Chapter 34 - Suspicion

  Kaelin moved swiftly through the dimly lit corridors of the academy, her satchel pressed tightly against her side. The weight of its contents felt disproportionate to mere books – these tomes carried the weight of secrets, their implications vast and unsettling.

  The ruins had yielded more than just fragments of history; they had exposed knowledge long buried, possibly erased from the annals of magical study. Her hope was that Aric could help her understand something more.

  She reached his study and knocked firmly. The door swung open almost instantly, as though he had anticipated her arrival.

  "Kaelin," Aric greeted, his eyes sharp as they scanned her tense posture. "You look troubled."

  She stepped inside, glancing briefly at the numerous scrolls and aged manuscripts that lay scattered across his desk. The room smelled of parchment and candle wax, the fire in the hearth casting elongated shadows across the bookshelves. The walls bore inscriptions of modern spell-work, diagrams, and quotes that most students never even glimpsed.

  Wasting no time, Kaelin withdrew the books from her satchel and placed them on his desk. "As you know I’m a part of the “Archaeology Society”, and during our outing on Saturday… I found these." she stated, her voice steady despite the excitement bubbling beneath the surface. "In there, are some quite impressive spells, along with some which would probably get someone arrested if they used them. And then there were these– “

  She unfolded a separate parchment, revealing the runic symbols she had meticulously transcribed. "There were three statues in some chamber. This sentence here was inscribed beneath the largest statue in the ruins and the two smaller ones had these symbols under them. These symbols– “

  Kaelin stopped for a moment. She contemplated her choices before continuing.

  “I found them elsewhere as well. They were carved into the walls of an earlier room. Next to them were the runes along with symbols for each of the magic types – Mind, Nature, Essence and Time. If you look here,” Kaelin said, pointing to the latter half of each of the magic symbols. “You see this same piece repeating. But it’s only ever with the magic runes, none of the symbols in this sentence have any similarity.”

  Aric nodded along as she explained her thoughts.

  “Hmmm, let me take a better look at it in my own time. Maybe I’ll be able to find something?” While Aric’s words said good, his tone seemed concerned.

  “Thanks a lot.”

  Aric took the parchment of runes in his hand.

  “Hmmm, that one’s new…” He muttered, looking at the snake.

  “Do you know what this is called?” Aric didn’t wait for an answer. “This is an Ouroboros. It’s commonly depicted as a snake or dragon eating its own tail. Ouroboros in Elden Script means ‘Tail-eater’ Fitting, isn’t it?”

  Aric looked like a fanatic as he said this. “It is said to symbolise the eternal cycle of life, death and renewal. How no matter what. Our fate leads us to death. And after that, to the praise of Achelous, we are born again.”

  Aric said this placing the parchment on the table, putting his hands together, looking to the ground, praying.

  Looking up, his expression darkened slightly as he reached for the topmost tome. His fingers traced its worn leather cover with an almost reverent caution before he began flipping through its fragile pages.

  His gaze moved methodically, absorbing the unfamiliar script and the diagrams that adorned its margins. The flickering candlelight reflected off his eyes, making his intent focus seem even more piercing.

  "Sorry, where exactly did you say you found these?" he asked, his voice controlled but edged with curiosity.

  Kaelin hesitated only briefly. "I didn’t, but in the main room up above, the underground section, there was a lone pedestal in the centre. On the top of it were the books. It was right at the predestal where Aria and I fell.”

  Aric exhaled slowly and deliberately, shutting the book with a muted thud. "This knowledge is dangerous, Kaelin. You know about the Royal Archaeology Core right? We can’t let them get a hold of it. Since they’re in cahoots with The Royals, the information would go straight to the militaryWould you mind if I kept these? If I held owneships

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  Kaelin’s heart pounded. "Which is precisely why they should be examined. What if these symbols represent a lost school of magic? What if they were erased not because they were dangerous, but because someone wanted them forgotten?"

  Aric studied her intently before exhaling through his nose. With measured movements, he pulled the books closer to him. "I will need time to examine these thoroughly."

  Kaelin’s fingers twitched at her sides. "You’re confiscating them?"

  Aric’s expression remained unreadable. "I am ensuring they are studied with the caution they demand. You don’t yet understand the full implications of what you’ve found. Some knowledge is buried for a reason."

  Irritation flared within her. "I can handle this. I’ve already started deciphering some of the symbols—"

  "Which is exactly my concern," Aric interjected, his voice firm but not unkind. "Your intelligence is not in question. But wisdom comes from experience, and you lack that. There are forces at play beyond your comprehension. Trust my judgment. When I have assessed the significance of these findings, I will share what is necessary."

