Whispers of Worlds Beyond: A Series

Aiden woke to the sterile scent of herbs and the faint rustling of curtains. His body felt heavier than usual, his limbs sluggish as if he had been asleep for far too long. Blinking against the dim morning light filtering through the windows, he took in the familiar setting.

He's in the infirmary.

Beside him, Adrian was casually shuffling a deck of cards, lazily flicking them between his fingers while Sevan leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, watching with mild amusement.

"Look who's finally awake," Adrian smirked, setting the cards down as soon as he noticed Aiden stirring. Sevan turned to him, his usual serious expression softening just a bit.

"How do you feel?" Sevan asked.

"Alright. How long was I out?"

"An hour," Sevan answered, arms still crossed as he leaned back in his chair.

"An hour?" Aiden frowned.

That didn't make sense. It felt like he had been gone longer, like something had pulled him into a deep void of nothingness.

"You probably overworked yourself," Adrian said, shuffling his cards lazily. "Miss Seacole thought it was exhaustion. You've been looking rough lately, you know."

Aiden glanced at them both. Their concern was genuine, but something about the way they were speaking made it seem like they thought he had just collapsed. That wasn't what had happened, though. He knew it.

"I didn't faint," Aiden muttered, more to himself than to them.

"Well, you kinda did," Adrian said, giving him a look. "One second you were determined to see the Headmaster, the next, you were asleep on your feet."

Aiden didn't know what to think of this.

Twenty minutes later, just as Aiden had started to feel more like himself, the door to the infirmary opened. Headmaster Kairos stepped inside, his presence immediately commanding the room. His usual composed expression remained unreadable, but his gaze flickered with something Aiden couldn't quite place.

"Adrian. Sevan," the Headmaster addressed them smoothly. "Is it alright for you to step outside for a moment. I need to speak with your friend here."

Adrian and Sevan exchanged a look.

"Why?" Adrian asked, tone light but guarded.

"Is he in trouble?" Sevan added, narrowing his eyes.

"No," the Headmaster assured them. "But this discussion is private."

Sevan gave Aiden a short glance before nodding and following Adrian out.

Once the door closed, silence settled between Aiden and the Headmaster.

"You gave quite a few people a fright today, Aiden," he said, his voice as light as ever, but there was a weight behind it. "Collapsing like that. It's unlike you, isn't it?"

"I didn't collapse," he muttered. "I just… fell asleep."

"Ah, yes," Kairos said, nodding knowingly. "A rather peculiar kind of sleep, wouldn't you say? One moment you were trying to find me, the next, you wake up in the infirmary. Tell me, do you feel anything unusual?"

Aiden hesitated. He did feel strange, though he couldn't quite put it into words. Something was still lingering in the back of his mind, something off, but explaining it felt impossible.

"A bit," he lied about the bit part. "Just, whispers..."

Kairos studied him for a moment before exhaling softly. "Very well. I won't press. But I must ask something of you, Aiden."

Aiden sat up straighter.

"For the time being, do not wander alone."

Aiden blinked. "What?"

"Security around the Trials is heavier now," Kairos explained. "And with good reason. The incident with Savion Ilmari is still fresh in everyone's minds. There are… concerns."

Aiden narrowed his eyes. "You think something is going to happen."

Kairos only smiled faintly. "Let's just say I believe in being cautious. You are an intelligent young man, Aiden. You must have noticed by now that certain events tend to unfold around you."

"You make it sound like I want trouble to follow me."

"Oh, of course not," Kairos mused, standing up and adjusting his robes. "But trouble does have a rather peculiar fondness for you, doesn't it?"

Aiden exhaled sharply, looking away. "So what do you expect me to do? Stay in my dorm all day?"

"Not at all," Kairos assured him. "Live as you always do. But do not walk alone. And should you hear anything strange again-" His gaze sharpened ever so slightly. "-come to me immediately."

Aiden remained seated even as Kairos gestured toward the door, something nagging at the back of his mind.

"When you said there are concerns…" Aiden started, watching the Headmaster closely, "did you mean Karro?"

Kairos tilted his head slightly. He let the question hang in the air for a moment, as if weighing how he would answer or whether he would answer at all.

Then, ever so lightly, he smiled just a little more.

"I meant what I said," he replied, his tone just as vague as ever. "Security has been heightened, and we must all be cautious."

Aiden's fingers curled slightly on the armrest. That wasn't an answer. It wasn't a denial either.

"You know more than you're letting on."

Kairos chuckled. "Oh, my dear boy, what kind of Headmaster would I be if I told all my secrets?" He leaned forward, his owl mask catching the light as he regarded Aiden with something that was almost fondness. "Besides, you wouldn't like all the answers. Some questions are better left for the right time."

"So you do know something."

Kairos only smiled. "I know many things, Aiden. But that's beside the point." He clasped his hands behind his back. "What truly matters is that you take my advice seriously. No wandering alone. No unnecessary risks."

Aiden frowned but didn't push further. He knew there was no point. The Headmaster spoke in riddles even when he wanted to be clear.

Kairos straightened. "Now then, I believe Adrian and Sevan have been waiting quite patiently for you outside. Do try not to worry them too much."

Aiden let out a slow breath before standing. "Right." He hesitated for just a moment. "You'll let me know, right? If something does happen?"

