STRINGS BETWEEN US

CHAPTER THIRTY: OF RETURNING STEPS, FAMILIAR SHADOWS, AND THE BOY WHO BROKE EVER

I sank lower into my seat.

You have got to be kidding me.

"Furthermore," the voice continued, "we are pleased to announce that the lockdown across Supreme Allievo Academy has been officially lifted. Dormitory curfew is extended to 10:00 p.m., effective immediately."

The students were already buzzing, but that announcement made it worse.

Laughter. Relief. Cheers.

And then—

"In celebration of Supreme Allievo Academy's seventy-eighth founding anniversary, the postponed Arcanum Festival Week will resume as scheduled. Festivities begin on Monday and will continue for seven days, concluding with the Grand Illumina Night."

Phones came out. Group chats lit up. Half the class started whispering about booths and costumes.

And just when I thought things couldn't get worse. The classroom doors opened again.

And Veritas Hall held its breath.

Because of course.

Of course it had to be him.

Xythe Nathaniel Alcantara.

The boy who once only existed in memories—now clad in the navy and maroon of Supreme Allievo Academy.

He looked like the soft glow of early morning sunlight—quiet, warm, untouchable. That same gentle smile at his lips, the kind that made you forget he’d already figured you out. His ocean-blue eyes were sharp and glacial, but somehow still soft enough to make you hesitate. His features weren’t all edges, his cheekbones framed instead of cut, his jaw more steady than severe. His lips, naturally red, stayed in that almost-there line like silence was the better answer. And his hair always messy, always falling back into his face no matter how many times he pushed it away. He wasn’t trying to look good. He just was.

And yes.

It still knocked the air out of me. But this wasn't Celestine anymore.

Now, he wore SAA's uniform like he was born in it—crisp navy blue blazer, silver embroidered crest shining over his chest, and steel-gray tie held that made him look like he didn't follow rules, he rewrote them. He moved through the aisle with that same quiet grace, like the room tilted to accommodate him. He didn't speak. Didn't scan the crowd. Didn't even look my way.

Xylia's eyes were still on him. "Well," she said softly, "I guess the Prince has finally landed."

Jodie sipped from her drink with a smirk. "And I didn't even get to bet on the fallout yet."

I didn't speak.

Not when he sat a few rows down. Not when his gaze flickered past me like I was just another student. Not when the war I had only just survived—looked me in the eye again.

Because this wasn't Celestine.

And this wasn't the past.

This was Supreme Allievo. And Xythe Nathaniel Alcantara had just entered my battlefield.

KD'S POV

The room shifted the second the announcement dropped.

I didn't flinch, didn't let it show—but I felt it.

Xythe Nathaniel Alcantara.
Celestine's Prince. The ghost from Riyee's past she only ever named once—and never explained.

They say power walks softly. He just walked into Veritas Hall, and the entire academy stopped breathing.

And I couldn't take my eyes off him. Not because I felt threatened. But because I didn't know what I was looking at.

Everyone knows Xythe. The name, at least. You don't move in elite circles without hearing it whispered across high tables and interschool summits.

But no one knows what he does. No one knows what he's capable of. Because Celestine Ardent Academy keeps him hidden. Guarded.

The way they kept Riyee.

And now—he's here. Wearing SAA navy like it's always been his.

A move like that isn't just paperwork. It's declaration. And yet, it wasn't his name on the letter that got me.

It was the other one.

Ardent Court.

I don't know who they are.
I've searched.
Pulled names, database trails, ghost forums.

Nothing. Just silence where answers should be.

And that—that unsettles me more than his presence.

Because Xythe isn't here alone.
He's backed. Organized. Controlled.

And whoever the Ardent Court is—they're moving for her.

Riyee.

Why? Why send someone like him to our campus now?

Why warn me to protect her, when he used to be the one who hurt her?

What is she to them?

What else about her don't I know?

I don't flinch as he takes his seat. I don't move when everyone turns to look at Riyee.

But I watch. And I calculate.

Because if Xythe is a prince.

Then the Ardent Court? They're a kingdom I haven't seen yet.

And whatever game they're playing, they just stepped onto my board.