Time in Division of Shadows: 3.5 Months Completed
One and a half months blurred past like a flicker of gunfire.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRnwF4xiey
Recon drops, infiltration ops, containment sweeps — half of them in rain, the other half in situations where they wished it was just rain.
The Division of Shadows didn’t believe in “downtime” so much as “shorter gaps between disasters.”
By the end of it, the numbers spoke for themselves.
In the common room, Veer and Ishaan kicked the door open like bounty hunters returning from a long haul, both carrying that look of people who were 80% tired and 20% unreasonably proud.
Ishaan: “Twenty-three missions for Valgrave.”273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB70Sfg7Ddl
Veer: “Sixty-two for COMA.”
They turned to Luce, who was reclining on the couch like the concept of exhaustion had never existed.
Ishaan: “Bro… I need payment for this.”273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9dVH48mnsT
Veer: “I need therapy for this.”
Raiden looked up from cleaning his rifle. “You both need brain scans.”
Lev, not looking up from his book: “Waste of resources. They’ll just find static.”
Ishaan tossed a pillow at him. Lev didn’t even blink as it bounced off his shoulder.
Dinner Chaos
That night, the squad headed to the community hall for dinner.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1Ig02NxfM
The smell of spiced rice and fresh bread floated through the air, soldiers clattering trays and swapping stories. Long tables buzzed with voices, plates passed from hand to hand.
It was almost peaceful.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6jd3mpUkz
Which, for Ravenfall, should have been the first warning sign.
Veer was halfway through explaining to Avni why the Shadow Division’s coffee probably qualified as a war crime when a scream tore through the air from the west wing restroom.
A soldier shot to his feet. “Professor’s down!”
Instant tension. Boots scraped against the floor, chairs toppled, and every head in the room snapped toward the sound.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlDKOU7tB4
Some soldiers went for weapons. Others made for the door. The hall became a crush of motion.
Raiden was already moving. “Stay close—”
But Ishaan, peering through the crowd, muttered: “Oh, here we go…”
The Scene
The restroom was a mess of shattered porcelain and a toppled water basin. The Valgrave professor lay slumped in the corner, eyes open but glassy, one hand limp on the tile. No weapon in sight.
“Is he—” Veer started.
Lev cut in: “Yep.”
Avni: “You checked his pulse in two seconds?”
Lev: “Didn’t need to. His spirit’s probably halfway to filing a complaint already.”
Two Shadow Division medics pushed past, beginning their work. The hall behind them was now a boiling knot of voices.
Through it all, at the far end of the table, Luce sat calmly cutting into his bread, sipping water between bites.
He swallowed, set down his glass, and spoke just loud enough to cut through the clamor:
“Sixty-third mission for COMA.”
For a moment, silence fell — then all of Ravenfall collectively groaned and shouted at once:
“AHHHHH—!”
Ishaan dropped his head into his hands. “We can’t even eat without you pulling another quest line—”273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT35bCTZ8A1
Veer: “Do I get hazard pay for dinner?”273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDupDk6ruWQ
Raiden: “No. You get more missions.”
Immediate Follow-up
The rest of the night should have been questioning and paperwork.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNG7lQe9W5
Instead, Lev and Luce slipped away to scout the surrounding sector. The halls of the west wing were dim, and outside, the wind carried the smell of rain.
They caught sight of a lone figure running toward the student dorm area — fast, head low, no Shadow Division insignia.
By the time they followed the trail back, the figure was gone.
Ravenfall regrouped and went straight to Elda.
Veer: “Whoever it was, they’re not from Shadows. Could be Order or Force.”273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzsrqXuMGS
Elda: “What’s your plan?”273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnsDuPIIzK
Luce: “For now? Scout quietly. Find their division. Deal with it tomorrow.”
Elda’s comm buzzed before she could reply. She listened for a moment, her expression tightening.
Elda: “…Ravenfall. Kaia’s dead. Killed herself last night.”
Ishaan froze. “Kaia? No. She’s fine. I just saw her—”273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRaIa6tGZFO
Elda: “I’m sorry. It’s confirmed.”
Silence fell heavy.
Ishaan: “We don’t even know who killed Viktor, now the Valgrave professor, and Kaia too? And they’re all being called suicides?”273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKku1OHddbT
Raiden: “Three deaths. Zero answers.”
The Unwelcome Truth
Elda’s voice was calm but final:273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8aXak2p6d
“Graduate Shadows first. Then join your next division. We’ll talk later.”
It wasn’t what anyone wanted to hear — but she was right.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNe7mSStg9X
The clock was running.
New Phase
Four months in total had now passed in Division of Shadows.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZOzTHBbkf
When the announcements came, it was official: out of all trainees in shadows (57), forty would be moving on to the Division of Order.
For Ravenfall, it meant a class change — new schedules, new instructors, and a completely different pace.
The shock came fast:273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXQpD4Afot
Training was now pure theory.
Eight hours a day, five to five, in stiff-backed lecture halls. No missions unless something urgent came up.
By day three, Ishaan was slumped over his desk, groaning:273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3g28GC3VUi
“I swear… I’m more tired now than when we were being shot at.”
Dev: “Classrooms do that. Death by boredom.”
Saira: “Good. Consider it survival training.”
The missions might have slowed, but the tension behind the walls hadn’t gone anywhere.
ns216.73.216.33da2
and then Add to home screen.