Deception

Ren ran.

The battle behind him wasn't just noise—it was a warping of reality itself. The sky flickered between colors, the trees trembled as if alive, and the very air vibrated with the weight of something too vast for him to understand.

He didn't look back.

He didn't need to.

The moment Olreth and Sylva had turned their gazes on him, he had known—he wasn't meant to survive this.

Aldryn had given him a chance. A single moment to flee.

And if Ren wasted it, he'd be torn from the Loom entirely.

Branches tore at his arms, roots threatened to trip him, but his body moved on instinct. His breathing was ragged, but his mind was racing. The Ashen Shard pulsed inside him.

Not a comforting pulse.

A warning.

"You are being followed."

Ren clenched his jaw, pushing himself harder. His body still felt wrong. Not just tired—but unbalanced, like something inside him was shifting in ways it shouldn't.

But there was no time to figure it out.

Because up ahead—he saw movement.

Ren barely managed to stop himself from stumbling into view.

Through the trees, he saw them. A slow-moving caravan of travelers—no, students.

They were dressed similarly, their robes neat, their movements structured. But unlike the Weaving Order's enforcers, these people weren't moving like soldiers.

They talked amongst themselves, laughing, arguing. Some rode on hovering carriages, wheels glowing faintly with golden light.

Ren's heart pounded.

These people weren't fighters.

They weren't like the Order.

Which meant they wouldn't know to look for him.

He adjusted his stance.

Slowed his breathing.

Wiped sweat from his brow and made himself look exhausted, lost, and harmless.

Then—he stepped onto the path.

The reaction was immediate.

A boy at the front of the group noticed him first. He stiffened, grabbing the sleeve of another student. "Who's that?"

Several heads turned.

Ren kept his pace uneven, as if he had been wandering for hours. He clutched his side, forcing his voice to tremble just slightly.

"Hey—wait, please. I—" he panted. "I lost my group. We were attacked."

Murmurs spread. Some students looked concerned. Others? Suspicious.

One of them—a stocky boy with short-cropped black hair—narrowed his eyes. "Attacked? By what?"

Ren hesitated for half a second.

Then, he did what he did best.

He lied.

"Bandits."

The suspicious boy didn't look convinced. "Where's the rest of your group?"

Ren let his expression darken, glancing toward the ground. "Dead."

The murmuring grew louder.

Some students visibly paled. Others glanced at one another, as if debating whether or not to believe him.

Then—someone stepped forward.

A girl.

She wasn't dressed quite like the others. Her robes bore intricate stitching, woven with runes Ren didn't recognize.

She moved with calm precision, her sharp gray eyes scanning him in an instant.

And the moment she looked at him—

Ren felt a chill.

She wasn't looking at his face.

She was looking at him.

Not like someone sizing up a stranger.

Like someone looking at the strands of a tapestry and noticing a stitch that didn't belong.

"Attacked by bandits?" she asked, her voice calm but analytical.

Ren forced himself to nod. "Yeah. I—I barely got away."

Her gaze didn't waver.

She wasn't just looking at him.

She was studying him.

Ren felt the Ashen Shard pulse faintly.

Not a warning.

Just a reaction.

Like something inside him was aware of her presence.

Then, to his surprise—Kara smiled.

"Lucky you found us, then," she said lightly.

The stocky boy frowned. "You're just gonna let him join us?"

Kara ignored him.

She extended a hand toward Ren.

"I'm Kara. Kara Dain."

Ren hesitated for half a second.

Then, he took her hand.

"Ren," he said simply. "Just Ren."

Her fingers were cool against his. Her grip firm, but not overpowering.

But as she pulled away, her eyes lingered on his for just a moment too long.

And Ren knew.

She wasn't fooled.

The students didn't question him further. Kara had made her decision—and the others followed.

Ren walked beside them, his mind racing.

This wasn't just about escaping.

It was about staying hidden.

The Weaving Order was still out there. If they realized where he had gone, they would burn the entire Academy down to get him.

Which meant he had to become one of them.

A student. A traveler. A normal person—not whatever they thought he was.

And, most importantly—

He had to avoid Kara Dain.

Because something told him she was already watching him too closely.

And if he wasn't careful—

She would be the first to realize what he really was.