I stood on the rooftop, the broken mask in my hands.
The assassin was gone. But they had made a mistake.
They let me see their eyes.
Red. Sharp. Unmistakable.
This wasn't just some nameless killer.
This was someone from the academy.
The List Grows Shorter
I returned to my dorm, locking the door behind me.
The kill list sat open on my desk.
My name. Isaac's name.
And the others.
One of them was the assassin.
I tapped my fingers against the table, thinking.
Elias had given me the book. The warning. But he hadn't told me everything.
If I wanted to survive, I needed answers.
And that meant finding him.
Tonight.
A Noble's Den
Elias Fontaine didn't live in the student dorms like the rest of us.
He resided in the Northern Wing—a private estate reserved for nobility.
Breaking in would be suicide.
Which meant I needed a different way in.
I walked toward the entrance, keeping to the shadows. The guards outside the iron gate were chatting, half-distracted.
Then—
A figure approached them.
A girl.
Celine Valmont.
A noble in Elias's inner circle.
And the perfect opportunity.
A Game of Lies
Celine walked past the guards. She had high cheekbones, sharp features, and a presence that demanded attention.
As she passed, I slipped in behind her, keeping my head low.
Once inside the grand halls, I acted like I belonged.
Servants moved through the corridors, carrying trays of wine and documents. The nobles were gathered in Elias's lounge, deep in conversation.
I stopped outside the door, pressing my back to the wall.
Inside, voices whispered.
"He's alive?" one of them asked.
Elias's voice followed, calm and collected. "For now."
A pause.
Then a third voice, colder than the others.
"That will change soon."
I clenched my fists.
They were talking about me.
The Truth Revealed
I didn't have time to listen further.
A shadow moved behind me.
I turned—
And met red eyes.
Not just any red eyes.
The assassin's.
Up close, their presence was suffocating. A thin, athletic frame, dressed in noble attire instead of their black gear.
No weapons. But they didn't need any.
Because I finally recognized them.
Celine Valmont.
She smirked. "You shouldn't be here, Ren."
I didn't flinch. "Neither should an assassin."
She chuckled. "Who says I'm an assassin?"
I held up the broken mask.
Her smirk didn't waver.
If anything, she looked amused.
"You're learning," she murmured. "But you're still too slow."
Then—
She snapped her fingers.
A signal.
And the doors behind me swung open.
Elias stepped out, flanked by two guards.
He sighed. "Ren, Ren, Ren… What am I going to do with you?"
I exhaled.
I had walked straight into their hands.
And now, I had to find a way out.