"Aku... harus istirahat."<br><br>Malam semakin sunyi.<br><br>Sebagian besar siswa telah kembali ke asrama masing-masing, sementara halaman kampus bermandikan cahaya keperakan dari lentera mana. Dengung lembut pelindung sihir mengisi keheningan—jenis kesunyian yang membuat setiap langkah kaki terdengar jauh lebih keras dari seharusnya.<br><br>Elara dan Cedric berjalan berdampingan tanpa ada yang berbicara. Percakapan mereka tadi masih membayangi di antara keduanya—hal-hal berat yang belum diucapkan dan tak mampu diredakan sepenuhnya oleh siapa pun. Langkah Cedric mantap dan terkontrol seperti biasa, sementara langkah Elara lebih lambat dan penuh pertimbangan.<br><br>Gedung asrama mulai terlihat di ujung halaman, jendela-jendela mereka memancarkan cahaya remang-remang bagaikan barisan bintang yang tenang.<br><br>Lalu, dia melihatnya.<br><br>Lucavion.<br><br>Pria itu muncul dari salah satu jalur samping yang mengarah naik dari lapangan latihan, kepalanya sedikit menunduk saat ia membenahi tali tas selempangnya. Mantelnya tergerai longgar di bahunya, dan kemeja putih di baliknya ternoda oleh debu serta keringat samar. Lengan bajunya tersingsing, memperlihatkan ukiran rune samar di lengan bawahnya—tanda-tanda lama yang familier dan berkilau tipis di bawah cahaya bulan.<br><br>Ia tampak seolah baru saja datang langsung dari sebuah duel—atau mungkin latihan. Rambutnya, yang biasanya tertata rapi meski sedikit acak-acakan, menjuntai liar di dahinya, helai-helainya menangkap pendar perak yang samar.<br><br>Napas Elara tertahan, meski hanya sedetik.<br><br>Pria itu tampak... tidak terusik. Sepenuhnya menjadi dirinya sendiri.<br><br>Hal itu justru membuat situasi terasa semakin buruk.<br><br>Cedric menyadarinya sedetik kemudian. Bahunya langsung menegang, ketenangan yang ia tunjukkan sepanjang malam berubah mengeras menjadi sesuatu yang lebih tajam.<br><br>Lucavion adalah orang pertama yang berbicara. "Malam."<br><br>Nadanya santai, hampir malas, seolah mereka baru saja berpapasan di antara jam kuliah. Ia berhenti beberapa langkah darinya, sudut bibirnya terangkat membentuk senyuman tipis—separuh sapaan, separuh rasa geli.<br><br>Rahang Cedric mengeras. "Lucavion."<br><br>Elara menundukkan kepalanya, menjaga ekspresinya tetap netral. "Kau pulang malam."<br><br>Cedric tidak mempercayainya. "Kau tidak ada di aula hari ini," ujarnya dengan nada dingin.<br><br>"Kau tidak ada di aula hari ini," ulang Cedric dengan nada tegas dan terkontrol.<br><br>Lucavion berhenti—hanya sebentar, tetapi cukup lama untuk membuat perubahan itu tertangkap mata—sebelum mengangkat sebelah bahunya dengan malas, gestur yang tampak ceroboh sekaligus disengaja.<br><br>"Aku tidak tahu rute harian batinku harus punya saksi."<br><br>Rahang Cedric menegang. "Tidak perlu."<br><br>Lucavion mengangkat alis. "Caramu bertanya seolah-olah perlu."<br><br>Elara menyela dengan tenang sebelum kejengkelan Cedric menjadi-jadi. "Maksudnya, kau tidak bergabung dengan kelompok setelah ujian."<br><br>Lucavion berkedip sekali, seolah benar-benar butuh waktu untuk mengingatnya. "Ah. Itu."<br><br>Cedric melipat tangan di dada. "Kau tidak datang."<br><br>Bibir Lucavion melengkung tipis. "Aku ada urusan."<br><br>"Urusan apa?" desak Cedric.<br><br>Lucavion memiringkan kepalanya—bukan karena menghindar, melainkan mengabaikan, seolah pertanyaan itu terlalu sepele untuk dijawab. "Kau tampaknya terlalu memikirkan hariku, Reilan."<br><br>Alis Cedric bertaut, ketegangan di antara mereka meningkat. "Orang-orang menyadarinya."<br><br>Lucavion terkekeh pelan. "Matamu berkata lain."