After saying goodbye to his friends, Kael turned around and headed toward the administrative building.

  His plan was simple: help with the festival preparations and closely observe the tunnel to find a way inside without being seen.

  Over the next two days, whenever he wasn’t training with Professor Nora, he assisted the staff and other students in setting up tents, arranging tables, and decorating the academy. This gave him access to the lower levels of the administrative building where the tunnel was hidden.

  Finding the tunnel itself proved easier than expected. Like the passage beneath Augs’ shop, it was concealed behind a mechanism that could only be activated by someone who knew of its existence.

  The real challenge was entering at night without being spotted by the knights guarding the building.

  Kael spent hours roaming the corridors during the day, committing every patrol route and shadowed corner to memory. Being assigned to decorate the main halls helped; no one questioned his presence.

  By the end of the second day, he came to a conclusion: breaking in at night was impossible.

  At least for him.

  I still don’t know how Astra managed it, he thought, carrying a crate of leftover decorations into the basement.

  But I don’t need to enter at night.

  The guards conducted a single inspection round after dusk. Once finished, they remained stationed at the entrance and didn’t patrol again.

  That was his window.

  So, when evening fell, Kael slipped into the building one last time, timing his entrance while the guards were distracted. He hid in a narrow alcove that allowed him to observe the corridor unseen and waited.

  Twilight turned into night.

  Two knights appeared eventually, their heavy footsteps echoing through the hallway. Kael pressed himself into the shadows and slowed his breathing until he was utterly still. The knights passed by without a second glance, complaining about their dull assignment and wishing they were guarding the palace instead.

  Only when their voices faded did Kael move.

  He slipped from his hiding place and descended the stairs in silence, guided only by the flickering torchlight. The basement swallowed him in darkness.

  Kael rubbed his eyes, trying to adjust. The basement was dim even during the day, but now it was nearly pitch-black.

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  So he closed his eyes.

  Relying on memory alone, he walked forward with his arms raised until his fingertips brushed stone. He turned left, keeping one hand against the wall and following it deeper into the unused section of the basement, where dust and cobwebs clung thickly to the air.

  After a while, his fingers found the notches.

  They appeared random to the untrained eye, but Kael knew better.

  He pressed them in the correct sequence.

  A soft click echoed, and part of the wall slid open to reveal a narrow passageway that was barely wide enough to squeeze through sideways.

  Kael slipped inside, ignoring the cobwebs brushing against his face. After several meters, the corridor widened slightly, though it remained completely dark.

  Time lost meaning as he walked. The air grew damp. Then he heard it:

  Water.

  The sound of a river flowing through stone.

  His stomach tightened.

  The corridor ended in a dimly lit chamber. A foul-smelling river cut through the chamber, disappearing into a black tunnel where no light reached.

  Kael grimaced.

  No wonder no one ever found this place. No sane person would.

  He exhaled sharply and laughed under his breath.

  Then, he jumped.

  The icy water slammed into him, stealing his breath and biting into his skin. He forced himself to stay calm and let the current pull him forward through the darkness. The stench and the cold blurred together until finally, a flicker of light appeared ahead.

  A torch.

  A hand reached out to him.

  Kael grasped it, and someone hauled him from the water.

  Only then did he realize it was Astra.

  Embarrassment washed over him—he must have smelled terrible.

  Astra seemed to read his thoughts and offered a faint smile.

  "Don't worry. I’ve done this more times than I’d like to admit. Follow me. I have clothes ready, as well as a place to wash.”

  Before he could respond, she had already climbed the ladder.

  The exit led to a deserted side street. Astra sealed the sewer grate behind them, then slipped through a half-open window into the adjacent building and motioned for Kael to follow.

  Inside, she finally relaxed.

  "It's safe," she said. She glanced at him pointedly. "After you clean yourself."

  When Kael returned dressed in fresh clothes with damp hair clinging to his face, Astra stood by the table lost in thought.

  "I'm ready," he said.

  She looked up. "Good. We still have time before we meet Augs.”

  Her gaze sharpened. “So, I assume you have questions.”

  "Yes," Kael replied. "How did you clean yourself after using the tunnel at the academy? And how did you get past the guards?"

  Astra blinked, then laughed.

  Kael frowned.

  "I'm sorry," she said, calming herself. "I expected you to ask about the tunnel's history. Or why it connects to the sewers.” Her smile faded. "Your questions are...surprisingly simple."

  Kael shrugged. “I don’t really care about the tunnel’s history.”

  Her expression hardened instantly.

  “If you say so.”

  She turned away.

  "There's a room near the chamber exit with spare clothes," she said flatly. "I washed myself in your room while you were buying your suit."

  She glanced over her shoulder, her black eyes piercing his.

  "I don't avoid guards. I make myself invisible.”

  Before Kael could respond, she opened the window again.

  "It's time."

  They moved through the outer district in silence. Astra led with unerring precision, slipping between patrols as if she knew exactly where each guard stood.

  Augs’ shop appeared ahead.

  They entered through the hidden passage. When Kael emerged at the other end, Bereos awaited him, smiling.

  Astra passed without a word, ascending toward the mansion.

  Bereos watched her go, then looked at Kael with a questioning expression. Kael only sighed.

  Bereos's smile returned. He clasped his hands behind his back and stood with a straight, commanding posture.

  "Welcome, Kael. From this moment on, there is no turning back."