"Yeah. I figured."
I whispered the words to the empty air, or rather, to the invisible ink-ghost floating behind my left shoulder. The Editor didn't respond. He just hovered there, looking like a doodle someone had forgotten to erase, radiating a smug sense of satisfaction about the "sonic typewriter" maneuver.
I shoved the ID card deep into my pocket, my fingers brushing against the cold plastic. Beware the Editor.
Great. My only guide to this broken world was apparently a double agent. Or a glitch. Or something worse.
"Ren," Tybalt groaned, stumbling over a root. "My feet. I can't feel my feet. Are they still there? Please tell me they haven't fallen off."
"They're still there, Ty," I said, grabbing his elbow to steady him. "We're almost at the gate."
The walk back to the Academy was a blur of exhaustion. The forest, now devoid of glitches and mercenaries, was just a forest again—damp, foggy, and annoyingly long.
Cian was walking in a daze, clutching the charred remains of Ria's gold coin like it was a holy relic. Kaelen led the way, his posture stiff. He was running on fumes and mana exhaustion, but he refused to show it.
We broke through the tree line just as the mid-morning bell tolled from the distant clock tower.
The North Gate staging area came into view. Professor Hale was there, pacing back and forth, checking a pocket watch. A few other student teams were scattered around, looking battered and bruised, nursing goblin bites and poison ivy rashes.
When we stepped out of the fog, Hale stopped pacing.
"Squad 7!" he boomed, striding toward us. He looked surprised. "You're... back early. And from the North sector?"
"We took a shortcut," Ria said smoothly, stepping forward. She looked remarkably fresh for someone who had just fought a war. "Through the briar patch. Very scenic. Lots of thorns."
Hale frowned, looking over our motley crew. Tybalt covered in mud, Kaelen's armor scorched, Cian smelling like ozone, and me... well, I probably looked like I'd slept in a blender.
"And the objective?" Hale asked, crossing his arms.
Kaelen reached into his pouch and pulled out the digital tag—the proof of visiting the Relay Point. He tossed it to Hale.
Hale caught it. He checked the display. His eyebrows shot up.
"Time: 26 hours," he read. "And... full squad integrity? No casualties?"
"Define casualty," Tybalt muttered. "My dignity is dead."
"We're all here, Professor," I said. "Squad 7 reports mission complete."
Hale looked at us with a new glint of respect. "Impressive. That's a new first-year record. But..." He looked past us, scanning the tree line. "Where is Squad 4? Vance's team? They were supposed to be on your tail."
The air grew heavy. This was the moment. We had rehearsed the lie on the hike back.
"They engaged a pack of Iron-Boars near the ravine," Kaelen said, his voice flat and emotionless. "We tried to assist, but they insisted on handling it themselves. We separated to secure the objective."
"Iron-Boars?" Hale's expression darkened. "Those are Grade-3 beasts. Troublesome for a single squad."
"They seemed confident," Ria added, examining her fingernails. "Vance said something about 'showing us how it's done.' We didn't want to get in his way."
It was the perfect lie because it used Vance's own arrogance against him. Hale knew Vance. He knew the boy would absolutely try to solo a monster pack to show off.
"I see," Hale said, looking concerned. He tapped a communication crystal on his belt. "Recovery Team Alpha, sweep Sector 4. Possible distress signal from the Thorne heir."
He looked back at us. "Go to the infirmary. Get checked out. Then report to the dorms. You're excused from afternoon classes."
"Thank you, sir," I said.
We walked past him, heading toward the main campus. As soon as we were out of earshot, Tybalt let out a long, shuddering breath.
"I'm a criminal," he whispered. "I lied to a professor. I'm going to prison. Do they serve gruel in prison? I hate gruel."
"Relax, Ty," I said, patting his back. "It's not a lie. Vance did engage a pack. A pack of wasps. And us."
"Technically," Cian whispered, "we engaged him. With glue."
"Details," I said.
We reached the central plaza. The fountain was bubbling cheerfully, students were laughing on the grass, and the sky was a perfect, un-glitchy blue. It was jarring. An hour ago we were fighting for the fate of reality in a sci-fi bunker. Now, people were eating sandwiches.
"Okay," Kaelen said, stopping near the fountain. "We split up here. If we stay together, it looks suspicious. Go to your dorms. Hide your gear."
He looked at me. His eyes lingered on my pocket—where the Source Code Fragment was hidden.
"Ren," he said quietly. "Keep that thing safe. If the Covenant is really inside the school..."
