Chosen By Ruin

I Want To Know

The Professor’s gaze flicks between me and Liam, and I can’t help but wait for the worst to come.

Liam just implicated me. I would probably be banned from this class indefinitely.

Professor Dean eventually speaks. Finally. “Dominion Liam, I know better than to allow you distract my class.” Then his gaze shifts to me. “You may take your seat. But you won’t be lucky if there’s a next time.”

I stand there for a moment longer than necessary, my mind struggling to catch up.

Did he just spare me because Liam asked? And he hadn’t even asked politely.

“See you after class, Ann,” Liam says with a low voice, looking at me like there’s something really going on between us.

I watch him walk away.

“You want to remain standing?” The professor’s voice jolt me back from my dazed state.

And I quickly rush down the curved steps of the lecture hall, aware of every pair of eyes tracking me.

The classroom is built like an amphitheater—rows of dark wooden desks descending in layers toward the center where Professor Dean stands.

My eyes find Sloane gesturing for me to come over as I search for an empty seat. I slide into it, keeping my expression blank while ignoring the whispers and the stares.

I realize that Professor Dean hasn’t move on with the lecture, his eyes are still on me. I almost raise a brow in question.

“Where is your book?” He asks.

Here we go, “I can assimilate things easily, Sir. I don’t always need one.” It’s a fact about me.

His eyes narrow slightly, studying me like I’ve just said something mildly offensive.

“It doesn’t matter if you can,” he replies. “Next time, bring a book to my class.”

“I will,” I say.

He nods once, then turns back to the board behind him, where he’s written on.

Sloane leans closer to me, her shoulder brushing mine.

“Hi,” she whispers, a small smile playing on her lips.

“Hi,” I murmur back, ignoring the boy with braided hair at my right whose gaze keeps flicking to me.

The lecture resumes.

“As I was saying about Siphons,” Professor Dean continues, pacing slowly across the platform, “they were once among the most feared beings across all realms. Not because they were born to be feared, but because they could become so powerful than the ones who bear the powers they absorb. Limitlessly so.”

A girl raises her hand from the second tier.

“Yes?” he says.

“Do siphons still exist?” she asks.

Professor Dean stops walking.

“No,” he says after a pause. “They no longer exist. The last of them were eradicated long ago.”

A boy a few rows ahead scoffs lightly, leaning back in his chair.

“They should’ve been put to good use instead of wiped out,” he says. “Imagine Supraveil having siphons as students. Watching them absorb different kinds of energy would be…interesting. I’d love to be one.”

A few students chuckle.

Professor Dean turns slowly, his expression unreadable as his gray eyes narrow at the boy.

“And your name is?”

“Authur Devera.”

“Authur,” Professor Dean repeats, folding his hands behind his back. “As much as your opinion almost makes sense… it is also careless. You do not crave a power you do not understand. That makes you unwise.”

Laughter erupts again in the class. If I hear more laughter after this, I will scoff loudly. Nothing seems funny to me.

Authur sinks slightly into his seat, muttering under his breath.

I glance around the room, taking in faces one after another. This seem to be a general class. We are very many, all in uniforms, and I can spot a girl I know is a witch, which confirms my thought that this course isn’t for wolves alone.

I lean slightly toward Sloane. “What class do we have after this?”

“Sparring,” she whispers back, her eyes lighting up a little. “For strength-building. But this is a first one for initiates.”

I blink. “We spar?”

She nods. “It’s fun. If you’re good, they move you up to specialized fighter classes.”

My mind shifts immediately.

If I act weak and fail the sparring class, I can get redirected to another class.

I will gladly go for cooking. That way, I can serve Xaden’s food someday- which I hope is very soon without being questioned. I will be able to poison him with that seed once and for all. I will be free.

I didn’t hear the sound of Xaden’s keys last night. I had waited for that sound before I slept. Did that mean he didn’t return to his room after killing that boy? Where could he have been…

Sloane nudges me tenderly. “Are you scared?”

“I’m not,” I say.

She tilts her head, then smirks. “Kat says you’re anxious.”

I frown. “Who’s Kat?”

“My wolf.”

“Oh.” I pause, then force a smile. “My regards to Kat.”

Sloane lets out a quiet laugh. “You are really a menace. I like you.”

The rest of the class passes without incident. And I can’t help but feel a subtle shift. The same students who laughed at me earlier now avoid looking directly at me. Conversations dim when I glance their way.

