She now sat inside the Academy’s infamous eting room—tucked behind the eastern spire, just beneath the observatory tower where the stars never stopped turning.
The chamber was circular, high-ceilinged, with twelve tall arched windows representing each zodiac sign, their stained glass casting colored light across the marble floor.
At the center stood a massive obsidian table etched with ancient constellation maps, where the Masters of the school gathered like silent judges.
By "Masters," she ant the heads of each departnt.
Perasius was present as the Head of the Astramancer Departnt.
He looked exactly as one might expect, draped in star-stitched navy robes, with a beard so long it could be braided into constellations, and a towering wizard’s hat that defied gravity and good taste.
The Trickster Twins, Pollux and Castor, sat side-by-side as the co-Heads of the Artificer Departnt.
Once infamous child prodigies who nearly detonated half the Academy with a pocket sun, they’d grown into lanky adults with mismatched gloves, cluttered tool belts, and goggles perpetually pushed up into their wild, static-filled hair.
Professor Selene, Head of the Veil Departnt, was draped in flowing dark robes, her silver hair pulled into a loose braid. Her piercing blue eyes were rather enigmatic.
A faint ethereal glow surrounded her like a perpetual aura.
Lady Gaia, the Head of the Warden Departnt, stood tall and sturdy, her earthy-toned armor blending into the room as if she were part of the very walls.
Her dark brown hair cascaded around her shoulders, and her skin carried the deep warmth of the earth, with faint vine-like tattoos marking her arms.
And then there was Sirius, the brooding and sarcastic Head of the Eclipse Departnt. His dark, almost ethereal presence was amplified by his obsidian cloak, which seed to shift with every movent.
But what truly caught Verena’s eye was what he held in his hands....
"Saphira?!"
Saphira was there, still unconscious, but the shard was no longer attached to her.
"Yes, indeed... your familiar, as I’ve heard," Headmaster Helio nodded solemnly. "Now, tell —what truly happened during the week you were gone?"
Verena hesitated.
If she confessed she had been with Norvan, she’d beco an instant suspect in his grueso murder.
Despite being the Conduitor of Ophiuchus, her position was anything but secure.
Her abilities and identity alone made her an easy target for suspicion, especially with a death as high-profile as this.
And then there was Helio, the legendary Headmaster...
The man had a reputation, sure, but beneath that polished exterior, he was, at best, a glorified bootlicker to the Emperor.
If Irasios Academy was a haven for nobles, it was all thanks to him and his quiet elitist agenda, hidden beneath layers of charm. He made sure the academy was a sanctuary for the powerful, the wealthy, and the untouchable.
His influence was subtle, but it was everywhere—shaping every decision, every rule, and every student who walked these halls.
"I don’t rember... I was just chained up sowhere in the forest by a cloaked figure," Verena said, carefully avoiding any ntion of prisoners or the shady dealings she had gotten tangled up in.
"Then, pray tell, dear Verena," Helio pressed, his gaze sharp, "why was the shard in Saphira’s hand infused with the essence of Norvan?"
Shit.
"I knew it!" Perasius leapt to his feet, his scowl deepening. "I told all of you! Each of you! Never to welco the Conduitor of Ophiuchus!"
"Calm down, Perasius," Selene interjected, her voice smooth but firm. "You’re being led by bias here."
"I have to agree with Perasius," Gaia added with a nod. "We’re supposed to be strengthening this academy, not jeopardizing its safety."
Sirius remained silent, his expression unreadable.
It was rare for him to hold his tongue, almost as if he knew the truth, but chose to say nothing.
The shard in question, a dark and mysterious fragnt, wasn’t just any ordinary shard.
It held the essence of Norvan, infused with his power and life force, carefully placed by his own hand.
This wasn’t a re accident, it was a calculated move.
Norvan had deliberately embedded the shard in Saphira, knowing that, if sothing happened to him, Verena would inevitably be dragged into the doom.
By the ti the shard’s presence was discovered, the pieces of the puzzle would already be in motion, and Verena would be the one blad for everything.
Norvan had ensured that, no matter the outco of his own fate, Verena would be caught in the web of suspicion.
"Don’t worry..." Helio said with a calm, asured pause. "It was Evelyn."
"WHAT?!" Verena stood up in shock.
Why her?
Were they targeting Evelyn just because they needed a scapegoat, an easy bla, especially since she ca from a weaker house?
It sure felt like it.
[System Notification]
[Death Flag Raised!]
[Evelyn’s chances of a tragic downfall have increased by 15%.]
Never mind.
I work so hard to get here, and it all gets ruined by so prick...
She had really forgotten.
His Natal Affinity was Lexiomancy, also known as Lexio Magic, the art of reading and interpreting the "script" of fate like a living, breathing library.
With it, Helio could trace magical signatures, unravel lies, and sniff out even the faintest residue of cosmic interference, especially the kind caused by abominations like Ophiuchus.
No wonder they called him the man who understood the Weave better than anyone alive.
No wonder he beca that man.
"What...? Who is that?" Perasius squinted, clearly baffled.
"That... girl..." Gaia’s eyes widened in sudden clarity. "It all makes sense now. I thought she was just so lucky applicant, but when I looked at her—really looked at her—sothing was off."
"I feel it too..." Selene murmured, eyes distant. "The stars are speaking to ."
"STOP! WAIT!" Verena burst out, panic flaring in her voice.
"Verena?... What’s wrong?" Sirius stepped forward, his voice calm but firm.
"I..."
If this kept going, the first volu wouldn’t even reach its ending. She’d regress again.
And it wouldn’t be the first ti she’d been thrown off-script like the original Verena—always teetering at the edge, always a breath away from the fall.
But just this once, she chose to jump.
"I... I told Evelyn to do it," Verena confessed, fists clenched tight.
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