The grand hall of the Otherworld Academy was alive with whispers, shadows weaving through the light like restless ghosts. Liora’s mind raced as she clutched the pendant Kael had given her—a symbol of trust now heavy with doubt.

“Someone’s playing us,” Kael said, eyes dark and unreadable. “The Binding Mark isn’t just a curse or a blessing—it’s a target.”

Liora’s heart sank. She had trusted the faces around her, but now the walls seemed to close in, and every smile felt like a mask hiding betrayal.

Late that night, beneath flickering lanterns, she caught a glimpse of a shadow slipping through the corridors—familiar, yet dangerous.

“Who wears the betrayer’s mask?” she whispered, knowing the answer could tear their fragile alliance apart.

With every secret revealed, the line between friend and foe blurred — and Liora realized that sometimes the greatest threat comes from within.