The morning came and Kyla was called upon by Lord Siegfried to his office as he sat behind his desk with his fingers laced while Cain stood how he usually did with his arms behind his back observing "Good morning to you Lord Siegfried. Cain." She said while bowing slightly to the each of them slightly as Siegfried gestured for her to have a seat.
"I want to know how you feel about the students so far." He asked- straight to the point as Kyla gave a slow nod "I feel like the students have shown progress. They have benefitted well from this training and guidance." Kyla said as Siegfried nodded slowly "Sometime soon I plan on sending them on a assignment, is it fair to say that their ready?" Siegfried asked as Kyla gave a firm nod "I believe at the level they are at now they are more than capable." She said as he gave a small hum.
"And Indra?" He asked as Kyla glanced at Cain when he asked as Kyla's expression tightens slightly — not from dislike, but from caution.
"He's different. Not just strong — dangerous. Not because he's reckless, but because he's aware of what he's capable of. Most students lash out to prove something. Indra holds back to hide something." She said as it made him raise a brow slightly.
"You think he's hiding?"
"No. I know he is." Kyla quickly countered. "There's a weight to him — like someone who's already survived things they can't speak about. He learns too fast. Fights like someone who's seen real war. Not sparring — survival." She folds her arms behind her back, gaze steady.
"He'll surpass the others. Maybe even challenge your expectations. But if he ever turns against us…" She doesn't finish the sentence. Siegfried just nods, eyes stormy but unreadable.
After dismissing her they both could hear her steps going down the hall until there was nothing but silence, after letting out a small sigh Siegfried stands behind his desk, arms folded behind his back, facing the window. The storm beyond rumbles faintly — distant but stirring.
"She speaks the truth plainly. As always." Cain said as his voice is soft, almost pleasant. He stands near the door, gloved hands folded, dressed immaculately in a black butler's coat laced with silver thread. "Plain truth is a dangerous thing in this manor." Siegfried said as he turns slightly, casting a side-glance at Cain "She sees the shadow around him. Most do not." Siegfried said while Cain approached slowly and calm.
"Most won't. They're still chasing medals and legacy. Kyla survived the Frostfang Front. She knows what monsters look like. Indra's no ordinary boy."
"No. He's not." Siegfried said quietly as he moves to a tall shelf, retrieving a decanter of stormwine — violet and glowing faintly like lightning trapped in liquid form. He pours two glasses but only sets one down — for Cain, who never drinks.
"There's a look in the boy's eyes. The same I saw in the mirror after the fall of Vireholm." Siegfried said as it made Cain tilt his head slightly "Survivor's gaze. Like he's still somewhere else — fighting ghosts the rest of us can't see."
"Or carrying them." Siegfried quickly said as the conversation came to a pause
Thunder murmurs outside. Cain steps beside him, glancing at the sealed ledger on Siegfried's desk — the one containing Indra's blood records and unknown origin.)
"He learns quickly. Too quickly. His technique is inconsistent — not because he's undisciplined, but because it keeps shifting. Adapting. Almost… mimicking." Cain said as he knew the comment made Siegfried uncomfortable "Yes." Siegfried said gruffly as he exhaled slowly. "And every time he leaves the training grounds, something follows him. Not physically. Spiritually. The air bends differently around that boy. Even the wardstones hum when he walks by."Cain looked softly, with a knowing demonic smile.
"Something inside him doesn't belong to this world. You felt it too." Cain said as Siegfried gave a small nod "The question is…" He downs his stormwine in one slow gulp. "…do I sharpen him into a sword? Or break him before he becomes one?" Siegfried said with a small frown.
"A sword pointed where?" Cain asked as there was a long silence "That's what terrifies me." Siegfried said as lightning cracks across the distant mountains — just once, but it echoes through the stone walls like a warning.