The noon sun draped Veyl Academy in sheets of gold, its towers catching the light like polished spears pointed toward the heavens. Students lounged in the courtyards, some training, some gossiping, some half-asleep beneath the shade of the Echo Trees.
Khael had just finished a quiet walk back from the inner gardens, his mind deep in tomorrow's arc, the Kaen Eclipse arc. His thoughts were heavy, his expression serious.
Then
A faint ripple of Shinrei brushed his senses.
Warm. Fierce. Familiar.
Followed by another steady and precise, like a perfectly measured blade.
And last, a soft, radiant pulse of hope.
Khael froze.
His eyes widened.
"They're back."
Ceyla, who was chatting beside him, blinked. "Huh? Who's back?"
Even Juno, towering with his bandaged arm and calm Taishin presence, turned in curiosity.
Khael's lips curled into a slow, rare grin, the kind that only appeared when something truly good happened.
"Our friends have returned."