<br><br>Cedric menegang. "Begitu? Sekarang kau bisa membaca pikiran?"<br><br>Lucavion menggelengkan kepala, seringai familier itu tersungging di sudut bibirnya. "Tidak perlu. Matamu sudah bicara cukup lantang."<br><br>Percikan api melompat di antara mereka—tajam, bermuatan tegang, setajam mata pisau. Cedric melangkah maju setengah langkah, dan Lucavion tidak mundur. Elara bisa merasakan perubahan di udara, benang tak kasat mata yang ditarik kencang di antara dua pria yang hanya saling mengenali sebagai ancaman.<br><br>Untuk memecah ketegangan, ia berkata pelan, "Kau pulang terlambat."<br><br>Lucavion mengalihkan perhatian padanya—lebih tenang, lebih ringan. "Benarkah? Kurasa aku kehilangan jejak waktu."<br><br>"Latihan?" tanyanya.<br><br>Untuk sepersekian detik, kilatan emosi yang tak terbaca melintas di matanya—keterkejutan? perhitungan? Namun, ekspresi itu langsung mencair kembali ke dalam ketenangan malasnya yang biasa.<br><br>"Semacam itulah," jawabnya.<br><br>Cedric tidak membelinya, bahkan untuk sesaat pun. "Kau tidak berada di dekat ruang ujian sama sekali," ulangnya lagi, suaranya merendah dengan nada yang tajam. "Kau tidak muncul sebelum atau sesudah ujian. Kau menghilang."<br><br>Seringai Lucavion semakin tajam. "Dan kuira aku diizinkan berjalan-jalan di kompleks akademi tanpa harus menyerahkan laporan."<br><br>"Tidak ketika kau menghilang di saat yang sama saat dia menghilang," balas Cedric sengit.<br><br>Senyuman Lucavion membeku.<br><br>Hanya sesaat.<br><br>Tetapi Elara melihatnya—keheningan setengah detik pada posturnya. Cengkeramannya yang sedikit menguat pada tali tas. Lebar matanya yang sedikit terbuka.<br><br>"...Dia menghilang?" tanyanya.<br><br>Jantung Elara seakan berhenti berdetak.<br><br>Nada suara Cedric berubah semakin dingin. "Dia tidak bersama kami. Dia tidak ada di mana pun. Dan kau juga tidak."<br><br>Lucavion berkedip, dan kali ini reaksinya tidak bisa disembunyikan. Ia terlalu cepat memulihkan diri—terlalu sadar akan gerakannya. Posturnya menegak, ekspresinya melunak dengan ketenangan permukaan yang tidak sepenuhnya mampu menutupi ketegangan di baliknya.<br><br>Tatapannya beralih ke arah Elara—singkat, tajam, menyelidik—dan untuk pertama kalinya sejak mereka bertemu malam ini, topeng ketenangannya retak. Tidak lebar. Tidak dramatis.<br><br>Cukup.<br><br>Cukup bagi Elara untuk tahu bahwa ya—pria itu memang pergi ke suatu tempat yang tidak ingin ia akui.<br><br>Ya—kata-kata Cedric terlalu mendekati kebenaran.<br><br>Ya—ia sedang menyembunyikan sesuatu.<br><br>"Begitukah?"<br><br>Suara Lucavion terdengar ringan, acuh tak acuh, hampir bosan.<br><br>"Begitukah?"<br><br>Nadanya berpura-pura tidak peduli, tetapi keretakan pada ketenangannya—sekecil apa pun itu—tetap tergantung di antara mereka bagaikan sebuah jarum yang terjatuh.<br><br>Cedric melangkah maju, matanya menyipit. "Jangan pura-pura bodoh."<br><br>Bibir Lucavion terangkat tipis. "Aku tidak tahu kalau aku sedang berpura-pura."<br><br>"Kau menghindari pertanyaan."<br><br>"Aku menghindari banyak hal," jawab Lucavion dengan santai. "Termasuk pertanyaan."<br><br>Rahang Cedric mengeras. "Di mana kau tadi?"<br><br>Seringai Lucavion memudar cukup untuk memperlihatkan rasa jengkel. "Sibuk."<br><br>"Itu bukan jawaban."<br><br>"Hanya itu yang akan kau dapatkan." Nadanya mendingin, menyayat tajam secara halus. "Aku tidak berhutang jadwalku padamu."<br><br>Cedric mengambil satu langkah lebih dekat. "Kalau begitu, kau tidak akan keberatan jika aku menarik kesimpulanku sendiri."<br><br>Lucavion tidak bergeming. "Kau sudah melakukannya."