A/N: Keep your brain cells active because we're reading Kane's POV in this chapter, hehe.

KANE'S POV

I had long since lost track of the hours I spent buried in reports. It didn't matter. Time becomes an irrelevant concept when something—or someone—is behaving out of order.

For the nth time, I pulled a file from the stack, a log dated from a recent patrol I had assigned to a group of student wardens. My eyes skimmed the lines until I reached the same weary conclusion, stamped with the official WICCA Wardens' seal:

'Patrol exterminated a total of six devourers near Forbidden Zone 16. No other malicious irregularities detected.'

I clicked my tongue, the sound sharp in the silence of the room.

Absurd.

No irregularities? Then explain why I have seen otherwise.

The first red flag appeared during Priscilla's Miracle Fest. A friend nearly died because she strayed across a border that should have flared with alarms the instant she crossed it. Yet, the system stayed silent, and the authorities arrived late—far too late.

Gustavo said it himself: by the time he and that Noxis student found Cerise, she was already bleeding out. They even had to dispatch the devourer themselves. So where were the Witchwardens? Where were the alarms?

Cerise swore her memory was hazy and that she didn't know how she ended up inside the restricted zone. I believed her. She wouldn't have risked a violation that would stain the reputation and academic record she prizes so dearly.

Even Melusine, her snake familiar, reached out to me through telepathy once—her words simple and certain: Cerise is a victim.

Familiars do not lie. They see what we cannot. I trusted that.

And yet... the timing gnawed at me. That was the very night Sythria arrived. Her first day in Ashburn, and suddenly the borders are compromised?

A coincidence? Perhaps. But not enough of one to dismiss.

Still, I couldn't paint her as a suspect. The kid is reckless, yes, but clueless. She clearly does not understand the full scope of this realm, let alone how to manipulate it. She was barely keeping her head above water. I have warned her enough times to stay out of trouble, yet somehow, trouble keeps sniffing her out.

Take the night I caught her past curfew. Exasperating, truly—watching a kid fling herself into danger for someone she hardly even knew. Who does that? Who chases shadows through the woods at midnight when any sane person would have turned the other way?

And that black figure she was pursuing... It wasn't a random occurrence.

I had been expecting movement like that for a while. That is why I had the Student Wardens on patrol that night, and why I limited student missions. I wanted eyes on the borders. My caution was not paranoia; it was procedure.

And my caution paid off, because the pattern I feared finally emerged: alarms that should have screamed stayed mute. If that black figure had slipped past, where was the alert? If the boundary failed once at the festival and then again that night, it wasn't a coincidence.

It was interference.

To see "no irregularities" in these reports is disappointing. There should have been something.

A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts.

"The door is open, Director Gael," I called out, addressing the man I was expecting.

"Captain Devon," Ephron greeted as he stepped inside. "I've brought what you requested."

I gave a curt nod without looking up from my desk.

The leather seat creaked as he lowered himself into the chair across from me. We were in the Chamber of Leaders—a reserved office within WICCA set aside for private matters among division heads.

"Captain," Ephron cleared his throat, unfurling a glowing scroll.

A golden hologram spread across the table, mapping the school grounds. Purple dots and red lines pulsed where the forbidden zones encircled the institution.

"According to the system records, the boundaries are stable," he said.

I set my pen down harder than intended. The crack echoed through the chamber. "Stable? Was any of it consistent?"

A corner of his mouth twitched upward. "Well, that's what the records say."

I fixed him with a pointed look. "You don't sound convinced."

He exhaled, his smirk fading. "Point taken."

I leaned back, the silence pressing him to continue.

"I went to inspect several forbidden zones myself," he said at last.

My brow arched. "Alone?"

He nodded without hesitation. "I did."

My frown deepened. "Does that mean you tres—"

Ephron chuckled, cutting me off. "No, Captain. Alam kong itatanong mo talaga sa'kin 'yan. I didn't breach protocol. I only performed a visual inspection." His eyes glinted as he leaned forward. "At alam mo ba kung ano ang nakita ko doon?"

"Reveal it."

"Inconsistencies," he said immediately. "The Keepers' system in the mechanical room auto-logged the boundaries as 'stable.' But when I checked the forbidden zones manually, saka ko nalaman na may mga runes na naka-reversed. And... a few cracks lined the barriers."

Reversed? Cracks?

My eyes narrowed. That was bad. Exceptionally bad.

Why did the reports claim there were no irregularities? Does this mean my own division of wardens missed them? And if there are inconsistencies, why does the system mark them as intact? Why does it look as though the Witching Hour ritual—the ritual meant to reinforce the barriers—failed to hold at the foundation?