Kairos hummed. "If something important happens, you will know. That, I can promise."

He turned toward the door but paused. "Headmaster," he said, glancing back. "That bowl on your desk. What is it?"

"A memory of the past," he said simply.

"Whose memory?"

Kairos simply waved a hand toward the door. "Run along now, Aiden."

Aiden clenched his jaw but didn't argue. He pushed open the door, stepping back into the hallway where Adrian and Sevan were waiting.

Kairos' voice followed him one last time, lighthearted yet carrying a weight Aiden couldn't quite shake.

"And remember. No wandering alone."

Aiden, Adrian, and Sevan walked together down the stone-paved corridors of the infirmary wing, their footsteps echoing in the quiet halls. The air was thick with the scent of herbal medicine and antiseptics, and for once, Adrian wasn't filling the silence with some sarcastic remark. Instead, he yawned, rubbing the back of his head.

"I can't believe we spent part of the day in there," he muttered, nudging Aiden with his elbow. "You get to nap, and we have to wait? Unfair."

"Pretty sure Miss Seacole would have dragged you in if you so much as blinked too long," Sevan remarked, arms crossed. "Besides, you were the one playing cards. Shouldn't we be the ones complaining?"

"It was a long game," Adrian said with a lazy grin. "Sevan's terrible at bluffing, by the way."

"I let you win," Sevan deadpanned. "And next time, I'm drowning the deck."

Aiden shook his head at their banter as they passed through the arched entrance of the infirmary and out into the wider corridors of the main academy. The halls were busier here, students moving between classes or heading toward the courtyard.

"Looks like people are already heading for the Labyrinth," Aiden noted as they stepped outside.

The bright sunlight of Soleil bathed the academy grounds in warm gold. Students were gathering in small groups, chattering excitedly as they made their way toward the Labyrinth's floating island. The towering hedges of the magical maze stood in the distance, their ivy-covered walls shifting ever so slightly, as if the Labyrinth was breathing.

"Looks like another match is about to start," Adrian said, stretching. "Think it'll be anyone interesting?"

They were just about to merge into the cluster of students when a bloodcurdling shriek split the air.

Aiden barely had time to react before a girl came running out of the treeline, her breathing ragged, hands sparking with erratic red lightning as she hurled crackling bursts of energy behind her. Each strike illuminated the darkened edges of the forest, revealing twisted branches and shifting shadows.

Gasps and murmurs spread through the gathered students. Some stepped back instinctively, while others leaned forward, drawn by the chaos.

"What the hell?" Adrian muttered, eyes widening as the girl stumbled forward, barely able to keep herself upright.

Aiden's gaze flickered to her face, and he immediately understood why she looked so frantic.

Two deep, parallel gashes marred her left cheek, running from just below her eye to the curve of her jaw. The cuts were fresh, crimson streaking her pale skin, and her body shook violently as if she had barely escaped with her life.

"Someone-" the girl's voice cracked, desperate and raw, "someone tried to kill me!"

She swayed on her feet, her knees buckling.

Before she could hit the ground, a tall, older student in dark green robes stepped forward and caught her with ease.

"It's okay, I've got you-" he started, his voice calm despite the clear urgency in his eyes.

But the girl was beyond comforting. Her entire body trembled in his grasp, her breaths shallow and uneven. Then, with one last shudder, she collapsed into unconsciousness.

The gathered students erupted into frantic whispers.

"Did she say someone tried to kill her?"

"Who would attack a student?"

"Was it a beast?"

"Maybe a Magi like Ilmari-"

"Look at her face! That's not just any attack, those wounds are too clean-"

Aiden barely registered the voices around him. His focus remained on the direction the girl had come from: the dense, darkened part of the forest just beyond the academy's perimeter. The trees there stood still now, but the unease in his gut wouldn't leave.

"Sevan," Aiden murmured, eyes locked onto the treeline, "do you see anything?"

Sevan, who had tensed beside him, shook his head. "No movement. But whatever did this, it's not there anymore."

"How do you know?" Adrian asked.

Before anyone could respond, the sound of approaching footsteps after small flashes of lifht signaled the arrival of the academy staff.

"Move aside!"

Professor Anwar was the first on the scene, his golden embroidery glinting under the sunlight as he strode forward. His usual composed demeanor remained, but there was something in the way his hands flexed slightly.

Next was Miss Seacole who appeared in a small flash of light, a flick of her wrist already summoning glowing green wisps of healing magic.

"What happened?" she demanded, kneeling beside the unconscious girl.

"She ran out from the forest" the older student who had caught her explained. "She was bleeding and kept saying someone attacked her. Then she passed out."

Professor Anwar's gaze swept over the students before landing on Aiden, Adrian, and Sevan.

"Did any of you see anything?"

Aiden hesitated before shaking his head. "No, she just- came running out."

Anwar's brows furrowed slightly, but he didn't press further. Instead, he turned to Miss Seacole, who was already beginning to mend the wounds on the girl's face.

"I want security increased around the forest immediately," Anwar ordered. "No students are to go near it until we know what happened."

"Understood," a nearby staff member nodded who Aiden didn't recognize, already stepping away to carry out the directive.

More professors were arriving now, and Professor Ylang-Ylang was guiding students away, others casting wary glances toward the treeline. The tension in the air was thick, the usual excitement of the tournament now overshadowed by a much graver concern.