Chapter 5 Resonance.

Professor Alen continued, unfazed. "Groups are already assigned. No switching."

Great.

He lifted a scroll and began reading names, pairing students up as eyes darted around the room. One group. Another. Another.

Then....

"Mira Vellin. Killian Blake . Eira Thornfield."

Eira blinked. "What?"

Talia twisted in her seat. "Are you serious?"

"Why are you surprised?"

Even Killian turned his head slightly, his jaw tightening.

Mira didn't react. She just smiled, slow and too calm, like she'd expected it.

Professor Alen kept reading names without a pause.

Talia was paired with one girl and a guy.

Eira tried not to sigh as she stood. Her legs felt heavier than they should.

She joined Mira and Killian at the center table. Mira scooted over with a graceful movement, offering Eira a spot without a word.

Killian didn't look at either of them. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, rhythm steady. Controlled.

"Well," Mira said finally, voice soft but sharp, "this should be interesting."

Eira forced a tight smile. "Let's just get through it."

Mira tilted her head. "You don't like working in groups?"

"I don't like being stared at like I don't belong."

Mira's smile didn't waver. "Oh, but belonging isn't always a choice, Eira. Sometimes, it's fate."

Killian suddenly stood, grabbing the project sheet Professor Alen had left on the front desk.

When he returned, he didn't hand it to Mira or Eira. He simply set it down and sat again.

"No drama," he said quietly. "Let's just do the work."

Mira leaned closer to Eira slightly, lowering her voice. "He talks more than usual when you're around."

Eira looked away, ignoring the comment.

She didn't know what this project was about. She didn't know why she kept getting pulled into weird moments and awkward stares.

But what she did know was that something about this group about them was off especially with Mira.

Eira sat down slowly, keeping her shoulders straight and her expression calm, even though her pulse raced like she was preparing for battle.

Professor Alen finally lowered the scroll and clapped his hands once, silencing the murmurs.

"Your task," he said, "is to observe magical resonance between different sources of power, human, elemental, or otherwise. Document it. Identify patterns. Explain why some connections strengthen while others shatter. Due in two weeks."

A few students exchanged looks.

Elemental sources? Human ones?

Eira tried not to glance at Killian or Mira.

That phrase "or otherwise" echoed in her head.

Professor Alen turned sharply and began drawing some diagrams on the board. "Start now. I expect a preliminary outline by in the next two weeks."

As soon as his back turned, Mira collected the project sheet from Killian and opened and scanned it. Her eyes moved fast. Too fast.

Killian leaned in slightly. "We'll need to find examples of magical connections. Pairings. Conflicts. I can get access to the old records. Might help."

Mira nodded. "I know where to find elemental field samples."

Eira blinked. "Wait. We're just... diving in?"

Killian finally looked at her, expression unreadable. "Is that a problem?"

"No. I just thought we'd... talk about it first."

Mira's voice was soft. "Some things don't need words."

There was a beat of silence.

Then Eira exhaled. "Fine. I'll look into the resonance archive. There's one in the East Wing library."

Mira smiled faintly, but her eyes glinted. "Good. We'll meet tonight after class to compare notes."

"Tonight?" Eira echoed.

Killian stood again, already collecting his things. "We don't have time to wait."

As Professor Alen moved to the next diagram, he spoke over his shoulder, voice casual too casual.

"Be careful who you resonate with. Magic listens. And sometimes, it answers."

Eira didn't look at Killian.

She didn't look at Mira. She felt so weird about everything.

****

The East Wing library was colder than Eira remembered.

She walked deeper into the archive. The resonance archive was stored here, a collection of old records, case studies, and magical fragments. She hesitated, hand hovering over a book with a silver-threaded emblem of a coiled starburst. The moment she touched it, a low vibration traveled up her arm.

She flinched but didn't pull away.

Just a reaction. Nothing more.

Still, her thoughts weren't quiet. Something about the grouping about them refused to settle in her chest. Mira's smile, Killian's silence, the way Professor Alen had said "be careful who you resonate with" like he wasn't just talking about the assignment.

Eira flipped open the book. The air shifted.

A few lines in, she caught a word, convergence. The merging of magical sources. Some intentional. Some... not.

Footsteps echoed behind her, soft but certain.

Killian.

He moved like he didn't need permission to exist in silence. Without a word, he set a handful of scrolls on the table and took the seat across from her. No greeting. No questions.

Eira waited a moment, then asked, "No Mira?"

"I'm supposed to ask you about her," Killian replied.

Eira raised a brow. "That's not creepy at all."

He didn't smile, not really. But there was a flicker of amusement in his eyes as he pushed a scroll toward her. "Here. It's from the Second Era. Mentions unusual resonance pairings between mages and elementals. Some ended violently. Others... bonded for life."

Eira read it slowly, the words crawling under her skin. "So you think that's what Alen meant? About being careful?"

Killian leaned back slightly, arms crossed. "I think some connections open doors we don't know how to close."

Before she could respond, the temperature dipped again.

Mira appeared without sound. One second there was space, the next there she was. Her cloak fluttered softly behind her, silver pins glinting near her collarbone. Her eyes scanned the table with quiet calculation.

"Sorry I'm late," she said smoothly, voice light. "Got held up."

Held up by what? Eira wondered, but didn't ask.

Mira sat beside her, folding her hands on the table like they were in a royal court rather than a dusty library.

"Did we find anything?" she asked.

Killian tapped a scroll. "Cases of resonance between magical sources. Conflicts. Merges. Some volatile. Some... something else."

Mira's gaze sharpened, scanning the text. "We'll need to be careful if we're doing field observation. I can collect elemental field samples tomorrow. The south cliffs have a few echo pools left behind by storms. They should be active."

Eira blinked. "You're going out there alone?"

Mira smiled faintly. "I won't be alone. Not really."

Eira decided not to ask what that meant.

"I'll head to the resonance archive room in the East Tower," she said. "I heard some of the crystal fragments there still hold lingering signatures."

Killian nodded. "I'll handle the mage records. There's a vault under the observatory. Most people forget it's even there."

Eira leaned back slightly, trying to shake the unease in her bones. "We're really diving in, huh?"

Killian's gaze met hers, calm and unreadable. "We don't have time to wait."

A long silence settled between the three of them.

Not awkward. Just... full.

Eira exhaled, shutting the book in front of her. "Alright. Same time tomorrow?"

Killian stood and gathered his scrolls. "Yeah."

Mira's voice was soft again. "Let's hope we don't end up resonating with something we can't handle."

Eira stiffened. She didn't like the way Mira said that, too smooth, too knowing.

As they walked toward the exit together, Professor Alen's words echoed again in her mind:

Be careful who you resonate with. Magic listens. And sometimes... it answers.

She kept walking, feeling the strange pull between the three of them growing heavier with every step.