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"Yes."

Nyra goes pale. "They weren't adapting because we were stopping them."

I look at her. "No."

"They were adapting because they wanted to know if they could." There.

Silence.

Tavian wasn't a mistake. Not opportunity. Not a victim who happened to be vulnerable. He was proof.

Two roommates. No isolation. No broken ward. No alarm. They could take someone anyway.

"What the fuck are they preparing for?" Cassian whispers. Nobody answers.

At noon, we bring the theory to Vayne. He hates it.

I can tell because he doesn't insult us.

"You're suggesting escalation was intentional."

"Yes."

"Based on one event."

"Based on every event." I place the timeline on his desk. "Each disappearance happened under progressively stronger security." Vayne reads.

Nyra points. "First victims had little immediate protection. Then patrols increased."

"Then wards." Cassian adds

"Then shared rooms." I continue

Vayne looks toward Tavian's report. "Correlation."

"Maybe." I say. "But if we're right—"

"Then containment measures have also been providing them information." Exactly. Vayne leans back. Looks older suddenly. I don't like that.

"What do we do?" Nyra asks.

Vayne's gaze moves toward the window. "Assume nothing is sufficient." Wonderful.

The afternoon is one long exercise in pretending that sentence isn't terrifying. Nobody alone. Active watches. First-years moved into larger sleeping groups. Weapons within reach. Ward checks every hour. Dragon reports every thirty minutes. Second-years rotate command. Professors everywhere. Council visible for once. Good. No one says we need the Chiefs. We don't. Not yet.

At three, I run First-Year Response through a breach drill. At four, again. At five, casualty extraction. At six, we eat. I eat everything. Again. Stupid note.

At seven, the Academy feels almost stable. Not safe.

Different. Stable. No new disappearance. Wards normal. Dragons unsettled but not alarmed. Council monitoring. Professors posted. Everyone prepared.

At eight thirty, Nyra finds me in the common room.

Cassian behind her. "Cards?" I stare. Cassian lifts the deck. "Morale."

"No cheating."

He looks offended. "Then what's the point?"