Enchanted University of Magemenos

Chapter 105:Awake During the Night

"Do you want to die?" he hissed under his breath.

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

Not because I was scared.

But because Nathan Victor Ainsley was inches away from my face, glaring at me like I was the biggest problem in his life, and somehow, the only thing he wanted to protect at the same time.

"What are you doing?" I resisted, trying to pull my hand away.

"How are you doing this? What are YOU doing? Open your mouth, goddamn it!" he snapped, panic and frustration mixing in his voice.

"What am I doing?" I shot back, completely lost.

Only then did I realize his eyes weren't on my face.

They were fixed on my lips.

A strange warmth spread through my throat, almost like something was glowing inside me. I stumbled backwards toward the mirror beside the backstage area and froze.

My veins—faint golden lines—were spreading up my neck.

"What the hell..." I whispered.

Nathan grabbed my wrist suddenly, his usually calm expression completely shattered. "Alyssa, spit it out."

"Spit what out?!" I shouted.

A loud thud echoed through the conference hall, so sudden and violent it sent chills racing through my entire body.

Before I could even react, Nathan grabbed me.

"What are you.." I protested, but he pulled me straight into his chest, one hand clamping over my arm as if letting go would get us both killed.

Then, in one swift movement, he threw me upward onto the narrow rack above the cupboards like I weighed nothing. Honestly, less "gentle rescue" and more "aggressively storing luggage."

"Ow--!"

Before I could complain, he jumped up beside me effortlessly and shoved himself into the cramped space, too. There was barely enough room for one person, let alone two.

My heartbeat went feral.

Nathan's arm pressed against mine, his shoulder practically crushing me into the wall as he stared directly at me—unblinking, intense, terrifyingly close.

If looks could kill, his eyes would've wiped out entire civilizations by now.

"What are you doing?" I whispered harshly, trying not to panic.

But he ignored me, gaze still locked onto my face like he was searching for something.

Another sound echoed below us.

Footsteps.

"What happened?" Before I could even finish, he slammed his hand over my mouth, pulling me sharply against the wall.

His eyes widened slightly, not with anger--but urgency.

He shook his head once, signaling me to stay quiet.

I froze.

That's when I noticed it.

Wrapped tightly around his wrist was a strange metallic band, almost like a machine locked onto his arm. Dark silver. Heavy. Tiny lines of blue light flickered through it like veins beneath metal. It didn't look like jewelry--it looked engineered. Dangerous.

The thing almost hummed.

For a second, my curiosity completely overpowered my fear.

What even was that?

I cautiously reached for the strange band wrapped around his wrist, curiosity overpowering my common sense for once. The moment my fingers brushed against it, the band suddenly vibrated violently.

Before I could pull away, Nathan grabbed me and yanked me forward so fast I almost crashed straight into him.

Instead, I ended up trapped in his embrace, his arm wrapped tightly around me as he pulled us both deeper onto the storage rack above.

My breath caught.

There were footsteps beneath us.

Real footsteps.

Slow. Careful. Hunting.

I froze instantly, pressed so close against Nathan I could hear the uneven rhythm of his breathing. His hand remained firm around me, keeping me completely still while the footsteps moved around below us.

The silence felt unbearable.

Then..

The footsteps slowly faded.

A door shut somewhere in the distance.

Only then did Nathan loosen his grip.

Our eyes met immediately.

Too close. Way too close.

The awkwardness practically exploded between us.

Nathan quickly pulled his hand away like he'd just realized he was holding me, then jumped down from the rack first. He looked up at me, lifted his arm toward my waist silently, and I carefully let myself fall into his hold. He set me down gently.

I cleared my throat awkwardly, desperate to change the atmosphere before my brain completely melted.

"What is that band?" I asked.

"Detective," he replied shortly.

Of course. That explained the weird vibration. Probably some detective gadget.

"I have a lot of questions for you," he said and left my stance and vanished into thin air.

But how did I suddenly wake up in the middle of the night? It was driving me insane. None of this made sense anymore.

The rules clearly said civilians were supposed to lose consciousness during the night.

Then why was I awake?

What even was this mess?

My breathing came out uneven as I slid beneath one of the long conference tables, curling myself into the shadows. The cold marble floor beneath me sent chills up my spine.

No one would check the same room twice... right?

That was the only logic calming me down right now.

If someone had already inspected this hall earlier, chances were they wouldn't bother coming back. At least that's what I hoped.

But another thought suddenly crawled into my mind, making my stomach twist.

What if I wasn't the only civilian awake?

Could there be others like me wandering these halls right now? Confused. Terrified. Hiding from both the mafia... and the game itself?