Chapter 19: The Culprit

Morning broke over Elitia Academy, but unlike any other day, tension crackled in the air. Whispers spread like wildfire someone had been caught. The murderer of the man found at the fountain had been unmasked.

The revelation sent shockwaves through the student body. The culprit was one of their own another student from Beta Class.

The truth came to light when his dorm mate made a chilling discovery. Something felt off under his bed, and upon lifting the mattress, he found it, a knife, stained with blood. Alarmed, he reported it to a professor, and after an investigation, the blood was confirmed to match the victim's.

The evidence was damning. Everyone believed it was him. After all, he was already known as a problematic student. But when you looked into his eyes... something was wrong.

We stood in the hallway, watching as the guards led him away. His expression was unreadable anger, fear, or something else entirely?

Then, his gaze locked onto us. Not just at random. He was looking directly at Alpha House.

Who among us is he watching ?

I followed the direction of his gaze. He wasn't looking around aimlessly his eyes were locked onto someone.

Carl Perez.

Carl? … Why?

My eyes flicked between the two of them, and that's when I saw it Carl's expression shifted. It was subtle, but undeniable. He knew him. I was certain of it.

What was their connection?

First, it was Velia. Then Riyami. Now Carl. Who was the real traitor here?

Before I could think any further, a light tap on my back pulled me from my thoughts.

It was Kim Lovie.

"Let's go now… we'll be late for class."

I hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. There were too many questions swirling in my mind, but for now, I had no choice but to follow.

As we walked to class, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were getting closer to something dangerous.

When class ended, Ynah approached me, her expression unreadable.

"I saw your face earlier… so I tried to read your mind."

I froze.

"What do you know about Carl, Velia, and Riyami? And what traitor are you talking about? How is Carl connected to the murder?"

My breath caught in my throat. She can read minds?

I quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her aside, lowering my voice.

"I'll explain later. Not here. There are too many people."

She studied me for a moment before nodding. But I could tell she wouldn't let this go.

Back at Alpha House, I led Ynah into my room. Luck was on my side my dormmate was nowhere to be found, leaving us completely alone.

I wasted no time. I told her everything. The flower sent to Velia. Riyami's midnight escape. Carl's connection to the Beta student. Every strange event that had been piling up, one after another.

Ynah listened in stunned silence. Then, after a long pause, she whispered, "Wait… I need to process this. So, the murderer is connected to us? Or… maybe one of us?"

I met her gaze and gave a small, solemn nod.

Her breath hitched. Shock turned to something deeper fear.

It took Ynah a full minute to calm down, her breathing still uneven as she processed everything.

"Who else knows about this… other than us?" she finally asked.

"Khierra, Jeremy, Aella…" I began, but before I could say more, the door creaked open.

My dormmate was back.

"What are you two doing?" she asked, her gaze flicking between us.

Ynah was quick to respond. She shook her head and forced a casual tone. "Nothing serious. Just asking some questions about the magic lesson earlier."

My dormmate simply nodded and dropped onto her bed. "I'm so tired," she murmured.

Ynah shot me a glancevone filled with urgency before standing. "I'll be going now."

I nodded, watching her leave. The moment the door shut behind her, silence filled the room.

Then, my dormmate spoke.

"She asked you about the murder?"

I hesitated, then answered, "Yes."

She turned to me, her expression unreadable at first. Then, her eyes darkened.

"You know it was me, don't you?" she said, voice eerily calm. "Then why didn't you tell them?"

My throat felt dry.

"Why did you kill him?" I asked, forcing myself to meet her gaze.

A slow, twisted smile spread across her lips.

"He needed to be killed. What if he had reported to the professor about who the real sender was? We'd be at risk."

My stomach churned.

She leaned in slightly, her voice a low whisper laced with something cold and menacing.

"If you don't want to end up like him… I expect you to shut up and keep this a secret."

Then she laughed a pure, chilling, evil laugh