No way out

The college grounds were eerily silent as I slipped out of my dorm, my breath curling into the cold night air. Shadows stretched long across the stone pathways, and every sound seemed amplified—the crunch of gravel beneath my boots, the whisper of the wind through the trees. My pulse pounded in my ears.

I didn't want to be here.

But I didn't have a choice.

The whisper from earlier echoed in my mind, low and sharp: 'You've been selected to join The Gem Order. Come to the garden at 1 AM. Don't tell anyone.'

It hadn't been a request. It had been a command.

And something about the way it had been delivered—the firm grip on my wrist, the breath against my ear—made me certain of one thing: if I didn't go, they would come for me.

The garden loomed ahead, its hedges curling into a labyrinth of twisting paths and shadowed alcoves. I hesitated for only a moment before stepping inside. The air here was thicker, heavier, almost humming with something unseen.

A figure stood at the center, waiting.

Dressed in black, his long coat shifting like liquid darkness, he barely moved as I approached. His hood was drawn low, but even in the dim moonlight, I could see his sharp features and piercing gray eyes. He radiated control. Authority.

I knew instantly: this was Rueben.

Only... I didn't know who Rueben was.

His name meant nothing to me, but there was something unsettlingly familiar about him. Like a name on the tip of my tongue, a half-forgotten dream slipping through my fingers.

'You came,' he said, his voice smooth as glass.

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice steady. 'Did I have a choice?'

A slow smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, though there was no warmth in it. 'No,' he admitted. 'You didn't.'

The confirmation sent a chill down my spine.

I forced myself to stand tall. 'What do you want from me?'

Rueben tilted his head slightly, as if considering his response. 'The Gem Order does not extend invitations lightly. Those who join us do so because they must—because they are meant to.'

Something in his tone made it clear: 'meant to' didn't mean destined. It meant trapped.

'You were chosen because you possess something unique,' he continued. 'A potential the college would rather you never unlock.'

I swallowed. 'What kind of potential?'

'You will learn soon enough.' Rueben stepped forward, and though his movements were slow, they carried an undeniable weight. 'But first, you must prove yourself.'

The moment he said those words, a sharp heat flared against my chest.

I sucked in a breath, wincing as I reached for my ruby necklace. It was burning—hotter than I'd ever felt it before. The pendant glowed with an eerie crimson light, the same deep red as fire embers, and for a moment, I swore it pulsed in time with my racing heartbeat.

Rueben's eyes flickered to it. His expression didn't change, but something in the air shifted, crackling with unseen energy.

'What's happening?' I demanded, my fingers tightening around the pendant.

Rueben didn't answer. Instead, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small, smooth stone, no larger than a coin. It shimmered faintly in the moonlight, a deep, iridescent blue.

'This,' he said, holding it between two fingers, 'is a Locator's Eye. It attunes to lost things, hidden things. We need you to retrieve something valuable to the Order.'

He extended the stone toward me. I hesitated before reaching out, the cool surface pressing against my palm.

'What am I looking for?' I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Rueben's gray eyes locked onto mine. 'A key,' he said. 'Hidden somewhere deep within the Forbidden Archives.'

My stomach dropped.

The Forbidden Archives—a place no student was allowed to enter. The professors guarded it with spells, and those who tried to sneak in were expelled. No exceptions.

Rueben must have seen the hesitation in my eyes, because his voice dropped lower, turning sharper. 'Failure is not an option, Ruby.'

I clutched the Locator's Eye tighter, my other hand still gripping my burning ruby necklace.

The glow was starting to fade, but my skin still tingled from the heat.

What does this mean? Why had my necklace reacted to him?

I wanted to ask. I wanted to demand answers—who Rueben really was, why my necklace burned in his presence, what exactly The Gem Order was.

But I already knew I wouldn't get answers.

Not yet.

Rueben turned slightly, gesturing toward the path behind me. 'Someone will be waiting to guide you to the entrance. You leave now.'

'Now?' I repeated, my breath catching. 'I—'

But Rueben was already stepping back into the shadows, his figure dissolving into the night like he had never been there at all.

I looked down at the shimmering stone in my palm, my pulse hammering in my ears.

No way out. No way back. Only forward.

