[Celestial Academy — West Wing Study Room — Day 16 — 8:00 PM]
Valeria had warned them at seven.
A note under Alex’s door. Five words: *Agustín and Magnus et tomorrow.*
The team in the study room an hour later.
---
"Situation," said Maya. Map of the Academy on the table.
"Agustín requested a formal eting with Magnus for tomorrow at ten. Official agenda: facilities review and security protocols." She pointed at the old building on the map.
"Facilities review includes the north building."
"What does that an exactly?" asked Emily.
"That if the eting happens, Magnus may grant Agustín formal control of the building." Maya. "And if Agustín has formal control, the Temple enters with institutional authority."
"Fragnt 5 would be in Temple custody," said Raven.
"Yes."
Silence.
"Do we take it now?" asked Raven.
"If we take the book now, Agustín knows we have it before we even leave the Academy." Maya without hesitation.
"Alex’s Aura Suppression is already under pressure. If he activates an active search inside the campus—"
"We won’t make it to the exit," Kira finished.
"We won’t make it to the exit."
"What if we wait?"
"If we wait and the eting happens, Agustín locks down access before Fragnt 5 chooses a bearer." Maya closed the map.
"The book stays inside a building under Temple control. And when Fragnt 5 chooses, the bearer walks into a space the Temple controls."
The team processed that.
"Is there a third option?" said Alex.
Kira spoke.
"A distraction." Direct as always. "Sothing that delays the eting between Agustín and Magnus long enough for us to act first."
"How much ti do we need?"
"To enter the building and wait for Fragnt 5 to choose—" Maya calculating. "Two hours minimum. Three if Fragnt 5 takes its ti."
"Can Valeria delay the eting three hours?"
"Valeria can interfere with Magnus’s agenda." Kira.
"Magnus is the kind of Director who will respond to any incident affecting the Academy’s institutional reputation before any eting with the Temple." Her invisible ears but her evaluation visible.
"If there’s a visible academic incident requiring the Director’s attention at nine in the morning, the eting with Agustín gets moved."
"What kind of incident?"
"One that looks urgent without actually being urgent."
Raven: "I can handle that."
Everyone looked at her.
"How?" said Emily.
"Herden has been wanting to report my level inconsistencies for two weeks." Raven. "If tomorrow in the eight‑thirty class I show exactly how much I’ve been holding back, the report will reach Magnus before nine."
"And that will occupy him for three hours?"
"Magnus will be busy investigating inconsistencies in an exchange student. He’ll take as long as he needs to take." Raven.
"Valeria can amplify it from the inside."
Maya: "I’ll coordinate with Valeria tonight."
---
Grim through Death’s Synergy.
Alex in a low voice: "Fragnt 5. If we go in tomorrow and take it before it chooses a bearer—"
**"Fragnt 5, like the others, cannot be forced."** Grim. **"If you take the book without Fragnt 5 having chosen, the book is just a book. Fragnt 5 remains dormant inside."**
"And if the bearer arrives after the Temple has the book?"
**"If Agustín has the book and Fragnt 5 chooses, the bearer walks into a space controlled by the Temple."** Pause. **"The chosen bearer doesn’t know what they have. The Temple does."**
The team understood without anyone saying it fully.
"Then we don’t take the book," said Alex. "We wait inside until Fragnt 5 chooses."
"What if it doesn’t choose tomorrow?" said Emily.
**"It is very close,"** said Grim. **"Closer every day. Tomorrow—"** A pause. **"I think tomorrow."**
"Are you certain it will happen?"
**"High."**
"Number?" said Maya.
**"I don’t have a number for this."**
Maya noted *high estimate without number* and continued.
"We execute tomorrow," said Alex.
"Raven creates the incident at eight‑thirty. Valeria amplifies. The team enters the building at nine. We wait for Fragnt 5."
No one objected.
---
That night.
Alex with Viktor’s crystal.
Full text of the situation — Agustín’s eting, the plan, the timing, Fragnt 5 close to choosing.
Viktor responded in ten minutes.
*"The Circle is in position. Four periter points. Signal when you need an exit."*
A pause.
Then another line.
*"It’s true that Cael knows you’re there. I haven’t been able to confirm whether that’s a problem or an advantage."*
And the last.
*"Be careful with Agustín. He’s not what the reports show."*
Alex read the three lines twice.
He put away the crystal.
---
[Lodging Wing Hallway — 11:30 PM]
Emily was in the hallway.
Not on guard — sitting on the floor with her back against the wall and the library notes in her lap.
Alex found her when he ca out of his room.
He sat down next to her on the floor.
Emily looked up.
"Can I ask you sothing?"
"Yes."
A pause.
"If tomorrow goes wrong..."
Alex looked at her.
"It won’t go wrong."
"But if it goes wrong." Emily had learned that from Kira. "What do I do?"
Alex processed the question honestly.
He thought about all the tis sothing had gone wrong — the Crystals, the Catacombs, Level Four with the Veil. About what he had done each ti.
"The sa thing you do when it goes right," he said. "Keep going."
Emily looked at her notes.
"What if I don’t know how?"
"You already know how." Alex looked at her. "You did it before. And you kept going."
Emily didn’t answer imdiately.
Kira appeared in the hallway — checking the periter by reflex before sleeping, as always.
She stopped when she saw them.
She evaluated the situation.
She sat down on the floor on Emily’s other side.
"What’s wrong?"
"Nothing," said Emily.
"Are you nervous about tomorrow?"
A pause.
"Yes."
"Good." Kira direct. "Nervousness is useful information. It tells you that what’s happening matters."
"What if Fragnt 5 chooses soone who doesn’t want to be chosen?"
"We convince them." Kira. "Or we don’t convince them, and we find another way."
"Is there always another way?"
Kira looked at her.
Her invisible ears but her expression completely readable to Emily, who had spent months learning to read it.
"Not always." Honest as always. "But there are enough ways that it’s worth keeping looking."
Emily nodded.
She put away the notes.
"Thank you."
Kira nodded.
Alex stood up.
"Sleep. Tomorrow at eight."
Emily stood up too.
She went into her room.
The door closed.
Kira stayed in the hallway for a mont.
Looking at the closed door.
*You did it before.*
The sa thing Alex had said to her.
The sa thing Kira would have said to her if Alex hadn’t said it first.
She went to her room.
The hallway was empty.
Tomorrow at eight.
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