  Kaelin’s jaw tightened. She could feel herself being shut out, yet she knew pressing the issue further would accomplish nothing. Instead, she nodded stiffly. "Fine. But don’t keep me in the dark."

  Aric regarded her for a long moment before inclining his head. "I wouldn’t dream of it."

  Yet as she turned and left his study, unease settled in her stomach. His words had been carefully chosen, his reactions too measured. He knew more than he was letting on. And Kaelin had no intention of waiting idly for answers.

  Kaelin’s fingers traced the parchment where she had carefully copied the ancient runes, her thoughts churning with a mix of excitement and unease. The flickering candlelight cast shifting shadows across her desk, making the symbols seem almost alive.

  She had spent hours studying them, trying to decipher their meaning, but the more she stared, the more questions surfaced. Aric’s words echoed in her mind –__________ That revelation had sent shivers down her spine. If it was truly forbidden, why had she found traces of it hidden beneath the academy?

  She leaned back, exhaling slowly. The academy had always felt vast and full of secrets, but now it seemed different. Kaelin constantly felt unsettled. Like the professors knew she was poking around and were out to get her.

  If these magics had been known about so long ago, why was this the only place it was seen? Why hadn’t there been other records? All the other types popped up everywhere in old texts and the runes for them were well known because of it.

  Her gaze flicked toward the window. The academy grounds were bathed in the silver glow of the moon, the usual bustle of students replaced by an eerie stillness. She should be in bed. Most of the academy was. But sleep wouldn’t come. Not with all these questions gnawing at her mind.

  Kaelin’s fingers tightened around the parchment before she decisively rolled it up and tucked it into her satchel. There hadn’t been any leads in the library, and Aric warned against searching by herself. Should she just listen? What does it matter to her if there are new magic types which no one had seen in a few thousand years? Anyway, Aric said he would start teaching her something new. Maybe she should focus on that first.

  Who am I kidding. I couldn’t stop if I tried.

  ***

  Kaelin took the chance to visit the training grounds, hoping to take her mind off things. The training grounds were deserted at this late hour, the vast stone courtyard bathed in pale moonlight. There was still one person present. Zephyr.

  He was at the gym section on the far end of the area doing pull ups. His broad, muscular black glistened with sweat. As Kaelin got closer, she hear him speaking to himself.

  “Six fifty-five. Six fifty-six, Six fifty-seven.”

  He went up for another, but his arms wouldn’t let him.

  Zephyr tutted before mumbling to himself, writing something down in a note pad. “Six fifty-seven. Could be better…”

  Kaelin crept up behind him, hoping to give him a shock.

  Kaelin shouted put her hands on his shoulder and shouted, “BOO!”

  Zephyr didn’t even flinch, he turned to face her, muscles bulging. “Oh hey, surprised to see you here at this time… What time is it anyway?”

  “It’s almost midnight. And I come here all the time thank you very much!” Kaelin said defensively.

  Zephyr replied sarcastically. “Oh do you? Don’t think I’ve ever seen it. Must be when I’m not here.”

  “Just shut it already!” Kaelin shouted back.

  Zephyr stared at her inquisitively, seemingly deciding whether to ask or not.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Kaelin asked.

  Zephyr thought for a second before asking. “Why are you here? You’ve never come to the gym at night before. You always go in the day, at the most it’s just after dinner but never this late. Is something up?”

  Kaelin stopped. How’d he know? I thought I was being pretty discreet about it.

  "No, nothing’s up… Just couldn’t sleep.”

  Zephyr dismissed her answer immediately. “Stop lying, you aren’t very good at it.”

  “…”

  Kaelin said nothing.

  “Come on, you can’t take the world on alone.”

  “Fine. I found some stuff in the ruins which is putting me off. Come here same time tomorrow and I’ll show you.”

  “I’m always here, eleven till one.” Zephyr said, excitedly.

  “Promise me you won’t tell Lena though. She can’t know about it! I don’t want her getting involved.” Kaelin replied worriedly.

  “I won’t tell her, don’t worry.”

  “Promise me!”

  “I promise I won’t tell her. I don’t want her in danger any more than you do.

  After their exchange, they both went back to working out. At one in the morning, Zephyr left. But Kaelin kept going, she couldn’t sleep with all this swirling around in her head.

  As the night deepened, Kaelin stood on the stone, lost in thought. Then, some movement caught her eye. She stiffened, staring out into the night to get a better look.

  A lone figure moved through the courtyard, pausing occasionally as if checking for something – or someone.

  Kaelin’s breath hitched.

  It was Aric.