The hallway outside the dean's office was unnervingly quiet, except for the muffled ticking of a clock somewhere down the corridor. Saija sat in one of the stiff, cushioned chairs lined up against the wall, notebook balanced on her knee. Her pen tapped rhythmically against the cover.

She'd assumed she was the only one called here — until Medora had arrived five minutes later, followed by Kane, Nadia, and the others in quick succession. Now, the seven of them sat in silence, exchanging curious glances but saying nothing.

All of us? Saija's gaze flicked around the hallway, taking in each of their faces. It wasn't a coincidence.

Her pen tapped faster.

Something's wrong.

Medora, perfectly composed, sat with her hands folded in her lap. Kane's arms were crossed tight, his gaze locked on the floor like he could stare a hole straight through it. Nadia kept wringing the hem of her sleeve, and Cassian looked like he was seconds from dozing off. Evrin sat a few seats down, casually flipping something silver between his fingers.

Adonis leaned back, his feet kicked up on the chair in front of him. The silence dragged on, awkward and heavy, until Evrin finally broke it. He must have been itching to hear himself speak.

"Well, this feels ominous."

Kane lifted his gaze, his brow creasing into a scowl. "It can't be a good sign we're all here."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Medora said smoothly. "Probably just about the project."

Her voice was calm, but Saija caught the slight tension in her tone — that tiny crack Medora never let show.

Adonis's lips curved into an easy smile. "Maybe they're giving us an award."

Cassian yawned, stretching his legs out in front of him. "I'd rather it this way than some grand presentation."

Saija's gaze drifted to the dean's office door. It hadn't opened since she arrived.

They knew something. About the temple. About what they saw.

A soft laugh escaped Evrin. "Relax. They're not going to kick us out." He wasn't taking this seriously. He never did.

Kane's scowl deepened. "How do you know?"

Evrin shrugged. "Doesn't really matter what they do. I've got other ways to keep busy."

Saija's pen stopped tapping. Her gaze snapped to Evrin, irritation bubbling to the surface.

"Must be nice, not caring about anyone but yourself."

Evrin's eyes flicked to hers, pausing for a moment before locking on. His grin sharpened at the edges.

"Much better than keeping your nose in everyone else's business."

Saija scoffed, "Just doing my job."

Evrin chuckled, low and amused. "Is that what you call it?" His tone dropped, quiet but deliberate. "I thought you were just collecting flaws to make yourself feel better about your own."

Saija's jaw clenched, but she didn't fire back. She couldn't.

Her mind spun instead, replaying his words like a taunt she couldn't shake.

Damn him.

Her fingers tightened around her pen, tapping against her notebook in rapid bursts. He made it sound so easy. So simple. Like she wasn't looking for truth or justice — just cracks in people's façades.

And maybe she was.

Still, the accusation burned hotter than she wanted to admit.

She flicked her gaze toward Evrin again, expecting him to look smug. But he wasn't even watching her anymore. He'd gone back to flipping that silver token, like her silence was all the victory he needed.

No, he was wrong.

But something about his tone - so easy, so sure - made her stomach twist.

Evrin caught her watching and tilted his head, that ridiculous grin ever present.

Saija's chest burned. She glanced away, refusing to play into whatever game he thought this was.

The door creaked open, and a Legion officer stepped out, his gaze sweeping over the group.

"Medora Vaile?"

Medora's head lifted at once, her name commanding her attention. Everyone turned to watch as she glided to her feet, her steps measured and precise. She wore a polite smile from the moment her name was called — not too stiff, not too soft. Exactly the way someone like Medora was expected to carry herself.

Perfect. As always.

-

The room was bare — a table, two chairs, and a single lantern flickering in the corner where the Legion officer stood, arms crossed.

Medora halted momentarily in the doorway when she saw him. Her mind spun. This wasn't normal. Whatever was going on here, her father would know. He had to.

Taking a steady breath, she sat down, her posture impeccable, hands folded neatly in her lap.

The interrogator eyed her for a moment, his gaze cold and assessing. Medora forced herself to hold it, unwavering.

"Why did you go to the temple?"

She knew it. She knew their project would raise flags.

"It was a research endeavor. We believed it was relevant to our Septentrion project."

The interrogator didn't blink. The weight of his silence pressed down on her.

"Did you know the danger you all put yourselves in?"

Medora's shoulders remained square, her voice steady. This was just another test.

"We were aware of the risks, yes. We made sure to take the proper precautions."

"And what did you take?"

Medora's brows twitched inward, but she quickly smoothed her expression. "We didn't take anything. Our visit was purely academic."

Her answers were polished, perfectly rehearsed. But there was one thing she couldn't control — the slight twitch of her fingers as they fidgeted with her rings under the table.

-

When Medora returned to the hall, her expression was calm, her steps measured. But Saija noticed how tightly her hands were clasped in front of her.

The door hadn't even shut behind her when Saija's thoughts began to spiral. It reopened soon after, and her name was called.

