CHAPTER 13: THE MEN IN BLACK
1217 Words
Rain poured heavily across Blackthorne Academy as the black SUVs rolled through the gates like shadows entering a graveyard.
Nobody in the classroom spoke.
Lyra stood frozen near the window beside Nova while the mysterious men stepped out slowly into the storm.
All dressed in black.
All emotionless.
And every single one wore silver gloves marked with the same symbol Lyra saw underground.
The eye inside the circle.
“The Circle,” she whispered.
Elowen’s expression darkened slightly.
“They don’t usually come here themselves.”
Nova glanced at her nervously.
“That sentence is deeply concerning.”
Below in the courtyard, police officers moved aside almost immediately as the men approached.
Not argued with.
Not questioned.
Moved aside.
Like they knew who these people were.
Or feared them.
Lyra noticed Detective Arclight watching the black vehicles carefully. His face remained unreadable, but his posture had changed.
Tense.
One of the men handed him a silver folder.
The detective opened it slowly.
Then his eyes lifted immediately toward the academy windows.
Toward Lyra again.
A cold feeling spread through her chest.
“He’s looking at me like he already knows something,” she whispered.
Caius stepped beside her.
“He does.”
Lyra turned sharply.
“What does that mean?”
Before he could answer, Elowen spoke quietly behind them.
“Ren Arclight used to work for The Circle.”
Silence exploded inside the room.
Nova blinked once.
“…I’m sorry, what?”
Lyra stared at Elowen in disbelief.
“The detective works for them?”
“Used to,” Elowen corrected calmly.
“That’s not better!”
Caius ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
“You shouldn’t have said that.”
“She deserves to know who she can trust.”
“Can I trust anyone in this school?” Lyra snapped.
Nobody answered.
And that answer hurt most.
Outside, the men in black entered the academy through the main doors.
The atmosphere inside the classroom changed instantly.
Heavier.
Dangerous.
Like something terrible had just arrived.
Nova slowly backed away from the windows.
“I officially regret hacking this school.”
A sudden buzz came from every student phone at once.
All four of them checked instantly.
BLACKTHORNE ALERT:
ALL STUDENTS REPORT FOR MANDATORY ROOM INSPECTION.
Lyra frowned.
“What kind of inspection?”
Elowen’s expression sharpened.
“They’re searching for evidence.”
“Evidence of what?”
“You.”
A loud knock echoed against the classroom door.
Everyone froze.
Then a cold male voice spoke from outside.
“Open the door.”
Caius moved instantly in front of Lyra.
Nova whispered softly,
“That’s never a good sign.”
The voice came again.
“Head Prefect Graves, step aside.”
Elowen walked calmly toward the door.
“You shouldn’t resist,” she said quietly.
Caius glared at her.
“You trust them too much.”
“No,” Elowen replied softly.
“I know what happens when people don’t obey.”
Something painful flickered across her face for one brief second.
Fear.
Real fear.
Then it disappeared.
She unlocked the door slowly.
Three men dressed in black entered the classroom.
No masks this time.
But somehow they looked worse without them.
Their expressions remained completely emotionless.
Like human beings switched off inside.
The tallest man stepped forward first.
Silver eyes.
Sharp jawline.
Dark gloves with the circle symbol.
His gaze moved across the room carefully before stopping on Lyra.
“Subject L.”
Her stomach twisted immediately.
“I’m not calling myself that.”
The man ignored her completely.
“You violated restricted access protocols.”
Nova muttered under her breath,
“Wow. Evil and robotic.”
Caius stepped forward.
“She doesn’t belong to The Circle.”
The silver-eyed man finally looked at him.
“You are in no position to make demands, Caius Mercer.”
The tension in the room became unbearable.
Lyra noticed something important then.
Even Caius seemed careful around these people.
Not scared exactly.
But cautious.
That alone terrified her.
The man turned back toward Lyra.
“You will come with us.”
“No,” Caius said immediately.
The man’s expression remained cold.
“This is not a negotiation.”
Lyra crossed her arms tightly despite her fear.
“I’m not going anywhere until someone explains what’s happening.”
Silence followed.
Then surprisingly—
The silver-eyed man smiled slightly.
Not kindly.
Worse.
Like he found her interesting.
“You really are her daughter.”
Lyra’s chest tightened painfully.
“You knew my mother.”
“Everyone important knew Iris Vale.”
Hearing her mother’s full name spoken aloud made everything feel suddenly real.
Not just rumors anymore.
Not mysteries.
Her mother had truly been connected to this place.
To all of this.
“What happened to her?” Lyra asked quietly.
The man studied her carefully.
Then calmly answered:
“She ascended.”
Lyra blinked slowly.
“What does that even mean?”
“It means she became something greater.”
Nova whispered softly,
“Definitely a cult.”
The silver-eyed man ignored her.
“She understood Blackthorne’s true purpose.”
“And what’s that?”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“To build the future.”
Every answer somehow sounded more disturbing than the last.
Caius’s voice hardened.
“You’re not taking her.”
The man finally looked irritated.
“You continue making the same mistake your brother made.”
The room went still.
Kael.
Caius’s fists clenched instantly.
“Don’t talk about him.”
“Then stop repeating his behavior.”
Lightning flashed violently outside.
For one terrifying second, the classroom filled with white light.
And Lyra noticed something strange.
The silver-eyed man had a scar across his throat.
Long.
Deep.
Almost like someone once tried to kill him.
The moment passed quickly.
But Lyra noticed.
The man looked back toward her.
“You’ve already begun remembering.”
Her pulse quickened sharply.
“Remembering what?”
His smile returned slightly.
“The night Kael Mercer died.”
Silence crashed over the room.
Caius looked furious now.
“Elian.”
So the man had a name.
Elian ignored him completely.
Instead, he reached slowly into his coat pocket.
Every muscle in Caius’s body tightened instantly.
But Elian only pulled out a photograph.
Old.
Faded.
He handed it toward Lyra.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she took it.
Then her breath stopped.
The photograph showed three people standing beneath Blackthorne’s clock tower years ago.
Her mother.
Kael Mercer.
And—
A little girl around seven years old.
Lyra.
No.
That was impossible.
She stared at the image in horror.
“I’ve never seen this before…”
But even as she said it—
A sharp pain exploded inside her head.
A memory flashed suddenly.
Rain.
Screaming.
Someone crying.
Kael kneeling in front of her.
Telling her to run.
Lyra gasped sharply and nearly dropped the photograph.
Caius caught her before she fell.
“Lyra?”
The room blurred around her.
Another memory flashed.
Blood on stone floors.
A woman screaming her name.
White masks surrounding them.
Then darkness.
The pain vanished instantly.
Lyra grabbed Caius’s sleeve breathing unevenly.
“I remember him,” she whispered.
Complete silence filled the room.
Even Elian looked surprised now.
And softly—
Almost reverently—
He said:
“Welcome back, Lyra.”
- Writer
