(Amaia)

We are all called to an emergency announcement in the dining hall. Twins sit beside me while Rigel is missing. Kacir and Rahria are opposite us.

The faculty is right beside Headmaster Fallon. Unlike how they always stand together, Alnilam and Jamina are standing away from each other at the far corners.

Professor Ewine is also missing, maybe he is looking for Rigel.

Saiph is there too, standing taller and broader than everyone else. I need to speak to him, let him know that I feel the bond between us.

His eyes briefly find me, warmth erupts in them before he looks away.

"You alright?" Alnitak asks me for the umpeeteenth time. I have stopped crying, but for the love of the goddess, I can’t look away from Alnilam.

"Yeah!" I need to tell them what Alnilam has said to me. But I don’t want to see another brawl, I don’t have the strength for it, so I stay quiet.

Headmaster Fallon takes the stage.

"Good morning! I apologise for gathering all of you on a weekend. But we had some important announcements to make." His eyes drift towards us before moving along.

"Intercontinental Guild Wars are coming and we will be selecting one guild. You will be thoroughly observed for the next month. So do your best."

Cheers and claps follow his announcement.

His expressions grow serious and he makes eye contact with Alnilam before continuing.

"We might have a few visitors from the Dread Army..."

My mouth runs dry at his words. That’s another aspect that keeps haunting me. They are eventually going to figure out my true identity and my mates could get hurt protecting me.

"Nothing to worry about, it’s just a routine visit from them. They will ask a few questions and that’s it. So, no need to panic, but I just want all of you to be prepared. Just answer them sincerely."

Murmurs break out, and tension floods the bond between my mates and me.

"Why the fuck are they coming here for?" Alnitak grits his teeth in annoyance.

"Can’t they leave us in peace?" Rahria shakes her head and Kacir brings his arm to rest against her shoulder.

"They are like bacteria. No one likes them and yet everyone gets affected by them," Mintaka adds.

"That will be all. You people, can enjoy breakfast and the rest of your weekend. Have a great day," Headmaster Fallon concludes the assembly and walks off, his cape flying behind him.

Alnilam follows him and my gaze watches him until he disappears from sight. Jamina also drags herself out of the dining hall but in the opposite direction. There is not a shard of happiness on her face.

While others begin with breakfast, my heart grows restless.

"I am going to take a walk." Pushing my chair back, I stand up.

The twins watch me with confusion. "Do you want me to come with you?" Mintaka asks.

"No, finish your breakfast. I just need to collect my thoughts."

I leave them behind and step outside into the crisp air of November. The weather is transitioning fast and soon the cold nights and distinctive smells of winter will be upon us.

I snatch in a deep breath, giving my lungs a dose of oxygen, letting myself catch a moment of carefreeness—but it’s short-lived.

Like a whirlwind of chaos and blood, something swooshes me away, knocking the very breath out of my system.

Cold hands, hard body I am pressed against.

But, it’s the scent, the dark wintry notes of frozen grass blades, chilled winds and forgotten landscapes that hit me. Crisp and yet mingled with something obnoxious, something like the metallic tinge of blood.

My head spins from how fast my body moves. My mind tries to catch up. The world turns into a blurry rush and then halts.

My eyes focus and I find myself in an empty classroom with Rigel towering over me.

A gasp of horror escapes my lips and his hand shoots forward to press against my mouth.

"Shhh! It’s fine, it’s me–don’t be frightened."

Horror descends in my eyes as I take in the entirety of him. Every inch of his slim face is drenched in blood.

Has he butchered someone?

Only his shining, vermilion eyes excitedly stare back at me.

His shadows leech off his shoulders, like huge wings of a bat, dripping down like tar.

While one of his hands is pressed on my mouth the other holds something.

"Look what I brought you. Just like I promised," he tells me with a macabre elation. His other hand moves and rattles it.

~Clink~Clink~

The chilling sound of rattling bones hit my ears, and I freeze. My throat goes dry like sandpaper, and my gaze slowly moves to what he is shaking in his hand.

Bones, he is holding a bunch of bones strewn together with some kind of rope.

Blood drips from them like water droplets, drenching the floor. Some of the bones still have small chunks of meat sticking to them.

What on earth is that?

Whose bones are these?

So many questions erupt in my brain.

The horror, the smell, the sight, unsettles me and my stomach.

He lifts his hand from my mouth. "Don’t you like it?"

My petrified gaze finds my mate.

What has he done?

My mind reels back to my first meeting with him and I remember the morbid promise he had made me.

"...who is that? What is that?" I ask in a trembling voice, trying not to throw up or cry.

Slowly, I step away from the horror that he is dangling in front of me like an excited child.

Some of the enthusiasm disappears from his face.

"It’s a garland for you, made from the bones of your ex-mate. I always keep my promises, Amaia," he says with a straight face and a frightening coldness.

The utter dread and bleakness descend on me like the claws of a predatory bird. Rigel just killed Tarian and brought his bones for me as a souvenir.

And I don’t know if to cry or laugh. But I do retch. Bending over I begin to spill out the contents of my stomach.