Whispers of Worlds Beyond: A Series - Chapter 76

Chapter 76: Down The Stairs He Goes Chapter 76: Down The Stairs He Goes The moment Professor Mopsus dismissed the class, Shiloh was the first to bolt out of the room, his two new lackeys following close behind.

He didn’t even spare a glance at Jarek or Rupert, who were now firmly sitting with Peter.

The speed at which he left was almost comical- almost.

Adrian, Sevan, and Aiden exchanged glances.

“What’s he in such a hurry for?” Adrian muttered, adjusting the strap of his book bag over his shoulder.

“No idea,” Sevan said, frowning slightly.

“But he’s been acting weird all day.” Aiden hummed in agreement but didn’t think much of it.

If Shiloh wanted to run off somewhere, that was his business.

They gathered their things, still half-laughing about Adrian’s earlier comment about Professor Mopsus potentially never bathing, and stepped into the corridor.

Aiden went first.

The second he stepped outside, something hard struck his ankle, cutting his stride short.

Before he could react, his balance was gone- his foot caught mid-step, his body pitching forward violently.

The world tilted, and suddenly, he was falling.

As Aiden’s body twisted in mid-air, he reached out instinctively, trying to stop himself from tumbling down the stairs.

His palm smacked against the stone, his fingers scraping against the rough surface, but it was his wrist that took the brunt of the impact.

A sickening snap echoed through the air, sharper than the sting in his hand.

Aiden’s breath hitched, and his entire body froze for a split second.

The pain shot up his arm, making his heart race in alarm.

He barely registered the fact that he had stopped himself, his legs trembling from the sudden jolt.

His wrist felt… wrong.

“Aiden!” Adrian shouted, rushing up the steps toward him, eyes wide with concern.

“Are you okay?” He and Adrian rushed towards him, but before they could reach, another voice- furious and unrestrained- pierced through the commotion.

“What the hell is your problem, Shiloh?!” Ivara.

Aiden’s head snapped up just in time to see Ivara storming towards the top of the staircase, her eyes ablaze with fury.

She wasn’t looking at him- she was looking past him.

At Shiloh.

And suddenly, everything clicked.

Shiloh stood there with his two new followers, frozen for a second too long, his expression caught between a sneer and surprise.

He had tripped him.

Aiden couldn’t speak for a moment, too focused on the sharp, throbbing pain radiating from his wrist.

It felt hot, swollen already.

His fingers twitched, but it was impossible to ignore the discomfort.

The snap was still echoing in his mind, like the lingering crack of breaking bone.

“I… I think I broke it,” Aiden managed, his voice strained.

Adrian cursed under his breath.

“Shit, Aiden.” He knelt next to him, reaching for his wrist but pausing when he saw the grimace on Aiden’s face.

“Let me help.” Aiden nodded, the pain sharp enough to make his vision blur at the edges.

It wasn’t the first time he’d injured himself, but there was something about this- something about the way Shiloh had set it all up- that made his gut twist.

Sevan gently adjusted Aiden’s wrist, his brows furrowing.

“You really hurt it, Aiden.” Adrian, his anger building with every step, stormed up the stairs.

His eyes were locked on Shiloh, who was standing at the top of the stairwell, looking unfazed and smug, as if nothing had happened.

The moment Adrian reached the top, he was ready to throw a punch, his hand clenched into a fist, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Shiloh!” Adrian growled, the fury in his voice unmistakable.

“You’re dead, you hear me?” Shiloh didn’t flinch, his arms casually crossed.

“What?

You think I pushed him?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“He’s the one who tripped, not me.” “You set him up!” Adrian shouted, taking a step forward.

“You knew exactly what you were doing!” But before Adrian could act on his threat, Jarek, who had been standing nearby, suddenly stepped in front of him.

He grabbed Shiloh by the shirt collar and yanked him forward, his face contorted with irritation.

“Cut it out, Shiloh!” Jarek snapped, his voice low but intense.

“Stop being such an ass!” Shiloh didn’t resist, though his expression remained impassive.

“What’s your problem, Jarek?” he muttered.

“I didn’t do anything.” Jarek’s grip tightened on his collar.

“Oh, really?” Jarek growled.

“You’ve been pulling stunts like this all day, and it’s getting old.

You think it’s funny?

You think it’s a joke?

Tripping your classmate?” Shiloh looked past Jarek to Adrian, his gaze cold.

“Your friend here should learn to watch his step.” Jarek pushed Shiloh away from him, but not too roughly, as if trying to make sure the message was clear without escalating things further.

“Just… shut up for once, alright?” Shiloh stepped back, unfazed by the encounter.

“Whatever,” he said with a shrug, his voice dripping with indifference.

“Don’t make it a bigger deal than it is.” Adrian’s eyes were still burning with anger, but he knew continuing this would only make things worse.

He looked over at Aiden, who had been helped by Sevan and was now leaning against the wall, trying to hide the pain in his wrist.

“You better hope this isn’t serious, Shiloh,” Adrian said coldly, his voice barely a whisper.

“Because if it is, I won’t let you get away with it.” Jarek, seeing the tension still hanging in the air, gave Shiloh one last look before turning to Adrian.

“Let’s just go,” he said, his tone quieter now.

“It’s not worth it.” Adrian glared at Shiloh one last time, then reluctantly nodded to Jarek.

