Chapter 6

The words in the book stared back at me. My own life. My diary. My story. The realization settled not with a crash, but with a quiet, chilling certainty that spread through my veins like ice. The book stopped because I disappeared. My story had paused, waiting for me to pick up the pen again. I am the Red Fionaaa.

My fingers tightened on the small, leather-bound copy. I had to appear calm, to control the storm of emotions raging inside me. If they knew, if they suspected who I really was, what would they do? I was powerless, a legend stripped of her myth.

I slowly closed the book and placed it on a nearby table, my movements deliberate. I looked up at the three students watching me, they had expressions of curiosity and anticipation.

“So?” Janet asked, breaking the silence. Her purple hair seemed to glow in the library’s dim light. “What do you think? It’s a crazy story, right?”

I forced a small, thoughtful smile. “It’s… incredible,” I said, choosing my words with care. “It feels so real, like you could almost believe it happened. This human who supposedly wrote it… Elias. What do people know about him?”

Jack shrugged, leaning against a towering bookshelf. “No one knows for sure. He’s as much a part of the legend as she is. Some stories say he was a historian from the human realm who somehow found his way into hers. Others claim he was her ally, a confidant.”

“A few of the more romantic versions say he was her lover,” Desmond added with a grin, nudging Janet playfully. “But the book just stops. It’s the biggest mystery in Noxmere. No one knows why it ended so abruptly or what really happened to her and her family.”

I nodded, absorbing their words. A lover? Tsskkkk The idea felt foreign, another piece of a puzzle I didn't know existed. I had to keep them talking, to learn everything they knew about my own life. “So no one has ever tried to find out more? Or to finish the story?, what about Faustina?? have you tried asking her if the rest of the story??”

“faustina is hardly seen, and besides How could they?” Jack asked. “Her world is gone, vanished. At least, that’s what the scholars say. And the big book,” he gestured toward the massive tome floating in the center of the room, “is impossible to touch. It repels anyone who gets too close.”

A smooth, cold voice cut through our conversation. “That’s enough history for one night.”

We all turned. Lucius stood in the archway of the library, his arms crossed over his chest. His dark coat made him look like a shadow that had detached itself from the wall. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes were fixed on me. How long had he been standing there, listening?

Janet and Desmond immediately straightened up. Even Jack, who had seemed so relaxed, now stood at attention. The shift in atmosphere was instant.

“She needs to get to her room,” Lucius stated, his voice leaving no room for argument. He glanced at the others. “I’ll take her from here.”

It was a clear dismissal. Janet gave me a quick, sympathetic smile before Desmond pulled her away. Jack offered a small wave. “See you in Virelle,” he said, before following them out, leaving me completely alone with Lucius.

An uncomfortable silence filled the library. The only sound was the faint, magical sound from the floating book. He was the boy from the snow, the one my father had pushed through the portal with me, the same one I met at the road "who exactly is he" I thought to myself. Now he stood before me as a leader, a near-stranger whose presence was both intimidating and strangely familiar.

He started walking without a word, and I quickly followed, trying to keep pace with his long strides. We left the library and entered a long, open-air corridor. The academy was a breathtaking sight at night. On one side, I could hear distant howling, which I guessed came from the Luneris dorms. On the other, a profound silence came from a dark, gothic-style wing *Noxtera*, home of the vampires.

The silence between us stretched, becoming heavy. I had to say something, anything.

“Thank you,” I began, my voice softer than I intended. “For… showing me the way.”

He didn’t look at me. “It’s my duty as the student leader.” His response was clipped, professional. It was a wall, and I wasn’t sure how to get past it.

I decided to try a different approach, to poke at the one thing we’d just discussed. “That legend… the Red Fiona. Everyone seems so fascinated by it but. You don’t seem to care much for the story.”

He stopped walking so suddenly that I almost ran into him. He turned, his gaze finally meeting mine, and it felt like being struck by lightning. His eyes were dark and intense, holding a depth I couldn’t decipher.

“Legends are just stories,” he said, his voice low and firm. “They’re distractions from what’s real. You should focus on surviving here, not on fairy tales.”

His words were cold, but there was something else behind them. A warning. “Surviving?” I asked, my brow furrowing. “Is this place that dangerous?”