OPERATION WINTERSPINE (Strings Between Us Book 2)

CHAPTER EIGHT: OF CRIMSON ENTRANCES, COLD KISSES, AND THE STORM

"Dramatic timing doesn't cover seven whole minutes of vanishing." I narrowed my eyes. "Where the hell did you all go?"

"Dorms," Keryn said with a shrug. "Sock crisis."

"Strategy meeting," Lyle added, adjusting his crest. "Seb refused to leave without his backup cuffs."

"They weren't tangled," Seb muttered. "Tofer repacked the kit wrong."

"Because you labeled everything in code!" Tofer hissed. "It was like solving a crossword to find the stun pins!"

"Arguing about bags?" Thres deadpanned. "Really?"

"Alexie made me change undershirts," Saichel mumbled.

"Because you were giving background dancer energy!" Alexie said, throwing her hands up. "You're welcome."

"You're all unhinged," I said, deadpan.

"And yet," Xythe smirked, "you still missed us."

I didn't dignify that with an answer.

From the bleachers, someone muttered. "Are they always this chaotic?"

"They're so unorganized!" Bianchi said louder. "How do they even rule a school?"

Lyle turned slowly, voice calm. "With precision, practice, and people who know when to shut up."

That shut her up. But not the crowd.

Headmaster Antonio's voice booms through the mic, half exasperated, half proud:

"Control yourselves, my Vanguard Nine. You're not in the war room, you're in my gym. You're not on stage for a drama festival. You're here for Sports Week. So let's dial the chaos down to... say, Ardent Level Two."

The crowd erupted—because that name meant something.

It wasn't just a label. It was a legacy. A title earned through strategy, precision, and victories that left echoes.

Even the High Chamber paused—because when Headmaster Antonio called us that, it meant the Ardent Court wasn't just here to play.

They were here to rewrite the scoreboard.

I exhaled slowly. This was Level Two? God help us if we hit Five.

Under the vaulted skylight, beneath the banners of both academies, Antonio Levesque took center stage.

His voice rang out—measured, resonant, practiced.

"Welcome to Sports Week. This week is not about enemies. It's about excellence. Not about breaking records, but breaking limits. May we all remember—"

'Unity through competition. Growth over glory.'

"To the students of Supreme Allievo Academy, and our esteemed guests from afar—thank you for choosing to meet one another on the field, where effort speaks louder than pride."

He paused, then turned slightly, with a formal yet respectful nod.

""Now, before the duels begin, before someone ends up with a sprained ego or a shattered scoreboard, I'd like to introduce someone many of you know by reputation... and I've known long enough for him to trust his students to me."

"Headmaster of Celestine Ardent Academy. Founder of the original Ardent Court. Former strategist of the Sovereign-Ardent Alliance. Father of Lyle Raizen Soriano. And uncle to our very own Arielle Rylance Del Rio."

He cast a glance toward Lazaro's direction, familiar yet formal.

"My colleague. My old rival in chess. And still the only man who manages to win arguments without raising his voice."