Chapter 8: Threads Unraveling
Zephyr's footsteps echoed softly down the empty corridor as they made their way toward the old library, far from the bustling classrooms. They had told Joy they'd catch up later, but right now, there was something far more urgent to deal with. The evidence of their mother’s disappearance was buried somewhere within the school’s records, and Zephyr couldn't afford to let anyone—especially the Council—discover it.
The air grew cooler as they approached the secluded part of the building. Here, the ancient stone walls bore the weight of centuries of secrets, the perfect place to hide what the Council didn’t want anyone to find. Zephyr had spent weeks searching for this moment, learning where the hidden documents might be stored. It was now or never.
They pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the library, stepping into the dimly lit room. Towering shelves filled with dusty tomes and scrolls stretched endlessly before them. Most students didn’t even know this section existed—too absorbed in their daily lives to notice the history and power hidden beneath the surface.
Zephyr didn’t waste time. Moving with purpose, they slipped past the rows of books to the farthest corner of the library, where a forgotten desk sat beneath a portrait of an old Council witch, her eyes following them suspiciously. They ignored the eerie gaze, pulling out a small, enchanted dagger from the folds of their robes. A thin layer of magic shimmered along its blade as Zephyr slid it into a tiny, near-invisible crack in the wall behind the desk.
With a low creak, the stones shifted, revealing a small, hidden compartment.
Their heart raced. This was it.
Inside the compartment was a collection of scrolls, some of which bore the Council’s official seal. Zephyr carefully removed one, unrolling it to reveal a list of names—people who had been exiled or erased from the Council's records for defying their rules. Their breath caught in their throat as they scanned the list, searching for the one name they feared to find.
And there it was.
Sylvie Charm.
Their mother.
Zephyr's eyes blurred with tears for a moment, but they quickly blinked them away. There was no time to get emotional. They needed to erase all traces of her connection to them before anyone else found out. If the Council knew that Zephyr was Sylvie’s child—the one who had defied the Council’s rules and fled—they would be expelled, or worse.
As they began to memorize the spell they would need to erase the document, a soft voice startled them from behind.
"You won't find peace in those records."
Zephyr spun around, dagger raised, ready to defend themselves. But it wasn't a threat standing behind them.
It was Ash.
His black, wavy hair was as messy as ever, and his familiar smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, but his eyes were serious. He stepped forward, raising a hand in mock surrender. "Whoa, easy there. No need to stab your friends."
"What are you doing here?" Zephyr demanded, lowering the dagger but still on edge. "You shouldn’t be here, Ash."
"I could ask you the same thing," Ash replied, leaning against a nearby bookshelf. "I've been following you for a while. You’ve been sneaking around a lot lately. And judging by the look on your face, you're up to something dangerous."
Zephyr clenched their fists, frustration bubbling up. "This doesn’t concern you, Ash. Go back to class."
"Not until you tell me what's going on," Ash insisted, his tone softening. "I know you, Zephyr. You're not this reckless without a reason."
