We all freeze, weapons still in hand, caught red-handed in the midst of our sabotage.

A moment later, Brunhild's signal—three quick taps followed by two slow ones—sounds from the corridor outside.

"Trouble," Raith translates, already moving toward the door. "We need to go."

We quickly slip out of the hidden chamber. Brunhild meets us in the corridor, her body tense with urgency. Even she, normally so stoic, looks concerned.

"Guards find Beck's water trick," she says, her accent thicker with stress. "He runs, they chase. Alarm bells soon."

"Beck?" Mireen whispers urgently. "Is he okay?"

"Fast runner," Brunhild replies with a shrug that does little to calm our nerves. "Maybe okay."

As if on cue, the distant clang of warning bells begins to echo through the castle, the sound reverberating through the stone walls like a heartbeat. We break into a run, taking a different route back than the one we came by.

"Split up," Raith orders as we reach a junction where four corridors meet. "Get back to your rooms and we'll meet tomorrow."

Mireen and Ambrose nod, each taking a different path without hesitation. Brunhild frowns, looking between us.

"Go," I tell her. "Find Beck if you can."

She nods, relief clear in her blue eyes. "Will find sexy bear. Keep him safe." Then she's gone at a full sprint.

I turn to take the eastern path, but before I can move, Raith's hand catches mine, pulling me close for just a moment. His fingers intertwine with mine, squeezing once.

"Be careful," he murmurs, his breath warm against my ear. His free hand brushes my cheek in a touch so tender it makes my heart stutter. "I'll find you tomorrow."

And then we're separating, running in different directions, melting into the shadows of Confluence as the alarm bells finally cease. I clutch my stolen daggers, feeling their weight against my body as I race through the dark corridors.

As I slip into my room and hide my newly acquired weapons beneath my mattress, the weight of everything we've learned tonight settles over me. If Serena’s telling the truth?

There will be no observers. Using my unbound ability will reveal what I am to my classmates, but not to Empire’s watching eyes. But even Typhon and my powers unleashed likely won’t be enough to deal with the trained killers. The windborne.

And behind it all, there’s may be a hidden, powerful benefactor willing to slaughter half the first-year primals in training just to remove Voss.

But why?

The Crucible won’t be what I expected. Not really. Instead of a final test signaling our readiness for second-year status, it’ll be a game where we're pawns being sent to the slaughter.

I sit on the edge of my bed, Typhon curled beside me in his fish form, which has nearly returned to its usual size.