The sky was streaked with orange and lilac as the sun dipped over the edge of the floating castle. Vladislav, Asher, and Selene walked quietly along the marble-paved corridor that overlooked the courtyard, their shadows long in the golden light.
Vlad had been silent for most of the walk—still processing of what had happened with Mateo. His fists were shoved in his coat pockets, brows slightly furrowed.
Selene stole a glance at him, then at Asher. It was Asher who finally broke the silence.
"You know… Wei's always been like that," he said, voice low but sure. "Since the first time we met."
Vlad glanced at him. "Like what?"
"Smart. Calm. Cold. But underneath it all? Always watching. I'm always thinking ten steps ahead."
He gave a small smile as he looked up at the castle towers.
"When we first met… it was in a math class. Advanced level. No one could solve the professor's ridiculous problem—not even me. But Wei didn't even blink. Solved it like it was breathing."
Selene chuckled softly. "I remember that. You were pissed."
Asher snorted. "I was impressed, actually. I asked to be his partner after that. Surprisingly, he didn't say no."
Years ago...
The room was quiet except for the sound of scratching quills and whispered confusion. The professor had written a wall-length equation across the front board—layers of elemental theory, math, and history in one nightmarish riddle.
Seated near the back, a stoic young Wei Wen Zhao leaned over his notebook, perfectly calm, already halfway through the solution.
Asher—loud, confident, but sharp—was sitting nearby, watching with raised eyebrows.
"You got it?" he asked.
Wei didn't respond. He just slid his page toward Asher and turned back to his own notes.
Asher scanned it.
"Damn," he muttered. "Alright then. We're partners from now on."
Wei glanced at him. "…Why?"
"Because if I'm gonna learn how to beat you, I gotta learn from you."
That got the faintest twitch of a smile from Wei—like an invisible string tugged the corner of his mouth.
They became partners from that day forward.
A few days later, Asher found himself cornered by two whirlwind personalities in the lunch hall.
Leo, all smiles and jokes, had accidentally bumped into him and immediately launched into conversation.
"Sorry man! Didn't mean to knock over your tray—wait, are you Asher? Wei's partner? Bro, I'm Leo! I've known Wei since we were kids—he used to ignore me so hard it became my life mission to be his friend."
"Still working on it," he added with a grin.
Next to him, a more composed—but equally sharp—girl adjusted her uniform jacket with an elegant flip of her hair. Sofia.
"I'm Sofia. His cousin. Unfortunately."
Leo grinned. "She's lying. She adores me."
"I tolerate you," she corrected.
Asher blinked, amused by the chaos. "You two know Wei?"
"Yup!" Leo said. "Me and Wei are childhood friends. He doesn't talk much, but he doesn't need to. He listens. That's better."
Sofia nodded slightly. "And he acts like our dad, honestly. Especially with Leo."
"We just started at this school," Leo added. "Selene told us you were cool. And if you're close to Wei, then we wanna meet your crew."
And now...
Selene smiled softly, her arms folded as she walked beside Vlad and Asher.
"I knew Sofia since before we even enrolled. She was the top pick from Verdoria. She and Leo came in with a storm of chaos and personality. But when she saw Wei helping Leo with his elemental formulas, she decided to trust him."
Vlad looked down, breathing out slowly.
"So it was you two… who introduced everyone?"
Asher nodded. "Technically, yeah. I brought Wei. Leo and Sofia came through me, and Selene already knew them."
"Then I introduced all three of them to you," he added, glancing at Vlad.
Vlad smirked faintly. "You were acting like a scout or something."
"Maybe I was," Asher said. "But I knew what I was doing. You had leadership. Wei had the brains. Leo had the energy. Sofia had precision. Selene had diplomacy."
He looked ahead.
"Together? We made the strongest circle in the academy."
They reached the old staircase, leading down to the main courtyard. Lights from the floating lanterns shimmered above.
Vlad stopped at the top and looked back at the two of them.
"I trusted Mateo because of that circle," he said. "Because I thought anyone who came near us would be like us."
Asher clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"He wasn't. But we are. That doesn't change."
Selene smiled softly. "And now we know better. No one breaks into our circle again without all of us watching."
Vlad looked ahead, resolved, returning to his gaze.
"Next time… no one's fooling me twice."
They continued walking—three of the original core.
And somewhere, in the dorm tower above, Wei stood at his window, eyes reflecting the moonlight.
Still watching. Still thinking.
Still ready.