The academy felt unchanged.
But Lunivara knew—
that only meant the change had moved elsewhere.
"…You're serious?"
Jude looked at her, one brow raised.
"…The docks?"
"…Yes."
A short pause.
"…Right now?" he added.
"…Before the festival preparations escalate."
Jude exhaled.
Half a laugh.
"…You really don't wait, do you?"
"…Delay reduces clarity."
"…Fair enough."
A voice from behind—
calm.
"…Then we go."
Leontius.
Jude glanced back.
"…You're coming too?"
"…You already decided to investigate."
Not a question.
A statement.
Lunivara didn't object.
"…Then we proceed."
The path to the docks was quieter than the academy.
Less structured.
Less controlled.
The sound of water reached them first.
Soft.
Then uneven.
"…Doesn't feel like anything happened," Jude muttered.
"…Surface conditions normalize quickly," Lunivara replied.
"…That doesn't sound reassuring."
They stepped closer.
The dock stretched ahead—
still.
Too still.
Lunivara's gaze moved across the surface.
Then—
lower.
"…There."
Jude followed her line of sight.
"…What am I looking at?"
"…The wood."
A faint mark.
Barely visible.
As if something had pressed against it—
but not with force.
Jude crouched slightly.
"…That wasn't there before?"
"…It was not reported."
A pause.
Leontius stepped closer.
He didn't crouch.
He observed from above.
"…It is not impact."
"…Then what?" Jude asked.
Leontius didn't answer immediately.
"…Displacement."
Silence.
"…That doesn't make it clearer," Jude said.
Lunivara traced the edge of the mark—without touching it.
"…The direction is inconsistent."
"…Meaning?" Jude asked.
"…It did not come from above."
A pause.
Jude blinked.
"…So… from the water?"
Silence.
The surface shifted slightly.
"Ripple—"
All three stilled.
Not dramatic.
Not violent.
But wrong.
Leontius's gaze sharpened.
"…It reacts."
"…To what?" Jude asked.
No answer.
Lunivara stepped back slightly.
"…Distance."
The ripple faded.
As if nothing had happened.
Jude let out a breath.
"…Alright. I officially don't like that."
A faint sound behind them.
Footsteps.
Jude turned immediately.
"…Someone there?"
Nothing.
Just empty pathway.
But—
not quite.
Lunivara's gaze lingered.
[Not empty.]
Leontius spoke quietly.
"…They followed."
"…Again?" Jude muttered.
"…Yes."
A pause.
"…Same as before?" Jude asked.
Leontius's eyes remained on the distance.
"…No."
Silence.
That single word shifted everything.
Lunivara's thoughts aligned instantly.
[Different pattern.]
Jude frowned.
"…That's worse, isn't it?"
"…Yes."
The water moved again.
Slightly.
Not wind.
Not current.
Something else.
Then—
stillness.
Complete.
Lunivara stepped back fully.
"…We leave."
Jude didn't argue.
"…Gladly."
Leontius took one last look at the mark.
As if committing it to memory.
Then turned.
They walked back toward the academy.
But the air had changed.
Lighter above—
heavier underneath.
Jude broke the silence first.
"…So… we've got strange marks, reactive water, and being followed."
A short pause.
"…Anything else?"
Lunivara answered calmly.
"…Incomplete information."
Jude let out a breath.
"…Of course."
Leontius added—
quiet, certain—
"…And escalation."
Silence followed.
Because that word—
meant this was only the beginning.
End of Chapter 24