The sight of Chloe’s grave was a cruel truth that froze them to the core. "Absolved" was no longer a mystery; it was a tombstone.
As they stood in the cemetery's chilling and creepy silence, Leon’s eyes, sharpened by grief, were drawn to a dilapidated Victorian house perched on the hill just beyond the iron fence. Its dark windows looked down on the graves like a sentinel.
“Hey, guys... that house… it has a clear view of the entire cemetery,” he murmured. “Perhaps we can—”143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTu2TPZv07f
A flicker of small movement—a sleek, black car, the kind used by Blackwood’s senior staff, was parked discreetly behind the house. 143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAb2dCxbRY7
Alice’s hand immediately shot out, gripping Niles’s arm. “Look! That’s a school car,” she whispered, her voice taut.
Niles’s mind, reeling from the gravestone, locked onto the new variable. “They’re watching. Or meeting. We need to know.”
They had to know.
The three quietly slipped through a break in the fence and approached from the rear. A grimy, half-open basement window offered a way in. 143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2PCgclYM1J
“This is totally insane,” Leon breathed, but he was already helping Alice through. “This is breaking and trespassing.”
“They broke Chloe, Leon,” Niles replied, ignoring his complaint, his voice devoid of all emotion. He slid in after them.
They dropped into a cellar smelling of damp earth. The sound of voices, muffled but clear, drifted from above.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx71TJrFlcT
“Move,” Alice whispered, her fencer’s instincts taking over. She led them to the wooden stairs.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RD0A0Zvfs
Creeping up the wooden stairs, they pressed against the door at the top.
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“…a manageable level, but the three of them are a significant variable.” It was Professor Draven’s voice, crisp and clinical.
Three of them. Alice mouthed the words, her eyes wide. The boys both gave a grim nod.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEm6qTgpvx
A deeper, more resonant, and familiar voice replied—Headmaster Blackwood himself. “The stone must be fed, Draven. It has been since my great-grandfather laid the Academy. A few difficult students are a necessary cost. The Henderson situation, however, was becoming very sloppy.”143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaybnnsDad
“Mr. Henderson,” Niles breathed silently. Leon’s jaw tightened.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKplFeYXxte
“He was becoming a liability. His interference was utterly unacceptable. We have provided suitable correction to ensured his future compliance.”143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9bk91eaQZ
Alice flinched as if struck. Leon shut his eyes closed, a wave of guilt and anger washing over his face.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVPbFvTpSU
“I appreciate the effort. The Board is very pleased with the yield since the Martin subject, but they are becoming quite impatient for the next phase. The winter solstice is optimal. The alignment is perfect.” Headmaster Blackwood replied, his tone satisfied and determined.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQjrFHRnAw
A third voice chimed in, smooth and cold—Professor Crawford. “The three who stayed… their profiles are ideal. Especially that Fulgencio boy. His cognitive resonance is unprecedented. He is the key.”143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKDnuoifCW
Niles felt the words like a real physical blow. He was the key, their key. No longer a person, but a mere component.
Leon’s hand found his shoulder in the dark, a silent grip of solidarity.
“Thanks, Leon,” Niles whispered softly, and quickly returned his focus on the conversation.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWclUYKcUW
“Then ensure they are fully prepared,” the Headmaster said, his tone final. “The Absolution must be complete this time. The solstice—Christmas Day. No more mistakes and I do not want the past to repeat itself again. The stability of everything depends on it.”143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfUdqGM4yZ
Christmas Day. The date hung in the cold cellar air. They only had days before their tombstones were added to the graveyard.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFyRqEPljd
The conversation shifted to logistics, but the trio had heard enough. Their blood had turned to ice. The Headmaster, Professor Draven, and Professor Crawford weren't just enforcers; they were the high priests of this ritual. They were curating sacrifices for the Weeping Stone and the winter solstice—Christmas Day itself—was the chosen time.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwrTSZK3n3
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Silently, they retreated, they were back out into the frigid twilight. The warmth and laughter from The Hearth felt like a distant, cruel memory.
“They have a date,” Leon said, his voice hollow as they stumbled away from the house. “They have a ritual. And we’re their centre pieces.”
“We’re not just targets,” Niles corrected, his mind already racing against the new, horrifying clock. “We’re the ritual components. They need us for the stone to work.”
Alice hugged herself tightly, looking back at the dark house on the hill. “Then we have until Christmas to make sure it doesn’t.”
They had the final, horrifying piece of the puzzle. They had a name for the enemy, a date for their intended end, and the chilling knowledge that the highest authority in the school was the architect of it all. Time was no longer an abstract enemy. 143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzeg8kFEuL
It was a terrifyingly concrete countdown, ticking down to Christmas Day.
ns216.73.216.64da2
and then Add to home screen.