The academy halls were quieter after the Trials, but the tension hadn’t faded. Rumors buzzed through every corner of Ironclad — who had won, who had fallen, who had bled the most. My name was on every tongue.So was his.Zade Varyn, first place. Xander Vale, second.The perfect rivalry.But beneath the noise, beneath the pride, a single truth kept gnawing at me. Xander knew.He’d cornered me, stripped away my armor with one whispered word — Omega. And now, every time our eyes met, I felt the threat of that word hanging between us like a blade.I avoided him for two days. No training matches, no meals in the same hall. Every time I sensed his presence, I slipped away before he could speak. It didn’t matter how fast I moved; somehow, he always found me.By the third day, I realized he wasn’t just watching. He was hunting.It started with subtle things — a locker door left ajar, my schedule “accidentally” switched, a training weapon replaced with one just slightly heavier than usual. Lit
Last Updated : 2025-10-18 Read more