The runes were fresh.
Aria crouched beside the outer wall of the west dormitory, fingers hovering just above the glowing markings carved into the stone. They weren’t old, etched with time or erosion. These were recent—no more than a few hours old. Sharp lines, precise angles, glowing faintly blue-white beneath the early morning light.
She recognized the pattern.
Not just from the Moonborn texts.
From her own skin.
These were the same runes that had marked her ribs the night she first crossed the Veil.
Only now… they were appearing on the walls of Alpha Academy.
Kade knelt beside her, a deep crease in his brow. “They’re matching your marks exactly.”
“I thought that was just coincidence the first time,” she murmured. “It’s not. Someone is copying them. Or… they have them too.”
“Whic