<br><br>Ketegangan melonjak—tipis, tegang, penuh muatan listrik. Lucavion tidak membalas kemarahan Cedric dengan kemarahan; ia membalasnya dengan ketidakpedulian, jenis sikap yang terasa disengaja. Seolah-olah segala reaksi darinya justru akan memberikan lebih banyak informasi daripada yang ia inginkan.<br><br>Ia menggeser tas di bahunya, posturnya mengendur seolah konfrontasi itu membuatnya bosan.<br><br>"Yah," ia menghembuskan napas, nadanya kembali pada gaya malas yang mengalun, "ini sangat informatif."<br><br>"Informatif?" ulang Cedric dengan suara bernada bahaya.<br><br>Lucavion melambaikan tangan kecil yang tidak sopan. "Silakan kalian berdua kembali ke... malam kalian."<br><br>Ia berbalik seolah hendak pergi.<br><br>Cedric bangkit marah, tetapi tangan Elara di lengannya mencegah pria itu mengejar Lucavion.<br><br>Lucavion baru berjalan beberapa langkah ketika Elara memanggil—<br><br>"Tunggu."<br><br>Langkahnya terhenti di tengah jalan, kepalanya menoleh sedikit sebelum ia menengok ke belakang.<br><br>Matanya kini tertuju padanya, tenang namun tajam, retakan-retakan tadi telah lenyap.<br><br>Elara menelan ludah. "Apa kau... menerima beritanya?"<br><br>Lucavion berkedip. "Berita apa?"<br><br>Elara ragu-ragu, memilih kata-katanya dengan hati-hati. "Tentang ujian baru."<br><br>Ia melihat kilatan kebingungan sejati membelah mata pria itu bagaikan bilah pisau menembus kabut. Bahunya menegang, dan alisnya berkerut dengan cara yang tidak diragukan lagi sangat tulus.<br><br>"Ujian baru apa?" tanyanya.<br><br>Cedric mendengus pendek penuh ketidakpercayaan. "Kau benar-benar tidak tahu apa-apa."<br><br>Tatapan Lucavion bergantian menatap keduanya, rasa jengkel bergolak di balik kebingungannya. "Jika kalian sedang bercanda, aku sedang tidak ingin meladeni."<br><br>Elara menggelengkan kepala. "Ini nyata. Mereka mengumumkannya petang ini. Ujian lisan wajib yang baru mulai besok."<br><br>Lucavion menatapnya.<br><br>Dan kemudian, dengan pelan—<br><br>"...Besok?"<br><br>Reaksi Lucavion tertinggal di udara sedetik lebih lama dari seharusnya.<br><br>Ia tidak menutupinya—tidak dengan baik, tidak sepenuhnya, tidak tepat waktu.<br><br>Lucavion bukan tipe orang yang mudah dikejutkan. Namun sekarang—ia tampak... benar-benar kehilangan keseimbangan. Dan itu langka. Bahkan terasa aneh.<br><br>Ujian baru itu bukanlah berita yang membawa malapetaka. Itu bukan akhir dunia. Para siswa mengeluh, merajuk, mengumpat—tetapi tidak ada yang bereaksi seperti ini.<br><br>Kecuali jika—<br><br>ia begitu terserap dalam urusan lain hingga tidak bahkan merasakan perubahan pada pelindung sihir Akademi.<br><br>Sesuatu yang intens, menghabiskan tenaga, berbahaya.<br><br>Sesuatu yang lebih dari sekadar "latihan."<br><br>Dan pertanyaan itu muncul begitu saja di benak Elara:<br><br>Apa sebenarnya yang ia lakukan?<br><br>Ia membuka mulut untuk berbicara—<br><br>tetapi Cedric mendahuluinya.<br><br>"Kau tampak terkejut," ucap pria itu pelan, dengan nada sedingin es yang membekukan batu.<br><br>Lucavion menegakkan tubuh, merapikan ekspresinya kembali ke senyuman separuh yang angkuh. "Benarkah?"<br><br>"Ya," jawab Cedric tanpa ragu. "Dan itu aneh. Biasanya kau... sulit dibuat goyah."<br><br>Rahang Lucavion mengeras, secercah kecil kejengkelan terpancar keluar.<br><br>"Mungkin aku lelah."<br><br>Tatapan Cedric semakin tajam. "Atau mungkin kau sibuk dengan urusan lain."<br><br>Sebuah implikasi halus.<br><br>Satu kalimat yang sarat dengan nama-nama yang tak seorang pun ingin ucapkan dengan lantang.<br><br>Isolde.