"I know," I said. "Trust me. I'm burying it."
"I'm going to the library," Cian said, clutching his melted coin. "I need to... figure out why the sonic frequency worked. And I need to owe Ria a castle."
"Start with a coffee," Ria said, winking. "Then we'll talk real estate."
The group dispersed. Kaelen headed to the training grounds (because of course he did). Ria vanished into the crowd. Cian and Tybalt headed for the dorms.
I stood alone by the fountain.
[Objective Complete: Survive the Forest Expedition.]
[Reward: 500 XP (Observer Level Up)]
[Current Level: 3]
[New Feature: Passive Detection Range increased to 15 meters.]
"Level 3," I muttered. "Great. Maybe at Level 5 I get a vacation."
I started walking toward the Commoner Dorms, intending to hide the crystal in my hollowed-out mattress (classic hiding spot). But as I passed the Alchemy Wing, a shadow fell over me.
"Ren."
I stopped. I didn't need to turn around. I knew that voice. It was cool, analytical, and usually meant I was in trouble.
Elara.
I turned slowly. She was standing under an archway, holding her clipboard. But she wasn't writing. She was staring at me.
"You're back early," she said.
"We walked fast," I said, putting on my best 'tired student' face. "Tybalt saw a spider. It was a whole thing."
Elara didn't smile. She took a step closer.
"I was monitoring the ambient mana levels in the forest remotely," she said. "For a hydrology project."
"Hydrology. Exciting."
"At 0600 hours," she continued, "there was a spike. A massive one. But it wasn't magical. It was... sonic. It shattered two of my remote sensors."
She adjusted her glasses.
"And moments before that spike, the atmospheric pressure in the North Sector dropped to zero. A vacuum. Like the world stopped breathing."
She looked me dead in the eye.
"And then you walk out of the woods, Ren. Without a scratch. While Vance—the strongest mage in our year—is currently being airlifted to the infirmary with severe mana-burns and what appears to be... adhesive residue... all over his armor."
My heart skipped a beat. They found Vance already.
"Sounds like he had a rough day," I said neutrally.
"Stop it," Elara snapped. Her composure cracked, just for a second. "Stop pretending you're nobody. I know you're doing something. The library basement. The forest. You're at the center of every anomaly."
She lowered her voice to a whisper.
"Are you with them? The Iron Covenant?"
I blinked. She thought I was a terrorist?
"No," I said firmly. "I'm not."
"Then prove it," she said. "Tell me what happened out there. The truth."
I looked at her. Elara was the Strategist. If I told her the truth, she could be a powerful ally. But she was also the Student Council Rep. She followed rules. If I told her about the bunker, the Architect, the glitch... she might report it to the Headmaster. And I didn't know if the Headmaster was compromised.
"I can't tell you," I said. "Not yet."
Elara's eyes hardened. "Then I can't protect you when the Inquisitors come."
"Inquisitors?"
"Vance's father is furious," she said. "He's demanding an investigation. The Academy Inquisitors are coming tomorrow. They're going to interview Squad 7. And they use Truth Serum."
My blood ran cold. Truth Serum.
If they dosed us... we were done. Tybalt would crack in seconds. Kaelen might fight them.
"Thanks for the warning," I said, my mind already racing for a counter-strategy.
"I didn't do it for you," Elara said, turning away. "I did it because if you are fighting the Covenant... I don't want you to lose. But if you're lying to me, Ren... I'll be the one to take you down."
She walked away, her heels clicking on the cobblestones.
I stood there for a moment, watching her go.
"Truth Serum," I whispered. "Fantastic."
I felt a cold breeze on my neck. The Editor floated into view.
Inquisitors rely on mental pathways, the Editor's text scrolled in the air. You have a Source Code Fragment. If you integrate it... you might be able to edit your own memory files.
I looked at the ghost.
"Edit my own memories?" I asked. "You mean delete the truth so I can pass a lie detector?"
Temporary suppression, the Editor corrected. Like hiding a file in a folder marked 'Homework'. But it's risky. If you mess up, you might forget who you are.
I touched the pocket with the crystal.
"Great," I muttered. "Lobotomy by choice. Just another Tuesday."
I needed to gather the team. We had twelve hours before the Inquisitors arrived. We needed to get our story straight, and I needed to figure out how to shield four people's minds from a magical interrogation.
I started running toward the dorms. Arc 2 wasn't waiting for us to catch our breath. The Academy's Shadow was already looming, and it was bringing a polygraph.