The duel ended two hours ago.
But the rumors? Still burning like wildfire.
By lunchtime, Kael had been called everything from "Silent Arcane Emperor" to "Demon-Who-Walks-Like-a-Napper." Some students bowed when he passed. One tried to offer him a juice box. Someone even wrote a poem titled "Kael of Calm, Lord of Accidental Destruction."
Kael, for his part, chewed on a dry sandwich in the shade of an old tree and said nothing.
Lyra sat beside him, biting her nails. "T-they're staring…"
"Yep."
"Why did that s-second-year trip like that? Y-you didn't even cast anything."
Kael blinked at her. "I might've nudged a rock with magic. Not sure. It was itchy near my foot."
"Th-that was enough?!"
"Guess so."
He looked up at the sky.
"It's too bright today."
---
Meanwhile, In the Instructor's Lounge
Instructor Halvern poured a cup of steaming tea, nodding as he reviewed Kael's mana chart. The paper glowed softly with fluctuating readings, but one thing stood out.
"Stable core. Overwhelming density. Low aggression."
Instructor Rehlan looked over his shoulder. "Like a lake pretending to be a puddle."
Halvern nodded. "Or a sleeping dragon pretending to be a sleepy cat."
They sipped quietly.
---
Afternoon Lecture – Advanced Mana Pressure
The class gathered again in the gravity-enhanced chamber known as the Weightwell Room. Here, mana pressure was taught by real experience. The deeper into the floor circle you stood, the heavier and thicker the mana around you became.
Instructor Rehlan explained as they formed a wide ring.
"Mana pressure is not only a measure of force. It's will. Intent. Supremacy of soul."
He walked into the center, standing in the deepest part of the ring. His cloak fluttered despite no wind.
"When two warriors face each other, often, the first battle is unseen. Their mana auras clash long before weapons do."
Students nodded.
"Today, we test your aura strength. One by one, step forward. See how far in you can walk."
One by one, students tried.
Raen made it to the second ring before sweating.
Elira, calm and composed, reached the third ring. Light shimmered from her steps.
Others faltered at the first.
Then…
"Kael Vaelthorn."
Kael yawned. "I'm standing."
"Come forward," Rehlan said with interest.
Kael sighed and walked in.
He crossed the first ring.
Then the second.
Third.
Fourth.
By the fifth ring, students were gaping. Some were dizzy just standing near it.
Kael paused, scratched his head… and sat down.
"Instructor," he called lazily, "is it okay if I just nap here?"
Rehlan… laughed.
"Amazing. Perfect control. He turned pressure into comfort."
Kael blinked. "Wait, this was a test?"
---
After Class – Elira's Question
Elira approached Kael by the fountain courtyard.
Her steps were quiet, but Kael noticed anyway.
"Need something?"
Elira studied his face. "Why do you hide your strength?"
Kael looked up at the clouds. "It's louder when people notice."
She raised an eyebrow. "You don't enjoy praise?"
"I enjoy silence."
For a moment, they just stood there.
Elira looked at him differently now. Less suspicion. More… curiosity.
"You're not what I expected," she said.
"Good," Kael replied. "Expectations are heavy."
She almost smiled.
---
Meanwhile, in the Noble Dormitories…
Lucien Drevarn stared at a board covered in papers, diagrams, and photos of Kael doing very mundane things: sleeping, eating, walking into walls, accidentally turning a desk into a cake.
"This man… is a threat," he growled.
His attendant blinked. "Sir, that's just a picture of him napping on a staircase."
Lucien nodded grimly. "Exactly. He's hiding his villainy too well."
---
End of Chapter 23