Saving the Nexus

A Shattered Bond

The morning air at Varda Academy was unusually still, as if the world were holding its breath. Sonia walked into the dining hall, scanning the room for Mariel. Her friend had been quieter than usual in recent days, a shadow of unease clouding her typically vibrant energy.

As Sonia found a table, Mariel hurried in, her violet skin pale, her eyes wide with panic. Her normally neat hair was unkempt, and her usually confident stride was replaced with a frantic, almost clumsy urgency.

"Mariel?" Sonia stood as her friend approached. "What's wrong?"

Mariel grabbed Sonia's arm, her grip trembling. "It's Venus. She's gone."

Sonia froze. "What do you mean, gone?"

"I can't find her," Mariel said, her voice breaking. "She didn't come back to the dorm last night. I've looked everywhere—her room, the training halls, the gardens. She's just... gone."

Sonia's mind raced. Venus, Mariel's partner, was one of the most steadfast and dependable students at Varda Academy. A Mythari with a calm demeanor and piercing dragon-like eyes, Venus was rarely late, let alone missing.

"Did you tell anyone?" Sonia asked.

Mariel shook her head. "Not yet. I thought maybe... maybe she just needed space. But now I don't think that's it. Something's wrong, Sonia. I can feel it."

An hour later, Sonia, Jermaih, and Mariel stood in Venus's dorm room. The space was eerily untouched, the bed made neatly, the desk arranged just as Venus always kept it.

"There's no sign of a struggle," Jermaih noted, his voice calm but serious.

"That doesn't mean she left willingly," Mariel said, pacing the room. Her hands trembled as she picked up one of Venus's books, holding it close as though it might offer some kind of comfort. "She would have told me if something was wrong. She always tells me."

Jermaih crouched near the bed, his sharp eyes scanning the floor. "No note, no signs of packing. If she left, it wasn't planned."

Sonia stood by the window, her gaze drifting to the academy grounds below. The gardens stretched out into the distance, their shadows growing long in the afternoon light. "When was the last time you saw her?"

"Last night," Mariel said, her voice trembling. "We were in the common room. She said she had something to do, but she'd see me later. That was the last time."

Sonia's stomach tightened. "What did she say exactly?"

Mariel closed her eyes, trying to recall. "She said... she had to check on something near the eastern gate. She didn't say what."

"The eastern gate?" Jermaih straightened, his brow furrowed. "That's near the old fountain. Sonia, isn't that where—"

"Where I met Jermaih after Neptune's attack," Sonia finished, her chest tightening.

Mariel turned to her, desperation in her eyes. "Do you think this has something to do with Neptune?"

"It's possible," Jermaih said, his voice grim. "If she's planning something, Venus might have stumbled onto it."

The eastern gate was quiet when the three arrived, the ancient stone archway casting long shadows across the overgrown path. Sonia's heart pounded as they searched the area, their footsteps echoing in the silence.

"This is where I last saw Neptune," Sonia said, scanning the surroundings. "She and Phionex might have been meeting here."

Mariel's eyes darted around the area, her breathing quick. "If they've hurt her—"

A faint glimmer caught Sonia's eye near the fountain. She crouched to pick it up, holding the object in her palm. It was a small silver chain, the kind Venus always wore around her wrist.

"Mariel," Sonia said softly, holding it out.

Mariel's breath hitched as she took the chain, her fingers trembling. "It's hers," she whispered, her voice breaking.

Jermaih knelt beside her, his expression serious. "This confirms she was here. But it doesn't tell us where she went—or who took her."

Sonia stared at the fountain, unease twisting in her gut. The water seemed darker than she remembered, its surface unnaturally still. She reached out instinctively, letting her power flow into the water.

A vision flickered in her mind—brief, fragmented. Venus standing by the fountain, her expression tense. A figure approaching from the shadows. Firelight flashing, the air rippling with heat.

"Phionex," Sonia murmured, her voice tight.

Mariel's head snapped up. "What?"

Sonia stood, her fists clenched. "Phionex was here. I saw her. She took Venus."

Jermaih's jaw tightened. "That means Neptune's involved."

Mariel's eyes blazed with fury, her grief hardening into determination. "We have to find her. Now."

That night, Sonia, Jermaih, and Mariel gathered in the library, poring over maps and records of the academy grounds. If Neptune and Phionex had taken Venus, they had to be hiding her somewhere nearby.

"There's an old network of tunnels beneath the academy," Jermaih said, tracing a finger along one of the maps. "Most of them are sealed off, but there are a few entrances still accessible."

"Like the one near the training chambers," Sonia said, remembering the hidden passage Phionex had used.

Jermaih nodded. "If they're holding Venus, that's where they'll be."

Mariel's hands balled into fists. "Then what are we waiting for?"

Sonia placed a hand on Mariel's shoulder. "We'll find her, Mariel. I promise."

But as they prepared to venture into the tunnels, Sonia couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap. Neptune and Phionex were too clever, too dangerous to leave something like this unguarded.

And deep down, Sonia feared that whatever they found in the darkness might change everything.