EPISODE 9 : LEAVING THE ONLY HOME HE KNEW
760 Words
The rain had stopped, but the damage it left behind was impossible to ignore.
Broken stone littered the courtyard of Noctis Crown Academy. Cracked windows reflected the flashing lights of emergency vehicles, while academy staff hurried from one building to another, checking on frightened students.
The official announcement described the attack as an armed security incident.
No one believed it.
Not after what they had witnessed.
Asher stood alone beneath the old oak tree near the courtyard, staring at the shattered academy gates. Only hours earlier, he had walked through those gates thinking about assignments and examinations.
Now they looked like the entrance to a battlefield.
He lowered his eyes to the wooden wolf resting in his hand.
Everything had changed because of it.
"You always come here when you're thinking."
Noah's voice broke the silence.
Asher looked over his shoulder as his best friend approached with two bottles of water.
"I figured you hadn't eaten."
"I'm not hungry."
"I know."
Noah handed him the bottle anyway.
"But you should drink something."
Asher accepted it with a quiet smile.
"Thanks."
For a while, neither of them spoke.
The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable.
It was heavy.
Noah finally sat on the bench beneath the tree.
"When we first met, you told me this was your favorite place in the academy."
Asher nodded.
"It was quiet."
"You also said that if life ever became too complicated, you'd sit here until you figured everything out."
A faint laugh escaped Asher.
"I actually said that?"
"You did."
Noah looked toward the damaged gates.
"So..."
He hesitated.
"Have you figured anything out?"
Asher took a slow breath.
"I've figured out that my life wasn't what I thought it was."
"And?"
"And I don't know what happens next."
Before Noah could reply, footsteps echoed behind them.
Lucas approached with two members of his security team.
His expression was as calm as ever, but the weariness in his eyes hadn't disappeared.
"The academy board has decided to suspend classes for one week," he said.
"The campus will remain under heavy security until the investigation is complete."
Noah folded his arms.
"So everyone's pretending this was a normal attack."
Lucas met his gaze.
"Sometimes the truth creates more danger than the lie."
"And you're okay with that?"
"No."
Lucas answered honestly.
"But I don't always have the luxury of choosing."
He turned to Asher.
"We have to leave."
Asher looked around the campus one last time.
Students were already gathering their belongings.
Some cried quietly.
Others stood in groups, replaying the night's events over and over.
This place had been his home.
Now it no longer felt safe.
He nodded.
"I'm ready."
Lucas led them toward a row of black vehicles waiting beyond the administration building.
Asher stopped halfway.
He turned back.
The old oak tree swayed gently in the morning breeze.
His classroom windows caught the first rays of sunlight.
The library where he and Noah had spent countless evenings preparing for exams stood untouched despite the chaos around it.
He smiled sadly.
"I never even got to return my library book."
Noah laughed despite himself.
"Only you would think about that now."
"I guess some things don't change."
Lucas allowed them a few more moments before opening the rear door of the car.
Asher climbed inside.
Noah remained standing outside.
The smile on his face slowly disappeared.
"So this is really goodbye."
Asher shook his head.
"No."
"You don't know that."
"I do."
He looked directly at Noah.
"I'll come back."
Noah extended his hand through the open window.
"I'll hold you to that."
Asher clasped it firmly.
"You'd better."
The convoy pulled away a few moments later.
Neither of them realized someone was watching from the rooftop of the science building.
A young man dressed in the academy uniform lowered a pair of binoculars.
His calm expression never changed.
"So Lucas Draven has finally made his move."
He slipped a small silver coin into his pocket before turning away from the edge of the roof.
"It's time to report to the master."
The convoy disappeared beyond the academy gates.
Inside the car, Asher watched Noctis Crown Academy grow smaller through the rear window until it vanished completely behind the winding mountain road.
He didn't know where Lucas was taking him.
He didn't know if he would ever return.
But one thing had become painfully clear.
The ordinary life he had fought so hard to protect had ended the moment the academy gates were broken.
And whatever awaited him next...
There was no turning back.
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