The tea shop felt different the moment we stepped inside. Not wrong, just heavier, as if the air itself sensed what happened in the alley and was waiting for the rest of the story. The scent of herbs drifted through the room, warm and familiar, grounding me even as my nerves buzzed beneath my skin.

  Lysandra stood behind the counter, sleeves rolled up, a kettle steaming beside her. She looked up the moment the bell chimed. Her eyes flicked from me to Elara, then to Selene, and the faint crease between her brows deepened.

  She didn’t ask what happened. She simply said, “Courtyard.”

  We followed her through the back door into the walled courtyard where I had spent countless mornings sweating through drills. The stone tiles were still damp from her usual dawn watering of the herb beds. The walls rose high enough to block the city noise, creating a pocket of quiet that always felt like stepping into another world.

  Thyra wasn’t here today. Her tools were stacked neatly in the corner, a sign she had left early for her workshop outside the city. The space felt emptier without her gruff commentary.

  Lysandra turned to face us. “Tell me.”

  So, I did. Every detail. The ambush. The distortion in the air. The way my reservoir reacted on instinct. The sense of being hunted. Selene’s intervention. Elara’s shield. The whole thing spilled out of me in a rush. I didn’t realize I had been holding back.

  When I finished, Lysandra exhaled slowly, her expression sharpening into something cold and calculating.

  “They are escalating,” she said. “Faster than I expected.”

  Elara stepped forward. “He cannot stay where he is. His apartment is exposed.”

  Selene nodded. “He should be relocated to a secure location immediately.”

  I raised both hands. “No. Absolutely not. I am not disappearing.”

  Selene’s eyes narrowed. “Your life is in danger.”

  “And if I suddenly vanish,” I said, “that will draw even more attention. My professors, my coach, my neighbors. People will notice. I cannot just drop everything.”

  Elara’s voice softened. “Jae, this is not about convenience. This is about survival.”

  “I know,” I said. “But I am not abandoning my life. Plus, I cannot leave Tae?in. She will kill me if I do not feed her in time.”

  Selene’s eyes sharpened instantly. Her hand drifted toward her sword, her posture shifting into that quiet, predatory readiness she always carried beneath the surface.

  “This Tae?in,” she said. “Another attacker.”

  I blinked. “What. No.”

  She stepped closer, voice low and serious. “If this individual poses a threat to you, I will eliminate them before they strike.”

  I stared at her, stunned. “Selene. She is my cat.”

  Selene didn’t blink. “Your pet is attempting to kill you.”

  I choked. “No. She is a cat. A literal cat. Small. Fluffy. Sleeps on my textbooks. The only danger she poses is clawing my face off if I forget to feed her on time.”

  Elara pressed a hand to her lips, trying not to laugh. Lysandra closed her eyes for a moment, as if summoning patience from the heavens.

  Selene looked genuinely confused. “You said she would kill you.”

  “Because she would,” I said. “But only out of hunger and spite. Not malice.”

  Selene’s posture eased, but only slightly. “I will still assess this creature.”

  “Please do not assess my cat,” I said. “She will not like it.”

  Lysandra cleared her throat. “Regardless of the cat, the concern remains. You are being hunted. We must decide how to protect you.”

  Elara stepped closer. “He should stay with one of us. Somewhere shielded.”

  Selene nodded. “My enclave has wards that would hide him completely.”

  I shook my head. “I am not moving. Not permanently. If things get bad, I can stay somewhere temporarily, but I am not abandoning my home.”

  Lysandra studied me for a long moment. “Then we will adapt. If you refuse relocation, we will reinforce your current environment. Wards. Barriers. Surveillance. And you will not travel alone.”

  Selene and Elara both nodded at the same time. A chill ran down my spine.

  “Wait,” I said. “What does that mean?”

  Elara answered first. “It means one of us will accompany you at all times.”

  Selene added, “Preferably both.”

  I stared at them. “You are serious.”

  Lysandra nodded. “You are a beacon, Jae. Until we understand who is hunting you and why, you will not walk unguarded.”

  I exhaled slowly. My life had already changed, but this felt like another step into a world I was not ready for.

  Still, I nodded. “Fine. But I am feeding Tae?in first.”

  Selene placed a hand on her sword hilt. “If this creature attempts to harm you, I will neutralize it.”

