Damian arranged it through a bribe.

The detention cells were in the academy's lower levels. It was cold and dark. Meant to be uncomfortable.

Ravenna sat in her cell, looking smaller than usual. Her dark magic aura was suppressed by anti-magic shackles.

When she saw me, her eyes widened. "Hadeon? How did you....."

"Ten minutes," the guard said. "That's all I can give you."

I nodded thanks, waited for him to step back.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly.

"I've been better." She tried to smile and failed miserably. "They're saying I practiced necromancy. That I was trying to raise the dead."

"We know you didn't."

"Do you?" She looked at me. Really looked. "Because I research dark magic, and some forbidden things. Maybe they're right to..."

"Stop." I gripped the bars. "Ravenna, I know you. You push boundaries, but you don't cross lines. Dark magic isn't evil. It's just misunderstood. Necromancy..." I shook my head. "That's different. That's actually dangerous. And you're too smart to mess with it."

Her eyes were wet. "They found evidence...."

"Planted evidence. We're proving it right now, Marcus is already analyzing the chalk and Lucille's interrogating guards. We'll clear your name."

"What if you can't?"

"Then we break you out."

She laughed. It was half sob. "You'd risk expulsion for me?"

"I'd risk more than that." I met her eyes. "I already chose you, Ravenna. I don't abandon those I chose."

She was quiet for a moment. Then: "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you care? You barely knew me when you first approached. You had no reason to help me. To believe me when everyone else called me a fraud. To..." Her voice broke. "To treat me like I matter."

I thought about how to answer. The truth was complicated.

In the original timeline, she'd died. Executed for crimes she didn't commit. Adrian had used her as a stepping stone another villain defeated to prove his heroism.

But that wasn't why I cared.

"Because you're brilliant," I said simply. "Because you're passionate about your research. Because you deserve better than being someone's convenient scapegoat." I smiled slightly. "And because you make the best anti-holy disruption crystals I've ever seen."

She laughed again. This time genuine.

"When I get out of here..."

"When you get out," I corrected firmly. "Not if."

"When I get out, I'm going to create something magnificent. Something that proves dark magic isn't evil. Something that changes how people think about it."

"I'll help you. We all will."

The guard tapped his watch. "One minute."

"Listen to me," I said urgently. "Don't confess to anything and don't sign anything. Demand a formal trial with legal representation. Thomas is preparing your defense."

"They'll try to rush it..... "

"Let them try. We have seven days to prove your innocence. That's enough."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I'm motivated. And when I'm motivated, I don't lose."

She managed a real smile. "That's the confidence I needed to hear."

"Ravenna." I waited until she met my eyes. "Trust me."

"I do," she said softly. "I don't know why, but I do."

"Good. Hold on to that. We're coming for you."

As I left, I felt her watching me with her eyes shining with hope.

I wouldn't let her down.

```

[RELATIONSHIP UPDATE: RAVENNA BLACKTHORN]

[LOYALTY: 60% → 80%]

[TRUST: 85% → 95%]

[EMOTIONAL BOND: Deepening rapidly]

[QUEST UPDATE: SAVE RAVENNA BLACKTHORN]

[TIME REMAINING: 6 days, 13 hours]

[EVIDENCE GATHERED: 35%]

[CONFIDENCE: 62%]

[RECOMMENDATION: Continue investigation]

```

☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆

Marcus burst into headquarters at 3 AM.

"I've got it!"

I jolted awake. I'd been sleeping at my desk. Again.

"Got what?"

"Proof." He slammed down his analysis. "The chalk used in that summoning circle is not standard academy chalk. It's imported. Specifically, from the Celestius barony."

I was fully awake now. "Adrian's home territory."

"Gets better. The magical signature in the chalk is composite. Multiple casters. I found traces of three different magical auras."

"Can you identify them?"

"Two unknowns. But the third..." He grinned. "Cedric Valorheart."

"Seraphina's cousin and Adrian's right hand. She won't like that."

"Former right hand," Lucille said, entering behind Marcus. "I just got a report from the twins. Cedric left Adrian's faction two days ago, a quiet split with no announcement."

"Why?"

"A disagreement I'll say. I've reached out to him and he had a lot of interesting things to say."

I sat up straight. "He has a conscience?"

"Apparently. And he's willing to testify."

This was huge. If Cedric would testify that Adrian ordered the frame job...

"Where is he now?"

"In hiding, he's scared. He knows what he knows, but he's terrified of going public."

"Can you arrange a meeting?"

She grinned. "I already did for tomorrow night at a neutral location."

I looked at the evidence Marcus had compiled. The chalk analysis. The magical signatures. Combined with Cedric's potential testimony...

We had a case.

"Isabella," I called out. She emerged from her office, looking tired. "Did you find the financial trail?"

"I did. Someone purchased those forbidden texts from a black market dealer. Paid 5,000 gold. The transaction was routed through three intermediaries, but I traced it back to..." She paused dramatically. "A Celestius family account."

"Adrian's family?"

"Not Adrian directly. His father. Baron Celestius himself."

Everyone went quiet.

"His adopted father is involved?" Marcus asked.

"Looks like it. The money came from his personal accounts. Either he's helping Adrian, or..." Isabella frowned. "Or Adrian doesn't know and his father's acting independently."

"So the evidence trail leads to Celestius barony," I said slowly. "But we can't prove Adrian himself ordered it."

"We can prove his faction did it," Lucille said. "And his family funded it. That's enough to create reasonable doubt about Ravenna's guilt."

"Is it enough to clear her?" Thomas asked. He'd been listening quietly.

"Combined with Cedric's testimony? Yes. But we need him to actually testify."

"Then we convince him," I said. "Tomorrow night. I'll talk to him personally. Let's hear what he has to say."

☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆

The abandoned observatory was appropriately dramatic and it was Cedric's choice. He was already there when I arrived, flanked by Lucille and Damian for security.

Cedric looked terrible with dark circles under his eyes, he's constantly glancing around nervously.

"Thank you for coming," I said.

"I shouldn't be here. If Adrian finds out....."

"He won't. Lucille's people are watching the approaches. We're safe."

"Safe." He laughed bitterly. "I used to feel safe in Adrian's faction. I used to think we were doing the right thing."

"What changed?"

"Everything. I opened my eyes and stopped acting blind." He met my eyes. "He asked me to help frame Ravenna."

"Tell me what happened."

"Three nights ago. He called a private meeting. Just his inner circle. Said Ravenna was becoming a problem. That she was corrupting students with dark magic. That she needed to be removed."

"And you agreed?"

"At first, yes. I trusted him. He's the hero after all, I thought... I thought he knew what he was doing." Cedric's hands shook. "He gave us a plan. Steal restricted texts. Plant evidence in her workshop. Anonymous tip to security. Make it look like she was practicing necromancy."

"Who else was involved?"

"Me. Marcus Ashford. Elena Brightshield. We drew the summoning circle together. Used a composite spell to hide our individual signatures." He pulled out a crystal. "I recorded it. The whole conversation. Adrian giving orders and us executing them."

I took the crystal carefully. "Why?"

"Why record it?"

"Why bring this to me?"

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