung down in a clean arc, the edge catching a sliver of light. Aiden barely had time to throw up his arms when...

"AHHH!"

He screamed, instinct overriding thought, and the sound echoed through the dorm.

Click!

The lights blazed on.

Adrian's voice barked out, "Aiden?!"

Sevan shoved the door wide open, his eyes sharp and scanning.

The cloaked figure was gone.

Vanished like mist.

Aiden collapsed back against the side of his bed, chest heaving, pointing wildly at the spot the figure had stood.

"There was someone- someone with a sword! They were right there! They-!"

Adrian rushed to his side, gripping his shoulder. "Aiden, breathe. There's no one else here."

Sevan strode to the door, looked out into the hallway, then checked behind curtains and in the wardrobe. Nothing.

"Aiden," Sevan said slowly, "are you sure you weren't dreaming?"

Aiden opened his mouth to insist. Yes, he was sure. It wasn't a dream. He could still feel the weight of that fear, the hum of magic in the air when the sword swung. It was real.

But then again… so had that walk to Lopt's secret chamber.

And yet he'd woken up in the restroom.

He looked down at his trembling hands.

"I… I don't know," he whispered. "I think it was real."

Adrian's jaw clenched. "We're not taking chances. From now on, one of us sleeps by the door."

Sevan gave a short nod. "I'll set some traps tonight."

Aiden didn't argue.

"Tell the headmaster."

"What?"

"Tell him Karro is here. He's here. It must be him."

The next day, the day opened with a charged, sunlit sky over Genvah's battle coliseum, the vast dome trembling slightly with the roar of students and faculty gathered to watch the long-awaited duels of the Solstice Trials.

Second years took the floor first.

Their matches were quick and decisive, but none as jaw-dropping as Tachyon's. Ranked first among second-years, Tachyon didn't waste a heartbeat. The moment the whistle was blown, his opponent collapsed- victim to a near-impossible burst of speed and a shockwave punch that shattered the stone beneath their feet.

By noon, the murmur around the arena shifted with electric anticipation.

The First Year Top Ten were next. Or, as it was now being whispered, the Top Nine.

Sevan had stayed true to his promise: after his loss during the preliminary duels against Shiloh, he had officially removed himself from the bracket.

Aiden had tried to talk him out of it more than once, but Sevan had only smiled and said, "I promised that the one who loses, loses their position. I'm not someone who go against their word."

Now, the crowd leaned in as the names flashed across the arena crystal.

The first match was Morrigan and Ivara's.

The two girls entered the ring to a wave of applause, friends as much as rivals.

Morrigan's conjured beasts- translucent and ghostly-prowled around her. Ivara, calm and focused, nocked her arrows with precision. Their duel was intense. Ivara's agility and accuracy allowed her to stay mobile, dodging the phantom claws of Morrigan's summoned creatures, while landing hit after hit. But Morrigan wasn't easy to shake off. Her control over the battlefield with her summons was suffocating.

In the end, it was Ivara's pinpoint final shot- an arrow laced with disruption magic- that scattered Morrigan's final summon and pushed her just outside the boundary line.

The arena erupted in cheers. Ivara helped Morrigan up, and the two embraced, grinning through their exhaustion.

The second match was Aiden against Ammonn.

A sudden hush blanketed the coliseum.

Everyone knew of Aiden's last name. Everyone watched him.

He walked calmly into the ring, his long whip-sword coiled loosely in his hand, the sunlight glinting off the blade.

Across from him, Ammonn stood with his usual smug smirk.

The referee lifted his hand.

"Begin!"

Ammonn vanished instantly, disappearing before the word had finished leaving the referee's mouth.

Aiden narrowed his eyes. His stance shifted low and grounded. His ears tuned in for any sounds: a footstep, a breath, anything.

Nothing.

Seconds passed.

Then, he smiled.

Raising his hand, Aiden snapped his fingers once, and a bloom of fire erupted around him in a sharp ring.

He wasn't trying to burn Ammonn- no. That would be too unpredictable.

Instead, he let his flames flicker across the ground… and upward.

The moment the fire licked upward, it caught something.

Something invisible.

Cloth.

The crowd gasped as a strange shimmer moved in the air- smoke curling around a vaguely human silhouette.

Aiden followed the smoke trail with his eyes.

"There you are," he murmured, and pointed.

Another flick of his fingers and the flames flared again.

This time, Ammonn's voice rang out.

"Okay! Okay! I yield!"

The flames immediately died down, doused by Aiden's control.

The invisibility flickered away, revealing Ammonn with scorched sleeves and a sheepish expression, patting his smoking shoulder.

Aiden let out a breath and bowed.

The arena roared with excitement.

"Smart play," someone near the front muttered. "That Chase boy's not just powerful. He's clever."

Back near the stairs, Adrian grinned proudly.

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Sevan crossed his arms. "Told you he had this."

Morrigan leaned forward, brushing dirt from her uniform, and added, "He didn't even break a sweat. Gotta go, guys. Ammonn needs me."

The cheering continued to thunder around the coliseum, but Aiden didn't hear it.

His breaths came out shallow, his vision slightly doubled at the edges. He stepped off the dueling platform as the referee announced his victory, but his movements were slow, as though every part of him weighed more than it should. The heat of his own fire still lingered in his fingers, yet his skin had gone ghostly pale. Under the midday sun, he looked like someone who hadn't slept in days. And truthfully, he hadn't.

As he walked back toward the waiting area, students called out his name and clapped him on the back, whie some would sneer at his direction telling him to stop being so cocky just because he has powers since he is still a Chase. Some tried to ask how he did it- how he caught Ammonn when no one else could- but Aiden barely managed to offer a nod.

He wasn't even entirely sure how he had done it.

He just knew he had to win.

Ammonn, sitting now at the edge of the ring with scorch marks still on his sleeves, waved at him sheepishly.

"Sorry for the sneak attack," he said with a rueful grin. "Didn't expect you to turn me into a bonfire, though."

Aiden gave a tired half-smile. "Didn't expect you to be so flammable."

Adrian and Sevan rushed to meet him as he stepped off the field. Adrian looked him up and down, alarmed. "You look like you died and came back. Are you okay?"

Sevan frowned. "You alright?"

Aiden shook his head, but it wasn't a no. It was just a vague motion, like brushing off dust. "I'm fine. Just… a little dizzy."

"Little?" Adrian stepped closer and caught his arm before Aiden could sway. "You're white as chalk, and your hands are shaking. Don't 'little' me right now."

Aiden pulled away gently. "I said I'm fine. I just need water."

Sevan exchanged a look with Adrian.

Behind them, the arena lights shifted, announcing the next match in glowing letters across the magical display. The crowd roared again, but the three boys were silent, standing together in the shadow of the coliseum wall.

Morrigan and Ivara joined them shortly after. Ivara was still catching her breath, her braid coming undone from the scuffle, while Morrigan looked like she'd nearly cried.

"You were amazing out there," Ivara told Aiden. "That fire trick was genius."

Aiden nodded, but his eyes were distant.

Morrigan touched his arm gently. "Are you okay?"

Before he could answer, a shadow passed from the corner of his eye.

High up in the seating tiers, someone cloaked in a long, dark robe had stopped to watch.

Not cheering. Not clapping.

Just staring.

Aiden's gaze locked with theirs for only a second.

Then the figure turned and vanished into the crowd.

His heart skipped.

The coliseum suddenly felt colder than it had under the sun.

"Did you tell the headmaster?" Aiden whispered, forgetting to answer Morrigan.

Sevan looked at him and shook his head. "Later."