(A/N Big thanks to everyone for the Power stones and Golden tickets, they an a lot. As usual, please don’t hesitate to comnt or drop a review. ENJOY)
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Power stones people, Gim it.
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Orion held Elysia’s gaze for a mont after she ntioned the word Enclaves.
Her face was calm, asured, the kind of expression belonging to soone who already expected a particular reaction. And that alone was enough for Orion to recognize one thing:
She wanted sothing from him.
Up until now, she hadn’t said a single suspicious thing. The ntion of Lyrielle—specifically sharing that she’d told them about his love for books—confird she truly knew his sister. But whether they were close, whether they trusted each other, or whether Elysia had simply picked up that information from soone else entirely... that was another matter.
He wasn’t stupid enough to assu every senior who na-dropped his sister was doing so with pure intent. Lyrielle was remarkable; people like that attracted praise as much as grudges. He wasn’t about to find himself paying for a debt he didn’t owe.
All of this was just conjecture, but his instincts were clear:
he would keep an eye on her.
He shifted slightly in his chair, letting his fingers rest on the edge of the closed book.
"Enclaves..." he echoed, voice nothing more than a light acknowledgnt. "Yes, I’ve heard of them," he said. "But I’m not fully aware of the details. Enlighten ."
That made her eyebrows rise.
"You’ve heard of Enclaves?"
A pause.
"Where?"
Her tone wasn’t accusatory—just curious. But the question revealed sothing important.
She knows where Lyrielle is.
The logic connected itself instantly.
Enclaves were tied to the academy. Information about them was sothing any older sibling would share with a younger one unless conditions prevented it. For Elysia to assu Lyrielle hadn’t told him ant she already knew that the two hadn’t been in contact. Not recently. Not even casually.
There was the slim possibility that she simply wasn’t smart enough to consider that angle, but Orion dismissed that quickly. She wasn’t sloppy. She chose her words too carefully.
And that raised the biggest question he’d had on his mind for a while now.
Where was Lyrielle?
Part of him missed her. The other part simply wanted the information for the sake of clarity and understanding. Both halves agreed this was the perfect mont to press.
He leaned back slightly, letting his expression settle into a neutral, unreadable mask.
"I’ll tell you," he said, "if you tell what cos after graduating."
Elysia’s brow furrowed—not deeply, just enough to show genuine surprise. She wasn’t expecting that question. Good.
Orion smiled internally.
He was studious—here and back on Earth—and the mont she said Enclaves, he knew she was testing the waters. Trying to see how much he knew. Maybe trying to recruit him. The term itself was broad; in most contexts it referred to structured groups. The logical structure lined up perfectly with what she’d hinted at: internal networks, coordinated informants, circles with influence.
She wanted him in sothing.
Before that, he wanted to study her.
And the best way to understand a person was to watch how they reasoned, how they reacted when thrown off balance. His question wasn’t random. He tossed her sothing she couldn’t imdiately categorize, hoping to see where her next step landed. Recruitnt would co later—after he understood the person trying to recruit him.
"Yo—" Elysia started, then stopped.
A brief silence.
Then she chuckled.
"You’re good," she admitted, amusent flickering across her face.
Orion didn’t reply. He simply stood, collecting the books he’d been reading. He stacked them neatly, tucking his notes between the pages before closing each one. As he turned toward the shelves, his thoughts aligned cleanly.
Smart. Observant. Composed. And she has influence.
Not soone to push away—not yet. Not soone to accept readily either.
A smart one indeed.
Elysia watched him walk to the nearest shelf, her gaze calm but unreadable. For soone so expressive in her earlier curiosity, she was suddenly quiet—evaluating, perhaps, or waiting to see what he’d say next.
"So," she called out, her voice carrying easily through the quiet air, "do you want to know where your sister is, or do you want to keep testing ?"
Orion slid the last book back into its place.
"I already have my results for the latter," he replied without turning around. "The forr is what I need."
She leaned back in her chair, arms crossing loosely. "And what makes you think I’ll tell you?" she asked, a slight challenge threading through her tone.
Orion finally turned to face her.
"I don’t think," he said simply. "I know you’ll tell . Eventually."
He paused. "It’s just a matter of when."
Her eyes held his for several seconds—longer than before. Less curiosity, more acknowledgnt. She wasn’t offended, wasn’t irritated. If anything, she looked... amused. Interested. Like she’d found sothing worth paying attention to.
The lanterns above dimd slightly, signaling the next ti shift in the library. Students in distant aisles began packing up. But the quiet around their table remained undisturbed.
Elysia uncrossed her arms and sat up properly, her expression regaining that cool composure she seed to default to.
"Then," she said, "I suppose we’ll see which cos first."
Orion didn’t respond.
Their gazes held—steady, unbroken.
And for the first ti since she had approached him, there was no smile on her lips and no polite mask on his face.
Just clarity.
Two people studying each other with equal interest.
The subtle shift in the room’s atmosphere didn’t co from mana or the library’s automated cycles. It ca from intent—hers, his, and the unspoken understanding that this conversation was only the beginning of sothing far larger.
He moved past her, heading toward the staircase leading down from the platform. Elysia remained seated but turned her head just enough to watch him walk.
"You’ll get your answers, Orion," she said quietly.
He didn’t stop walking.
"And when you do," she continued, "you’ll understand why Enclaves matter."
Still no response.
But she didn’t need one.
Orion descended the steps, the echo of his soft footfalls fading into the vast silence of the Grand Library.
Behind him, Elysia rested her chin on her hand once more, thoughtful.
"Eventually, hm?" she murmured.
A faint smile returned to her face.
"We’ll see."
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