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"I... should get some rest."
The night had grown quieter.
Most of the students had already retreated to their dorms, the courtyards bathed in the silvery wash of mana lanterns. The soft hum of the wards filled the silence—the kind of stillness that made every footstep sound louder than it should.
Elara and Cedric walked side by side, neither of them speaking. The earlier conversation still hung between them—thick, unsaid things that neither could quite smooth over. Cedric’s stride was steady, controlled as ever, while hers was slower, more deliberate.
The dormitories came into view at the far end of the courtyard, their windows glowing faintly like rows of quiet stars.
Then she saw him.
Lucavion.
He appeared from one of the side paths leading up from the training grounds, head tilted slightly down as he adjusted the strap of his satchel. His coat hung loose around his shoulders, and the white shirt beneath it was marked with faint streaks of dust and sweat. His sleeves were rolled up, exposing the faint tracery of runes across his forearms—old, familiar markings that shimmered faintly in the moonlight.
He looked as though he’d come straight from a duel—or training, perhaps. His hair, usually in some form of careless order, fell untamed across his forehead, strands catching the faint silver glow.
Elara’s breath caught, though only for a second.
He looked... unbothered. Entirely himself.
Which somehow made it worse.
Cedric noticed him a beat later. His shoulders stiffened instantly, the calm he’d worn all evening hardening into something sharper.
Lucavion was the first to speak. "Evening."
His tone was casual, almost lazy, as if they’d just met in passing between lectures. He stopped a few steps away, the faintest curve touching the corner of his mouth—half a greeting, half amusement.
Cedric’s jaw tightened. "Lucavion."
Elara inclined her head, keeping her expression neutral. "You’re returning late."
Cedric didn’t buy it. "You weren’t in the halls today," he said, his tone clipped.
"You weren’t in the halls today," Cedric said, tone clipped and controlled.
Lucavion paused—only slightly, but enough for the shift to register—before giving a lazy half-shrug, the kind that looked careless and intentional at the same time.
"I didn’t realize my daily route required a witness."
Cedric’s jaw tensed. "It doesn’t."
Lucavion lifted a brow. "You’re asking like it does."
Elara stepped in quietly before Cedric’s irritation could sharpen further. "He meant you weren’t with the group after the exam."
Lucavion blinked once, as if genuinely needing a moment to recall. "Ah. That."
Cedric folded his arms. "You didn’t show up."
Lucavion’s lips curved faintly. "I had things to do."
"With what?" Cedric pressed.
Lucavion tilted his head—it wasn’t evasive so much as dismissive, as if the question was too small to merit an answer. "You seem unusually invested in my day, Reilan."
Cedric’s brows drew together, the tension building. "People noticed."
Lucavion chuckled under his breath. "Your eyes are saying something different."
Cedric stiffened. "Really? You a mind reader now?"
Lucavion shook his head, that familiar smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "No need. Yours are loud enough."
A spark leapt between them—sharp, charged, thin as a knife’s edge. Cedric stepped half a foot closer, and Lucavion didn’t step back. Elara could feel the shift in the air, the invisible thread pulled taut between two men who recognized each other only as a threat.
To break the tension, she said quietly, "You’re returning late."
Lucavion turned his attention to her—calmer, lighter. "Am I? Guess I lost track of time."
"Training?" she asked.
For a fraction of a moment, something unreadable flickered across his eyes—surprise? calculation? But then the expression smoothed into his usual lazy composure.
"Something like that," he said.
Cedric didn’t buy it, not for a heartbeat. "You weren’t anywhere near the exam hall," he said again, voice lowering into something edged. "You didn’t show up before or after. You vanished."
Lucavion’s smirk sharpened. "And here I thought I was allowed to walk the grounds without sending in a report."
"Not when you disappear at the same time she does," Cedric shot back.
