Morning light crept across the spires of Silvercrest Academy, spilling gold over towers of obsidian and glass. The snowfall from the night before had melted into mist, curling through the courtyard like silent ghosts.
Nova stood alone beneath the old oak by the training field, the air humming faintly around him. His cloak stirred, though no wind touched it. In his palm, threads of blue-white light twisted and hissed, refusing to take shape.
Too unstable, he thought, closing his hand around the light.
The energy crackled, scorching his glove before fading.
For days, he'd been experimenting in secret — testing the limits of his gift, Total Creation. Fire, ice, and earth had come naturally enough, formed through understanding and memory. But this new element, lightning, was something else. It demanded both power and precision. It wanted chaos and control in equal measure.
And Nova had both.
He took a slow breath, recalling the lessons of the forge — the balance of hammer and flame, of creation and destruction. His eyes narrowed, crimson fading to pale blue.
"Lightning," he whispered. "Born from the clash of creation and ruin."
The spark answered him.
A single bolt arced between his fingers, brilliant and alive, its light reflecting in his eyes.
For a heartbeat, he saw his reflection — not the masked wanderer, not the fallen heir, but something more. Something reborn.
Then the lightning vanished, leaving only the faint scent of ozone. Nova exhaled, a small, grim smile tugging at his lips.
"Good," he murmured. "Now we're ready."
Inside the Headmaster's Hall
Headmaster Verden waited in his study, the morning sun casting long lines across the floor. His gaze was fixed on the fragment Nova had recovered from Havenreach — the corrupted royal sigil, now encased in a crystal barrier.
As Nova entered, Verden gestured him closer.
"Your report from Havenreach… it's troubling," he said. "The Royal Crest's corruption runs deeper than I feared."
Nova crossed his arms. "You knew something like this could happen."
Verden's expression tightened. "I suspected. But this—" he pointed to the sigil fragment "—this is the work of someone who understands the old forges. The kind your family guarded."
The words hit harder than Nova expected. The old forges. The ones his father had sworn never to reveal. The ones that had burned the night House Grey fell.
Verden studied him closely. "I need someone to investigate quietly. A former site of the Crown's weapon division—abandoned since the war. There are rumors of experiments, of soldiers found with… unnatural augmentations."
Nova didn't hesitate. "I'll go."
The Headmaster nodded slowly. "You'll leave tonight. But be warned, Nova—whatever you find there won't just test your strength. It will test your bloodline."
The Academy Courtyard — Later That Day
While Nova prepared for departure, Sorra trained under the blazing sun. Her control over her three abilities — Wind Boost, Inferno Cage, and Blood Spear — had sharpened, but she was pushing herself beyond limits, driven by the same fire that once defined their family.
From the steps, Nova watched in silence. Each strike she unleashed burned with purpose; each motion carried the weight of their past. When she finally paused, breathless, she caught his gaze.
"You're leaving again," she said quietly.
He nodded. "Just a mission. Nothing dangerous."
She arched a brow. "You're a terrible liar."
He smirked faintly. "Must run in the family."
Sorra stepped closer, eyes softening. "Then promise me you'll come back."
Nova met her gaze, and for a moment the walls between them cracked. "Always," he said, and meant it.
She watched him go, cloak rippling as he disappeared through the Academy gates. Above them, thunder rumbled faintly — though no storm had been forecast.
Nightfall — The Outskirts of Silvercrest
Nova traveled light, the forest around him alive with whispering leaves and the steady rhythm of distant rain. Every step brought him closer to the forgotten lands of his family's past — and closer to the truth buried beneath the ashes.
He stopped briefly at a stream, kneeling to refill his flask. When he looked up, the reflection staring back wasn't his own. For a split second, he saw the sigil of House Grey — glowing faintly on his chest, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
He straightened, eyes narrowing. "So that's how it is," he murmured.
Lightning crackled along his arm, the new element alive, eager, waiting to be tested.
The storm's coming, he thought. And this time, I'll be ready for it.