Chapter 3

Kellan didn't reply until half an hour later.

[Nothing. I was just wondering.]

I stared at his message for a moment before putting my bone-message tile aside.

Two days later, our class held a bonfire to celebrate our graduation at the settlement's communal grounds.

By nightfall, the place was crowded with classmates. A large fire burned in the center of the clearing, while long tables nearby were covered with food and drinks.

Someone was playing music, and groups of students gathered around the fire, laughing and talking about their plans for the future.

I sat quietly off to one side with a glass of juice in my hand.

After a few songs, Briar suddenly stood up.

She waited until the music quieted down, then smiled at everyone.

"Why don't we take turns sharing which training institutes we're heading to? Maybe some of us will end up at the same place and can look out for each other."

The suggestion immediately caught everyone's attention.

One after another, my classmates called out the names of the academies they'd applied to.

Some were excited about their choices, while others were still nervous about the admission results.

I leaned back in my seat without saying a word.

After more than half the class had shared their plans, one of the strongest boys in our class suddenly called out.

"Hold on! Our top three haven't gone yet!"

He looked between the three of us with a grin.

"Talia, Kellan, Briar... You all applied to Concord Academy, right?"

Briar lowered her head shyly as everyone turned to look at us.

Then, she reached over and took Kellan's hand in front of the entire class.

"Kellan and I applied to the same academy. That way, we won't have to live in different places."

For a moment, everyone went quiet.

Then the clearing erupted with cheers and teasing.

"No way! You two actually got together?"

"Since when? How did we not notice?"

"Come on, tell us! How long have you been hiding this?"

A few girls glanced at me amid the laughter. Their expressions shifted when they saw me sitting alone.

Someone nearby joked, "So, does that make Talia the third wheel now?"

Briar had clearly been waiting for that opening.

She turned toward me, her beautiful eyes fixed on my face.

The smile on her lips was sweet, but the smugness in her expression was impossible to miss.

"Talia couldn't be a third wheel. She applied to Ironfang Camp."

The laughter stopped.

The entire clearing fell silent as everyone turned to stare at me.

They all knew I'd always ranked first in our class. I'd consistently scored higher than everyone else in both academic tests and training assessments.

So, the idea that I'd chosen Ironfang Camp was almost unbelievable.

I took out my bone-message tile and quietly activated its recording function.

Then I stood up and looked directly at Briar.

"What are you talking about? When did I ever apply to Ironfang Camp?"

Briar's eyes lit up with delight.

She covered her mouth as if she'd accidentally let something slip.

"Oh, no. Was I not supposed to say that?"

She bit her lip and put on an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry, Talia. A few days ago, Kellan and I were playing Truth or Dare, and he lost."

She paused, then continued in a voice loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

"His punishment was to use your beast mark to access your registration and change your first choice to Ironfang Camp."

She made it sound like a harmless joke.

As if secretly changing someone's future was nothing more than a silly game.

I turned to Kellan. "Is that true?"

He shifted under my stare and looked away.

After a moment, he ran a hand through his hair and let out a heavy sigh.

"Talia, I honestly didn't think you'd be this careless."

His brows drew together, and there was even a trace of blame in his voice.

"Choosing a training institute is a big deal. I thought you'd check your registration before the deadline. Who knew you wouldn't even bother looking at it?"

I stared at the boy I'd known since childhood.

Every word he said was another attempt to make this my fault.

He had secretly used my beast mark to change my application. And now he was acting as if the real problem was that I hadn't checked it soon enough.

That was when I finally understood.

Once people like them got what they wanted, they couldn't even be bothered to keep pretending they were decent.

My bone-message tile was still recording in my pocket. I'd gotten the proof I needed straight from Kellan himself.

I nodded calmly. "Okay. I understand."

Then I picked up my things and turned to leave.

As I passed Briar, I stopped beside her and gave her one last look.

"By the way, Briar, do you remember what I said to you the day you told me that story?"