  I groaned. “Please do not neutralize my cat.”

  Elara finally laughed, soft and musical. “We will explain it to her.”

  Selene frowned. “Explain what?”

  “That Tae?in is not an enemy,” Elara said.

  Selene looked unconvinced.

  Lysandra sighed. “This is going to be a long day.”

  This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

  Lysandra moved through my apartment with quiet precision, her fingers tracing invisible lines along the walls. Each motion left a faint shimmer in the air, like ripples on water. The wards settled into place one by one, soft pulses of mana that made the hairs on my arms rise.

  Elara drifted toward the kitchen, gathering stray dishes and stacking them neatly. She moved with an easy grace, humming under her breath as she wiped down the counter. I felt a little embarrassed watching her clean my mess, but she didn’t seem bothered. If anything, she looked content.

  Selene, meanwhile, inspected my apartment like a Drakari security officer evaluating a battlefield. She checked corners, windows, vents, and even crouched to peer under the couch. Tae?in watched her from the top of the fridge, tail flicking in judgment.

  Selene nodded once. “Acceptable. Minimal blind spots.”

  “It is a studio apartment,” I said. “There are no blind spots.”

  She ignored me and continued her sweep.

  Elara glanced over her shoulder at me. “You keep your space well. It feels lived in, but warm.”

  I shrugged. “I try.”

  She smiled softly. “It suits you.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say to that, so I busied myself with straightening a stack of textbooks. Elara drifted closer, her expression thoughtful.

  She picked up one of my anatomy flashcards, flipping it between her fingers. “You study a great deal. It shows.”

  “Comes with the major,” I said. “Physical therapy is… a lot.”

  She tilted her head. “You chose a path of healing. That says something about you.”

  I let out a quiet breath. “Maybe. Or maybe I just wanted to fix things I couldn’t fix when I was younger.”

  Elara’s eyes softened. “You mean your childhood.”

  I hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. I grew up in the system. Foster homes. Bounced around a lot. My mom passed away when I was twelve.”

  Elara’s voice fell. “I am sorry, Jae.”

  I swallowed. “She was the only person who ever made the world feel… safe. She never told me much about my father. Only that he was taken from us. I never knew what that meant.”

  Elara’s expression shifted, but she didn’t press. Instead, she offered something of her own.

  “My mother is a historian of the Concord,” she said. “My father is a diplomat. I grew up surrounded by scrolls and treaties. Expectations. Traditions. I was meant to follow a very specific path.”

  I raised a brow. “And you didn’t want that.”

  She smiled faintly. “I wanted knowledge. Freedom. Curiosity. Not politics.”

  I nodded. “I get that.”

  Selene’s voice drifted from across the room. “Politics are chains.”

  We both turned. Selene stood near the window, arms crossed, gazing into the distance.

  Elara blinked. “Chains.”

  Selene nodded once. “The Enclave has spent years attempting to bind me to suitors. Alliances. Dynastic arrangements. I grew tired of it.”

  I stared at her. “So, you joined the Veilkeepers to get away from matchmaking.”

  “And because I was bored,” she said without hesitation.

  Elara laughed softly. “Of course you were.”

  Selene lifted her chin. “The Veilkeepers offered purpose. Autonomy. And no one there dared suggest I marry anyone.”

  I couldn’t help it. I smiled. “So, you joined a secret organization to avoid dating.”

  Selene considered this. “Yes.”

  Elara covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. Even Tae?in let out a small chirp, as if amused.

  For a moment, the room felt lighter. Warmer. Like the four of us were just people sharing a quiet evening instead of fugitives hiding from unseen enemies...

  Elara drifted closer, her expression thoughtful.

  “Jae,” she said quietly. “May I ask something personal?”

  I hesitated, then nodded. “Sure.”

  She sat on the arm of the couch, hands folded in her lap. “You mentioned earlier that you grew up in the foster system. That you lost your parents young.”

  I swallowed. “Yeah. My mom passed when I was twelve. She was Korean. Kind. The only person who made the world feel less cruel.”

  Elara’s eyes softened.

  “She never told me much about my father,” I continued. “Only that he was a Black man with a good heart. She always said he was taken from us. I never knew what that meant. I never asked. I think I was afraid of the answer.”

