Arcbound: Tale of The Guardians

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Hillstead Academy – Morning, Lecture Hall B

History class. Again.

Boring droning from Mr. Talver. Maps of the old Hillstead ruins on the projector. Students half-listening.

Kai dozed off with his head on his fist.

Carl tapped his pencil to a beat only he could hear.

Natasha quietly texted under the desk, one leg crossed over the other like nothing in this universe could shake her confidence.

And Henry… was pretending to take notes.

Nora sat one row behind him.

Not beside. Behind.

It gave her the perfect angle.

Every few minutes, her gaze flicked from her notebook to him. Casual. Innocent. But focused. Like she was scanning for signs of reaction—signs that he remembered last night.

The kiss.

Her heart still did that flutter-thing whenever she thought about it.

He hadn't brought it up. Not once. Not during training this morning. Not even while walking into class. If anything, he seemed... nervous. Or maybe confused.

That made it funnier.

And a little more satisfying.

So she watched him. Again.

And this time—he caught her.

Henry glanced over his shoulder lazily, expecting to see Carl or Kai slacking off.

Instead, Nora was right there—chin resting on her palm, lips tilted in the smallest smirk.

He blinked.

She winked.

He turned away fast, nearly knocking his pen off the desk.

Behind him, she grinned.

---

Elsewhere – Guardian Base Alpha 2.0

Leo stood in front of a giant projection of Hillstead's perimeter sensors. His fingers danced across the glowing screen, but his eyes kept glancing to a small image tile on the edge—Natasha's live vitals feed.

"Still stable," he murmured.

ECHO responded: "You've checked her readings six times this morning. There is no deviation."

"I'm just being thorough," Leo muttered.

ECHO paused. "Her Oria pulse signature is healthy. Elevated slightly when Caleb walked by her locker."

Leo's jaw tightened. "Not helpful, ECHO."

Behind him, Jay entered silently.

"Still running diagnostics?" he asked.

Leo nodded. "If Alastor is still out there, I want every shadow in this city catalogued. It can look like anyone, Jay. It could literally be one of us."

Jay said nothing.

Then: "That's why emotional discipline is critical. Feelings cloud your pattern recognition."

Leo didn't answer.

Jay looked at him.

"You're worried it'll disguise itself as Natasha."

Leo finally said, "If it does… I want to be the first one to know."

---

Back in Class – Midday

Henry tried his best to focus.

Really, he did.

But it wasn't easy when he could feel Nora smiling behind him.

Her chair scraped forward once, then again. Then once more. Each time, just an inch closer.

He glanced back again. She pretended to write.

He turned away.

She tapped her pencil against his desk leg.

He flinched.

"Problem?" she whispered, voice silky.

He didn't answer. The corner of her mouth twitched.

Three rows away, Kai finally looked up and yawned. "When's lunch?"

Carl replied, "Bro, I brought three wraps. We can merge them into one super wrap."

"Merge" earned a groan from Natasha. "You know Leo hates when you say that outside combat."

Henry sighed, trying to look normal, but Nora gently nudged her foot against his.

He jumped again.

Nobody noticed.

---

Hillstead Courtyard – Later

The team exited class, spreading out across the courtyard.

Kai and Carl argued about wrap physics.

Natasha walked alone, messaging Caleb.

Henry lagged behind.

Nora walked beside him. Closer than usual. Close enough to brush arms now and then.

"You're acting weird," he said suddenly.

"Me?" she asked. "How?"

"You keep—" he gestured vaguely, "—looking."

Nora raised an eyebrow. "Looking?"

"At me."

"Maybe you have something on your face."

Henry squinted. "Do I?"

Nora smirked. "No. But now I have a reason to keep staring."

Henry blinked.

Before he could respond, her voice dropped quieter. "Don't worry. I won't do anything scandalous… unless you ask nicely."

And with that, she broke off from the group, heading toward the Arc stairwell.

Henry stood frozen for a second, watching her leave.

Carl bumped into him. "Bro. You zoned out hard. Did she kiss you again?"

Henry choked. "What?! NO."

Kai glanced between them. "Wait… again?"

Henry shoved his hands in his pockets and stormed forward. "Shut up. All of you."

Carl and Kai exchanged looks, and laughed hard.

Carl muttered, "Just kidding. Why do u look so worked up?"

Kai laughed again. "We need an alert system for drama."

Carl grinned. "Leo would build it."

---

The hallway was quiet. Almost too quiet.

Nora pushed open the bathroom door with a slow creak and stepped inside. Pale sunlight filtered through the frosted window. The tiled space echoed with the faint drip of a leaking faucet. Not a soul in sight.

She locked the door behind her.

The moment the latch clicked, her shoulders rolled back. Her breath hitched—not nervous, but... shifting.

Her hands trembled slightly.

Then stilled.

Then… warped.

Like skin made of mercury.

Her entire frame twisted for a second. Not completely—just a ripple across her form, like fabric catching in a breeze.

Her reflection in the mirror flickered.

One second it was Nora, blinking at herself.

The next—

A taller figure. Eyes black and hollow. Skin gleaming with Arc residue. Body flickering with static, like it didn't fully belong in this plane.

Alastor.

The mimic.

The reflection smirked. But the mirror didn't move.

Its voice was a blend of many. A glitching whisper, layered and eerie.

"Emotion… is such a useful disguise."

It tilted its head.

"Desire. Infatuation. Longing… What rich patterns to mimic."

Then, just as quickly, it cracked its neck—and shifted back into Nora.

Nora's face again. Nora's stance. Nora's expression.

But that smile?

That wasn't Nora.

It lingered just a little too long. A little too wide.

She—it—turned away from the mirror and strolled out of the bathroom like nothing had happened.

---

Meanwhile – Guardian Base Alpha 2.0

Leo stood at his console, sipping a can of neon soda.

ECHO flickered to life again. "One more anomaly."

Leo sighed. "Where?"

"East Hall. Minor fluctuation. Sub-zero delay spike in energy calibration."

Jay looked up from the training sim console. "Fluctuation like what?"

Leo frowned at the readout. "Like someone didn't sync properly… during a shift."

Jay went still.

Leo hesitated. "You think it was—?"

Jay didn't answer. He just walked away.

Toward the exit.

Toward the east wing.

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