Silent Steps, Hidden Secrets

Arvanay's POV:

My mind swirled with panic, drowning me in worst-case scenarios.

What if something happened to them?

What if they were trapped? Lost? Gone forever?

A sharp breath left my lips. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

I had come here to help the air elementals, to save them from whatever horrors this place held. But now—because of me—my own friends were in trouble.

I failed them.

My chest tightened, guilt clawing at my insides.

And then—voices.

Low, hushed tones echoed from the entrance. My body stiffened as I instinctively pressed myself closer to the tree, my pulse thudding in my ears.

Carefully, I turned, peeking from behind the rough bark.

Three men stood at the entrance.

My brows furrowed. They're not the same guards I saw last time.

Their presence was unsettling. Unlike the previous men, these ones carried an air of authority, their stances rigid, their gazes sharp. They weren't just ordinary guards—they were something else.

They spoke in low voices, their words blurred by the pounding of my thoughts.

But no matter how hard I tried to focus, my mind refused to latch onto their conversation.

Because the only thing I could think about was my friends.

Where were they? Were they hurt? Did I just send them into something they couldn't escape?

The cold weight of dread settled in my stomach.

I had to do something. Fast.

My mind was completely lost in worry for my friends, yet my eyes remained locked on the men standing near the cliff entrance. Every muscle in my body tensed as I tried to piece together what to do next.

Then—suddenly—a hand landed on my shoulder.

I jolted, a sharp gasp escaping my lips as my pulse roared in my ears. My body tensed, instincts flaring, ready to fight—until a familiar scent wrapped around me, grounding me in reality.

I spun around, heart hammering, half-expecting a threat—only to meet a pair of familiar eyes.

Kai.

Relief crashed over me so fast and hard that my breath hitched. Before I could stop myself, I threw my arms around him, gripping his jacket tightly. His body stiffened in surprise, but I didn’t care. He was here. He was safe.

Behind him, the rest of my friends stood watching, their faces a mix of concern and confusion.

My chest heaved as I pulled back, my fingers still clutching his sleeves. "Where were you?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

But before Kai could answer, the memory of the men by the entrance slammed back into my thoughts.

I stiffened, urgency taking over. "Quiet," I hissed, my tone leaving no room for argument. "Not even a sound."

They blinked at me in confusion, their brows furrowing.

"Get down," I whispered, motioning toward the thick tree trunk.

Without hesitation, they followed my lead, crouching low as they reached out for my hands. One by one, they took them, forming a silent chain as we huddled together, peeking toward the entrance.

And then—they saw.

Their eyes widened in shock, their faces shifting from confusion to something far more serious.

Nico's lips parted. "What the—"

Before he could finish, Dante slapped a hand over his mouth, silencing him.

Nico's brows shot up in protest, but the moment Dante removed his hand, understanding dawned on his face. He turned back to the men, his jaw tightening.

Esme leaned in closer, murmuring, "Who the hell are they? And why do they seem completely different from the other elementals?"

I exhaled slowly, my mind racing. "I felt the same way the first time I came here," I admitted, voice barely above a whisper. "But these aren't the ones I saw last time. That group had four men, and they looked different. These ones... their aura is stronger."

A heavy silence settled between us as everyone turned to me, processing my words.

Kai's expression darkened. "That means... we have no idea how many men are here."

I met his gaze, my stomach twisting.

No, we didn't.

And that terrified me.

"We don't even know how many of them are here," Kai muttered, his brows furrowed in frustration. "Hell, we don't know anything about this place. How are we supposed to save the air elementals if we're completely in the dark?"

His words struck a nerve. My thoughts spiraled—he was right. We were blindly walking into this, not knowing what we were up against. What if we were too late? What if—

A voice cut through the silence.

I froze.

One of the men at the entrance spoke, his tone laced with authority.

"Boss will be here next Wednesday. Until then, we have to keep an eye on these students. Once they're taken, our job is done."

