The air was soft with evening, the hum of Aether, the magical energy that permeates the world, weaving through the grass like a quiet tide.
Aurelia sat cross-legged beneath the old tree, her breath slow, deliberate.
Each inhale gathered her pulse; each exhale loosened the static in her mind.
Her voice was a whisper among the wind, measured, rhythmic, the fragments of a chant she had built from memory and instinct alike.
"Eyes of Wisdom… see within the stillness.
Harmonic Flow… move where the heart does not fear.
Echocraft… let the self dissolve, and return in resonance."
The Aether around her quivered faintly, strands of light vibrating to the cadence of her tone.
She could almost feel her emotions aligning, memory, intent, rhythm, until the edges of her awareness began to blur into something more profound.
And then—
"Are you insane?" Lysandra's voice cut sharply through the calm, followed by the crunch of boots on grass. "You're out here muttering to yourself like a lunatic."
Aurelia's eyelid twitched. The Aether stuttered and unraveled, the delicate balance snapping like a plucked string.
She exhaled, slow and measured, though her voice trembled with annoyance. "I'm meditating, Lysandra."
"Oh?" Lysandra folded her arms, brow arched. "Didn't look like it. Looked like you were trying to summon a spirit, or argue with one."
Aurelia finally opened her eyes, the last traces of moonlight fading from her irises. "If I were summoning something," she said evenly, "you'd know. It would answer."
Lysandra blinked, then huffed a laugh. "…Fair point."
Aurelia's shoulders softened as she exhaled, the tension leaving her body, though a faint crease lingered between her brows, like a thought still half-anchored in another rhythm.
"Still," Aurelia murmured, glancing at her own hands, "Something's been… changing lately. The Aether moves differently when I focus. More personal, almost like it's reflecting me. I think these might be signs of my Aspect beginning to wake."
Lysandra's eyes widened, her excitement immediate and bright. "Your Aspect? That's amazing! Do you know what it is? Maybe something elegant or mysterious, like the shadows, or harmony!"
Aurelia closed her eyes again, the shoulders easing, but a faint twitch still at her brow. "Small things," she said. "Patterns in the Aether responding to me, little crescents when I breathe out. Marlec said an Aspect can appear at almost any stage, even Stage One or Two, though it's rare. It's not a ladder you climb to the moment it appears. It's…more like finding the part of yourself that already exists."
Lysandra's face lit up. "That's incredible. Aspects are legendary."
Aurelia's tone cooled a little, practical as ever. "Legendary, yes, and stubbornly random. Some who reach the highest grades, the so-called Monarchs at Stage Ten, never show one. Others glimpse theirs in a fight or a quiet, honest hour. It has nothing to do with a diploma or a rank. It shows when you meet yourself."
Lysandra tapped her chin, eyes bright and curious. "So the Monarchs. Who are they, really? Like, super-mages with crowns?"
Aurelia blinked, then let a small, unbelieving smile slide across her face. "You fell asleep during a lecture and now you expect Cliff Notes on the highest rung of power? Brave."
Aurelia sighed. Lysandra deserves an answer, and the question mattered.
"Monarchs are…rare," Aurelia began, choosing words as if laying stones for a path. "Think of the edicts like rivers. Each edict has ten stages, cadets learn to wade, to swim, to steer. Stage Ten is not merely a stronger tide. It's a different sea. Someone who reaches it has learned to make the current obey on a scale nearly no one else can imagine."
Lysandra's brow arched. "So they're just stronger versions of us?"
"Not just stronger." Aurelia's voice lowered. "Stage Ten changes how the world answers you. At lower stages, you shape Aether, at the highest, Aether answers with a kind of recognition. A Monarch can do more than bend, they can call, compel, and sometimes even rewrite small rules of the world where their power touches. That doesn't mean they're gods. It means their voice in the current carries weight that other voices do not."
"You mean like…summoning a storm that listens?" Lysandra leaned forward, delighted.
"In a way," Aurelia said. "But power like that comes with two things people rarely mention when they admire the spectacle: cost and consequence."
She paused, letting the sunlight from the courtyard below filter through the hallway. "The cost is many-layered. There's the simple price, time, study, practice, the kind of sacrifice that eats into ordinary life.
Then there's the deeper toll. The world expects balance. The closer someone comes to Stage Ten, the more their actions ripple.
Factions notice. Guilds keep lists. Kingdoms reckon with the risk that a single person might bend more than they should."
Lysandra's smile faltered into seriousness for a moment. "So rulers want them."
Aurelia nodded. "Yes. Monarchs are valuable to those who understand the actual value of what they are.