I don't understand. As long as the ritual is performed, the barriers should be... safe.

"Captain?" Ephron's brow lifted. "You look... pale. Are you alright?"

His voice pulled me back from my spiral of thought. For the first time, I noticed my heart was racing for no apparent reason.

Slightly flinching, I felt a soft, furry weight against my boots and looked down. Skoll, my wolf familiar, was blinking up at me from under the table. I had been so absorbed that I'd forgotten he was even there.

I swallowed a cold, dry lump in my throat.

"I see," I said evenly, pushing the raw edge of panic back beneath my armor. "If that is the case, have you and the other Keepers begun repairs on those cracks?"

Ephron went silent for a second, hesitating. "We... we are already working on it."

A throb pressed at my temple. I rubbed it with a finger. "Then tell me—why haven't the Keepers been performing regular barrier maintenance before now? And why, Ephron, were you investigating alone?"

"Captain, we both know why." He straightened, his tone turning defensive. "We trusted the ritual's reinforcement. The barriers were supposed to be absolute."

I tightly shut my eyes for a brief second. He was right. That was the problem.

The Witching Hour ritual was designed to lock those barriers tight. Reinforced. Untouchable. Cracks shouldn't even be possible. The reports read "all clear" because the system was designed to recognize stability; once the ritual took hold, routine maintenance felt redundant. Nobody checked the foundation because everyone trusted the ritual.

Unless... the runes have been tampered with. Reversed on purpose. A precise illusion to blind the system, deceiving our logs into reporting total stability while the foundation was quietly crumbling.

Someone is hacking the system itself. Someone with the knowledge to manipulate the runes and the strength to break them without tripping the alarms.

Or, more importantly, someone highly skilled enough to bypass the second layer entirely just to tamper with the physical runes of the barriers. Logically, it should be impossible for anyone to possess that kind of strength or precision. Yet, the evidence is staring me in the face. It means we have an initial suspect...

Slowly and deliberately, I met Ephron's gaze. He visibly flinched.

As the Director of his WICCA division, Ephron oversees the academy's alchemical resources and mechanical systems. His exceptional skill in Alchemy made him one of our top students.

Which also meant... he had access. And access always makes one a culprit.

"K-Kane—" Ephron's throat worked as he stared back at me. A bead of sweat traced down his temple. "I swear, it isn't—"

SLAM!

We both turned as the door was flung open. I leveled a cold glare at the intruder.

"Miss President Fortuna," I said, my voice low. "Learn to knock."

Audra clicked her tongue, shutting the door with far more force than necessary before striding in and dropping into a leather seat. "Please," she scoffed. "Like you've never barged into a meeting. I have errands to run, so make this quick. What is so serious that you both look like funeral portraits?"

Silence held for a beat too long. Her gaze flicked between us, her irritation mounting.

"Wala? So ano? Uupo lang tayo dito? If that's the case, I'm leaving—"

"About Vanya Petunia," I cut in.

That got her attention. Audra froze mid-rise and sank back into the chair. "What about her?"

"Wasn't she blamed for the incident?"

Audra snorted. "Blamed? She was responsible. Everyone knows it. She's obsessed with those monstrous weeds, and—surprise—they went wild. What else would you call it but her fault?"

I held her gaze. "And what if I told you she likely wasn't at fault?"

Her smirk faltered, replaced by a hard frown. "...What?"

"You are her roommate," I pressed. "You know Vanya better than anyone. Tell me—what exactly happened before the incident?"

Audra shook her head with a bitter laugh. "Devon, I wasn't there to witness it. But if you want my guess? It was obviously negligence. Her ridiculous experiments finally caught up with her."

"Negligence..." I echoed, rubbing my chin as I stared at the ceiling. "But wasn't Vanya meticulous with her plants? Too protective? I doubt she would allow something to destroy them."

Audra shrugged. "Mistakes happen."

With a sigh, I pulled another file from the desk. "I sent a group of WICCA Wardens to conduct an inspection during the janitorial duties at the Witching Quarters."

Her eyes widened, but I cut her off before she could speak.

"I asked Vanya's permission to check her room specifically. She agreed." I gave her a pointed look. That seemed to ease her for a moment—until I dropped the next blow. "The inspection confirmed her plants went wild because of residual contamination on the floor."

Ephron frowned. "Contamination? You mean an alchemical spill triggered them?"

I nodded. "That was the initial verdict, yes." My eyes sharpened. "But I also spoke to Vanya."

The air in the room grew tight as they waited for me to continue.

