<h4>Chapter 502: The Secret Group (III)</h4>


    <strong>Evaline:</strong>


    Oscar looked at me in the eyes as he exined, "There’s this theory that Marcus might have set a trigger near the door. So whoever tried to step out... fell unconscious under the spell."


    A spell?


    It could be a possibility. But if it was indeed a spell, then it meant a witch was involved in this matter... and that... was a problem. A big one.


    "If it’s indeed a spell then it could make sense why the unconscious students woke up right after the offerings were made. He could have controlled the effect of the spell unlike if it a drug." Rowan spoke, more to himself as if he was trying to put two and two together and make sense out of thisplete nonsense.


    Kieran let out a deep sigh, running his hand down his face. "How long before that kid wakes up? We need him to spill the truth."


    Instead of answering, River spared Oscar a nce which made thetter almost wince.


    "What is it?" I asked, shocked by Oscar’s reaction.


    "Well... he tried to shift into his wolf... and we needed to capture him... and we were also told to not harm him... so we might have used a little bit extra sleeping drug on him to knock him unconscious."


    I stared at Oscar, amused at how defensive he looked and sounded. On the other hand, Kieran just shook his head.


    The heaviness in the atmosphere lifted for a few seconds.


    "Let’s hope he wakes up soon." Rowan said before adding, "That man... is dangerous."


    No.


    That man was maniptive, cunning, and reckless.


    And he had fooled over twenty students for more than a year.


    I rubbed my forehead, a rush of both anger and exhaustion washing over me.


    A scam.


    A year-long scam.


    Fueled by fear and fed by money.


    Unbelievable.


    The study fell into a heavy, weighted silence.


    Not thefortable kind we sometimes shared after long days of work... but the stunned, disbelieving kind that settled in after one too many revtions, the kind that made your mind feel both overloaded and strangely empty.


    I stared at nothing in particr, trying to wrap my head around everything we had uncovered tonight.


    A rumored Great Evil.


    The secret student group.


    These students being aware of Soul Death cases... at least two of them.


    And all of it... all this chaos... was because a single student decided to run a scam.


    I rubbed my temples. "I don’t think any of us saw thising."


    Kieran hummed thoughtfully beside me. Rowan snorted softly, his expression equal parts amusement and disbelief. River remained serious, but I could see the exhaustion in his eyes.


    Honestly, part of me wanted to question the collective IQ level of the students who fell for such an obvious scam. A Great Evil being bribed with money? Really?


    But then I remembered the circumstances - the fear they might have felt after Carson’s case, the confusion, the secrecy, the panic Marcus had manipted so expertly. And the well-nned stunt with the unconscious students. The timing. The theatrics.


    It was stupid... yet understandable.


    Fear made people believe extremely stupid things.


    I exhaled slowly. "I guess none of them stood a chance once Marcus staged that whole unconsciousness act."


    Rowan was the one who finally broke the silence fully. He leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. "What are you nning to do with the students?"


    Oscar answered first. "They have all been safely dropped off at their houses by my warriors. And we warned them to keep tonight’s events confidential."


    "That much is expected," Rowan said.


    Kieran nodded. "I’m not nning on expelling them."


    The brothers looked at him in mild surprise, but Kieran continued calmly.


    "They aren’t part of Marcus’ scheme... not willingly, at least. And they have nothing to do with the soul-death cases." He paused. "But they <i>were</i> part of a secret group that broke academy rules repeatedly. And their actions indirectly created a huge mess. So yes, they will be punished."


    I gave him a look. "Punished how?"


    "A full disciplinary hearing when the term starts," Kieran replied. "Point deductions. Mandatory service hours. And for those who already graduated, their result points can be re-evaluated and lowered."


    Rowan winced. "That’s harsh."


    "It’s fair," Kieran said simply.


    And truly, it was.


    They weren’t criminals, but they had been irresponsible. Reckless. The kind of reckless that caused situations like tonight.


    River nodded in approval. "It’s justified."


    I let out a quiet breath. "And Marcus?"


    River’s expression sharpened. "He’s detained. Officially. And unlike the others, he will not be going home."


    Oscar added, "We will question him as soon as he wakes up. His future depends on what he knows... and what he admits."


    A chill tugged at me.


    Because something about Marcus still lingered in my mind like smoke... shifty, evasive, unclear.


    He had orchestrated this scam brilliantly. Too brilliantly for someone with no experience.


    I leaned forward slightly, voicing the thought that had been nudging at my mind ever since we learned the offerings were just money.


    "So now that we know the Great Evil was a lie," I said slowly, "and none of the students have any real connection to the soul-death cases... does that mean we are back to square one?"


    River and Kieran exchanged a brief look.


    Not reassuring.


    I continued, "Unless Marcus knows something... unless he saw something the night Carson ended up soul dead... how else are we going to find leads?"


    River rubbed his jaw. "We’ll question him about Carson. Thoroughly. He was thest person to see Carson conscious that night. And he clearly knows more than he has admitted to other students."


    Oscar folded his arms. "But whether he’ll cooperate is another matter."


    That didn’tfort me at all.


    Instead, a buzzing unease moved through me.


    "Do you think Marcus is involved in the soul-death cases?" I asked softly.


    The room grew still again.


    Kieran spoke first. "Unlikely. His scheme doesn’t match the pattern of the soul-death attacker. His setup was theatrical, childish, greedy. The real culprit is methodical and dangerous."


    "Still," Rowan said, "Marcus saw Carson that night. He might have noticed something."


    River nodded. "Exactly. Even a small detail could be useful."


    I nodded slowly, but the heaviness in my chest didn’t ease.


    And now, everything depended on Marcus waking up... and hoping he was willing to talk.