Whispers of Worlds Beyond: A Series - Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Whispers Chapter 66: Whispers The boys made their way back through the tunnel, their footsteps light against the stone.

The scent of food still clung to the air around them, but their thoughts were far from their meal.

The Kibbers’ words lingered, turning in their minds like a puzzle missing its final piece.

“A floating bloke,” Adrian murmured again, as if saying it aloud would make more sense of it.

Sevan frowned.

“You think he was a professor?” “If he was, why sneak around like that?” Aiden countered.

“Besides, levitating objects isn’t exactly rare magic.

It could be anyone.” “But why stop coming?” Sevan pointed out.

“If he was just some regular staff member, why did the Kibbers seem so sad about it?” The three lapsed into silence as they reached the entrance to the trophy room.

Adrian pressed his hand against the wall, finding the right spot to trigger the passage back.

With a soft rumble, the hidden doorway slid open, revealing the dimly lit space beyond.

They stepped inside, carefully closing the passage behind them, and glanced around.

Everything was exactly as they had left it, the trophies gleaming under the faint moonlight filtering in through the high windows.

Adrian stretched.

“Well, at least we know we’ve got a shortcut to the kitchen now.

Could be useful.” Sevan gave him a look.

“You’re focusing on the wrong part.” Aiden sighed.

“It’s late.

We should get back before we get caught.” Adrian smirked.

“What, afraid Flinders will have us polishing trophies for the rest of the year?” Aiden shot him a glare but didn’t respond.

They slipped out of the trophy room and into the dark corridors, moving quickly and quietly back towards the dormitories.

The halls were mostly empty at this hour, save for the occasional flickering torch or the distant sound of shifting stone- perhaps the castle itself moving.

But as they turned a corner, Aiden suddenly halted, his senses prickling.

Footsteps.

Not theirs.

He held out an arm to stop the others.

Adrian immediately melted into the shadows, while Sevan stiffened beside Aiden, listening.

The sound was faint but unmistakable.

Someone else was awake, moving through the halls.

And then, a voice.

Low, quiet, speaking to someone they couldn’t see.

Aiden strained to hear.

“…shouldn’t be involved… dangerous…” A pause.

Then another voice, sharper.

“…no choice… they’ll find out soon…” The voices were coming from up ahead, just around the next turn.

Aiden glanced at the others.

Adrian’s eyes gleamed in the darkness, his interest piqued.

Sevan mouthed, What now?

Aiden hesitated for only a moment before gesturing for them to move.

Carefully, they crept forward, keeping to the shadows.

The hallway was dimly lit by a single torch, its light flickering against the stone walls.

The voices were clearer now-two people, speaking in hushed but urgent tones.

“I told you, this wasn’t supposed to happen.” “We don’t control everything.

You should know that by now.” Aiden furrowed his brows.

Something about the way they spoke sent a chill down his spine.

Adrian moved ahead, his footsteps silent.

He was near enough now that he could peek past the corner…

And then, the voices stopped.

The air seemed to shift.

Adrian hesitated for only a second before looking.

Empty.

No figures.

No lingering shadows.

No sign that anyone had been there at all.

His fingers twitched at his sides.

He knew what he had heard.

Sevan peered around next.

“What the-?” Aiden followed, scanning the hallway.

It was as though the speakers had vanished into thin air.

“Something isn’t right,” Adrian muttered.

Aiden nodded.

“They couldn’t have just disappeared.” “Unless they knew another way out,” Sevan added, eyes narrowing.

Aiden’s gaze swept over the floor, then the walls.

The castle was old-filled with hidden corridors, passages that led to nowhere and everywhere at once.

It wouldn’t be impossible for someone to slip away unnoticed.

But something told him this was more than that.

He exhaled.

“We should go.

We can’t get caught out here.” Adrian looked like he wanted to argue, but after a second, he sighed and nodded.

Without another word, they turned and hurried back toward the dormitories.

But Aiden couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling settling in his chest.

Something was going on.

And whoever had been speaking in the dark- They didn’t want to be found.

The next morning, the atmosphere in Genvah Academy remained tense.

Classes were still cancelled following the announcement of Savion Ilmari’s death, leaving students with little to do except whisper amongst themselves in hushed, uncertain voices.

The hallways felt quieter than usual, and the lingering air of grief weighed on everyone.

Despite the cancellations, however, there was one event that hadn’t been postponed- a duel between two second-year students.