The air in the garden had been thick with the scent of damp earth and something else—something sharp and metallic, like the taste of blood after biting your lip. Rueben's voice still echoed in my head as I slipped through the silent corridors of the College, my footsteps barely making a sound against the cold stone.

Retrieve the key from the Forbidden Archives.

The task was vague, the details sparse, but Rueben's command had left no room for negotiation. This wasn't a choice—I'd been forced into this.

My fingers brushed against the ruby necklace at my throat. It had glowed and burned in Rueben's presence, as if it knew something I didn't. As if it recognized him. But I didn't know who or what he was.

I just knew I was alone in this.

The entrance to the Forbidden Archives loomed ahead, an iron-wrought door with an intricate pattern of runes glowing faintly along its surface. I swallowed hard. There were dozens of places in the College that were off-limits, but this? This was different. The Archives weren't just restricted. They were sealed. Locked behind layers of magic that only those with the right access could break through.

So how was I supposed to get in?

I crouched beside the door, tracing a finger over the runes. The magic was old—older than the College itself, maybe. But as I concentrated, the ruby at my neck pulsed, a slow, steady rhythm like a second heartbeat. Heat flared against my skin.

Then the runes flickered.

I yanked my hand back just as the glow around the door faded. A soft click echoed in the silence, and the iron creaked open an inch.

My breath hitched.

The ruby had done something.

I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a very, very bad thing.

I pushed the door open just enough to slip inside, my pulse thrumming in my ears.

The moment I crossed the threshold, the air changed. The warmth of the College halls vanished, replaced by a chill that seeped into my bones.

The Forbidden Archives were nothing like the grand library I was used to. Here, the shelves stretched endlessly into darkness, twisting in unnatural ways, like they didn't follow the normal rules of space. The air was heavy with the scent of old parchment and something decayed.

The door creaked shut behind me.

I was on my own.

I moved carefully through the aisles, my fingers grazing the spines of books whose titles had been scratched away. The dim, flickering lanterns along the walls barely lit the way, their blue flames casting distorted shadows that danced like figures in the dark.

The key, I reminded myself. Find the key.

But Rueben hadn't told me what it looked like. Just that it was here, waiting.

I rounded a corner and stopped short.

In the center of the aisle, an old wooden desk stood alone, covered in scattered papers. But it wasn't the desk that caught my attention.

It was the pedestal behind it.

And the object resting atop it.

A small, ornate key, gleaming like molten silver.

Found it.

I took a step forward—but the moment my foot hit the floor, the temperature dropped. The lanterns flickered violently.

And then, from the shadows, something moved.

A figure emerged from the darkness, slow and deliberate.

At first, I thought it was a student, someone like me who had wandered too far. But as it stepped into the weak glow of the lanterns, my stomach twisted.

It wasn't human.

Its form flickered, shifting like smoke, its face featureless save for hollow, empty eyes. Its presence seeped into the air, thick with something unnatural.

A guardian.

It didn't speak. It didn't need to. The way it moved, the way the shadows curled around its limbs, I knew exactly what it wanted.

I wasn't supposed to be here.

The moment I reached for the key, it would stop me.

Or worse.

I took a slow step back, but the guardian moved with me, its empty gaze locked onto mine.

I needed a plan.

I needed to move.

My fingers curled around the ruby at my throat. I didn't know what it was, or why it had reacted to Rueben, but it had helped me before.

I took a risk.

Clenching my fist around the stone, I focused—on the heat, on the power thrumming beneath my skin.

Do something.

A pulse of warmth flared through my chest, and for a second, nothing happened. Then the air shifted. The lanterns flared brighter, their blue flames surging, and a sharp gust of wind howled through the aisle.

The guardian hesitated.

That was all I needed.

I ran.

I grabbed the key from the pedestal just as the shadows surged toward me.

Cold, clawing hands brushed my skin—but before they could take hold, the ruby burned.

A burst of crimson light exploded from the pendant, slamming into the guardian like a shockwave.

It let out a soundless scream, its form unraveling into black mist.

I didn't wait to see if it would reform.

Clutching the key, I turned and bolted for the exit.

I didn't stop running until I was back in the garden.