  The room grew quiet.

  Lysandra paused mid?ward. Selene stopped her inspection. Elara’s expression shifted, something like understanding passing through her eyes.

  They all shared a look.

  A silent, heavy acknowledgment.

  I felt my stomach tighten. “What?”

  Lysandra resumed her work without turning. “Elara. Explain.”

  Elara took a slow breath. “Jae… your reservoir is enormous. Unprecedented. And yet you grew up as a mundane. No training. No knowledge of Aetherveil. No guidance.”

  “Right,” I said. “Because no one told me anything.”

  “That is the point,” Elara said gently. “Someone should have. Someone would have. Unless the person who should have taught you was gone.”

  I frowned. “You think my father was… what. A Manari.”

  Elara nodded. “It is the most likely explanation. A being of Aetherveil. Perhaps even someone of considerable power.”

  Selene crossed her arms. “A reservoir like yours does not appear without lineage. It is inherited. Cultivated. Or born from a union between worlds.”

  Lysandra added, “Your mother was likely a mundane. Your father was not.”

  I felt the air leave my lungs.

  Elara continued, her voice soft. “When you lost both parents, you fell through the cracks. Without a guardian from Aetherveil, you grew up as a mundane child. Unaware. Untrained. Hidden.”

  Selene’s eyes narrowed. “And if your father was taken, as your mother said, then someone removed him deliberately.”

  A chill ran down my spine.

  “Taken by whom?” I asked.

  No one answered.

  A chill ran down my spine.

  Lysandra resumed her warding, but her silence felt intentional. Elara and Selene exchanged a look, not about my past this time, but about the danger pressing in on the present.

  Lysandra finished the last sigil on the wall. “Speculation about the past will not help us right now. What matters is the threat in front of you.”

  Selene nodded. “Your enemies are not waiting for you to understand your history. They are acting now.”

  Elara stepped closer, her expression soft but serious. “Jae… you need to grow stronger. Quickly.”

  I let out a slow breath. “I know.”

  “No,” Elara said gently. “You do not understand how rare your progress already is. Most Initiates struggle for months to stabilize their soul?space. You did it instinctively. Your sensory conduits formed without guidance. Your movement technique… it should not exist at your stage.”

  Selene crossed her arms. “Your ability to learn is unnatural. You pick up techniques in hours that take others weeks.”

  Elara nodded. “It is almost like you, or your core, is trying to make up for lost time. You absorb everything you learn like a sponge.”

  I swallowed. “So I am behind.”

  “You are ahead,” Elara said. “Far ahead. But the gap between you and those hunting you is still enormous.”

  Lysandra turned toward us, her expression calm but firm. “Jae, you must train harder than you ever have. Your reservoir gives you potential, but potential is not protection.”

  Selene added, “Strength is the only language your enemies understand.”

  I rubbed my palms against my jeans. “Then we train. Whatever it takes.”

  Lysandra nodded once, approving. “Good. But we also need to understand who is targeting you.”

  Elara folded her arms, thinking aloud. “We know someone scouted his apartment. That means they are organized. They have resources. They know what they are looking for.”

  Selene’s eyes narrowed. “And they are not amateurs. A mundane would not sense his reservoir. A low?level Manari would not risk approaching an Elder’s ward.”

  “So who does that leave?” I asked.

  Lysandra answered first. “Three possibilities.”

  Elara nodded. “The Reservoir Dynasties, the GeneForge Syndicate, or the Alchemic Covenant.”

  My stomach tightened. “Why those three?”

  “Because they are the factions most likely to act aggressively,” Lysandra said. “And each has a reason to covet someone like you.”

  Selene stepped closer, her voice low. “The Dynasties hoard power. A reservoir like yours threatens their control.”

  Elara added, “The GeneForge Syndicate would see you as a specimen. Proof of a natural anomaly they cannot replicate.”

  “And the Covenant,” Lysandra said, “would want your reservoir for their elixirs. They believe power should be brewed, not earned.”

  I felt a cold weight settle in my chest. “So any one of them might want me dead.”

  “Or captured,” Selene corrected. “Which is worse.”

  Elara placed a hand on my arm. “But we do not know which faction it is yet. And until we do, we prepare.”

