The morning sun beat down on the college courtyard, a stark contrast to the chilling nightmare Iris Fontaine had just woken from. She stood near the main gates, adjusting her glasses, her gaze fixed on the spot where the black car had disappeared into traffic.

She had seen them. Franz and Zane. Getting into a car with a group of men.

A shiver crawled up her spine. The scene was terrifyingly identical to the start of her dream where the void like being observes Franz and then —the Golden Knight and the Silver Lord being . She shook her head, forcing the irrational thought away. 'Stop it, Iris. You read too many fantasy novels. Franz looked… calm. He probably knew them. Family or friends maybe ?'

She rationalized it, burying the unease under layers of logic, but the feeling lingered like a bad taste.

"Iris! Over here!"

She turned to see Lena, Celeste and Emphera waving at her near the notice board. Pushing the worry down, she walked over to join them.

"Morning," Iris said, her voice steady.

"Morning!" Emphera chirped, looking entirely too energetic. She nudged Lena. "We were just discussing a tragedy. A tragedy of clumsy maiden."

Lena sighed, looking flustered. "I am not clumsy , Em. I just left my phone in the car. I will just call uncle he will bring it back …" She trailed off, looking around. "He must have not gone far."

"No for today you are a phone-less existence," Emphera declared dramatically, throwing an arm around Lena. "Consider it a digital detox, darling. Connect with nature! Smell the desperation of students waiting for results!"

The courtyard was buzzing. Hundreds of students milled about, anxiety radiating off them in waves. Everyone was waiting for the Vanguard Program rankings.

Orion Kane was there too, leaning against a distant pillar. He glanced their way, observing there chatter, but he didn't move. He just looked away, staring at the ground.

After a while...

The PA system crackled to life.

"Attention students. Due to an administrative delay, the Vanguard Program results and the Special Class list will not be released until 18:00 hours this evening. Please continue with your regular schedules."

A collective groan echoed across the campus. Shoulders slumped.

"Are you kidding me?" Emphera said looking impeccable and annoyed. "I have to wait another six hours? I was ready to celebrate my top ten placement now."

"Maybe they need extra time to count all of Franz's points," Celeste muttered while sighing.

Emphera teased "Oh, you should ask him, Lena. I bet you two have a psychic connection by now. Can you sense his location? Is his signal strong?"

Lena turned bright red. "Em! Stop it!"

"I'm just saying," Emphera continued, wiggling her eyebrows. "With the way you were—"

Lena panicked and slapped her hand over Emphera's mouth. "Mmmph! Mmmph!"

Celeste and Iris blinked, looking between them. "What… is happening?"

"Nothing!" Lena squeaked, pushing a laughing Emphera back. "She's just crazy! Ignore her." She smoothed her hair, trying to regain her composure. "I was wondering too, though. Where are the boys? Zane, Orion, Franz… they should be here by now."

Celeste scanned the crowd, her eyes narrowing. "Well, there's Orion. But he looks like he's hiding from a debt collector."

Orion's POV

Orion saw the girls looking at him, but he didn't move. He couldn't.

His hands were jammed deep in his pockets to hide the slight tremor. The weight of the conversation with the old man, Agustin, still pressed on his chest. 'Don't get too close.' The gun Agustin had given him was wrapped in a cloth, hidden under the seat of his bike in the parking lot. Just knowing it was there made him feel stressed.

Nothing good comes from getting involved with them.

He scanned the crowd again. Still no Franz. No Zane. A knot of unease tightened in his stomach.

"What's up, man? Or whatever your name was."

Orion flinched as a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to see Alister Reed, the guy from the opposing team, smirking at him. Beside him stood Damian, stoic as before, his arms crossed, eyes scanning the crowd with laser focus.

Orion shoved Alister's hand off his shoulder. "It's Orion. And stop talking to me. Fuck off."

Alister laughed, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Whoa, touchy. Don't be so bitter about the loss. It's just a game, right? Some win, some lose."

Damian ignored Alister's yapping completely. He didn't even look at Orion. He just kept searching the faces of the students.

"You looking for someone?" Alister asked him.

Orion started to back away, wanting nothing to do with this interaction. Then he heard Damian speak, his voice deep and cold.

"Yeah. A student named Franz Kafka."

Orion stopped. His head snapped up. Reacting on pure impulse and frayed nerves, he stepped forward, his voice rising. "Why? Why are you looking for him?"

He reached out, grabbing Damian's shoulder to get his attention.

Damian moved. Fast.

He slapped Orion's hand away with a force that stung, then stepped into Orion's personal space. He looked dead into Orion's eyes, his gaze devoid of any humanity.

"Lower your fucking voice," Damian hissed through gritted teeth.

Orion's knuckles turned white as his hand curled into a trembling fist.

The commotion drew attention. A few faculty members started walking over. Seeing them, Alister rolled his eyes. "Let's go, Damian. You're scaring the children."

Damian held Orion's gaze for one more terrifying second, then turned and walked away. Alister gave a lazy wave as they disappeared into the crowd.

"What was that?"

Orion turned. Celeste, Lena, Iris, and Emphera had walked up behind him. They looked concerned.

"Nothing," Orion said quickly, rubbing his hand. His heart was hammering. "Have you seen Franz?"

"Nope," Emphera said, popping the 'p'.

"I did," Iris spoke up, her brow furrowed. "I saw Franz and Zane going into a car with a couple of men early this morning. Just outside the gate. I thought it was weird… but Franz didn't look forced, so I assumed he knew them."

Orion's blood ran cold. Car. Men. Franz and Zane.

"That doesn't sound right," Celeste said, frowning. She pulled out her phone. "Something feels wrong."

She dialed Zane.

Ring… Ring…

"The number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable."

"Unreachable," Celeste muttered.

"Let me try Franz," Emphera said, the playfulness gone from her voice. She dialed.

Ring… Ring…

"Unreachable."

"How come both their mobiles are unreachable?" Lena asked, her voice trembling slightly. "He was fine this morning."

Panic began to ripple through the group.

"Keep trying," Orion said, his voice tight. He pulled out his own phone, his fingers shaking. He wasn't calling them. He was staring at the screen, the old man's warning screaming in his head. I have to find Franz.

Celeste was biting her nail, hitting redial on Zane's number over and over. "Pick up, you idiot. Pick up."

Click.

The call connected. The line opened with a burst of static.

Celeste's eyes widened. She almost dropped the phone in relief. "Zane!" she shouted, her voice shrill with worry. "You moron! Where the hell are you?! Are you in some underground dungeon or something? You had us all worried!"

Silence.

"Zane?" she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Zane, are you there?"

Only the sound of heavy, ragged breathing came through the speaker.

A/N

One last try. I'm trying writing again, but if I disappear now, that means the story is officially dropped. I appreciate the support more than I can say, and I apologize for the inconsistency and stuff i add to increase the word count .

Please keep commenting; it really helps. I'm also thinking of changing the cover, and I'm looking for a character illustration of Franz. If you have any ideas for his design, I'd love to hear them.Thanks for reading the chapter! Please keep commenting; it really helps. I'm also thinking of changing the cover, and I'm looking for a character illustration of Franz. If you have any ideas for his design, I'd love to hear the I'm looking for a character illustration of Franz. If you have any ideas for his design, I'd love to hear the If you have any ideas for his design, I'd love to hear the If you have any ideas for his design, I'd love to hear thePlease keep commenting; it really helps. I'm also thinking of changing the cover, and I'm looking for a character illustration of Franz. If you have any ideas for his design, I'd love to hear them.Thanks for reading the chapter! Please keep commenting; it really helps. I'm also thinking of changing the cover, and I'

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