The night air was sharp against my skin, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My hands shook as I uncurled my fingers, revealing the key resting against my palm.

It was warm.

Like it had been waiting for me.

A shadow shifted in the moonlight.

Rueben.

He stood at the edge of the garden, dressed in black, watching me with unreadable eyes.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he stepped forward, his gaze flicking to the key in my hand.

'You did well,' he said, voice smooth and calm.

The ruby burned against my skin.

I clenched my teeth, shoving my emotions down. 'I didn't have a choice.'

Rueben tilted his head slightly, considering me. Then, without another word, he held out his hand.

I hesitated. But in the end, I placed the key in his palm.

He closed his fingers around it, the silver gleam disappearing into his grasp. Then he smiled.

'Welcome to the Gem Order, Ruby.'

'Now that you've completed your task, I'll explain the rules. You're a part of something bigger than you can comprehend right now, Ruby. But for now, you need to understand this.' He paused, his gaze steady and cold, like a warning. 'You cannot tell anyone. No one. Not your friends. Not your fellow guildmates. Not even your closest allies. Not a single soul.'

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my composure. My fingers tightened around the ruby necklace, which still burned against my skin. I wanted to ask him what this was all for, why I was being forced into this secretive group, but I held my tongue.

He seemed to sense my frustration and continued, his voice becoming more intense.

'If anyone finds out about the Gem Order, it will put everything in danger. You, your friends, the Order itself. There's no room for mistakes, no room for weakness. You'll learn more in time, but for now, you cannot speak of it to anyone.'

I nodded stiffly, though the weight of his words settled heavily in my chest.

'You'll have tasks to complete, things you may not understand at first,' Rueben went on. 'But you must follow them, no questions asked. The Order will guide you when it's necessary, and it will test you when it's needed. Your loyalty is paramount.'

Loyalty. That word seemed to echo in my mind, a reminder of everything I was being forced into. I wasn't sure how much I could trust this cryptic leader, but I knew one thing for sure—refusing him was not an option.

He gave me a long, measured look, and then, finally, a cold smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

'You'll be contacted again soon. Until then, keep your head down. Don't draw attention. Do your best to forget this conversation.'

My chest tightened at the finality in his tone. He was done talking. But I wasn't done feeling the weight of the situation.

Without another word, Rueben turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving me standing alone in the quiet garden.

The only sound that remained was the faint whisper of the wind—familiar, yet unsettling. The ruby at my throat was still warm, and I felt a growing sense of dread in the pit of my stomach.

What had I gotten myself into?

I turned and quietly made my way back to the dorm.

The College was eerily quiet as I walked through the halls, the shadows long and stretching beneath the faint glow of the lanterns. I moved with as much stealth as I could muster, my heart still racing with the adrenaline of my mission and the cryptic words of Rueben swirling in my mind. 

I reached my dorm in silence, the door clicking softly as I entered. My heart was still pounding, but I tried to keep my breath steady. The last thing I needed was to wake anyone, especially Nyssa, with all the questions I had swirling in my head.

 I didn't know what to make of Rueben's offer—or threat, really. I'd been inducted into something I didn't understand, with rules that felt suffocating, and a leader who was cold and distant. It was all too much to process. 

 The room was dark, the only light coming from the faint glow of the moon through the curtains. I tiptoed to my bed, not daring to make a sound. My heart was still a drumbeat in my chest, but the fear and confusion were starting to settle into a heavy weariness. 

 I slipped under the covers, the softness of the bed doing little to ease the tension in my body. My fingers brushed against the ruby necklace again, feeling the warmth of it still lingering on my skin. Why had it reacted to Rueben like that? Was it because of the Gem Order? What was so special about this necklace? 

So many questions, none of which I had answers to. 

I closed my eyes, willing my thoughts to stop, trying to convince myself that I could rest—just for a few hours. My mind kept racing, but the weight of exhaustion slowly dragged me under, my body surrendering to the call of sleep. 

 I would have to deal with the consequences tomorrow, I realized. But for now, all I could do was sleep. 

And as I drifted off, I couldn't shake the feeling that my life was already spinning down a path I couldn't turn back from. The Gem Order had already taken hold of me, and I had no idea where it was leading.