It had been arranged prior to the tragedy, and with no official statement from the staff about postponing it, the duel was set to proceed as scheduled.

By midday, students gathered in the arena, drawn by the rare chance to witness an upper-year duel.

Even with the tension hanging in the air, a duel was a duel, and curiosity always won out.

Aiden, Adrian, and Sevan found themselves among the growing crowd, standing near the edge of the arena.

“Strange, isn’t it?” Sevan muttered.

“Everything else is shut down, but this is still happening.” Adrian leaned against the railing, arms crossed.

“Maybe they’re trying to keep things normal.

Or maybe they think cancelling it would just make things worse.” Aiden didn’t respond.

His eyes were fixed on the two duelists stepping into the ring.

One was a tall boy with broad shoulders and sharp, focused eyes.

His opponent was a girl with short, dark hair, her expression unreadable.

“You both know the rules.

No excessive force, no lethal intent.

Fight until submission or disarmament.

Are you both ready?” The duelists nodded.

“Begin!” In an instant, the match was underway.

The boy moved first, his sword flashing in the light as he lunged forward.

The girl dodged smoothly, pivoting to the side before countering with a sharp strike of her own.

The clash of steel rang through the arena.

Aiden watched carefully, studying their movements.

The second-years were skilled- far beyond the first-years who had only just begun their training.

Each step was measured, each attack calculated.

There was no wasted movement.

But as the duel continued, Aiden couldn’t help but notice the way some students weren’t paying attention to the fight at all.

Instead, they were whispering.

Glancing…

At him.

He clenched his jaw.

It had been like this ever since the truth about his surname had spread through the academy.

The stares, the muttered conversations just quiet enough for him to hear but not loud enough to confront.

It wasn’t surprising.

But it was exhausting.

“Focus,” Adrian said quietly beside him, eyes still on the fight.

“Ignore them.” Aiden exhaled slowly.

He wasn’t about to let a bunch of nervous students get under his skin.

Just then, a sudden shift in the duel caught his attention.

The girl had feinted, drawing her opponent into a misstep before twisting around him with a flourish, her sword pressing against his back.

The match was over.

The officiator stepped forward.

“Winner-Daphne Lycoris.” A polite round of applause followed, though it was subdued.

The tension in the academy hadn’t lifted.

As the duelists stepped away, Aiden turned to Adrian and Sevan.

“If this is their idea of normal,” he muttered, “it’s not working.” Adrian smirked.

“No, but at least it was something to watch.” Sevan sighed.

“Let’s just go.

There’s nothing else to do today anyway.” The three of them turned away from the arena, stepping back into the uncertain silence that had taken hold of Genvah.

As they made their way back to the academy halls, the atmosphere remained heavy with unspoken tension.

The duel had been a brief distraction, but it did little to change the uneasy silence that had settled over Genvah.

Adrian suddenly stopped mid-step, his eyes widening slightly.

“Ah, damn.

I forgot my book.” Sevan raised a brow.

“What book?” Adrian smirked.

“The prank book I brought.

Had it with me in the arena.

Left it behind.” Sevan rolled his eyes.

“Of course you did.” Adrian turned to them.

“Wait here.

I’ll go grab it real quick.” Sevan scoffed.

“Why don’t we just go with you?

It’s not like we’ve got anything else to do.” But Aiden shook his head.

“I’ll wait here.

No point in all three of us going back just for a book.” Adrian and Sevan exchanged a glance, reluctant but ultimately agreeing.

“Fine,” Adrian said, pointing at Aiden.

“Stay put.

We’ll be back in a minute.” With that, the two of them turned and headed back toward the arena, their footsteps fading down the corridor.

Aiden exhaled, leaning against the wall.

He was grateful for a moment alone.

The day had been tiring.

Too much whispering, too many stares.

He could handle it, of course.

He had been raised to endure worse.

But it was still exhausting.

The hallway was quiet, save for the distant murmurs of students passing by elsewhere.

And then…

Footsteps.

Aiden straightened, his gaze flicking up just as Shiloh stepped into view.

He wasn’t alone.

Two other classmates-ones Aiden didn’t immediately recognise-flanked him on either side.

Shiloh stopped a few steps away, his sharp eyes locked onto Aiden’s.

Aiden didn’t move.

Didn’t react.

He simply stared back, waiting.

Shiloh tilted his head slightly, his tone mocking as he finally spoke.

“Waiting all alone, Chase?”