Lucavion’s smile froze.
Barely.
But Elara saw it—the half-second stillness in his posture. The slight tightening of his grip on the satchel strap. The faint widening of his eyes.
"...She did?" he asked.
Elara’s heart stopped.
Cedric’s tone turned colder. "She wasn’t with us. She wasn’t anywhere. You weren’t either."
Lucavion blinked, and this time there was no hiding the reaction. He recovered too fast—too consciously. His posture straightened, his expression smoothing over with a surface-level calm that didn’t quite hide the tension beneath.
His gaze flicked to Elara—brief, sharp, searching—and for the first time since they met him tonight, his façade cracked. Not wide. Not dramatically.
Just enough.
Enough for Elara to know that yes—he had been somewhere he didn’t want to admit to.
Yes—Cedric’s words landed too close to the truth.
Yes—he was hiding something.
"Is that so?"
Lucavion’s voice came light, careless, almost bored.
"Is that so?"
His tone pretended disinterest, but the crack in his composure—small as it was—still sat between them like a dropped pin.
Cedric stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "Don’t play dumb."
Lucavion’s lips curled faintly. "Wasn’t aware I was playing anything."
"You’re avoiding the question."
"I avoid a lot of things," Lucavion replied smoothly. "Questions included."
Cedric’s jaw tightened. "Where were you?"
Lucavion’s smirk faltered just enough to show annoyance. "Busy."
"That’s not an answer."
"It’s all you’re getting." His tone cooled, a glassy sort of sharp. "I don’t owe you my schedule."
Cedric took a step closer. "Then you won’t mind if I draw my own conclusions."
Lucavion didn’t blink. "You already have."
The tension spiked—thin, taut, electric. Lucavion wasn’t meeting Cedric’s anger with anger; he was meeting it with indifference, the kind that felt intentional. As if any reaction from him would give away more than he wanted.
He shifted the satchel on his shoulder, posture loosening as if the confrontation bored him.
"Well," he exhaled, tone drifting back toward that lazy drawl, "this has been very informative."
"Informative?" Cedric repeated, voice dangerous.
Lucavion gave a small, irreverent wave. "I’ll let you two return to your... evening."
He turned as if to leave.
Cedric bristled, but Elara’s hand on his arm kept him from stepping after Lucavion.
Lucavion had walked only a few paces when Elara called out—
"Wait."
He paused mid-step, head tilting just slightly before he looked back.
His eyes were on her now, calm but keen, the earlier cracks gone.
Elara swallowed. "Did you... receive the news?"
Lucavion blinked. "News?"
Elara hesitated, choosing her words with care. "About the new exam."
She saw the flash of real confusion cut through his eyes like a blade through fog. His shoulders stiffened, and his brows drew together in a way that was unmistakably genuine.
"What new exam?" he asked.
Cedric let out a short, disbelieving breath. "You really have no idea."
Lucavion’s gaze shifted between them, irritation bubbling beneath the confusion. "If you’re joking, I’m not in the mood."
Elara shook her head. "It’s real. They announced it this evening. A new compulsory oral exam starting tomorrow."
Lucavion stared at her.
And then, quietly—
"...Tomorrow?"
Lucavion’s reaction lingered in the air a beat too long.
He didn’t hide it—not well, not fully, not in time.
Lucavion didn’t get thrown off easily. But now—he looked... genuinely unbalanced. And that was rare. Strange, even.
The new exam wasn’t catastrophic news. It wasn’t world-ending. Students groaned, complained, cursed—but no one reacted like this .
Not unless—
he’d been so absorbed in something else he hadn’t even sensed a shift in the Academy’s wards.
something intense, consuming, dangerous.
Something more than "training."
And the question came unbidden into Elara’s mind:
What was he actually doing?
She opened her mouth to speak—
but Cedric beat her to it.
"You look surprised," he said quietly, tone cold enough to frost stone.
Lucavion straightened, smoothing his expression back into that aloof half-smile. "Do I?"
"Yes," Cedric replied, no hesitation. "And that’s odd. You’re usually... difficult to rattle."
Lucavion’s jaw tightened, the smallest flicker of irritation showing through.
"Maybe I’m tired."
Cedric’s gaze sharpened. "Or maybe you were busy with something else."
A subtle implication.
One loaded with names neither wanted to say aloud.
Isolde.
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