My blood ran cold.

I felt, rather than saw, my friends tensing beside me. My breath hitched, my pulse hammering so loudly I swore they could hear it.

We all exchanged looks, our expressions shifting from confusion to pure, unfiltered shock.

"They're taking the students?" Esme whispered, her voice barely audible. "Taken... by who?"

Dante clenched his fists. "Whoever they are, it sure as hell doesn't sound good."

"They mentioned a boss," Nico said, his voice tight. "Which means they're just following orders."

Kai exhaled sharply. "And we don't even know how many more of them are in this place."

My thoughts raced. This was bigger than we thought—far bigger. And if we wanted to stop whatever was happening here, we had to be smart. Because one wrong move—and we'd be the next ones taken.

I turned to them, my mind still reeling from what we just overheard, but one question burned in my thoughts.

"Where did you all go?" I asked, my voice laced with concern. "When you let go of my hands, you just—disappeared."

Kai exchanged a glance with the others before answering. "One moment we were here, the next... we were back in the forest. It was like we got pulled out of that creepy place instantly."

"We were calling you," Esme added. "Looking everywhere. But we couldn't find you."

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Dante nodded. "After searching for a while, we finally spotted you standing behind this tree."

A heavy weight lifted from my chest, but guilt still gnawed at the edges of my mind. "I thought..." I swallowed, my voice faltering. "I thought you were trapped. In danger. Because of me."

Kai frowned, his expression darkening. "Are you an idiot?" he murmured, his voice firm but not unkind. "Don't ever think that again."

I blinked at him, startled.

He crossed his arms. "We came here by choice. If anything happened, it wouldn't be your fault."

Dante nodded in agreement. "Yeah, don't go blaming yourself for something none of us saw coming."

Kai ran a hand through his hair, exhaling. "Besides, when we let go of your hands, I think whatever connection we had to that place broke. We ended up back in the forest—just in a different spot."

Before I could respond, Calen spoke up. "But thank god we ended up nearby," he said, shaking his head. "Otherwise, in that huge forest, we could've been searching for you for hours."

I paused, his words sinking in. He was right. If they had been thrown deeper into the forest, who knew how long it would've taken them to find me? What if they never did?

I shuddered at the thought.

"We were split up," I murmured, realization dawning.

Esme's brows furrowed. "Which means this place works differently than we thought."

Nico let out a low whistle. "Great. More weird, unexplained magic. Just what we needed."

Kai shot me a look. "But we found you. And we're still together." His expression softened slightly. "That's what matters."

I exhaled, nodding. He was right. We were together.

After everything we had seen—after realizing how little we truly knew about this place—I knew one thing for sure. We needed a plan. Acting recklessly wasn't an option.

I exhaled, steadying my racing thoughts, and glanced back toward the entrance where the three men still stood, their presence an unshakable threat.

Then I turned to my friends. "We need to leave. Now."

Their reactions were instant. Shocked, wide-eyed stares locked onto me.

"What?" Nico blurted, barely keeping his voice low.

I shook my head, firm. "We'll talk about everything once we're far away from here." My voice was hushed but urgent. "We can't afford to get caught."

For a moment, no one moved. Their gazes flickered between me and the men at the entrance, hesitation clear in their eyes. But after a few tense seconds, one by one, they started stepping back, moving silently as they released my hand.

I stayed behind them, my heartbeat echoing in my ears as I carefully watched our surroundings. Every step felt too loud. Every breath too sharp. I kept glancing back, making sure no one had spotted us, that no sudden movement would give us away.

I took a deep breath and signaled them to move.

Kai led the way, his steps silent yet steady, his sharp eyes scanning ahead. Esme walked beside him, her lips pressed into a tight line, while Nico and Dante followed closely behind, their usual playful energy completely absent. Calen walked ahead of me, his shoulders tense, while I stayed at the back, keeping watch for any signs of movement.

