The sun hadn't risen yet, but Haku was already moving.
He walked back to his little house to pick up his secret weapon, Yue. Cloak swaying behind him, steps measured and unhurried. His thoughts were sharp, clean, and focused now. No more distractions.
He made his way to the small garden in front of his house, a quiet place, mostly ignored except in the early morning, since it was here that Yue was found most in the morning. Yue was usually there before classes, tending to plants like they were fragile children. Sure enough, she was there, sleeves rolled up, hair tied back, humming to herself as she noticed Haku approaching.
"Busy?" Haku asked as he made eye contact.
Yue did not expect him to be here right now since he either slept in around this hour or was still out drinking on his days off.
"You know you always scare me when you show up like that," she muttered.
"Good," Haku said, not smiling.
Yue tilted her head, sensing something was off. "What happened?"
Haku didn't answer immediately. He just gestured. "Come with me, we are going to get Alex. Now."
Ten minutes later, the three of them were seated in one of the restricted study rooms Haku had repurposed as his own when no one was watching. Books and half-written notes littered the space, but the air felt colder today. More real.
Alex arrived last, rubbing sleep from his eyes, still in a wrinkled shirt. "If this isn't about breakfast, I'm leaving."
"It's not," Haku said. "It's worse."
Yue sat with her arms crossed, watching Haku carefully. "You're doing that thing where you act calm before dropping a bomb."
"Good. Means you're learning."
He leaned against the desk, then started. "Vice Principal Bernard is probably working with an organization that kills people from beyond the Stormy Ocean. People like me."
Alex stopped mid-yawn. "Wait, what?"
Yue blinked. "That's... not where I thought this was going."
"Yeah," Haku said. "Neither did I."
He explained what happened. Al-Malik. Lyra. The Duke. The old bloodlines. The empire with too many secrets and too much silence in its past.
Alex was the first to respond, of course.
"So they used you as bait."
"Basically," Haku said. "Don't worry. I'm apparently too dangerous to fail."
"Sounds about right," Yue added dryly.
Alex leaned forward. "So what's the plan now? You're going after Bernard?"
Haku shrugged. "Not directly. Yet. First, we need confirmation. A few traps. A few questions that only traitors would ask."
Yue frowned. "And us?"
"You're in," Haku said simply. "That wasn't a question."
They both nodded with no hesitation.
"Yue, I know you have been waiting for something like this, but you're going to need to be subtle," Haku continued. "If Bernard is involved with them, then he's watched. Which means we're watched. Keep conversations normal. Keep the actions routine. But if anything feels off, any strange notes, any missing people, anything that smells like forced silence, you tell me."
"Got it," Yue said. "What do we call these people?"
"They don't have a name, or at least I don't know it. Just a symbol." He sketched it with a flick of his wrist on a piece of paper, the way Al-Malik did, but on paper this time and not with magic. A scorpion stinging its own head. Neither of them had seen it before, but both frowned instinctively.
"That's wierdly fuckt up," Alex muttered.
"Exactly. Keep an eye out for it," Haku said. "I doubt they would leave it in clear view, but still good to know what to look out for."
Yue looked serious now, thoughtful. "What about the other staff?"
"Don't trust anyone," Haku said flatly. "Not until I say otherwise."
Yue grinned. "Finally, a club I actually want to be in."
Haku ignored that.
"One more thing," he said, voice dropping. "They're not after me because I'm a teacher. They're after me because I exist. That means you two are in the blast zone by proximity."
Yue didn't flinch. "I don't see the problem, to be honest? Let's just kill them."
Alex just cracked his knuckles. "Let them come."
For a second, Haku actually let the silence sit. He looked at these kids, sharp. Loyal. Capable.
He nodded.
"Then we begin. I'll handle Bernard. You two, please don't kill anyone yet."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Anything specific we're looking for?"
"Yes," Haku said. "Watch who Bernard speaks to. Faculty, staff, students. If he's building influence, it'll show. Quietly."
Yue looked over. "And if we find something?"
"Tell me first," Haku said. "Not the Teachers. Not the headmaster. Me."
"Understood," Yue replied. "Anything else?"
"Yes," Haku said, stepping away from the desk.
"Let's get some breakfast."
.......
The cafeteria was half-empty, the hour still too early for most students to have dragged themselves out of bed. A few early risers picked at toast or porridge in silence, the soft clinking of cutlery filling the wide space.
Haku, Yue, and Alex sat at a corner table. They looked casual, but none of them were really eating.
Alex was hunched slightly, glancing now and then toward the center aisle.
Yue noticed first. "You're twitchier than usual."
"Don't look now," Alex muttered, "but Bernard's here."
That got Haku's attention. He turned, slow and controlled, eyes locking on the vice principal without making it obvious.
Bernard stood near the serving counter, speaking to someone. Not a teacher. A student.
Sofia.
Her blonde curls were too perfect this early in the morning. Her uniform was pressed, polished, and accented with a silk ribbon. She laughed at something Bernard said, and even from this distance, the ease between them was... off.
Too comfortable.
Alex frowned. "Why's she with him?"
"Sofia," Yue said, tone neutral. "She's in my class all the time. Bright. Top of her year, almost. Bit too eager to answer everything, though."
"She's obsessed with Haku," Alex said, glancing at him. "Always quoting him. Following him after lectures."
"And now she's laughing with Bernard before breakfast?" Yue added. "That doesn't track."
"She always shows up early," Haku said quietly. "I've seen her around the faculty offices and front gate. Never thought much of it."
"Maybe you should've," Alex said.
"I am now."
They watched as Sofia accepted something from Bernard, a folded note, subtle, like it was nothing. Then she turned and walked off toward the east wing, heels tapping like metronome ticks.
Alex stood. "I'll follow her."
"No," Haku said sharply.
Alex stopped mid-step.
"We don't move yet," Haku continued. "If she's being used, we don't spook her. If she's not, and she's willing, then I want to know why."
Yue looked thoughtful. "Could be leverage. Family? Blackmail? Or maybe… she's just drawn to power."
"She is a social climber," Alex added. "But Bernard? He creeps out most students."
Haku looked down at his untouched tea. "Keep an eye on her. But don't engage. Let's figure out her routine. If she's a messenger, someone's trusting her."
"And if she's more than that?" Yue asked.
Haku met her eyes. "Then I'll handle it."
They sat in silence for a moment.
"She really did use to hang on your every word," Alex muttered. "That's what's weird. She wrote a paper quoting your entire second lecture. Word for word."
Yue smirked. "Sounds like a fan."
"Sounds like someone looking for proximity," Haku corrected. "And now she's switched."
Yue nodded slowly. "Alright. We watch."
Alex leaned back. "This is getting messier than I thought."
"It's only the beginning," Haku said. "Next time Bernard makes a move, I want to know who's watching."
Outside the windows, the sun finally broke the horizon.
But in Haku's mind, it was getting darker.