The morning mist clung to the towers of Aurevale Academy, curling like pale smoke around its spires. The academy stood apart from the rest of Eldrenvale — a place for nobles and some commoners to polish their names and sharpen their magic.
Kael adjusted the collar of his borrowed uniform as he walked through the wide gates.Black coat, silver trim, the academy's emblem stitched on the chest.He looked like any other student — quiet, distant, forgettable, exactly as he wanted.
"Blend in. Watch. Protect. No one must know who you are."Master Ardyn's words echoed in his head.
Kael's eyes scanned the courtyard — students laughing, chatting, casting sparks of practice magic.They were soft. Protected. They had no idea how cruel the world outside their walls truly was.
He moved silently through the crowd and headed toward the central building. Every step felt strange — an assassin among nobles, pretending to be one of them.
Near the fountain, a girl stood surrounded by a small group of students. Her voice carried gently above the noise.
Elara Veyne.Golden hair tied in a ribbon, her silver-grey eyes calm yet sharp. She looked nothing like her father — noble but not arrogant, graceful but not fragile.
Kael slowed his pace for a moment, studying her from a distance.So that was his target.
She laughed softly at something a friend said, but there was a faint weariness in her eyes — the kind only people living under threat ever had.
So she already feels it, Kael thought. Someone's watching her. She just doesn't know who.
He turned away before she could notice him.
Kael's cover story was simple — a scholarship student from the outskirts, newly accepted for his combat talent. The faculty believed it. Most students ignored him. Perfect.
In combat class, he kept his strikes measured, his skills hidden just enough to appear impressive but not unnatural. When a training dummy splintered under his practice sword, he muttered an apology.
The instructor, a grey-bearded mage named Toren, raised an eyebrow.
"That strength… where did you train, boy?"
Kael shrugged. "Nowhere worth naming, sir."
The class laughed lightly. He didn't mind. Let them think he was just another quiet newcomer.
Evening fell fast, painting the academy in shades of gold and violet. Elara walked through the courtyard garden, carrying a stack of spellbooks. Her two attendants followed at a distance, chatting quietly.
Kael leaned against a stone pillar near the archway, pretending to read a map. But his eyes kept flicking toward her — her route, the shadows, the roofs above.
Then he felt it. A flicker of intent.Killing intent.
He shifted slightly, scanning the rooftops. A glint — steel catching the last bit of sunlight .Crossbows.
Tch. They came fast.
Three hooded figures leapt down from the walls, blades drawn, moving silently toward Elara.
Her attendants screamed. One dropped the books, and another tripped as the first assassin lunged.
Kael moved before he could think.
The first arrow shot through the air — Kael caught it mid-flight and snapped it in half.
Elara spun in shock as he appeared in front of her, cloak flaring.
"Get behind me," he said, voice low.
"Wha—who are you?" she stammered.
"Not the time."
The first assassin swung. Kael ducked under the blade and slammed his fist into the man's ribs — crack! — then turned, sweeping his leg to throw him into a fountain. Water splashed high as lightning flashed across the sky.
The second came from the side, faster. Kael sidestepped, parried with a broken sword, then kicked the man into a marble bench.
The third was smarter. He vanished into the shadows, dagger glinting — a guild technique. Kael's eyes narrowed.
Shadow veil. Someone trained them.
He closed his eyes briefly, letting the rain's faint rhythm guide his hearing. Then he spun, throwing a knife backward.
A choked gasp — the third assassin fell from the shadows, knife in his throat.
Elara froze, staring at the three fallen attackers.
"You… you killed them…"
"They were already dead the moment they came for you."
Kael crouched beside one of the bodies, inspecting the insignia burned into the wrist — a serpent biting its own tail.
"Not bandits," he muttered. "Professionals."
"Who sent them?" Elara whispered.
Kael looked at her, rain dripping from his hair.
"That's what I'm going to find out."
After the Fight
Guards arrived minutes later, alerted by the noise. Kael had already vanished into the shadows, blending back among the students. When they questioned Elara, she could only describe a "dark-haired boy" who fought like a storm.
Back in the dormitory wing, Kael sat by the window, wiping the blood from his blade with a torn cloth. His uniform sleeve was ripped, his knuckles bruised, but his expression stayed calm.
"Three attackers. Hired killers. Which means someone inside the noble houses wants her gone… probably tied to her father's rivals."
He looked down at the courtyard where the rain now washed away the blood.
"If they found her here, they'll come again. And next time, they'll send better ones."
He clenched his fist, faint lightning crawling under his skin before fading away.
"Stay hidden. Protect. Don't reveal yourself."
But part of him — the old assassin in his bones — longed for the next strike.
Later That Night
A soft knock came at his dorm door.
Kael turned, sliding his blade out of sight.Elara stood there, holding a small lantern. She looked unsure, her hair still damp from the rain.
"You were there," she said quietly. "You saved me."
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're mistaken."
"No. I saw you. You move differently than the others. Who are you, really?"
He met her gaze for a long moment, unreadable.
"Just another student," he said finally, and stepped past her. "Stay careful, Lady Elara. There are still eyes watching."
Before she could respond, he disappeared down the hall, leaving her staring after him — confused, shaken, but strangely safe.
Outside, thunder rolled again.From a distant tower, a shadowed figure watched the academy through the rain — silent, patient.
And somewhere deep beneath the city, the Guild's message room flickered with new orders.
"The Stormblood is inside the Academy."