As we moved, the eerie atmosphere slowly faded. The thick, unnatural mist that had clung to the air thinned, and the dense, twisted trees began to return to normal—smooth trunks, green leaves, and vines that draped naturally rather than looking like something out of a nightmare. Flowers bloomed along the forest floor, and the scent of damp earth replaced the strange metallic tang that had lingered before.

It was as if the forest itself was shifting, pulling us away from whatever unnatural presence surrounded that place.

Only when I was certain we were far enough did I stop.

"Listen to me," I said, my voice firm but quiet.

The others halted immediately, turning to face me.

"We need a plan," I said, looking at each of them. "A proper strategy to free those elementals."

Esme crossed her arms. "No argument there. But how? We don't even know what we're dealing with yet."

"And that's exactly the problem," I replied. "We don't know anything about this place. Or about those men. Or how many more of them might be inside."

Kai frowned. "That's not even the biggest issue."

I nodded, already knowing what he was about to say. "We have no idea how we're all supposed to get inside."

Silence settled over the group.

Nico let out a frustrated breath. "Yeah, because last time we tried, we got kicked out like the place just spat us back into the forest."

Dante nodded, arms crossed. "Right. And we've all seen what happens when we let go of your hands."

Calen ran a hand through his hair. "So, we need a way to get in—together—and stay in."

Esme's gaze darkened. "And once we're in, we need to figure out where those elementals are being kept."

Kai folded his arms, thinking. "Which means step one is getting more information before we make any moves."

I exhaled, glancing back in the direction we had come from. "Exactly. Because if we rush in blind..." I met their eyes, my expression serious. "We might not get another chance."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, my shoulders slumping in frustration. "But the question is... how are we going to find information about that place? We've never seen anything like it before."

The group fell into silence, each of us deep in thought. The tension in the air was palpable. Kai's brow furrowed as he crossed his arms, his lips pressed together in concentration. "Maybe we can track those men, see where they go when they leave?"

Esme shook her head almost immediately, her posture rigid as she tapped her foot, her eyes flicking away. "Too risky. We don't even know if they leave that place, and if they do, they might notice us following them."

Nico snapped his fingers, his eyes widening with the spark of a new idea. He grinned, leaning forward slightly. "What if we try sneaking back in?"

Dante scoffed loudly, his hand flying up to rub his forehead in exasperation. "And get thrown out again? Great plan, genius."

Nico rolled his eyes dramatically, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smirk. "Okay, then what's your brilliant idea?"

Dante huffed, crossing his arms and leaning back against a tree, his eyes narrowed in thought. "I don't know yet, but barging in blindly isn't it."

Calen, who had been silent until now, shifted his weight, standing straighter as he finally spoke. His voice was calm, but there was a flicker of hope in his eyes. "What if we try to find someone who knows about this place? Maybe there are people outside the forest who have heard stories, legends—anything that could give us a clue."

I chewed on my lip, looking down, processing the idea. I glanced back at him, nodding slowly, my brows lifting slightly. "That's... actually not a bad idea."

Esme gave a slow nod, her arms crossed tightly in front of her as she mulled over the suggestion. "Yeah, if this place has existed for a long time, someone must know something about it."

Kai leaned forward, his hand brushing against his chin as his brow furrowed. "But where do we even start looking?" He shook his head, frustrated. "It's not like we can just walk up to random people and ask, 'Hey, do you know about the creepy hidden place in the forest?'"

Esme's voice cut through the tension, quick and sharp. "Maybe we can ask our teachers?"

Calen's eyes brightened instantly, and he straightened, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Master Orin. He knows everything. He might know something about it. We should talk to him."

I felt a wave of relief wash over me, and my shoulders relaxed as I nodded. "You're right, Calen. Good idea. We'll talk to him tomorrow morning."

Esme's face fell slightly, her lips pressing into a thin line. She checked her phone and let out a small sigh. "No, we can't do that. We have classes in the morning, and we can't skip them. Vortex Academy is way too strict about that."