They're courted, bought, feared, or watched. That's why being a Monarch is both a pinnacle and a cage.
Your choices no longer affect only you, they affect families, markets, and borders. That attention reshapes a life as much as the magic does."
The rest is chance or fate or whatever name you choose to blame. That's why the wise, if there are such, learn to shape the things they can: habits, skills, alliances.
Not everyone will be crowned by the current, but everyone can learn how to stand steady in it."
A quiet watchfulness settled between them.
Aurelia's explanation had stripped the glamour from the idea of Monarchs without making them less daunting.
Lysandra's face showed a new tilt of respect, not for the title, but for the reality of what it demanded.
"And the politics?" Lysandra asked at last. "You mentioned rulers courting them. Doesn't that make being a Monarch dangerous?"
"Dangerous and useful in equal measure," Aurelia said. "If a kingdom can influence who rises, it gains leverage. If a Monarch chooses a side, wars can shift. If a Monarch refuses to be used, they become a target. That's why many prefer to remain understudied, obscure, or allied to protections they trust."
Lysandra grinned, half mischief, half calculation. "So the trick is to train hard and hide cleverly. Got it."
Aurelia let out a short laugh. "Train hard. Keep your friends close. And learn not to let the world write your name for you."
Lysandra squeezed Aurelia's hand in that quick, bright way she had developed, an impulsive seal of solidarity. "Then we'll do that together, yeah? Not as monarchs, not as pawns, just as…us."
Aurelia smiled. "Monarchs can still have freedom," she said. "If they find a throne to sit on. Be a king yourself, and you change who decides what freedom means."
Lysandra's eyes widened. "So be crowned, rule a kingdom, and you can do whatever you want? That's delightfully dramatic."
"Not whatever," Aurelia corrected, amused. "Power buys choices, not absolution. But a kingdom gives you weight, laws, armies, courtiers, things that make your refusal meaningful. A Monarch who is also a sovereign can set their own terms."
She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Our king in Aramont isn't himself a Monarch in that sense, he rules by crown and council. But he keeps Monarchs at his side. Archmage Veyron is the most obvious. Those Monarchs lend him force the crown could never muster alone."
Lysandra blinked, then poked Aurelia's shoulder. "How do you know all this? You sound like a walking textbook."
Aurelia's smile sharpened into mischief. "You'd know if you paid attention in class."
Lysandra pouted theatrically. "I only fell asleep once!"
Once, my ass, Aurelia thought, but she let it slide. Instead, she asked, "Do you know the animal kingdom, the one to the north, the beastlands?"
Lysandra brightened. "Of course. I know almost all the maps. Why—"
Aurelia cut in. "The Beastborne Realm. Their ruler is a Monarch of the old sort, a sovereign born as much of the wild as of law.
He keeps his court not in marble but in the way the land bends to him. That's the kind of throne that actually changes what a crown can do."
Lysandra's grin turned intrigued, less flippant. "A king who's also a Monarch. That sounds both terrifying and very romantic."
"Terrifying exactly because it's real," Aurelia said. "And romantic only if you ignore the guards, the bargains, and the politics."
Lysandra laughed, then tilted her head. "Still, I like the idea. Rules you can rewrite. That's the dream."
Aurelia let the laugh go with her. "Dreams are easier to keep when you have friends who share them." She glanced at Kael, then back at Lysandra. "And when you know what price you'll pay."
Lysandra's expression sobered for a heartbeat, then she squeezed Aurelia's hand with the bright impulsiveness she favored. "Then we learn the price together. No crowns needed."
Aurelia felt the warmth of the promise, a small, dangerous thing, and tucked it away like a map.
Around them, the Academy hummed on: lessons, rivalries, and the slow, careful building of power.
Lysandra glanced toward Kael, who had dozed off against the same tree, the faint rhythm of his breathing lost beneath the soft rustle of the wind.
"Should we… wake him up?" Lysandra whispered.
Aurelia shook her head. "No. Let him sleep. He's been pushing himself too hard lately. Though I'm surprised he hasn't woken up despite the history lecture I gave you."
"Is it because of that lecture a few days ago?" Lysandra asked, lowering her voice. "About Embodiment?"
Aurelia gave a slight hum of agreement. "He's been trying to reach stage two of the Elemental Edict. It's the next step. Manifesting the element as an extension of the self, giving it form and endurance. He's been at it every night."
Lysandra frowned. "But why stress so much for that? It's not like the professors are pressuring him or us."
Aurelia shrugged, though her gaze softened slightly. "To get stronger, obviously."
