EPISODE 10 : THE NIGHT HE LEFT EVERYTHING BEHIND
1021 Words
Sleep never came.
Asher sat by the window of his dorm room, watching the first light of dawn creep across the grounds of Noctis Crown Academy. The campus looked peaceful again, as though the attack from the previous night had never happened. Workers had already begun repairing the shattered gates, and students who knew nothing about the truth continued with their morning routines.
To them, it was just another day.
To Asher, it felt like the beginning of a life he had never asked for.
The wooden wolf rested on the desk beside him. Next to it lay the silver pendant Lucas had entrusted to him. The two objects shared the same engraved crest—a wolf standing beneath a crescent moon.
He reached for the pendant, turning it over in his palm.
For a brief moment, he thought he heard a woman's laughter.
It was soft.
Gentle.
Gone before he could hold on to it.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Asher?"
It was Noah.
"Are you awake?"
"Yeah."
The door opened slowly, and Noah stepped inside carrying two cups of coffee. His usual cheerful expression was missing.
"I figured you hadn't slept."
"I didn't."
"I didn't either."
Noah handed him one of the cups before sitting on the edge of the opposite bed.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Noah broke the silence.
"Everything Lucas told us last night..."
He paused, searching for the right words.
"Do you believe him?"
Asher stared into his coffee.
"I don't know."
"You don't remember being a prince?"
"No."
"Do you remember your parents?"
Asher closed his eyes.
"I remember pieces."
"What kind of pieces?"
"A woman's voice."
He swallowed.
"A palace."
"Fire."
"And someone telling me to run."
Noah lowered his gaze.
"I'm sorry."
"So am I."
Another silence settled over the room.
This one felt heavier than the first.
Noah suddenly laughed.
It wasn't because anything was funny.
It was the kind of laugh people made when reality became too overwhelming.
"You know," he said, "my biggest concern yesterday was passing Professor Harrington's exam."
A faint smile appeared on Asher's face.
"And today?"
"My best friend turns out to be a missing prince who's being hunted by people carrying swords."
Despite everything, Asher laughed quietly.
It was the first genuine laugh he had managed since the attack.
"I'm still the same person."
"I know."
Noah looked at him seriously.
"And don't forget that."
Another knock interrupted them.
This one was firmer.
Lucas entered without waiting for permission.
He had changed into a dark charcoal suit, though the exhaustion in his eyes betrayed the sleepless night behind him.
"It's time."
Asher stood.
"So we're leaving."
"Yes."
"What about my classes?"
Lucas looked at him for a long moment.
"I'll make arrangements."
"I don't want arrangements."
"I want my life back."
Lucas's expression softened.
"I know."
"But your enemies won't allow it."
Asher looked around the room.
His books were still stacked neatly on the shelf.
His jacket hung beside the wardrobe.
Photographs of him and Noah during their first year at Noctis Crown Academy were pinned above his desk.
It suddenly struck him that he might never return.
He picked up his backpack and slowly placed the wooden wolf and the pendant inside.
Nothing else seemed important.
Noah watched him in silence.
"So..."
He forced a smile.
"I guess this is goodbye."
Asher shook his head immediately.
"No."
"What do you mean, no?"
"I'm coming back."
Lucas remained silent.
Asher turned toward Noah.
"I don't care what those people want."
"I don't care who they think I am."
"This academy is my home."
"And you're my family."
Noah's eyes reddened.
"You'd better keep that promise."
"I will."
Lucas cleared his throat gently.
"We need to move."
The three of them walked through the nearly empty corridors toward the rear entrance of the academy.
Most students were already in class.
Only a few glanced curiously at them before continuing on their way.
Outside, a convoy of black vehicles waited.
Several men dressed in dark uniforms stood guard around the cars.
They bowed respectfully as Lucas approached.
Before Asher could enter the vehicle, a familiar voice called his name.
"Asher!"
He turned.
A young woman from his history class came running across the courtyard, slightly out of breath.
She stopped a few feet away.
"I heard you were leaving."
Asher nodded.
"I have to."
She hesitated before holding out a small notebook.
"You left this in class yesterday."
Asher accepted it.
"Thank you."
She smiled sadly.
"I don't know what's happening."
"But..."
She looked directly at him.
"I hope you come back."
Asher returned the smile.
"So do I."
Lucas opened the rear door.
"It's time."
Asher took one last look at Noctis Crown Academy.
The towering buildings.
The courtyard where he had spent countless afternoons.
The old oak tree where he and Noah often sat after class.
Only yesterday, it had been the center of his world.
Now, it was slipping into the distance.
He climbed into the car.
The convoy pulled away from the academy gates.
No one inside the vehicles noticed the lone figure standing on the roof of the tallest building.
Hidden beneath a dark cloak, the stranger watched the convoy disappear down the winding road.
He slowly raised a hand to his ear.
"They've left the academy."
A cold voice answered from the other end.
"Good."
The stranger smiled.
"Shall we intercept them?"
There was a brief pause.
Then came the reply.
"No."
"Let the prince believe he's escaped."
The voice became quieter.
"It will be far more entertaining... if he leads us to the place Lucas has been hiding for the last twenty years."
The call ended.
The cloaked man looked toward the distant mountains, where dark clouds gathered above the horizon.
"The game has finally begun."
Far ahead, unaware they were being followed, Lucas's convoy disappeared into the forest.
None of them realized that every mile carrying Asher farther from Noctis Crown Academy was also carrying him closer to the truth about the kingdom he had forgotten... and the enemies who had never forgotten him.
- Writer
