"The second shadow moved.Not with violence—But with elegance too perfect to be human."
Scene: Ironvale Academy – Central Garden, Late Afternoon
Classes had just ended.
The soft ringing of the central tower bell echoed across campus as students began dispersing. The sun tilted lazily, catching the edge of the clouds with amber light.
Aeris stood near the garden's stone clock—a circular monument surrounded by benches, a favorite resting spot for students after lectures.
She wasn't resting.She was watching.
A faint hum rang in her ears—instinct, or memory, or both.
Something about this place felt too still.Too symmetrical.Too quiet.
Then—a voice. Crisp. Controlled. Like a song rehearsed a hundred times.
???
"Alina Vell, correct?"
Aeris turned.
The girl standing before her looked like she'd been sculpted, not born—every motion refined, precise.
She wore the Nova Aria Club crest on her shoulder, one of the Tier I societies known for producing "political leaders and tactical strategists."
Her uniform was immaculately pressed.Eyes—ice gray. Hair—a soft ash lilac.Expression—pleasant, but unreadable.
Aeris (low):
"Who's asking?"
??? (smiling):
"I'm Caelina. Vice-President of Nova Aria."
Caelina (softly):
"Or... would you rather I call you VIONNE-05?"
Aeris froze.
For a second, the world narrowed.The garden faded.The bell tower's chime dissolved into wind.
Aeris (carefully):
"You must be mistaken."
Caelina:
"You never were good at pretending, even back then."
She sat beside her, without permission.
Her posture was calm. Regal. Like someone always in control of the board.
Caelina:
"Don't worry. I'm not here to expose you. I simply wanted to see how our little ghost has been doing."
Aeris (sharp):
"So… you're one of them."
Caelina (smiling faintly):
"VIONNE-03. Though I go by Caelina Lacielle now."
There was a silence. Not hostile—but strained.
Caelina:
"I heard about the rooftop. Viora always did enjoy drama."
Aeris (tense):
"Did she send you?"
Caelina:
"No. I came on my own. I was curious."
She tapped a silver ring on her finger—a subtle pulse of sound, like a heartbeat. Aeris recognized it. A feedback controller, often used to dampen or manipulate internal energy surges.
Caelina (thoughtfully):
"You still have it, don't you? The Rebirth protocol."
Aeris:
"You're not here for small talk. What do you want?"
Caelina leaned slightly forward.
Caelina:
"To understand. If our weakest sister truly crawled her way back from the grave… then I want to see how far she's willing to go."
Aeris (low):
"Don't call me that."
Caelina:
"Then prove you're not."
She stood, brushing her skirt lightly.
Caelina (smiling):
"You'll find that Ironvale is full of ghosts these days, Aeris.But some of us…Some of us remember too much to stay dead."
She walked away, leaving behind the faint scent of lavender and static.
Aeris remained still.
The air felt colder than before.
Scene Shift: Dorm Rooftop – That Evening
The sky was painted in dying shades of purple. Distant hover-trams buzzed through the city like fireflies.
Aeris stood on the rooftop of the student dorms, jacket fluttering slightly in the breeze.
She'd been quiet all day. Even Rin noticed and had stopped pushing flyers into her hands. For once.
Her fingers hovered over the pendant inside her shirt.It wasn't for fashion.It was a disguised data shard, storing encrypted logs from the lab.
Something she wasn't supposed to have.
Something that might be the only key to figuring out why she was left behind… and why she came back different.
"They all grew stronger. Faster. Cleaner.""But I crawled out of the dark... and became something they couldn't replicate."
Aeris clenched her fists.
Her reflection in the glass door beside her shimmered strangely. For a split second, she thought it glitched—a flicker of static where her face should be.
Then it was gone.
Her rebirth virus... it was active again.
"No. Not here."
She stepped back from the door.
Suddenly—
Footsteps behind her. Light. Familiar.
Rin.
Rin (gently):
"I thought I'd find you up here."
Aeris didn't turn. She didn't answer.
Rin (quietly):
"You don't have to carry it all by yourself, you know."
Aeris finally looked over her shoulder. Her eyes weren't angry.Just… tired.
Aeris:
"You have no idea what I'm carrying."
Rin (shrugging, then smiling):
"Nope. But I have snacks, a warm blanket, and a really annoying personality.I can sit with you until whatever's breaking inside you gets bored and leaves."
That earned a breath. Not quite a laugh, but almost.
Aeris sat down beside her.
Rin sat too.
No words.
Just two silhouettes watching the stars blink into life.
Aeris (internal):
Viora. Caelina. The professor. The buried truth.They're coming for me. All of it is coming back.
But right now...
She glanced at Rin beside her—smiling, barefoot, tossing biscuit crumbs to a pigeon.
Maybe I can breathe. Just for tonight.
CLUB REGISTRY – PRIVATE ENTRY LOG
Tier I: Orbital CrownPresident – Viora S.Specialty – Tactical supremacy, psychological warfare, physical mastery.
Tier I: Nova AriaVice-President – Caelina LacielleSpecialty – Cold logic, information control, battlefield strategy