Still, as the words left her mouth, a memory stirred.
That first night they had together, Kael was half-asleep, his voice quiet but restless, murmuring something under his breath.
"I have to catch up…"
Aurelia remembered lying still, pretending not to hear, the sound sticking with her long after.
Maybe that was it. Whoever that "person" was.
Lysandra's voice pulled her back. "If he gets strong enough to prove himself," she said, resting her chin in her hand, "He could become a noble, right?"
Aurelia blinked, caught off guard. "A noble?"
"Well, yeah," Lysandra said, brightening. "Even if it's the lowest rank, strength and recognition can get you a title. But if he keeps going…" She smiled, almost dreamily. "He could even become a high-ranked one someday. Maybe that could be a reason."
Aurelia looked back at Kael, still asleep, the faint tension in his jaw betraying dreams that didn't rest easily.
The thought lingered in her mind longer than she expected.
A noble… Kael, of all people?
And yet, for some reason, the idea didn't feel as far-fetched as it should have.
Lysandra leaned against Aurelia, still watching Kael sleep. "You know," she said thoughtfully, "Every noble house, even ours, even the royal family must've started the same way."
Aurelia raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, they weren't born nobles," Lysandra said, twirling a strand of her hair. "Someone in their bloodline had to earn it first. Build a name strong enough that it couldn't be forgotten."
She gestured towards Kael. "They were probably just like him once, commoners, people chasing power because they wanted to change something. And then they did."
Aurelia's expression softened, the words sinking deeper than she'd expected.
Lysandra continued, voice quieter now. "They proved themselves, gained influence, and their families carried that name for generations. That's how lineages are made. Every noble house was once someone who refused to stay small."
Aurelia exhaled through her nose, half amused, half contemplative. "You make it sound almost romantic."
Lysandra smirked. "Maybe it is. Maybe Kael's just at the start of his story."
Aurelia looked at him again, his head tilted slightly, breath slow, a faint crease still between his brows even in sleep.
Why do I feel so comfortable with them? The thought rose before she could tidy it away.
It's strange how quickly our conversations morphed from awkward batter to jokes, confidences, and big plans. Just months since the initiation, and already it feels like there's a thread holding things together.
That connection ignited a warmth within her, making her realize that validation from someone who truly understood her was far more meaningful than the praise she received from others.
When they look at me, it isn't for the title. They seem to see the person behind it. That makes the warmth worse, more valuable. Am I moving too fast?
The question hung in the air, honest and raw. But it feels right.
Aurelia let out a soft, private smile, surprising herself with how true it felt.
I didn't expect any of this. What if I get too attached?
The curiosity fluttered at the edges, but worry nudged harder.
My mind tells me to stand my ground and hold onto my feelings. Companions can be distractions.
Yet, deep within me, my soul tells me otherwise. I have already faced moments of humility in their presence, where the weight of my pride was gently lifted.
With them, I have ventured into uncharted territory and discovered a deep connection.
It was remarkable how they had opened her eyes to a world of possibilities she had never envisioned with people.
Whatever came next, she felt grateful for it. For once, she would see where it went without calculating every step.
Lysandra glanced over at her, curiosity flickering in her eyes. "Why are you smiling?" she asked, tilting her head.
Aurelia blinked, caught in the warmth of her own thoughts. "Thank you, you two," she said softly.
Lysandra frowned, puzzled. "For what?"
Aurelia's smile deepened, gentle and genuine. "For being my friends. For letting me be… me. I don't have to pretend around you."
For a moment, silence filled the area, the kind that felt like sunlight breaking through a cloudy morning.
Then Lysandra's expression softened, her usual teasing edge melting away.
She threw her arms around Aurelia in a sudden, tight hug. "You don't have to thank us for that, silly," she murmured, voice a little wobbly. "You'll always have me, no matter what."
A quiet laugh joined them.
Both girls turned to see Kael sitting up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, a faint smile curving his lips. "I… agree," he said, voice still rough from rest. "I never thought I'd find this kind of companionship here. Especially not with nobles of all people."
Lysandra's grin returned in full force. "You say that like we're intimidating or something."
Before either of them could react, she pulled him and Aurelia both into a single, chaotic embrace, a trio hug that was half warmth, half tangled laughter.
Aurelia let out a soft breath against Lysandra's shoulder. Kael hesitated for a heartbeat, then relaxed into it.
For that moment, the world outside, the lectures, the pressure, the strange dreams, all faded away.
It was just the three of them, hearts in quiet rhythm, bound by something that didn't need to be spoken.