The training arena shimmered to life beneath their feet, glowing blue symbols weaving into the stone. A soft hum pulsed in the air as the enchantments activated—protective wards to prevent fatal injuries, detection runes to monitor magic use.
Celeste stood across from Lyra, her heart oddly still.
Stay weak. Stay unnoticed.
Lyra bounced on her feet, loose and smiling. "Alright, Celeste. Show me what you've got."
Celeste raised her hands, but didn't enter an aggressive stance. She remained passive, slow, calculating.
"Begin!" an instructor called.
Lyra charged—not reckless, but fast.
Celeste dodged left, keeping her movements minimal. She couldn't risk drawing attention. Her illusion flickered slightly as she narrowly avoided a sweep kick. She hadn't anticipated Lyra being this coordinated.
With a flick of her fingers, Lyra released a burst of faint golden light that temporarily blinded Celeste.
A minor light glyph? She knows glyphwork?
Celeste stumbled back. She had to fall, act hurt—anything to keep suspicion off her.
But then—
A spark.
Somewhere deep in her chest, one of the constellation sigils flared awake.
Aries. 🔥 The fire sign, tied to her heartbeat and instinct.
Her skin began to heat, just slightly. No flames. Not yet. But her breath hitched.
No. Not now.
She crushed the power before it surged, smothering it like an ember between fingers.
Her pulse throbbed in her ears.
Lyra lunged again.
This time, Celeste let herself get hit—softly, with just enough force to stumble and land on the mat with a light thud.
"Match ends!" the instructor announced. "Lyra Ellenvale wins."
Lyra extended a hand. "You okay?"
Celeste nodded, breathing lightly. "Yeah. That was good."
"You dodged well at first," Lyra said. "But I could tell you were holding back."
Celeste froze for a moment. "I… I'm not very strong."
Lyra tilted her head, suspicious but not unkind. "Maybe not yet."
They stepped off the platform. Celeste tugged her illusion tighter, sweat beading on her back.
That was too close. Aries responded even when I didn't call it. If anyone had noticed…
She scanned the crowd—but no one seemed to be watching her.
Auren was mid-spar with Lucien now. Fire clashed with water, bursts of steam clouding the ring. Kael watched from the side, occasionally smirking and shaking his head at their theatrics.
Rhydian shattered a dummy with a stomp, arms folded as he ignored his instructor's lecture about "subtlety."
They were stars, each one of them. Bright, untouchable.
And Celeste? She was the sky behind them—meant to be unseen.
Later that evening, back in their room, Lyra pulled out a sketchbook from under her mattress.
"I draw sometimes," she said casually, flipping through rough outlines of outfits.
"Thinking of designing my own combat gear one day. Something dramatic and deadly."
Celeste sat at her desk, quietly drinking the tea Lyra made.
She was still shaken. The Aries mark had never responded so suddenly before. Her powers were growing unstable the longer she suppressed them.
If I keep pushing them down… will they explode eventually?
Lyra suddenly looked up. "Hey… do you ever feel like you're pretending to be someone else?"
Celeste's hand froze on her mug.
"Yes," she said after a moment. "Every day."
Lyra stared at her for a moment longer, then smiled again. "Good. Then maybe we'll figure it out together."