Caught

Chapter 1

Aspheria Vyrniell stared at the open textbook in front of her, the words blurring together as her pen tapped absently against the desk. The classroom hummed with quiet murmurs, the scratch of pencils, the occasional rustle of paper. It was an ordinary day, in an ordinary life.

Then why did she feel like something was missing?

She rubbed her temples, exhaling slowly. Lately, there had been... gaps. Moments where she felt displaced, like waking from a dream she couldn’t quite remember. It wasn’t alarming, not really. Just a nagging sensation, an itch she couldn’t scratch.

“Hera.”

She blinked, looking up to see her best friend, Meil, staring at her with mild concern. “You okay?”

Hera forced a small smile. “Yeah. Just tired.”

Meil arched a brow. “You’ve been out of it all week. Exams aren’t that stressful.”

Hera shrugged, closing her book. “Guess I just have a lot on my mind.”

It wasn’t a lie. Lately, there had been dreams—flashes of something dark and burning, voices she couldn’t quite place. She would wake up breathless, heart pounding, feeling as though she had lost something precious. But when she tried to remember what it was, her mind came up empty.

She shook the thoughts away and packed up her things as the bell rang. Maybe she was overthinking. Maybe it was just stress.

Or maybe… it was something she had forgotten. Something her mind refused to let her see.

As she stepped out of the classroom, a gust of wind rushed past her, carrying the faintest scent of smoke.

Her breath hitched.

And for a split second, she swore she heard a voice.

"Lune...."

She spun around. But the hallway was empty.

Except for the sharp gaze she could feel lingering at the back of her head but couldn't find the source.

"sighhh"

taking a deep breath, she quickly brush it off and started walking to follow her friend.