Saija shifted in her chair, her fingers twitching. She'd left her bag with Medora, just in case. She didn't trust herself to bring it into the room — didn't trust them not to confiscate it as evidence. Her fingers itched to curve around the leather binding, something familiar to ground her in the panic running through her.

"What were you looking for in the temple?"
Saija's gaze flicked briefly to the notepad on the table, scribbled with notes and observations. She tried to read the upside-down handwriting before answering.

"Stories."

The interrogator raised a brow, unimpressed. "Stories?"

Saija nodded once, her expression blank.
The man scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "Did you see anyone else there?"

"No."

The interrogator opened his mouth to speak again, but Saija couldn't help herself.

"Should we have?" Her voice rose just slightly, a spark of curiosity breaking through the tension.

The interrogator narrowed his eyes. If they wanted answers, they would have to work for them.

She kept her answers vague, turning each question back on the officer, but her mind was racing. They weren't just fishing for information.
They were looking for something.

-

Evrin lounged in his chair, arms crossed, the faint grin on his lips never wavering. The air in the room felt stiff, but he didn't seem to notice — or care.

His gaze flicked toward the Legion officer standing in the corner. Evrin gave a slight nod, and for a brief moment, the officer blinked and nodded back.

The corner of Evrin's mouth twitched. He had to stifle the laugh bubbling in his chest.

When the interrogator cleared his throat, Evrin slowly turned back toward him, his posture relaxed.

"What did you see in the temple?"

Evrin shrugged, the motion lazy. "Ancient carvings. Creepy statues. Exactly what you'd think."

The interrogator's eyes narrowed, but Evrin's smile only widened.

"What did you take?"

"From that old dump? Please. It's insulting you think there was something I'd be interested in."

The interrogator leaned forward, his voice dropping to a low, warning tone. "You're hiding something."

Evrin leaned closer, resting his elbows on the table. "Aren't we all?"

The interrogator's glare hardened, but Evrin didn't flinch. He just sat back, crossing his arms again, that same faint grin lingering.

-

When Evrin returned to the hallway, he flashed a bright, exaggerated smile at the group.

"Told you. Nothing to worry about."

When his eyes flicked briefly to Saija, she looked away with a scoff.

-

Kane sat stiffly in the chair, his arms crossed, his jaw clenched. The chair creaked under the weight of his tension.

His gaze kept drifting toward the Legion officer standing silently in the corner. The officer's eyes bore into him, unrelenting.

It took everything in Kane to keep his grip neutral, to avoid balling his hands into fists.

The interrogator's voice cut through the silence.
"What did you see in the temple?"

Kane lifted his gaze, his expression hard, matching the interrogator's intensity.

"I don't know. Statues? Symbols? Nothing important."

"Did you see anything unusual?"

Kane's shoulders shifted, the shrug stiff, choppy. "I guess that depends on your definition of unusual."

The interrogator leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
"It's in your best interest that you take this seriously."

"I am," Kane replied, his voice flat. "I didn't see anything worth talking about."

The interrogator pressed further, his questions relentless, but Kane's answers remained clipped and firm.

His gaze flicked again to the officer in the corner. The man hadn't moved, hadn't blinked.

Kane's chest tightened.

He wasn't sure what bothered him more — the interrogator's questions, or the feeling that the officer wasn't just watching him, but seemed to be waiting for something.

-

Adonis leaned back in his chair, arms draped over the backrest like he didn't have a care in the world. The interrogator's gaze hardened, but Adonis met it head-on, smiling.

"Why did you go to the temple?"

Adonis's smile widened. "We thought it'd be a fun little field trip. Heard it was lovely this time of year."

The interrogator's expression didn't shift. "You think this is funny?"

Adonis tilted his head, his grin turning sharper. "A little," He shrugged. "Don't you have something better to do than hound a group of kids?"

The interrogator's eyes narrowed.

Adonis leaned forward slightly, his tone still light but his words edged with something darker. "We were only feeding our curiosity. Isn't that what kids like us are supposed to do?"

The interrogator sat back, but his gaze never left Adonis.

Adonis danced around the questions with ease, charming, daring, but never giving a straight answer. The tension in the room hung thick, but Adonis never wavered.

-

Nadia's hands trembled slightly as she sat across from the interrogator, rolling and unrolling the ends of her sleeves.

She forced herself to meet his gaze when he spoke.

"Why did you go to the temple?"

Nadia shrugged, her voice barely above a whisper. "It seemed like the right thing to do. We just wanted to make our project more interesting."

The interrogator pressed further, his tone firm.
"What did you see?"

Nadia's gaze dropped to her hands. Her mind flashed with images from the temple — the carvings, the twisted shadows that had stretched and coiled around them.

And the whispers.

Her chest tightened.

"Carvings. Symbols. Old things. I don't remember much."

The interrogator's eyes narrowed further. Her nervousness was palpable, and he wasn't letting up.

"And what did you hope to find? Did you get what you were looking for?"