I groaned, rubbing my forehead as the weight of the reality hit me. She was right. We couldn't afford to risk it.

"So, we'll ask him during break time, then," I suggested, trying to find a way around the obstacle, my tone slightly more hopeful.

Esme's eyes widened as she glanced at her phone again, her face paling slightly. "It's already 3 AM!"

We all froze, exchanging tired glances. The exhaustion hit us like a wave, and we realized just how late—or early—it had gotten.

"We need sleep if we're going to survive classes tomorrow," Esme added, stifling a yawn and stretching her arms above her head.

Kai turned toward the path, rubbing his eyes and letting out a tired sigh. "We'd better get moving, then."

We followed suit, our movements slow and sluggish, but still with a sense of urgency. Tomorrow was another day, and there was a lot to prepare for. The weight of our task ahead hung over us, but we knew we'd have to face it head-on.

As we neared the edge of the forest, I held up a hand, signaling everyone to be quiet. We were standing behind a thick tree, trying to keep our presence as unnoticed as possible. "Remember, no noise," I whispered urgently, eyes scanning the courtyard. We were just about to make our move, but Calen, ever the vigilant one, peered around the tree, his expression intense.

"Looks clear," he muttered, squinting across the courtyard. "No sign of anyone. Dorm staff, nothing."

But just as we started to breathe easier, out of nowhere, a figure appeared in the courtyard. We all froze. I motioned to my friends to stay down, and we quickly ducked back behind the trees. I peeked out cautiously, following the others' lead.

It was Ms. Alden—the dorm staff—patrolling the area. Her steady, deliberate steps echoed in the stillness, and my heart pounded in my chest. My friends mirrored my tense expression, all of us holding our breath

"Great," Kai muttered under his breath, his face grim. "Just what we needed."

We stayed there, unmoving, hoping she wouldn't notice us. The seconds felt like hours, and I swore I could hear the sound of my own heartbeat in the silence. After what felt like an eternity, Ms. Alden strode across the courtyard, opened the entrance gate, closed it behind her, and disappeared into the dormitory.

I exhaled slowly, my mind racing. Why is everyone suddenly showing up here? The last two times I hid in this spot, no one came near—but tonight, it’s like the universe is testing my luck.

I glanced around at my friends, our faces a mixture of relief and irritation. We waited for a few more moments, just to be sure. Then, we moved cautiously, stepping out from behind the trees, keeping as quiet as possible, and heading towards the entrance.

As we reached the door, a collective sigh of relief escaped us. But as I reached for the handle, I paused. The door was locked.

"What?" I hissed. I pulled harder on the handle, thinking maybe it was just stuck, but no—still locked.

The others gathered around, peering at the door in disbelief. Esme sighed dramatically. "Well, this is just great. Stuck outside after all that." She threw up her hands. "All that’s left to happen now is for the ground to swallow us whole."

"Maybe we can find another way in?" Nico suggested, pressing against the doorframe as if a secret passage might magically appear. "Unless, of course, the universe decides to drop a thunderstorm on us next."

I shot him a glare. "If there were another way in, don’t you think I would’ve found it by now?"

Calen grimaced, stepping back and running a hand through his hair. "Of course it had to be locked... Why wouldn't it be?"

Kai exhaled sharply, frustration clear in his voice. "I think we're in big trouble now."

The air around us felt thick with tension, and I looked at each of their faces. For the first time tonight, the humor from earlier was gone, replaced by a sense of urgency. We needed to figure out a way inside, and fast.

Suddenly, the silence was shattered by a sharp creak.

We froze. My breath hitched, and my pulse pounded in my ears.

The door lock.

It was opening.

We didn't wait to find out who—or what—was on the other side.

I cursed under my breath, and without another word, we all scattered in different directions, our footsteps clashing against the stone as we bolted.

No more plans, no more strategies—just survival. And the night wasn't over yet.