The kill list sat in my hands, its ink a quiet death sentence.
Someone in the academy wanted me dead.
But the question wasn't who.
It was how soon.
A Name Worth Killing For
I traced my finger down the list.
Some names were familiar. Nobles, high-ranking students, influential figures. Targets that meant something.
But then there were others.
Names I didn't recognize.
Names that shouldn't have been there.
One stood out:
Isaac Vance.
Not a noble. Not powerful. Just another student.
But if his name was on the same list as mine—
He knew something.
Or worse—
He was already dead.
A Meeting with the Dead
I found Isaac where most nobodies hid in the academy—on the outskirts.
A quiet library wing, dust-filled and abandoned. The kind of place where someone could disappear and no one would notice.
He was hunched over a desk, fingers gripping a worn-out book. His uniform was slightly disheveled, his hair falling into his eyes.
The moment he saw me, he flinched.
"You…" His voice cracked. "You're Ren Hale."
I closed the door behind me.
"You're on the list," I said bluntly. "Same as me."
His breath hitched.
Then—his eyes darted around, checking the shadows.
"You don't get it," he whispered. "They don't just put people on that list. If your name is there, it's already too late."
I took a slow step forward.
"Who made it?"
Isaac swallowed hard. "You already know the answer."
I did.
Elias Fontaine.
But something didn't add up. Elias warned me about the list. He gave me the book.
So why would he put me on it?
Unless—
Someone else was moving the pieces.
The Real Enemy
Isaac's hands trembled.
"They kill students in stages," he said. "First, they corner you. Then they make it look like an accident. Or…" He trailed off, gripping the edge of the table.
I could see it now—the fear, the exhaustion.
He'd been running.
But there was nowhere left to go.
I leaned in. "Who are they?"
Isaac hesitated.
Then, just as his lips parted to answer—
A shadow flickered behind him.
My instincts screamed.
I moved.
Too late.
The blade came from nowhere.
A sharp whistle through the air. A glint of silver.
Then—
Blood splattered across the bookshelves.
Isaac collapsed.
His body twitched once.
Then, nothing.
My breath came fast. My pulse roared in my ears.
It wasn't an accident.
It was a message.
The hunt had begun.
And I was next.