Nadia's fingers stilled for a moment.

She thought about how Adonis had made sure to stay by her the whole way back until her hands stopped trembling. How Kane and Saija helped free Medora from the rubble. How Evrin had fought every one of his instincts to help them out.

The corner of her mouth twitched into a barely there smile. "I think so."

-

When Nadia returned to the hallway, her hands were still trembling. She slid into her seat without a word, her gaze fixed on her lap.

Cassian leaned toward her, his tone cautious. "It wasn't that bad, right?"

Nadia glanced at him briefly. "It was bad."

-

Cassian slouched in the chair, his gaze distant as he scanned the room. The flicker of the lantern was soft, warm even — cozy, almost.

Sure, it was a bit chilly, and the chair was rickety. Far from ideal for a nap. But if he had a good book and a blanket, he could settle in.

The interrogator's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"What did you take from the temple?"

Cassian blinked, shifting in his seat. "We took ourselves out of there. That was enough of a hassle."

The interrogator's eyes narrowed as he rolled his pen between his fingers.

"I need you to take this seriously."

"I am." Cassian tilted his head. "We didn't take anything."

The interrogator sighed, glancing down at his notepad.

"Did you see anything unusual?"

Cassian lazily waved a hand, his expression bored. "Old statues. Lot of dust. Honestly, the trek there and back was the worst part. There has to be a quicker way."

The interrogator's pen stilled. He said nothing, and neither did Cassian.

-

When Cassian returned to the hall, he dropped into his seat with a soft thud, his legs stretching out in front of him.

Saija was back to fiddling with the edges of her notebook, scribbling down anything the others would spill about their questioning. Her fingers trembled as she snapped the notebook shut, just as the Legion officer stepped out.

His gaze swept over the group. "You risked more than just your place in the Arcanum. If you hadn't done it together, you wouldn't be here."

The group exchanged uneasy glances, anxiously awaiting the officer's words.

"You've made yourselves too valuable to lose. That's the only reason your place here still stands. Though your names carry weight, it would be wise to know that weight won't hold forever."

His eyes lingered on Medora, then Adonis, then Kane.

But not Saija.

Of course not.

Medora — the princess with beauty and brains. Adonis — the dazzling charmer built for trade and barter. Kane — the warrior prodigy destined for honor.

And her?

Just another journalist poking where she doesn't belong.

His gaze flicked to Evrin — the first time Saija noticed him take an interest in the situation.
Evrin flipped the token between his fingers, calm as ever.

The officer lowered his voice. "Be careful who you trust. Even among yourselves."

His boots echoed down the hall as he walked away, leaving a heavy silence in his wake.

Medora stood gracefully, smoothing her shirt.
Kane crossed his arms. "What the hell was that supposed to mean?"

Adonis rose, his stance puffed with pride. "That we passed! Nice work, team."

Nadia shook her head, her voice quiet. "No... it sounded more like a warning."

Medora's tone was clipped, matter-of-fact. "It means we've drawn too much attention."

Evrin finally stood, slipping the token into his pocket. "No one's too important to lose. For now, because of whatever we said in there, they've found us useful."

He made his way through the group, casually walking ahead of them. Then he stopped, leaned against the wall, and turned back to face them, a faint grin tugging at his lips.

"Wouldn't it be fun to find out why?"

His brown eyes sparkled as he scanned the group.
Saija stared at him, her mind whirring. His expression was too calm, too certain.

It wasn't the words themselves that made her chest tighten.

It was the way he said them — like he already had half the answer.

Evrin's grin lingered, daring them to bite, but one spoke. The silence stretched, heavy with unspoken questions.

Saija glanced at the others. Medora's gaze was steady, but there was tension in the way she stood, her fingers tapping softly against her arm. Nadia avoided eye contact, her lips pressed into a thin line, and Cassian, though still lounging in his chair, kept his gaze alert.

It was him who finally broke the silence.

"Wasn't it your idea that got us into this mess in the first place?" His tone was light, but his eyes flicked toward Saija for back-up.

Evrin's gaze followed, landing on her. For a moment, their eyes met. His grin deepened, like he was waiting for her to be the first to agree.
When she didn't, he tilted his head.

"C'mon," he drawled. "Don't tell me you're all okay with just not knowing what they're looking for."

His voice hung in the air, daring them to push back.

Saija's fingers curled tighter around her notebook. She looked away first, her heartbeat thudding against the leather binding.

Wouldn't it be fun to find out?

It would.

The thought sank in, lodging itself in her mind — unshakable.

She glanced back at Evrin, but his attention had already drifted to someone else.

Yes, she would find out, but certainly not by giving him the satisfaction of leading him to it.

If there was something to uncover, she'd find it out herself.

On her own terms.

-

PRESEASON IS FINALLY OVER. Classes start today but I HAD to get this out now that I'm not either practicing or sleeping lol. I wonder if anyone has a favorite character yet. Or a new favorite. Or any theories? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this little interview montage. See you at the Septentrion next chapter;)