And I know exactly why. Liam.

Chairs scrape as Professor Dean announces the end of class.

I stand immediately, slipping into the flow of students heading toward the exit, eager to disappear into the corridor.

But Sloane catches up to me quickly.

“Wait,” she says, falling into step beside me.

The hallway outside is wide and open, lined with high arches and polished stone floors that reflect the overhead lights like dark water. Bridges stretch between towers in the distance, visible through massive glass panels that frame the courtyard below.

It’s my first time coming to this side of Supraveil since I arrived.

“They’re scared of you now,” Sloane informs casually.

I glance at her as we walk. “Scared of me? I don’t think so. Why did you say that?”

She gives me a playful look. “Because you’re apparently the Storm Weaver’s girlfriend.”

“I’m not his—” I start, then stop myself.

There is no point explaining.

Sloane nods like she expected that. “Yeah. I figured. Considering he wanted to kill you. I was surprised when he…”

“Tell me about my mum. When she worked here.” I interrupt her. Half reason- because I want to know, and the rest because I don’t want to talk about me and Liam.

Sloane’s expression shifts to what looks like a faked scowl. “You are using me for informations. I thought friends are supposed to do the personal introductions and all.”

That pull a small chuckle out of me. “My bad. I’m just too curious I guess.”

She smiles.

“Well… your mum was strict,” she says plainly. “Actually, more than strict. She didn’t hesitate to punish students. People feared her.”

“Why did she kill Liam’s sister?”

Sloane hesitates.

“I heard she was caught sneaking out of the academy at night. Heard she planned with some outcast to help her run.” My chest tightens. I tried doing that last night.

“Why would she want to run?” I press.

“I don’t know. I’m not in the witches’ division, but people said the training got too intense for her. She couldn’t handle it. Your mum didn’t tolerate that.”

She pauses, then adds, “She was kind of a menace. Sorry.”

I stop walking. I turn to face her fully.

“Why are you talking to me?” I ask. “Why don’t you hate me too since my…mum was like that?”

For a brief second, something flickers across her face. Like an underlying emotion.

Then it’s gone.

“You didn’t have to help me pick that envelope up, but you did. And the content in it is really important to me. Let’s say, I just wanted to keep talking to you after that.”

I study her for a moment, then nod slowly. “You’re welcome.”

I’m glad she hasn’t mentioned the incident that happened on the field. I had no doubt that she would have also heard.

“Got more questions? Because after now, we’re bonding over things that don't have to do with school history.”

She rolls her eyes and I giggle. My expression straightens as what happened last night surfaces in my head. I’ve been curious about the dragon.

Just when I open my mouth to ask about it, a movement in the courtyard catches my attention.

Liam.

He’s walking with another guy, both of them cutting through the space like they rule the surroundings. Students instinctively move aside, creating a path without being told.

“I’ll catch up with you later,” I tell Sloane, already moving.

I don’t wait for her response.

I head straight toward him.

The guy beside Liam notices me first. His lips curl slightly as I approach them.

“Well, look at that,” he mutters. “There goes the little wolf who went into heat on the field. How was that experience?”

I ignore him completely.

“Liam,” I call.

He’s already looking at me. I don’t allow his eyes to intimidate me.

“Can we talk? I mean…somewhere private.”

He doesn’t answer immediately.

Then he says, “Yeah. Of course.”

He reaches out, takes my hand unexpectedly, and starts walking like he was the one who reached out.

I let him pull me- until we’re far enough from the main courtyard, tucked into a quiet passage where the noise fades into a distant hum.

Then I yank my hand away.

“Enough of the fake niceties and calling me your girlfriend in public. What do you want?” I snap, because really, I now walk with the fear that Liam wants something from me that I don’t know about in every step I take.

I don’t want to add that to my lists of problems.

He lets out a low, amused breath.

“You know,” he starts, leaning slightly against the wall, “a lot of people here would kill to be my girlfriend.”

“Well, I’m not one of them,” I shoot back. “So tell me your condition. Let’s get this over with.”

Whatever warmth he pretended to wear disappears like it was never there.

His face immediately hardens.

That same cold, familiar expression surfaces, the one that reminds me exactly who I met when I entered Supraveil.

“Do you really want to know?” he asks quietly.

My throat tightens.

But I nod anyway.

“I want to know.”