The warm air of Azure Prime hits my face the moment I cross the great doors of the library, and only then does the adrenaline start to recede.

Up until this point my body has been running purely on instinct and survival, held together by the simple fact that any hesitation in front of Dean or Rae will almost certainly mean my death. But now, away from the direct pressure of those two Abyssal auras, I feel the real weight of what has just happened settle onto me.

My knees almost buckle.

For a second I have to lock my legs to keep from showing weakness right there at the library’s exit.

I breathe in deeply, once, and immediately check my HUD.

[OXI: 2,310 / 2,500]

Just staying near those two while they leak energy without restraint has drained almost two hundred points of my OXI. It is like loitering inside an area contaminated by radiation. The body absorbs the pressure passively, no direct combat required, no permission asked.

’Ridiculous...’

I keep walking without looking back. I need to get out of there before someone decides to change their mind.

I cross part of the campus until I find a smaller square set further out, hidden among ornamental trees and little benches of white stone. There are far fewer students moving through it. I lean against the wide trunk of a tree, taking advantage of the shade to finally organize my head.

The first thing I do is touch the communicator.

"Veric."

It takes five seconds.

"Sands. Where the hell did you bury yourself? I was just about to—"

His voice comes out irritated, accelerated, but underneath the sarcasm there is genuine worry.

"Shut up and listen," I cut in immediately. "Where are you and Rhayne right now?"

"Heading to the library. Like you told us to. Why?"

My chest tightens. It is exactly what I don’t want.

"Grab the essentials and do not come back to campus right now. Walk together and use only the main streets."

Silence.

Veric can look like an impulsive idiot sometimes, but he isn’t stupid. The tone of my voice makes it clear this isn’t the usual paranoia.

"Where are we going, Sands?" he asks, more serious this time. "And what the hell happened? Can’t you get through one entire morning without nearly dying?"

His sarcasm would normally pull a laugh out of me. Now it just leaves my mouth bitter because he is right.

"Go to the inn run by the Bear Pelts. The one across from campus." I run a hand down my face before continuing. "And what happened is that I just walked out of the same room as Rector Dean... and Instructor Rae."

"What?!"

The reaction comes far too loud in the earpiece.

"How the hell did that happen?"

"Long story." I sigh. "The short version is that I used my slavery contract with Rahul Sharma to make both of them back off."

On the other end of the line, I hear his breath catch.

I can practically picture Veric mentally processing the political disaster I have just authored.

"I genuinely don’t have any insults left to call you," he says, voice incredulous. "You signed your own goodbye letter."

"On the contrary." I straighten my posture while watching a few students cross the street in the distance. "I created a deadlock. Now neither of them will act first, because neither one wants to find out what Sharma does about it."

"So what’s the problem?"

"The campus stopped being safe." My answer comes automatic. "We have seven days until the tournament. Until then, we only come back here to sleep. Any casual run-in with either of those two is going to turn into a headache I can’t afford."

I didn’t want to tell them out loud in public that, if either of them finds out Rahul wants me dead, they’ll capture me themselves just to get on Sharma’s good side.

I let a short pause settle before the question that actually matters.

"Did your father answer?"

The tension in his voice eases a little.

"Yeah. He released the money. I’ve got the Plates."

An involuntary smile rises at the corner of my mouth.

The plan is still alive.

"Good." I adjust the Horizon cloak across my shoulders. "Bring everything to the inn. Today we officially begin LDP production... and the founding of our ghost guild."

"You say that like it’s something normal..."

"In ten minutes I’ll meet you there."

I hang up before he can start another round of complaints.

Listening to Veric spiral right after I’ve nearly died isn’t exactly at the top of my emotional priorities.

I leave the little square and start walking toward the campus exit, blending naturally into the crowd of students.

I watch the streets of Azure Prime from the gate, which are as busy as ever. The same street vendors, cadets, academy staff, drowneds and freelancers cross the avenues in a constant motion.

As I pass through the academy’s main gate, I open another channel on the communicator.

"Morning, Oliver. Everything going well?"

"Yes, boss." His low voice comes back calm from the other side. "I got us a warehouse."

I stop for half a second.

"You got us a what?"

"A warehouse." He answers like it is the simplest thing in the world. "Already rented it, too. Paid out of my own pocket. You reimburse me later, or take it off my share in the guild."

I can’t hold back a small nasal laugh.

Oliver is absurdly efficient whenever he receives a clear mission.

"Deal. Then come to the inn across from campus. We start today."

"Understood."

The line cuts off.

Only then do I turn my attention to the other side of the street.

The Bear Pelts’ inn is just close enough. A sturdy structure of dark stone, brown banners swaying softly, and guards posted near the entrance. The weathered rune sign seems hardly lit due to the intense daylight of Azure Prime. But it’s a safe place. Or at least the safest one we’ll manage for now.

I automatically glance both ways before crossing the street.

Old habit from Earth.

And that is when I see her.

A girl standing near a shop window, apparently distracted by the accessories on display. But her eyes have been on me from the very start.

It isn’t the casual glance of someone recognizing the winner of the Oathring or Freya’s rival.

It is real recognition.

Familiarity.

Even partially hidden beneath her pale hood, I immediately feel the strangeness of that presence. Her reflection in the glass isn’t aimed at the display. It is aimed at me.

’Those eyes...’

’Where did I see it? Did Freya send someone to follow me?’

Maybe. Or maybe it is someone else who got interested in me after all?

In the end, it doesn’t matter right now.

Because regardless of who she is...

She won’t be allowed to enter that inn without crossing my path.