  Lysandra nodded. “Your training intensifies tomorrow. Aura control. Breathwork. Movement refinement. You will not walk alone. And you will not be unprotected.”

  Tae?in hopped into my lap again, curling into a warm ball of fur as if declaring her own opinion on the matter.

  Selene bowed her head slightly. “The queen agrees.”

  I groaned. “Please stop calling her that.”

  But Elara smiled, and even Lysandra’s lips twitched.

  The danger was real. The hunters were close.

  But for the first time since awakening, I didn’t feel alone.

  And that made all the difference.

  Selene’s arms tightened across her chest, her expression sharpening in a way I hadn’t seen before. “There is one more possibility,” she said. “Daemon Korrin.”

  Elara frowned. “Daemon. Why would he target Jae?”

  Selene exhaled slowly, the sound edged with irritation. “Because Daemon has been trying to secure my hand in marriage for years. He believes a union with the Drakari Enclave would give him the political leverage he needs to dominate the Reservoir Dynasties.”

  I blinked. “Marriage. To you.”

  Selene nodded once. “He does not want me. He wants what marrying me represents. Power. Influence. Legitimacy.”

  Elara’s expression tightened. “That sounds like him.”

  Selene’s jaw clenched. “I refused him. Repeatedly. Publicly. He did not take it well.”

  I rubbed the back of my neck. “So you think he sent someone after me because… what. He is mad you rejected him.”

  “No,” Selene said. “Daemon is petty, but not irrational. He does not know I am a Veilkeeper. He does not know I was assigned to watch you. He has no reason to connect us.”

  Elara nodded. “Then he is unlikely to be the one hunting Jae.”

  But Lysandra didn’t answer right away.

  She finished the last ward on the doorframe, her fingers lingering on the glowing sigil. When she finally turned toward us, her expression was thoughtful. Calculating.

  “Daemon may not know about Selene’s assignment,” she said. “But he does know about me.”

  A chill ran down my spine. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Daemon sent his lackey, Cassian Valehart, to pressure me into supporting his bid for power.”

  Lysandra said. “Cassian met you that day. He saw you with me. He assumed you were my student.”

  Elara’s eyes widened. “And if Daemon believes Jae is important to you…”

  Selene finished the thought. “Then killing him would be a message.”

  My stomach dropped. “A message.”

  Lysandra nodded. “A threat. A warning. A way to force my hand.”

  I stared at her. “So you think Daemon sent the assassin.”

  “I think,” she said carefully, “that Daemon is the only one reckless enough to strike at someone under my protection. The Dynasties prefer subtlety. The Covenant prefers manipulation. The GeneForge Syndicate prefers abduction. But Daemon…”

  Selene’s voice hardened. “Daemon prefers violence.”

  Elara folded her arms, thinking. “It fits. Cassian saw Jae. Daemon wants your support. Killing Jae would be a way to intimidate you.”

  I swallowed. “So I am a pawn in his political game.”

  Lysandra shook her head. “No. You are a threat he does not understand. And that makes you dangerous to him.”

  Selene nodded. “And Daemon destroys what he fears.”

  I leaned back against the couch, Tae?in curling tighter into my lap as if she sensed the tension rising again. My heart thudded in my chest, heavy and uneven.

  “So what do we do?” I asked quietly.

  Lysandra stepped forward, her voice steady. “You train. You grow. You survive. And we protect you until you can protect yourself.”

  Elara placed a hand on my shoulder. “You are already progressing faster than anyone I have ever seen.”

  Selene added, “But speed alone will not be enough. You must become strong.”

  I nodded slowly, the weight of their words settling over me like a mantle I hadn’t asked for but couldn’t refuse.

  “Then let’s get to work,” I said.

  Lysandra’s eyes softened. “We will. Starting tomorrow.”

  Selene rested a hand on her sword. “And until then, no one touches you.”

  Elara smiled gently. “You are not alone, Jae.”

  Tae?in meowed, loud and insistent, as if adding her own declaration.

  Selene bowed her head. “The queen agrees.”

  I groaned. “Please stop calling her that.”

  But even I couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my lips.

  Danger was closing in.

  Enemies were moving.

  Daemon Korrin might be coming for me.

  But for the first time since awakening, I felt something stronger than fear.

  I felt ready