“Fine.” The three of them walked away, the tension lingering between them.

As they moved, Sevan gave them a quiet nod, helping Aiden along as they made their way down the hall.

As the group moved down the hall, Jarek and Rupert lingered behind for a moment, both looking at Aiden with apologetic expressions.

The air was thick with the weight of the situation, and neither of them seemed to know quite how to begin.

“Aiden,” Jarek started, his voice softer than usual.

“I… we’re really sorry.” Aiden, still wincing from the pain in his wrist, didn’t immediately look at him.

His brow furrowed, as if trying to ignore the sting.

But the sincerity in Jarek’s voice made him pause.

“We should’ve stepped in sooner,” Rupert added, his hands nervously shuffling in front of him.

“If we had just stopped Shiloh when we saw how he was acting, maybe none of this would’ve happened.” Aiden glanced over at them, a mixture of frustration and exhaustion in his eyes.

“You didn’t know he’d go this far,” he said, his voice surprisingly calm despite the pain he was in.

“It’s not your fault.” But Jarek shook his head.

“No, it is.

We’ve known Shiloh for a while, and we should’ve done something before he tried to pull something like this.

We didn’t step in, and now you’re hurt.” Aiden felt a pang of guilt inside.

He didn’t want them to feel responsible for what had happened.

“I’m fine,” he said quickly, even though his wrist was still sore, “It’s not like it’s serious.” Rupert looked unconvinced, his brow creased in worry.

“But you could’ve really gotten hurt, Aiden.

You almost fell down the whole staircase.” “I stopped myself,” Aiden replied, attempting to downplay the situation.

“I’m not mad at you two.

It’s not your fault.” Jarek bit his lip, clearly unconvinced.

“Still, we should’ve kept him in check,” he muttered, glancing back at Shiloh, who was nowhere in sight.

“I don’t know what’s up with him lately.

But we didn’t want it to come to this.” Aiden gave them a small smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I know you didn’t.

It’s not like you could’ve predicted it.” Sevan, who had been walking ahead with Adrian, turned back when he heard the conversation.

His eyes softened as he glanced at Aiden’s wrist.

“I agree with them, though.

Shiloh’s been getting worse.” Adrian, too, caught the tone of the conversation.

He came back toward the group, his face still etched with a hint of anger from earlier, but now he was looking at Aiden with concern.

“You okay?” Aiden nodded, not wanting to dwell on the pain.

“I’ll be fine,” he repeated.

But Jarek and Rupert weren’t ready to let it go just yet.

They both looked at Aiden, guilt still weighing on them.

“I’ll make sure to keep an eye on Shiloh from now on,” Rupert promised.

“We’ll step in before it gets out of hand again.” Aiden chuckled softly, despite the situation.

“You don’t need to apologize.

I don’t want you two to feel responsible for him.” As Aiden, Adrian, Sevan, Jarek, and Rupert continued walking down the hallway, the conversation about the incident still hanging in the air, they suddenly heard the sound of footsteps approaching quickly behind them.

Turning around, they saw Amihan and Ivara hurrying toward them, their expressions a mix of concern and determination.

“Aiden!” Amihan called out as she reached them, her eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of his wrist.

“What happened?

Are you okay?” Aiden smiled faintly, trying to brush it off.

“I’m fine.

Just a little fall, nothing serious,” he said, even though his wrist still ached with every movement.

Ivara, walking beside Amihan, looked at Aiden’s injury with a furrowed brow.

She didn’t speak right away, but the concern in her eyes was unmistakable.

“No, you’re not fine,” she said in her usual, blunt manner.

“You should go to the infirmary.

Now.” Aiden opened his mouth to protest, but Amihan cut him off before he could say anything.

“I’m serious, Aiden,” she insisted.

“You might think it’s nothing, but you could’ve hurt yourself pretty badly.

You’re not leaving this hall until you get your wrist checked.” Sevan, still walking beside Aiden, looked at him with a quiet, understanding gaze.

“I think you should listen to them,” he said softly.

“Better to be safe than sorry.” Adrian, too, chimed in with a shrug.

“It’ll only take a minute.

The infirmary’s just down the hall.” Jarek and Rupert both nodded in agreement, though Jarek added, “I’ll go with you if you want.” Aiden sighed, the weight of the situation settling in his chest.

Despite his attempts to downplay it, he knew they were right.

He was hurt, and it was better to get it checked out now than risk making it worse.

He looked at Amihan and Ivara and gave them a small nod.

“Alright, fine.

I’ll go to the infirmary.” “Good,” Amihan said, her tone softening.

“It’s just down the hall.

Let’s get you there.” With that, the group made their way to the infirmary, Aiden’s wrist carefully supported by Sevan as they walked.

The others followed closely behind, offering Aiden quiet words of encouragement.

As they neared the door to the infirmary, Amihan gave Aiden a reassuring smile.

“You’ll be fine.

Just get that wrist checked out, okay?” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Rouie_ Hello, everyone!

Starting February 10, 2025, I will now be posting four chapters everyday for the following times: first chapter: 6:00 am GMT +8 second chapter: 7:00 am GMT +8 third chapter: 6:00 pm GMT +8 fourth chapter: 7:00 pm GMT +8 Thank you for your support!