The lanterns of Selun'Thael burned blue this night, casting sapphire light over the etched stones of the Academy's lower courts. Beneath the winding skywalks and bridgeways, among the lesser-known walkways where the new entrants resided, Nocth walked alone, hand brushing over the vines that climbed the ancient sandstone.
It was late. The sky was littered with stars, but not the natural kind—fragments of floating crystal drifting through the heavens above, powered by Celestial runes embedded in the continent's ley lines.
He could still feel the weight of the day's tests in his chest.
Not from exhaustion, but the eyes. The quiet stares. The way his name had traveled too fast.
Behind him, soft steps broke the silence. He didn't need to turn.
"Imius," Nocth said simply.
"Thought I'd find you here," Imius replied. "You always retreat to strange corners after things get too loud."
Nocth offered a dry smirk. "And you always follow."
"I like silence too," Imius replied with a shrug. "Besides, you're like a walking disturbance. It's fun watching you try to blend in."
The two stood under an old arch. Flowers bloomed upside-down from its apex, fed by inverted veins of water that defied gravity. Nocth tilted his head. "They whispered today. About the way I used my affinity."
"They whispered because they're frightened." Imius leaned against a wall. "You bled something no one understood. That stone formation collapsed on command. No chant, no obvious will force. Even I don't know what that was."
"I don't know either," Nocth admitted. "It just... responded."
Imius crossed his arms. "You're not from around here, are you?"
The question hung in the air. Nocth blinked slowly. "Does it matter?"
"No," Imius said after a beat. "But it does make you interesting."
Before Nocth could respond, the ground beneath them rumbled faintly. Then, a streak of silver light zipped across the horizon.
A sky-ship. One of the fast kinds used by aristocratic subclans.
"Someone important's arrived," Imius muttered, narrowing his eyes.
They weren't alone in sensing it. In seconds, rune beacons throughout the lower academy flared to life, casting swirling insignias into the air. Security formations began rotating midair, and a bell sounded from the higher peaks.
From the shadows emerged a figure cloaked in threadbare garments, but her veil was unmistakable.
Shae'.
She moved like stillness—no sound, no wind. Just her presence.
"I thought you were resting," Nocth said.
Her voice came soft, but sharp. "That ship came from the Southern Crest. It bears the sigil of House Lunoar."
Imius's demeanor shifted. "One of the Zyreon subclans. They rarely leave their mountainous territories."
Nocth turned toward her. "You know them?"
Shae' nodded. "One of the more reclusive branches. If they've sent someone to the Academy unannounced, then something is stirring."
"Like what?" Nocth asked.
She didn't answer. Instead, she moved closer, eyes narrowing as another ripple danced through the aether around them. Faint. Like a breath hiding behind stone.
"There's someone aboard that ship who carries pressure not their own," she whispered. "Like they're a vessel."
A silent moment passed between them.
Then, Imius spoke. "This Academy feels like a nest. A very delicate one. And someone's starting to poke it with a blade."
Shae' turned away. "Prepare yourselves. Whatever is coming next... it's not a lesson."