OPERATION WINTERSPINE (Strings Between Us Book 2)

CHAPTER THREE: OF THE RING, THE CHAIN, AND THE COFFEE CRISIS

And before the tension broke.

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM FACULTY:

"All students: A surprise written examination for academic evaluation will begin this week. Prepare accordingly."

"WHAAT?!" Jodie shrieked. "We just had one two weeks ago!"

"Why is this school alternating between festivals and exams?" Xylia groaned.

"What's wrong with exams?" Alexie asked as she sat beside me.

"They post the results. Everyone sees your rank." Errol muttered.

"Do they kick you out if you fail?" Alexie frowned.

"No," Mico said. "They just... humiliate you."

"Guess I'll be fine then," Alexie shrugged, completely unfazed.

Then, across the table Keryn called out, voice loud enough to catch attention, "Does Xythe make the tests?"

"Nope. He took the exam last time." I shook my head.

"What?! Xythe's taking exams? Since when?" Keryn's jaw dropped.

"He called it blending in," I muttered.

"Why is that mafia guy even excused from exams?" Bianchi looked offended.

"Because, Ms. Vice President," Keryn grinned, "in Celestine, Xythe writes the exams. He's the one torturing the students."

Gasps. A few students dropped their cups.

"In Celestine," Alexie added cheerfully, "failing his test gets you erased from school. Literally. They check your paper and you're gone. No announcement. You're just gone gone. Kicked out. Expelled."

"WHAT?!" Jodie, Errol, and Xylia chorused.

"Exams in Celestine are war," Keryn beamed. "And Xythe's the battlefield."

"Wait, if he took this exam here, did he... perfect it?" Alexie asked.

"Nope. He purposely wrote wrong answers. I took the top rank." I sipped my Spanish latte.

"WHAT?!" Alexie howled.

Saichel clapped, loud and smug. "If our Princess is smart smart, then our Tactician is genius."

And just like that, the Commons exploded—half in disbelief, half in laughter, and the rest just feeding off the rising tension like it was a spectator sport.

I stood up, brushing invisible crumbs off my skirt as I headed toward Cafe Callisto—the Allievo Commons Café—again. Third iced coffee of the morning. Honestly? Still not enough. I needed fuel. Jet fuel.

From behind me, Keryn's voice cut clean through the noise, just loud enough to be intentional. "And where is he again right now? He's supposed to be here. With you and Saichel, Ari."

Saichel's pulse pattern flickered across my left pinky finger—chaotic spikes pulsing between calm waves. That meant only one thing: he was about to do something stupidly playful.

And then he did.

"Ari! Where's Xythe?" Saichel yelled like we were on opposite ends of a battlefield.

I turned from the counter, already annoyed. "How would I know?"

Yep. We were shouting now. Across the Commons. In front of everyone. Even Bianchi had stopped stirring her tea to watch this unfold like it was scripted drama.

"Duh! You've got a ring connected to his pulse," Saichel said dramatically, flinging his arms wide like it was obvious. "Read his heartbeat. Who knows? Our genius Tactician could already be dead!"

His pulse changed instantly—slow, deliberate rhythms, like someone taking a staged breath before delivering the final line of a play.

And that line? It detonated in the Commons.

"She has what now? A ring from Xythe?"
"What kind of ring are we talking about?"
"Wait, connected how?!"

Even KD raised a brow from his table in the corner, cool and unreadable except for that slight lift—barely there, but it meant: We'll talk later.

Great. Now I owe an explanation.

I sighed and closed my eyes for a second, grounding myself.

One hard pulse. Blank space. Another hard pulse. Short pulses rising, like a countdown. Then—steady, crisp three-count beats...silence...then repeat.

"Saichel," I called, eyes still closed, voice dry, "you better be ready. He's probably planning to dagger you in your sleep."

That got a reaction.

"He's annoyed. And irritated. Definitely solving some puzzle somewhere. Probably cursing you while doing it."

I grabbed my iced coffee—finally done brewing—and walked back toward the table, feeling all the stares pinned to my shoulders. Not even trying to hide it. The entire Commons was locked in on me now like I was part of some secret drama no one got invited to.

And Saichel? His pulse had shifted again—tick-tick...pause...tick-tick...flutter.

I sighed. He was laughing. That evil, mischievous, gonna-mess-up-your-day kind of laugh.

"Stop it, Saichel," I snapped, loud enough for the audience.

He blinked at me innocently. "What? I didn't do anything."

"You don't need to," I deadpanned, sliding into my seat. "Your heartbeat already said everything."

And before anyone could react—

Static.

Then, Tofer's voice blasted through the Commons intercom—loud, smug, and way too proud of himself for doing the absolute bare minimum.

"⚡ Breaking news!

Xythe Nathaniel Alcantara just got bored and accidentally unlocked a legendary war-grade puzzle that's been sealed since the Academy's reconstruction.
You know, the Eclipsa Sanctum door?
Yeah. It's open now.
Time? 2 minutes. 47 seconds.
You're welcome."

The world stopped.

Literally. Conversation—gone. Footsteps—frozen. Breathing—held. Even the air hesitated.

Even KD, the unbothered Ice President, looked stunned for half a second. That alone should've made headlines.

Saichel, on the other hand, exploded into laughter. Loud, unfiltered, chaotic.

"Of course he solved it!" he howled. "He's Xythe! The door probably begged for forgiveness!"

Then another voice broke through—dry, low, and completely done with everyone's nonsense.

Seb.

"Saichel. Xythe says you're dead. Your heartbeat's so chaotic it's distracting him on every level. Better remove that pulse chain or he's cutting off your left ankle."

The Commons lost it.

Chairs squeaked, someone actually choked on their drink, and Bianchi gasped like this was peak reality TV.

Saichel, grinning like a menace, flicked on his comm and shot back:

"Tell the Prince he's the one with a chaotic, unstable pulse— like sparks across a shorted wire. In short? He's dramatic."

Static. Silence. Cut off.

The entire Commons stared at our table like they weren't sure whether to call for medics...or grab popcorn.

And me? I just sipped my iced coffee.

Of course they were like this.