Night settled over the academy like a careful observer.
Lanterns flickered along the stone paths, their glow softened by drifting mist. Students retreated into dormitories, whispers trailing behind them like ghosts of the day's events. The academy had returned to routine on the surface—but beneath it, something restless stirred.
Kayden lay awake.
The ceiling above his bed was unfamiliar stone, etched faintly with protective sigils meant to calm mana flow. They did nothing for his thoughts.
Every time he closed his eyes, silver light returned.
The barrier.
The ripple.
The way Toren's mana had collapsed under a single touch.
He lifted his hand slowly, turning it under the lantern light.
Why does it listen to me?
A knock echoed softly.
Kayden sat up at once. "Yes?"
The door opened just enough for Lyra to peek inside.
"You're awake," she said quietly.
"Yeah."
She hesitated, then stepped in, closing the door behind her. Mira followed, clutching a folded blanket.
"We thought you might need this," Mira said, placing it at the foot of his bed. "You didn't eat dinner."
Kayden blinked. "Oh. I forgot."
Lyra crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. Her eyes searched his face carefully.
"Everyone's talking about you," she said. "Again."
Kayden winced. "That's… not good, is it?"
"No," Lyra admitted. "But it's not all bad either."
She exhaled slowly.
"The Student Council's already split. Some think you're a threat. Some think you're a miracle. And some—" she paused, "—are afraid of what happens if you're neither."
Mira nodded. "People don't like what they can't place."
Kayden lowered his gaze. "I don't even know where to place myself."
Silence followed.
Then Lyra spoke more softly.
"There's something else. A student transferred in this evening. Upper division. They say he requested placement specifically near you."
Kayden frowned. "Near me?"
"Yes," Lyra said. "And that's not normal."
Before Kayden could respond, a sharp pressure rippled through the air.
All three of them felt it.
Mira gasped. "Did you feel—"
"Yes," Lyra said sharply. "That wasn't mana. That was… something else."
The lantern flickered violently.
Kayden's heart began to race.
From somewhere within the academy, a presence unfolded.
⸻
The Arrival
The next morning dawned beneath a heavy sky.
Classes resumed, though tension clung to every hallway. Whispers followed Kayden wherever he went—some curious, some wary, some openly hostile.
Kirti watched from across the courtyard as Kayden passed.
He walked with his head lowered, shoulders slightly tense. Students parted instinctively, as if uncertain whether approaching him was safe.
Her chest tightened.
He doesn't belong in the shadows, she thought. Not like this.
A bell chimed, calling students toward the Hall of Convergence—a shared lecture hall for mixed divisions.
Kayden entered cautiously, Lyra and Mira close behind.
The room stilled.
A figure stood near the instructor's dais.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Hair dark as iron, eyes a muted crimson—unnatural, yet controlled.
He wore the academy uniform, though it seemed ill-fitted, as if he belonged to another era entirely.
Instructor Halverin cleared his throat.
"Attention. We have a new transfer joining us from the northern territories. His records are… limited, but his qualifications have been approved."
The man turned slowly.
His gaze locked onto Kayden.
A faint smile curved his lips.
"My name is Cael Vorryn," he said. His voice was smooth—too smooth. "I look forward to learning alongside you."
Kayden felt it then.
A cold, sinking pressure—like standing before a deep, lightless sea.
This one… is dangerous.
Kirti's eyes narrowed.
So this is him.
⸻
A Test Without Consent
Training exercises followed the lecture.
Students were divided into controlled mana demonstration groups under strict supervision. The instructors insisted—observe only, no engagement.
Cael stepped into Kayden's group.
Lyra stiffened. "Of course he did."
Cael inclined his head slightly toward Kayden. "Lythmoor, was it?"
"Yes," Kayden replied cautiously.
"I heard you collapsed a barrier crystal without trying," Cael said lightly. "That sort of thing interests me."
Kayden didn't answer.
The instructor began the demonstration—simple mana shaping. Harmless. Predictable.
Then Cael raised his hand.
"I apologize," he said calmly. "May I request a partner exercise?"
The instructor hesitated. "That is not—"
Cael moved.
Not fast.
Instant.
The air warped.
Kayden felt the attack before he saw it.
He reacted on instinct.
Silver light burst outward.
The hall shook.
Students cried out as the floor cracked beneath their feet. Defensive wards flared violently, barely containing the clash.
Cael stood unmoved within the chaos.
His palm pressed against Kayden's barrier.
Their mana touched.
The world twisted.
Kayden gasped as images flashed—
A ruined sky.
A black spire.
A symbol carved into flesh.
He staggered back.
Cael withdrew his hand, eyes gleaming faintly.
"So it's true," he murmured. "You really don't remember."
Instructors shouted. Wards activated. Guards stormed in.
Kirti stood abruptly, golden mana flaring around her.
"Enough," she commanded.
The pressure in the hall snapped.
Cael stepped back, offering a shallow bow.
"My apologies," he said smoothly. "An accident."
Kirti stared at him with undisguised hostility.
"That was not an accident."
Cael smiled.
"No," he agreed. "It wasn't."
⸻
The Aftermath
Kayden sat in the infirmary, hands trembling faintly.
Healers worked silently, scanning his mana pathways with glowing runes.
Kirti stood nearby, arms crossed.
Lyra paced.
"That was not normal," Lyra snapped. "He went straight for your core!"
"He wasn't trying to hurt me," Kayden said slowly. "He was… checking something."
Kirti's voice was sharp. "Checking what?"
Kayden swallowed. "Whether I was awake."
Silence fell.
Kirti's gaze softened slightly, though concern burned beneath it.
"You felt something," she said. "Didn't you?"
Kayden nodded.
"When his mana touched mine… it felt like something tried to open."
Kirti clenched her fists.
"That confirms it."
Lyra blinked. "Confirms what?"
Kirti met Kayden's eyes.
"There are people in this world who know what we are," she said quietly. "Or at least… what we were."
A chill ran through the room.
⸻
Elsewhere — Beneath the Academy
Deep below the academy, far beyond sealed chambers and forgotten corridors, a relic pulsed faintly.
Chains of ancient script rattled.
A voice whispered into the dark.
"The Silver Star stirs."
Another answered.
"And the Golden Flame watches."
The seal cracked—just slightly.
And the world edged closer to remembrance.
⸻
To Be Continued in Chapter 10 — "The One Who Knows Your Name"