Chapter 6 MARKED IN SILENCE

Aria’s POV

Kael’s words stayed between us, heavy and quiet.

You’re already gathering a lot of enemies for yourself.

I stood there, my back still pressed to the wall, my heart beating so hard it made my ears ring. The hallway felt smaller than before. Like it was closing in on me now that everyone knew who I was. Or maybe who they thought I was.

Rassari scoffed softly. She tilted her head, eyes sliding over Kael like she was measuring him. Flames reflected in her pupils, low and sharp.

“Enemies?” she echoed. “That sounds dramatic. We were only talking.”

Her hand drifted toward her hip, slow and careless, like the knife hadn’t almost torn my face open seconds ago.

Laya didn’t say anything.

She just stared at me.

Her one good eye didn’t blink. It stayed locked on my face like she was trying to burn it into memory. Her fingers tightened around the knife, then loosened again. A thin smile crept back onto her lips.

“This isn’t over,” she murmured, her voice low enough that it felt meant only for me. “You should have stayed dead.”

Something inside my chest cracked.

Kael stepped half a pace closer to me, his shoulder blocking my view of her. Heat rolled off him, steady and controlled, nothing wild about it. The flames at his hands flared once, just enough to make the stones under our feet glow faintly.

“Leave,” he said. No shouting. No threat in his tone. Just certainty.

Rassari clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed. “You’re no fun,” she muttered, but she backed away anyway. She glanced at Laya once, a silent look passing between them, then turned and walked down the hall like she owned it.

Laya lingered a moment longer.

Her gaze dropped to my hands, still clenched around the metal token. Then she looked up again, slow and deliberate.

“Next time,” she whispered, tapping the knife against her palm, “Kael won’t be there.”

Then she turned and followed Rassari, her footsteps fading into the distance.

The silence they left behind was worse.

My knees gave out before I could stop them. I slid down the wall, my breath coming out in short, broken pulls. My hands were shaking so badly the token clinked softly against the stone floor.

Kael crouched in front of me without a word. The flames around him dimmed until they were gone. His eyes searched my face, sharp and focused.

“Are you hurt?”

I shook my head, though I wasn’t sure it was true. Nothing was bleeding. Nothing was broken. But my chest felt like it had been ripped open and left that way.

“I thought she was dead,” I whispered. Saying it out loud made my throat burn. “I watched her die.”

Kael didn’t react. Not with shock. Not with doubt. He only nodded once, like that answer fit into something he already knew.

“We’ll talk about it later,” he said. “Not here.”

He stood and held out his hand.

I stared at it for a second before taking it. His grip was firm, grounding. He pulled me to my feet easily, like I weighed nothing.

“Walk,” he said quietly. “Keep your head down.”

The halls felt different now.

Every step echoed too loud. Every shadow felt like it was watching me. Students stood in small groups as we passed, their conversations dying when they saw us. Some looked curious. Some looked afraid. Others looked hungry, like they were already deciding what I was worth.

Kael didn’t let go of my wrist until we reached a wider corridor lined with tall windows. Sunlight poured in, warm and blinding.

That was where I saw her.

Ciora stood near the railing, her dark hair loose over one shoulder, hands gripping the stone like she was waiting for something. Or someone. When her eyes met mine, relief washed over her face so fast it made my chest ache.

“Aria,” she breathed, pushing off the railing and hurrying toward me.

Kael released my wrist as she reached us.

“What happened?” she asked, eyes flicking over me. “I heard shouting. And then flames.”

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, even though my voice shook. “I think.”

Ciora frowned like she didn’t believe me but didn’t push. She glanced at Kael instead.

“They’re talking already,” she said quietly. “People noticed.”

Kael nodded once. “They always do.”

He turned to me. “She’ll take you to your hostel. Don’t wander. Don’t argue. And don’t show that token unless you have to.”

I nodded again.

He hesitated for half a second, then added, “And Aria?”

I looked up.

“Trust your fear,” he said. “It’s trying to keep you alive.”

Then he was gone, turning down another corridor without looking back.

Ciora slipped her arm through mine gently. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get you settled before someone else decides today isn’t chaotic enough.”

The hostel sat at the edge of the Academy grounds, tall and narrow, its stone darker than the rest of the buildings. The air felt cooler there, quieter. Like the walls were meant to keep secrets.

Inside, the floors creaked softly under our steps. Lamps floated near the ceiling, glowing low and warm.

“This is where first years stay,” Ciora explained as we climbed the stairs. “Shared rooms. Simple rules. Try not to die.”

I let out a weak breath that might have been a laugh.

She stopped in front of a wooden door and pushed it open.

The room was small but clean. Two beds. Two desks. A narrow window that overlooked the inner courtyard. One bed was already claimed, books stacked neatly beside it.

“That one’s yours,” Ciora said, pointing to the empty bed. “I’m right down the hall if you need me.”

I nodded, setting my things down slowly.

As she turned to leave, I called her name.

“Ciora?”

She paused.

“Thank you,” I said. “For earlier. On the road. And now.”

She smiled softly. “You don’t have to thank me. Just… try to survive, okay?”

When the door closed behind her, the room fell quiet.

I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at my hands.

Laya was alive.

The dead didn’t stay dead.

And somehow, I was at the center of it all.

I lay back and stared at the ceiling, my heart still racing.

Whatever this place was meant to teach me, I already knew one thing.

Obsidian Spire wasn’t going to let me stay invisible for long.