The morning sun spilled gold across the academy grounds, brushing over Kael and Elara as they walked toward the starting point for the final day of assessment. The air was crisp, carrying faint echoes of laughter and the distant clang of students testing illusion fields and traps. Despite the calm, Kael's senses were alert; the events of the past days—the Syndicate attacks, the Raven Division, and the illusions of the instructors—still hummed faintly under his skin.
He glanced at Elara, who was stretching her hands and letting small pulses of radiant light dance along her fingers. "Elara… there's something I need to tell you," he said quietly as they waited for the first challenge to begin. "I am… an assassin. Not just by reputation or training. That's who I am."
Elara raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Oh, really? That's a surprise… not!. The lightning, the chaos, the way you just melt enemies into oblivion—it all adds up."
Kael's lips twitched. "You already knew?"
She laughed, tossing her staff over her shoulder. "Of course! Half the academy calls you 'silent assassins.' You're just dramatic about it. And honestly… not very subtle about your abilities either."
Kael's jaw tightened slightly, though a faint glimmer of amusement appeared in his eyes. "Efficiency over subtlety," he said dryly.
Elara nudged him playfully. "Right. Efficiency. Got it. So… if you're an assassin, why are you here at the academy? I mean, really—why pretend to do tag exercises?"
He exhaled slowly, eyes scanning the academy towers and rooftops bathed in gold light. "My master… wanted me to experience friendship. Cooperation. To understand what it means to rely on someone else, even if that someone isn't a storm or shadow." (Keeping the secret, he is her bodyguard, hired by her father.)
Elara tilted her head, teasing. "Friendship? You, lightning boy, friend material? That's… suspiciously soft for a storm-wielder."
Kael's smirk appeared faintly. "Soft-hearted is relative."
Her eyes flicked to the faint scar along his forearm, one she hadn't noticed before. "Hmm. You don't exactly hide your lightning… or your scars. Stormblood, what is the meaning of that?"
Kael's expression stayed unreadable. "Names are funny things. People assume meaning where there is none."
Elara laughed, shaking her head. "Assassin and mysterious lineage. Lucky me."
The final day of assessment began with a flurry of motion. Students darted across the academy grounds, weaving through illusion fields, avoiding traps, and tagging runes that popped up seemingly at random. Kael moved like a shadow, lightning flickering faintly along his fingers, while Elara followed closely, illuminating illusions with precise bursts of golden light.
"Keep up, Kael!" she called, laughing as she leapt over a rune that sparked beneath her boot.
"I am keeping up," he replied dryly, ducking under a swinging blade trap and sending a streak of lightning across a cluster of moving targets.
"Barely!" she shot back, twirling to shatter an illusion with a radiant pulse.
Their movements were a chaotic dance, coordinated yet reckless—Kael precise, Elara daring. They left other pairs scrambling, their tags accumulating faster than anyone else's.
At one point, Elara bumped into him playfully. "You know, for an assassin, you're terrible at subtlety. Half the time, I can predict where your lightning will strike."
Kael glanced at her, expression flat but lips twitching faintly. "I'm not subtle. I'm effective."
"Right. Sure. Effective," she teased, elbowing him. "Also… weird how your lightning seems… alive? Almost like it remembers you. Kind of like your name—Stormblood, huh? That's… fitting."
By midday, the academy courtyard was alive with chatter and laughter, students comparing tag totals and strategies. Some looked at Kael and Elara with thinly veiled envy. "Did you see them? They've outtagged everyone," one muttered.
Another grumbled, "Of course, Kael's involved. Who else could make tagging look like a performance?"
Ryn, Kael's friend, waved from the sidelines with a wide grin. "Hey! You two! Don't hog all the glory! We need some victories over here!"
Elara rolled her eyes, smirking. "Some of us are trying, Ryn. Unlike certain lightning-wielders who seem to think chaos is a strategy."
Kael's lips twitched. "Chaos is a strategy."
Ryn groaned dramatically. "Show-off. Seriously, one day someone will survive your chaos without turning to ash!"
Kael glanced at him, lightning faintly flickering along his fingers. "That day will be enlightening."
Elara laughed, nudging Kael. "See? Even your friends tease you. Everyone else is just jealous."
Kael allowed a rare, brief smile. "Jealousy is as predictable as lightning."
More Tags Than Anyone
By mid-afternoon, they moved with lightning and light magic through every obstacle. Their tag count climbed steadily, surpassing every other pair. Elara's laughter rang as she cast pulses of radiant energy, exposing illusions, while Kael's lightning cleaved through traps and moving targets.
"You're not just skilled," she teased, "you're also dramatic. And messy. And… I guess I should be grateful your dramatic mess is on my side."
Kael's lips twitched faintly. "Gratitude is optional."
Elara rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. Totally optional. But still… I'm grateful."
Other students stared from a distance, some envious, some in awe. The combination of precision, raw power, and teamwork was unrivaled.
As dusk approached, they reached the ruins where the instructors waited. Two figures crouched behind illusions, their silver mantles glowing faintly under the setting sun.
Kael's dagger flashed, cutting through three illusions at once. The air split with energy, mirror shards scattering as the illusions shattered to reveal the real instructors. Elara followed, casting a radiant pulse that scattered the remaining phantoms.
Kael remembered the elder instructor's clue: "Follow the storm to the ruins. You'll find the final challenge there."
They found four instructors this time, but even though it was difficult, they defeated them.
Kael lowered his dagger. "That makes nine total. I guess this is enough?"
Elara sighed. "Right, let's go back."
Back in the academy's main courtyard, rewards were distributed: small runes, trinkets, and experience for achievement. Students chatted, compared tags, and grumbled at their own tallies. Kael and Elara collected theirs, walking side by side through the bustling crowd.
Ryn jogged alongside them, grinning. "You two are ridiculous! The rest of us barely survived, and you've outtagged everyone."
Elara smirked, elbowing Kael. "See? Even your friends think you're dramatic. Imagine what the rest of the academy thinks."
Kael glanced at her, a faint smile playing at his lips. "Perhaps secrecy is overrated."
"You're also terrible at hiding your abilities," she teased, "and honestly… your dramatic flair doesn't help."
He shrugged, a rare warmth flickering. "Soft-hearted is relative."
Elara laughed, shaking her head. "Assassin, Stormblood, dramatic, lightning… friendship. That's a lot of titles. Are you sure your master wasn't just messing with you?"
Kael smirked faintly. "Perhaps. But it works."
They walked to their dorms together, laughter trailing behind them as the sun dipped below the academy towers. The assessment was complete. Tags collected. Rewards earned.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges—but for now, thunder could wait, and the storm could sleep.