The Quiet Execution 2

Point of View: Avalith

⸻

The day after Noven was taken, the sun didn't rise.

Not really.

It crawled over the horizon like it was ashamed to show its face, casting a pale, colorless light over the towers of Valeforth. The academy grounds were quiet—too quiet. Birds didn't sing. No chatter echoed from the training fields. The world had caught its breath and forgotten how to exhale.

Avalith hadn't slept.

She sat alone at the far edge of the eastern overlook, where the cliffs dropped straight down into the dark sea. Her cloak barely moved in the cold morning air. Hair loose, eyes bloodshot, one hand resting on the sword at her hip—but she wasn't aware of any of it. She just stared out at the horizon like it might offer her answers.

It didn't.

She hadn't told anyone what really happened. How two of her own family's most elite guards had turned on her without warning. How their eyes had shimmered a strange silver when they struck. How they said nothing, not a word, as if they were puppets acting out orders they couldn't hear themselves.

How she'd been seconds from death.

And then—how he appeared.

Not with light. Not with fury. But with silence.

The masked figure had killed one guard instantly—crushing the man's lungs with a single motion, no physical contact. The other… he let live, but not without pain. Bones snapped midair like glass under pressure. Blood trailed the wind like a red comet. No hesitation. No mercy.

Avalith had recognized him.

Not by face. But by stillness. The way he looked at death and didn't flinch.

Noven.

But if he'd saved her… then why hadn't he said anything? Why wear the mask? Why vanish right after, leaving her to wake in her own chambers, disarmed, half-conscious, with his name the only word on her tongue?

And now—he was gone.

Framed. Sentenced. His core to be broken. An execution that would never be called that by name. It would be a "purification." A "containment breach solution." Words made clean to hide the filth beneath.

They thought he was the one who killed the royal guard.

They thought he'd assassinated her attacker.

They thought she had nothing to say.

And she didn't.

Because if she spoke, she'd be made to swear loyalty again. To her bloodline. To her throne.

To a family that tried to kill her.

Avalith's lips parted, and for the first time in hours, she whispered, "They knew."

The wind didn't answer.

But deep inside, her chest ached—not with pain, but confusion.

Because Noven hadn't saved her out of kindness. She knew that. She felt it in his aura. There was no warmth, no protection, no emotion.

He saved her because she mattered.

Because she was valuable.

Because removing her from the board would cost him something.

That realization should have made her hate him.

But it didn't.

It made her afraid.

Not of him.

Of herself.

Because she wasn't sure what scared her more—the people trying to kill her… or the one who saved her without caring if she lived.

⸻

Classroom Hall – Same Morning

Alyss stood in front of the door for five minutes before entering.

Class was already in session. The moment she stepped in, every head turned. Some with curiosity. Some with caution. Others just stared.

She ignored them.

Her seat was still there, untouched.

Noven's wasn't.

He hadn't come back.

And no one asked why.

Professor Telsic cleared his throat but didn't stop her. Maybe he knew there was no point.

Alyss sat down, lowering her gaze to her desk. Her fingers brushed the edge, where Noven used to tap his nail absentmindedly when pretending to pay attention. It was stupid. She hated that she remembered that.

She hated that she noticed he wasn't there.

She hated that it bothered her.

Because what had he ever done for her?

Nothing. Not really. Not when it mattered.

He never came when she cried. Never offered comfort. Never stayed behind to help her pick up the pieces after everything shattered.

So why—why now? Why save her?

Because she was useful?

Alyss clenched her jaw.

Then fine. Let it be that.

She'd survive again. Like she always did.

But that night… when she saw him, the mask half-broken, blood soaking his collar, his expression unreadable—

He looked at her like she was just… a step in his plan.

Like everything she'd done, every emotion she'd fought to kill, was meaningless.

Still—

Her chest hurt in a way she couldn't explain.

And when she finally looked up again, she saw that Avalith had returned to class too.

They locked eyes.

No words.

Just silence.

But between them—a quiet understanding.

Noven was gone.

And neither of them believed it would stay that way.

⸻

Facility Zero — Underground Level (Classified)

Time Unknown

Chains rattled.

He sat in darkness.

Cold, still, unfed, and unguarded—because they believed the restraints were enough.

His core had not yet been broken.

It was scheduled for tomorrow.

But Noven did not move.

Not when the lights above flickered. Not when the guards whispered behind reinforced doors. Not when the scientists came to observe him like an animal.

He said nothing.

He felt nothing.

Except for one thing.

A pulse.

A message.

A signal.

Not from a person—but from somewhere deeper.

Unit IX was watching.

And the game wasn't over.

Not yet.