Whispers in Daylight
993 Words
Morning arrived too quickly.
Nyxara barely remembered falling asleep, yet the soft light filtering through the window told her a new day had already begun.
She sat up slowly, her body heavy but her senses alert.
The feeling from the night before lingered.
Faint.
Distant.
But still there.
Below.
She glanced across the room. Lena Hale was already awake, tying her hair and humming softly.
“Morning,” Lena said brightly. “You look like you barely slept.”
Nyxara managed a small smile.
“Something like that.”
Lena laughed. “You’ll get used to it. First nights are always weird.”
If only that was the reason.
Nyxara got dressed quickly, pushing her thoughts aside. She couldn’t afford to seem distracted—not here, not now.
Blend in.
That was the goal.
—
The academy courtyard buzzed with life as students moved between classes. The normalcy of it all felt almost unreal to Nyxara.
Laughter.
Voices.
Books clutched in hands.
It was a world untouched by the shadows she knew existed.
Or at least… unaware of them.
“Over here!” Lena called, waving toward a shaded corner of the courtyard.
Kaelen Ward, Mira Solenne, and Rowan Dacre were already there.
Kaelen leaned back against the stone bench, arms crossed casually.
“You survived your first night,” he said with a half-smile.
“Barely,” Nyxara replied.
Mira tilted her head, studying her.
“You felt it, didn’t you?” she asked suddenly.
Nyxara stiffened.
“Felt what?”
Mira’s eyes lit up slightly.
“The academy. There’s something strange about it. I’ve been reading old records—there are stories about hidden structures beneath the school. Old foundations, maybe even older than the academy itself.”
Nyxara forced herself to remain calm.
“You believe that?”
“I don’t believe everything,” Mira said thoughtfully. “But I pay attention to patterns.”
Rowan, who had been silent until now, spoke quietly.
“Some of the older buildings weren’t built from scratch,” he said. “They were built over something.”
Nyxara’s heartbeat slowed slightly.
So it wasn’t just her.
Others had noticed… something.
Just not what it truly was.
Kaelen shrugged.
“Or it’s just old architecture and Mira reading too many strange books.”
Mira rolled her eyes.
“Keep underestimating things. It always works out so well.”
Nyxara couldn’t help but smile faintly.
For a moment, it felt… normal.
But that feeling didn’t last.
A sudden shift in the air made her senses sharpen.
That scent again.
Faint.
Metallic.
Dangerous.
Her gaze flicked across the courtyard instinctively.
Students passed by, unaware.
Nothing out of place.
And yet—
“There,” Rowan murmured under his breath.
Nyxara turned slightly.
At the far edge of the courtyard, near the archway leading toward the outer grounds, a figure stood still for just a moment too long.
Watching.
Then the figure turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Nyxara’s jaw tightened.
“You saw that?” she asked quietly.
Rowan nodded once.
“Yeah.”
Kaelen frowned slightly. “What are you two talking about?”
“Nothing,” Nyxara said quickly.
Too quickly.
Mira’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn’t press.
Not yet.
—
Classes passed in a blur.
Nyxara focused as much as she could, answering when necessary, observing more than speaking. She was careful with every movement, every word.
But the feeling of being watched never truly left.
By midday, she stepped outside alone, needing air.
The courtyard had quieted slightly, most students already inside.
She exhaled slowly, trying to steady herself.
“You’re not very good at pretending everything is fine.”
The voice came from behind her.
Nyxara turned.
Adrian.
He leaned casually against a stone pillar, as if he had been there for some time.
“I could say the same about you,” she replied.
A faint smile crossed his face.
“Maybe.”
He stepped closer, his presence calm, controlled.
“You notice things,” he said. “More than most people here.”
Nyxara didn’t respond immediately.
“That’s not always a good thing,” she said carefully.
“No,” Adrian agreed softly. “But it’s useful.”
His eyes held hers for a moment longer than necessary.
There was something deeper behind them.
Something hidden.
Nyxara felt it again—that quiet pull of curiosity.
Dangerous.
But hard to ignore.
“You don’t trust easily,” Adrian added.
Nyxara let out a small breath.
“Should I?”
His smile faded just slightly.
“Probably not.”
The honesty caught her off guard.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Adrian straightened.
“If anything feels… off,” he said, “you should be careful.”
Nyxara studied him closely.
“Why are you telling me that?”
He paused.
Then shrugged lightly.
“Let’s just say… not everything here is what it seems.”
Nyxara’s chest tightened slightly.
He knew something.
But so did she.
And neither of them was saying it.
“Thanks,” she said finally.
Adrian nodded once.
Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.
Nyxara watched him go.
Her instincts were conflicted.
Part of her trusted him.
Another part warned her not to.
—
From the shadow of the upper balcony, unseen by both of them…
Prince Cassian Valerius watched everything.
His gaze moved between Nyxara and Adrian, his expression unreadable.
But there was a shift in the air around him.
Subtle.
Cold.
Possessive.
Adrian was getting too close.
And Nyxara…
Was beginning to listen.
Cassian’s eyes darkened slightly.
This was no longer just observation.
This was becoming interference.
And if the rogues were already positioning themselves…
Then he would have to act sooner than planned.
Because one thing was becoming clear—
Nyxara was no longer just hiding in Ebonridge.
She was standing at the center of something dangerous.
And every move she made…
Was being watched.
- Writer
