Chapter 113

Evaline:
I immediately looked up, my gaze landing on the people around me. But I soon realized that none of them felt what I just did.
Rowan caught my gaze and arched his eyebrows in a silent question. I wasn’t sure what to say, so I just shook my head and returned my attention to the runes.
This time, I felt nothing. No movement. No energy shift. It was almost as if I imagined that presence earlier. Because no one among the forty plus people around me seemed to have sensed the same.
I almost dismissed the matter when… it happened again. The shift of energy that had nothing to do with any of us.
And this time, I wasn’t the only one who sensed it.
Further back, I saw Oscar pause near a rune-inscribed stone. His hand was hovering over it before he turned to Corey and said something I couldn’t hear.
A sense of unease pricked at me.
These ruins weren’t entirely dormant.
“Do we need to check these out too?” Cedric pulled my attention back as he pointed at a spell carved on a stone.
“Let’s take a picture to check it out later.” I replied, taking Freya’s tablet to click a clear picture.
By the time we returned to the hotel, the sun had begun its slow descent behind the distant mountains, casting the sky in strokes of warm gold and muted lavender.
It was just after five in the afternoon. My legs were aching from the hike, my fingers were sore from sketching runes and collecting herb samples, but despite that, I was feeling strangely energized.
Professor Aldric had given us until dinner to start compiling notes and organizing our findings, so I joined my group in one of the lounges on the second floor. It was a quiet area with long wooden tables, and plenty of natural light.
To my relief, working with my group turned out to be surprisingly smooth.
Ria had her rune sketches organized with scary efficiency. She was already cross-referencing her notes with the Academy’s database on ancient sigils.
Rowan was also working quietly but diligently, scribbling his observations without complaint, occasionally glancing up to offer insight or correct a rune sequence when needed.
Cedric and Freya were both sharp and respectful. Cedric mostly helped with the research while Freya was taking digital scans of the ruins and crosschecking them with elemental energy readings.
For once, I wasn’t forced to defend myself or prove I belonged here. There were no condescending remarks, no second-guessing… just focused teamwork.
And that alone made it a win in my book.
“I think we are in a good place,” Ria said as she stretched her arms above her head after a couple of hours of work. “If we keep this pace, we’ll be ahead of the others by tomorrow.”
“Agreed,” Freya chimed in a thoughtful tone. “I’ll fine-tune the energy readings tonight. If we are lucky, we might even isolate the type of spell embedded in those overlapping runes.”
“We should write that into our outline,” Rowan added without looking up from his notes.
I leaned back in my chair, feeling grateful for getting the amazing teammates.
—
Dinner was exactly what I needed.
The dining hall had been transformed into something out of a rustic travel journal. Wooden beams crisscrossed the ceiling, soft lighting glowed from enchanted lanterns, and long tables were lined with platters of fresh bread, creamy soups, herbed vegetables, and grilled proteins seasoned to perfection. The food was warm, flavorful, and comforting—the perfect end to an academic day.
We all found ourselves at the same table—me, Mallory, Selene, Noah, Kyros, and Ria. Even with tired limbs and sore backs, the mood was light and spirited. We talked about everything from the beauty of the ruins to how Rowan somehow managed to stay silent and effective without drawing any attention to himself.
“He’s like a ghost,” Mallory laughed, spooning soup into her mouth. “But the useful kind.”
Noah smirked. “Useful ghosts are a rare breed.”
While my friends bantered and teased one another, I found my gaze drifting more often than I liked across the hall.
Oscar.
He sat at a table near the fireplace, dressed in a black high-collared shirt and his ever-present cloak slung lazily over the chair behind him. His attention was on the discussion happening between Professor Aldric and Instructor Corey, though his eyes flicked to Jasper every now and then. Jasper, in turn, seemed perfectly content—relaxed, confident, but undeniably focused on the meal and the conversation.
And then there was Mallory.
She kept sneaking glances at Jasper like a schoolgirl with a forbidden crush. Her cheeks flushed every time their eyes met. I could see the restraint in her fingers, the way she resisted the urge to wave or smile too big.
I understood it.
Too well.
Because I wasn’t much better.
Every few minutes, my gaze found Oscar again—only this time, I wasn’t the only one noticing.
Kyros, seated directly across from me, narrowed his eyes after the fourth glance.
“You good?” he asked under his breath.
“Perfectly fine,” I replied, grabbing a slice of bread that I didn’t even want.
Rowan, sitting at the far end of our table, watched me quietly over the rim of his glass, his expression unreadable.
I chose to ignore both of them.
—
After dinner, with full stomachs and a rare sliver of free time, we decided to take a walk around the property. The hotel sat nestled at the edge of a forest, with well-lit paths winding through flower beds, stone benches, and tall evergreens that rustled with every evening breeze. Google seaʀᴄh
Instructor Corey gave us a very specific warning: “Don’t stray too far. Stay within sight of the property. Thirty minutes, and then I expect every single one of you back inside.”
We agreed, naturally. And then immediately went about pushing that boundary as close to the edge as we dared.
The walk was filled with laughter and quiet conversation. Mallory and Selene wandered a little ahead, talking about how breathtaking the stars looked above the mountain ridges. Ria and Kyros were discussing their theories about the ruins, while Noah, as always, kept things light with his ridiculous stories of their last field trip.
I lingered toward the back, letting the night wrap around me like a familiar cloak.
The cool air smelled like pine and old magic.
It was peaceful.
Just as instructed, we all returned inside the hotel within half an hour. Back in my room, I let out a sigh of contentment as I stepped into the bathroom. A hot shower was a small luxury, but it felt heavenly after the long day of hiking, studying, and pretending I wasn’t staring at Oscar like some lovesick idiot.
I dried my hair and wrapped myself in a thick bathrobe. I just finished doing my skincare when-
Knock. Knock.
I stared at the door while my mind scrambled for possibilities, but really, there was only one person who had the audacity to keep showing up like this.
Still, I cracked the door open cautiously.
And of course… it was him.