The first step of our plan was talking to Emberheart.

  It was also the most important one. While I didn't trust the director or the Emperor, Emberheart was different. He truly cared for Silvani. He wouldn't just stand by.

  So I had no doubt I could convince him.

  I knocked on his study door. It took a few seconds before he opened it, his dark red hair pulled back in a low tail today instead of hanging loose like usual. He must have been in the middle of something.

  "Hello Kai, I wasn't expecting any visitors." He stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter. The familiar warmth of his presence immediately washed over me as I crossed the threshold. "Are you having trouble with your training?"

  "Hi... No actually, I came here to talk about something else."

  He studied me for a moment, like he was trying to read what I was about to say. Without another word, he moved to his tea set in the corner. The room was warmer than the hallway, as it always was around him.

  He served us each a cup. "I do have some time before the afternoon classes begin." He handed me the warm tea and leaned against his desk, cradling his own cup. "What is it you want to talk about?"

  I took a sip, buying myself a second to organize my thoughts.

  "We want your help. We're about to do something, and we need you to be on our side."

  "On your side?" His expression shifted slightly, concern showing. "That tells me it's not something so harmless."

  "It isn't. We're about to go against the academy... And the empire." I met his eyes. "But I swear we have a good reason."

  He was completely skeptical now, setting his cup down carefully on the desk. The air in the room got a degree warmer.

  "A good enough reason for all that?"

  "Well, uh, I think so." I questioned for a moment whether I should have thought this through more before coming here. "Good enough for me, at least."

  "I hope you're aware I am loyal to this academy, so going against it isn't something I'm inclined to do." His voice was gentle, but firm. The voice of a professor who'd seen students make impulsive decisions before.

  "I figured. But I think in this case you'll make an exception."

  He gestured for me to continue, his attention focused entirely on me. The warmth in the room stabilized, like he was consciously keeping his emotions in check.

  I took a breath. "The director... He knows who attacked Silvani."

  Emberheart didn't respond immediately. He looked at me, taking in the information slowly. I watched his jaw tighten, saw the way his fingers curled slightly around the edge of his desk. The air around us got noticeably warmer for just a second before he controlled it again.

  He breathed deeply.

  "I see..." He paused, clearly trying to rationalize it. "I won't deny it bothers me, but he must have his reasons to hide it..." The more he thought about it, the harder it became to justify. "If you're going against the empire, I assume it's some high-ranking official? That would surely justify hiding it from me."

  "Not even close." I knew the truth would be way worse than anything he was expecting. "Actually, it was someone with no affiliations, someone who's at the academy right now."

  "Then what reason would you have to go against the empire?"

  "The director and the emperor are negotiating over who gets the person. We'd be caught right between them."

  Emberheart's expression shifted to one I'd only seen once before. Serious. Dangerous. The kind of look that reminded me he was an S-rank mage who'd probably seen more combat than I could imagine.

  "And who is it?"

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  This was the moment. I'd known it was coming, but my heart still hammered in my chest.

  "You know I can't tell you. It's my only leverage. I need your help." I paused. "I mean, I guess if you refuse I'll have to tell you either way, but knowing you'll help would make things easier."

  He was quiet for a long moment, studying me. I could see him weighing options, calculating risks, probably running through a dozen different scenarios in his head.

  Finally, he pushed off from the desk and walked to the other side of his table.

  "You seem very determined..." He said. "And you've thought this through enough to know you need help. That alone tells me this isn't some reckless impulse."

  He continued.

  "I can't imagine what you have planned, but I'll try to help you this time."

  Relief washed over me. While I was confident, it felt good to have things work out.

  "Thank you. I promise it'll be worth it."

  He sat down properly this time, pulling out a blank sheet of paper.

  "Alright then. Explain."

  The first piece was set. The second piece was Anya, and that required a more delicate touch.

  Since I was a terrible liar, I wouldn't be involved in this part. It would all fall on Aurora.

  The plan itself was straightforward. Aurora would convince Anya we would go on an urgent expedition tonight—something corruption-related that needed her expertise. That would get her away from her brother's room and give us space to move.

  While Anya was gone, Emberheart would restrain the kid. Hopefully without killing him, though we had contingencies if that proved impossible.

  Then came the tricky part. We'd take him somewhere neither the emperor nor the director could reach, and make it public knowledge, with help from Mira, that Emberheart had found Silvani's attacker and dealt with him personally.

  If everything went according to plan, our involvement wouldn't be obvious. We'd officially be "away" on the expedition with Anya. Emberheart would have just happened to stumble upon the boy in the corridors. And the director couldn't exactly demand custody without explaining why he needed a corruption mage who'd attacked a professor.

  The hiding spot was the biggest challenge. Anywhere connected to us was out if someone suspected our involvement. We needed neutral ground. Somewhere dangerous enough that people wouldn't dare search it.

  "The corrupted forest," Aurora had suggested during our planning session.

  It made sense. Nobody would go near it for months, maybe longer. And it was big enough that finding someone hiding there would be nearly impossible.

  All that was left was executing the plan and hoping nothing went catastrophically wrong.

  I found Aurora in the library that evening, reading something that looked old and complicated. She glanced up when I approached, closed the book, and stood without a word.

  "How did it go?" she asked once we were outside, walking toward the training grounds where we'd have privacy.

  "Emberheart's in."

  "Good." She adjusted the book under her arm. "I already talked to Anya."

  "Soon we'll have to tell her the truth," I said, wondering how to lighten the blow.

  "I know." Aurora was quiet for a moment. "She'll hate us for it. For keeping her in the dark, for manipulating her, for what we're doing to her brother."

  "Better she hates us than loses him completely."

  "Perhaps." Aurora didn't sound convinced. "Or perhaps we're just telling ourselves that to feel better about the deception."

  We reached the empty training ground. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the dirt.

  "Erick and Lina are ready?" I asked.

  "Erick's excited. Lina's terrified but committed." Aurora looked at me. "Mira will spread the rumors tomorrow morning, as soon as we come back. By lunch, the whole academy will know."

  "And Nico?"

  "Won't help. But he won't interfere either." She paused. "But if we need him, he will be there."

  “That’s good.”

  We stood there for a moment, watching the sun disappear behind the academy walls.

  "Soon it’ll be time," Aurora said quietly.

  "Yeah."

  After a few more minutes, we headed back toward the academy. The temperature dropped as the sun set completely, the warmth of the day fading into evening chill.

  Erick was waiting near the gates, leaning against the wall with that confident posture he always had. His platinum uniform was modified as always, chains hanging from his belt, sleeves rolled to show the runed bracers on his forearms.

  "Took you long enough," he said with a grin. "Thought maybe you'd chickened out."

  "Just finalizing details," Aurora said.

  Lina appeared from the other direction, looking nervous. Her blue hair was slightly messy, like she'd been running her hands through it. "I still think this is insane."

  "It is insane," Erick agreed cheerfully. "That's what makes it fun."

  "People could get hurt," Lina said.

  "People are already hurt." Erick's grin faded slightly. "We're trying to make sure more people don't end up like Silvani. That's worth a little insanity."

  Mira showed up last, her bright pink ponytail bouncing as she jogged over. "Sorry! I was making sure everything's ready for tomorrow."

  "It's fine." Aurora looked at all of us. "Everyone knows what they're doing?"

  We nodded.

  "Then let's go find Anya and get started."