The bells didn't chime.
They screamed.
The observatory's emergency siren—wrought from layered sigils and dimensional locks—howled through every corridor of Astravael's campus. Its pitch was laced with warning glyphs, shrill with cascading runes that spoke not of fire, flood, or spellshock…
…but of dimensional contamination.
Within seconds, wings of security mages arrived. They blinked into position with rippled air behind them—mantles flaring, lenses flickering with identification arrays.
"Get her secured," someone barked. "Seal the grounds. I want dream barriers and time-rigging around this zone—nothing gets in or out without tribunal clearance!"
Lynchie barely registered the words.
Her body ached, but not with pain. It was like her skin was listening. Like her bones were tuned to something humming far beyond the veil of ordinary sound. Every flicker of mana nearby sent shivers through her—not fear, but pressure. A presence beneath everything.
She looked down at her chest.
The Spiral Glyph hadn't faded. It glowed faintly beneath her collar, nestled where her heart should be.
She felt someone grip her arm—firm but not harsh.
It was Salareth. "Lynchie," he said softly, "we need to move. Now."
His face was unreadable. Not fear—not exactly. But something close. Awe wrapped in urgency.
Around them, the other students stared. Jaira looked like she wanted to say something but didn't dare. Michaella had one hand on her wand, still trembling. Ardella was gone. Disappeared. Lynchie didn't even remember seeing her leave.
And then—
Click.
Clack.
Step.
Step.
Boots on marble.
A robed figure approached through the dispersing mist of magic—his presence silencing even the wind.
He wore a cloak lined with constellations that moved on their own, shifting stars bleeding from the seams. His eyes glinted like forged silver, and his breath smelled of burnt ink and cold night air.
"Student Fuentes Regino," he said. "Come with me."
Salareth stepped forward. "By what authority?"
The man did not blink. "By Synod order. Division Astralum. Name: Professor Callus Mein."
Jaira gasped. "He teaches... basic constellation theory—he's in her class—"
"Not just that," Salareth growled. "He's a Synod agent. Embedded."
Professor Mein turned his gaze on Lynchie. "You've triggered a glyph bound to the First Zodiac. The Spiral is not a simple phenomenon. The Council's Watchers are en route, but until they arrive…"
He extended a hand. "You are under institutional protection and divine observation."
Lynchie stared at his palm. Her breath caught.
What would happen if she took it?
What if she didn't?
But she didn't get to decide.
Behind her—a crack.
The observatory dome split fully down the center. The sky above groaned.
And for the first time in over a thousand years, a Rift opened inside the walls of Astravael Academy.
A Rift without a Gate.
Without a Summoner.
Without permission.
Inside the spiral of light above, an eye blinked once—
—and vanished.