Chapter 52: Rook’s Choice

The next morning, the main cafeteria of Crownland Academy was packed with cadets.

High stone pillars held up the vaulted ceiling, and long wooden tables ran in neat rows across the wide hall.

The air smelled of fresh baked bread, roasted meats, and hot tea.

Most noble cadets from Class A sat together on the upper platform near the windows.

Cedric Vale sat at the head of the noble table, his arm bandaged from yesterday’s ring fall.

He looked over at us with bitter eyes, but he didn’t dare say a word out loud.

Seraphina, Isolde, and I sat at a quiet corner table near the stone archway.

Seraphina sat gracefully on my right, sipping her light herbal tea.

Isolde sat on my left, eating a small piece of dark toasted bread while her shadow rested quietly under our bench.

Suddenly, the noisy chatter near the food counter went quiet.

Rook stood near the food line holding his wooden lunch tray.

He wore his tarnished Iron badge pinned to his gray tunic.

Two Silver-badge noble cadets stood in front of him, blocking his path.

"If you sit near Voss and his wives," one of the noble boys warned Rook in a harsh whisper, "the Discipline team will flag your name for next week’s ring drills."

Rook looked at the two noble cadets.

He looked down at his wooden tray.

Then he looked across the dining hall toward our corner table.

He didn’t hesitate.

Rook walked right past the two noble boys, his boots making a steady tap against the stone floor.

He walked straight to our table and stopped beside the empty wooden stool.

"Is this seat open, Cassian?" Rook asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"It is," I smiled, gesturing to the stool. "Sit down, Rook."

Rook set his wooden tray on the table and sat down.

A quiet wave of shocked murmurs broke out across the noble tables on the upper platform.

Cedric Vale glared at Rook as if he had committed high treason just by sitting with us.

`[Target Identified: Cadet Rook]`

`[World’s Will Influence Check: 0% - Will-Free Entity]`

`[The System has logged a new independent ally.]`

Seraphina smiled warmly at Rook, pouring him a small cup of hot tea from our ceramic pot.

"Thank you, Lady Seraphina," Rook said, taking the cup with both hands.

"You took a big risk sitting here today, Rook," Isolde said softly, taking a bite of her bread. "Cedric’s friends won’t like it."

Rook took a quiet sip of his tea, his shoulders dropping.

"I don’t care about Cedric Vale," Rook said, his voice turning quiet and serious. "Noble boys like him think they own the school."

"Why did you come to Crownland Academy, Rook?" I asked, leaning forward on the table.

Rook set his cup down, his fingers tightening around the warm ceramic.

His face turned grave.

"I came to find my sister," Rook whispered, looking around to make sure no one was listening close.

Seraphina set her tea cup down quietly. "Your sister?"

"Her name was Lyra," Rook said softly. "She was an Iron cadet here two years ago. She was top of her Class B squad."

"Where is she now?" Isolde asked, her dark eyes narrowing with interest.

"She disappeared," Rook said, his voice trembling slightly. "One day she was in the dorms. The next morning, her room was empty. Her name was wiped off the dorm roster."

Rook looked directly into my eyes.

"I went to the Wing 1 archive building last month," Rook continued, his voice tight.

"I asked the records clerk for her transcripts.

The clerk looked at me like I was mad.

He pulled the two-year-old ledger.

Her name wasn’t there.

Her file wasn’t there.

It was as if she had never lived."

Silence fell over our table.

Seraphina’s fingers twitched against her skirt.

She touched her right thigh through the fabric, feeling a sudden chill.

’The World’s Will doesn’t just kill people who ruin the script.’

’It erases them.’

’It wipes their names, their files, and their records right out of existence.’

’Rook isn’t just an orphan cadet.’

’He is searching for a sister the world tried to erase.’

"Did she do something to anger the faculty?" I asked softly.

"I don’t know," Rook said, shaking his head. "All I know is that she found something inside the Wing 1 archive vaults the week before she vanished."

Isolde looked at me, her dark shadow under the bench expanding outward like a cold wave.

"That’s why someone was scraping our door last night," Isolde whispered to me. "Someone knows we are looking into Wing 1 archives."

I reached out under the table, holding Seraphina’s hand on my right and Isolde’s hand on my left.

"We will help you find her records, Rook," I said, looking straight into his eyes. "The archive locks won’t stay closed forever."

Rook looked at the three of us, his eyes shining with deep gratitude.

"Thank you, Cassian," Rook said softly. "I’m with you. Whatever comes next."

`[Rook Ally Link Established]`

`[Sister Erasure Mystery Logged]`

`[Plot Deviation at 58%]`

`[SP Earned: +200 SP]`

`[Current SP Balance: 3,650 SP]`

Suddenly, a loud iron bell rang five sharp times across the quad outside.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

The cafeteria went dead quiet.

Professor Aldyn walked into the archway, holding a fresh red scroll stamped with the Royal Crown Seal.

"Attention Class A!" Aldyn announced, his voice echoing off the stone pillars. "The Directorate has just posted the official match brackets for the Sector 4 Tournament!"

Cedric Vale stood up at his table, a nasty smirk spreading across his face as he looked straight down at me.

The tournament brackets were out.