Chapter 8 — Whispers Beneath the Floorboards

  By the time I slipped back into the main hallway, my pulse had finally stopped trying to punch through my ribs. The maintenance wing door clicked shut behind me, sealing away the cold, the dust, and the near?disaster I’d barely escaped.

  Shadow Veil had saved me.

  Barely.

  But it wouldn’t save me forever.

  Students drifted through the corridor, heading toward the dorms or late study sessions. No one looked twice at me. No one sensed anything wrong.

  Good.

  I blended into the flow of bodies, keeping my head down. The system pulsed faintly at the edge of my vision.

  Quest Active: Into the Underhalls

  Objective: Locate a deeper, safer place to train.

  Status: Incomplete

  The Underhalls.

  I’d heard the name before — whispered by upper?class students, usually followed by warnings or rumors about restricted zones, collapsed tunnels, and old academy secrets. No one went down there unless they had a death wish.

  Or a Deathbound affinity.

  I reached the Class D dorms and pushed open the door. The common room was dim, lit by a few weak crystals. A couple of students were half?asleep on couches. Ren was nowhere in sight.

  Good. I wasn’t in the mood for questions.

  I climbed the stairs quietly and slipped into Room 12B. Ren’s bed was empty, blankets messy, books scattered across the desk. He was probably still in the library pretending to study.

  I sat on my bed and let out a slow breath.

  The system pulsed again.

  Shadow Veil Cooldown: 27 minutes

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Right. I couldn’t rely on it yet. Not fully.

  I leaned back against the wall, staring at the faint cracks in the ceiling. The academy was already watching for anomalies. Calder wanted weekly check?ins. Varron was suspicious. And now the Headmaster was apparently monitoring fluctuations.

  I needed somewhere the academy didn’t look.

  Somewhere beneath the surface.

  Somewhere forgotten.

  The system flickered.

  Hint Available: Would you like guidance toward the Underhalls?

  I hesitated.

  “Yes.”

  A faint map unfolded in my vision — not a full layout, just a pulsing marker somewhere beneath the academy’s west wing.

  Access Point Identified: Sub?level drainage corridor

  Status: Unused

  Security: Low

  Structural Integrity: Questionable

  Questionable was better than monitored.

  I stood, grabbed my jacket, and slipped out of the room.

  The dorm halls were quiet. Too quiet. My footsteps echoed softly as I made my way toward the back exit. The night air hit me with a chill as I stepped outside. Mana lamps flickered along the pathways, casting long shadows across the courtyard.

  I kept to the edges, avoiding the brighter areas. The academy at night felt different — heavier, older, like the walls remembered things the instructors didn’t talk about.

  The west wing loomed ahead, its windows dark. I circled around the side until I found a narrow service door half?hidden behind a hedge. Rust clung to the hinges.

  The system pulsed.

  Access Point Confirmed.

  I pulled the handle.

  It didn’t budge.

  I tried again, harder.

  Still nothing.

  Then a soft click echoed from the lock — not mechanical, not physical. More like a whisper brushing against metal.

  The door creaked open.

  I froze.

  “…Did you do that?” I whispered.

  The system remained silent.

  Great.

  I stepped inside.

  The air was damp and cold. A narrow staircase descended into darkness, lit only by a single dying mana lamp that buzzed weakly overhead. The walls were rough stone, older than the rest of the academy.

  I took a step down.

  Then another.

  The system pulsed again.

  Warning: Deathbound resonance increasing.

  Unknown presence detected below.

  My breath caught.

  Unknown presence?

  I tightened my grip on the railing and continued downward. The stairs ended at a long corridor lined with pipes and old maintenance panels. Water dripped somewhere in the distance.

  Then I heard it.

  A faint sound.

  Not footsteps.

  Not voices.

  Something else.

  A whisper.

  Soft.

  Cold.

  Familiar.

  It slid across my mind like a shadow brushing past my thoughts.

  *Vessel…*

  I froze.

  The system pulsed violently.

  Alert: Deathbound entity proximity: Close

  Classification: Unknown

  Recommendation: Retreat or prepare for contact.

  Retreat?

  Or contact?

  My heart pounded.

  The whisper came again — clearer this time, curling through the corridor like smoke.

  You descend into my domain… at last.

  A chill ran down my spine.

  I wasn’t alone down here.

  And whatever waited in the Underhalls…

  It already knew my name.