Chapter 8
1388 Words
Kael murmuring my name in his sleep hit me harder than a punch to the gut.
Not Rory.
Not cadet.
He said Aria.
I lay there frozen, barely breathing. My heart hammered so loudly in my chest I was sure he’d hear it and wake up. But he didn’t. He just rolled over again and mumbled something incoherent.
I turned away slowly and stared at the ceiling.
Did he know?
Had he figured it out?
Or… was he just dreaming?
I didn’t sleep a wink that night. Every whisper of the wind outside the window, every shift from the bunk across the room, had me on edge.
By the time the sun rose, I felt like I’d aged a year.
At breakfast, I avoided Kael’s eyes. Not because I was angry, but because I didn’t trust myself not to show everything on my face.
He sat beside me like nothing happened.
“Morning,” he said, taking a bite of an apple.
“Morning,” I replied carefully.
“You look like you didn’t sleep.”
“Neither did you,” I muttered.
He smirked. “Dreams. Weird ones.”
I looked up sharply. “About what?”
He shrugged. “Don’t remember. Just a name. Aria.”
I nearly dropped my spoon.
Kael watched me, and I knew—knew—he wasn’t just being casual. He was testing me.
“You ever heard that name before?” he asked, too lighthearted to be real.
I swallowed. “Sounds familiar.”
He leaned in a little, voice lower. “Funny. It keeps popping up in my head when I look at you.”
I forced a laugh. “Weird. Maybe it’s your long-lost soulmate.”
He didn’t laugh back.
That terrified me more than anything else.
I stood quickly. “I have drills.”
“Don’t we all?” he said, but his eyes didn’t leave mine.
The training yard was brutal that morning. They made us run ten laps, lift weights, then go straight into sparring. Every muscle in my body screamed, but I welcomed the pain. It kept me from thinking too much.
Riven showed up halfway through sparring. He leaned against the gate, arms folded, face unreadable.
I finished my match and walked over, wiping sweat from my forehead.
“They’re accelerating the schedule,” he said quietly.
“What?”
“The Trials. They’re starting early.”
My stomach sank. “How early?”
“Tomorrow.”
I nearly choked. “That’s insane! We’re not ready.”
“That’s the point. They want people to crack. And you—” he looked at me— “they want you to slip.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re dangerous. Not just because you’re a girl. But because you’re good. Too good.”
I frowned. “So… what? I’m supposed to fail on purpose now?”
“No,” Riven said. “You’re supposed to win. And not just win. Own it. Make it impossible for them to tear you down without looking like cowards.”
I stared at the ground. “And if I mess up?”
Riven looked me dead in the eye. “Then I do what I have to do.”
I didn’t ask what that meant. I already knew.
He’d cover for me.
Maybe even take the fall.
That night, there was no dinner. No talking. The entire Academy was quiet—too quiet. Like the building itself was holding its breath.
We were instructed to sleep early, but sleep was a joke.
I stared at the ceiling for hours.
Kael hadn’t said another word all day. But when lights went out, and the room was dark, I heard him speak again.
“Aria.”
This time, he didn’t mumble. He said it like a fact.
I turned slowly. “What did you say?”
“I know it’s you,” Kael said.
My throat closed.
“I don’t know how. But I do.”
“Kael—”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said. “But I need to know the truth.”
I sat up. “Why? So you can turn me in? Be the hero who exposed the fake?”
“No,” he said quickly. “Because I care.”
That stopped me.
“You care?”
He sat up too, the moonlight catching the sharp lines of his jaw. “I don’t know how it happened. You’re reckless. Stubborn. Mouthy. And way too good at throwing me off balance. But I care.”
My chest ached.
I didn’t know what to say.
“I want to protect you,” he said softly.
“That’s not your job.”
“I know. But I still want to.”
I looked away. “You shouldn’t.”
He leaned forward. “Tell me the truth, Aria. Just once. Before everything changes.”
My lips trembled.
“I am who you think I am.”
Kael let out a slow breath, like he’d been holding it for days.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
We sat in silence after that. Not touching. Not even looking. But something between us shifted. Something real.
The next morning, they gathered us at the main field.
The Trials had begun.
We were split into teams. I was placed with two cadets I didn’t know well and—of course—Kael.
Riven stood near the edge of the field with the Head Enforcer and other staff, arms crossed, eyes scanning the crowd.
The first test was endurance. A three-mile run across the woods, with obstacles, traps, and surprise ambushes.
We were barely past the first mile when things went sideways.
Our group hit a wire trap. Netting flew up, catching one of our teammates. He shouted, and Kael cursed, pulling a knife to cut him down.
But it was a distraction.
Three older cadets, posing as opponents, charged us from behind. We fought back hard. I took two hits, one to the ribs and one to the arm, but stayed standing.
Kael tackled the last attacker, growling low under his breath.
“You alright?” he asked me, panting.
I nodded, teeth clenched. “Peachy.”
We freed the trapped cadet and kept running. The second test was strategy. We had to retrieve a hidden flag guarded by three rotating sentries.
Kael pointed at the tree line. “I’ll draw them out. You two flank and grab the flag.”
“No,” I said. “Let me go. I’m faster.”
He gave me a look. “You’re also injured.”
“I’m fine.”
He hesitated.
“Trust me,” I said.
That was all it took.
He nodded once, then broke left with the others. I darted forward, fast and low. My body ached, but adrenaline dulled everything. I grabbed the flag just as the sentries turned, and we sprinted back toward the center.
One more test left. Loyalty.
They split us up individually and brought us into a dark room with only a table and a chair.
The instructor sat across from me.
“If your teammate,” he said, “was breaking Academy rules and risking the entire unit’s future, would you report them?”
I stared at him.
“Answer.”
I leaned forward. “No.”
“Even if it meant your own demotion?”
“I don’t betray my team,” I said flatly.
He studied me, then dismissed me.
I walked out of that room shaking.
Hours later, they gathered us again.
“You’ve all performed beyond expectation,” the Head Enforcer said. “But one of you stood out.”
He turned.
“Cadet Rory.”
My stomach dropped.
“You demonstrated exceptional skill, loyalty, and leadership. You passed.”
The crowd clapped politely. I barely heard it.
I couldn’t believe it.
I passed.
And then—chaos.
A loud bang cracked the sky. Smoke burst near the field gates. People shouted.
Figures in black cloaks stormed the grounds, shouting commands.
Riven was already running toward them.
Kael grabbed my arm. “Stay close!”
Before I could react, a cloaked figure stepped into our path, holding something that shimmered.
They raised it.
And said, “Her name is Aria. She’s not who you think she is.”
- Writer