"...She told me she wasn't running any experiments at that time."

The color drained from both Audra's and Ephron's faces. Skoll let out a low growl, sensing their sudden unease. I patted his head to calm him.

"Which means," I said slowly, looking at Audra, "the contamination did not come from her. Someone else placed it there."

Silence fell like a weight. I let it sit for a moment.

"Vanya has been suspended for one week by the Consilium for irresponsibility. Case closed—officially." I tapped the file. "Our inspection suggests otherwise."

Ephron exhaled a long, tired breath. "Geez... I didn't expect that."

Audra's jaw tightened. "Why drag this back up? The Consilium closed it. Move on." Her voice was sharp, accusation underlining every word. "You're obsessed."

"Objectivity," I corrected, closing my eyes. "There is a difference."

Ephron let out a nervous chuckle. "So... what are you going to do about that, Captain?"

I watched them for a beat longer. This wasn't an accident anymore. The alarms, barriers, the contamination, Vanya's suspension—they all pointed toward the same dark thread. I wasn't certain how they tied together yet, but the pattern was there.

There were pieces missing. Questions unanswered. I had no proof, so I would not make an accusation yet. Prudence was the necessary step.

I will keep my eye on everything. When the saboteur slips again, I will be ready.

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

"You called, Kane?"

I glanced at the young man stepping onto the terrace.

"Ashriel." I nodded toward the chair across from me.

The rooftop wind tugged at his blazer as he sat, his eyes flicking to the untouched teacup. "Planning to interrogate me, or is this a friendly tea party?" he asked with a smile.

"You'll be assigned a mission soon," I said, setting my porcelain cup down with a measured click.

Ashriel arched an eyebrow. "Let me guess, another babysitting duty?" He folded his arms on top of the table, looking amused.

"If you mean keeping Octavia and Gustavo from spiraling into their usual chaos, then yes."

A short laugh escaped him. "Sabi na nga ba."

I sipped my tea, letting the steam rise between us. "You are the only one who can hold your ground when those two start running in circles."

He smirked. "That's just a polite way of saying you don't want to deal with them yourself."

"I prefer efficiency."

"Figures." His grin lingered, but his eyes sharpened. "You're wound tight, Kane. More than usual. Don't tell me it's just the paperwork."

"Observant," I said dryly, setting the cup back on its saucer.

"More like obvious. Your eyes have that twitch."

I frowned. "They do not."

"They do," he said smugly. "You've been piling too much on your plate. Anyone with eyes can see it."

My silence was an answer enough. At last, I sighed.

"Things have been odd lately," I said, referring to the troubling incidents within the academy and the realm. "Keep watch. You and those two idiots—stick close to them during the assignment. Do not let them wander. Watch for anything that looks off. Any sign of compromise—pull them out."

Ashriel's smirk faded as he looked down to the tea in front of him. "Yeah . . . I understand."

I studied him for a long moment. "That's not all. You know what else I expect."

The air between us shifted. His eyes lost their ease, sharpening with understanding. He didn't ask questions; he just nodded.

"I've been doing that since day one," he said simply, his lips pressed into a thin line.

I let a beat of silence pass, then leaned back with a faint scoff as I stared at the afternoon sky.

"We know," I said, acknowledging the obvious. "You've always been poor at hiding what you're protecting."

A/N: Kane Devon's character visual references.

+ guide.

(A/N: I know, I know—Kane's mind is a lot to handle huhu. I don't think nasama ko itong explaination before (sorry, sobrang malimutin kasi si author niyo hahaha) so to save you from a migraine, here is the simple logic (aka the nutshell) behind the Ashburn security system:

Borders/Boundaries: Think of these as "Sensor Lines." Nandito naka-locate yung mga alarms. Kane is suspicious kasi some people are crossing these lines na walang dinadalang mission clearance, yet the alarms are staying dead silent.

Barriers: Ito naman yung "Invisible Walls" that keep monsters out (the runes are ancient symbols carved into the ground. Think of the Runes as the "projectors" and the Barrier as the "image." If you mess with the symbols on the ground, the wall cracks!). The Witching Hour Ritual is supposed to "upgrade" and reinforce these walls. at since isa siyang magickal layer, you can't exactly "touch" it, but it should be making the foundation untouchable.

The big red flag here is if the ritual is supposedly "completely intact," bakit may mga cracks sa barriers? Kane is questioning why no one did a maintenance check before and after the ritual because clearly, something is being tampered with—and by someone 'powerful' enough to outsmart the ritual just to break the barriers. The pattern is PATTERNING, y'all, and Kane's detective work is officially in action! Muahahaha.)