The Bell Before the Storm
The words Feya had spoken cut deeper than any sword.
Her voice, calm and nearly quivering, hung in the air moments after she turned her face away.
For an instant, no one dared to breathe.
Then began the whispers—with a gentle murmuring, a gradual building into a wave.
"Do you hear that? She totally rejected him,"
"Of course she did. Who does Kai think he is, asking her to cultivate together? That's basically a confession!"
"Bold, but stupid. Some people just don't know their place."
Their sneers cut through the air. Faces were twisted with smirks all around the gymnasium. Kai Dawnsworn could sense all of them—every one of them sneering at her.
He stood quietly, golden eyes fixed on her, a faint smile playing on his lips that wasn't really a smile at all.
Oh, the way I messed up this.
He breathed out, slowly. The sounds of the crowd receded into the background.
I shouldn't have asked her in front of all of you. I cornered her. Made her choose.
He could picture how it might have felt for Feya—fifteen years old, with all eyes on her, her best friend acting as a wall between them.
"That wasn't courage," he said. "That was dumb."
*
He shook his head slightly and turned to leave. His movements were calm, almost nonchalant, but Boomer followed with this stormy look in his eyes.
"You really don't get it, do you?" Boomer growled in frustration beside him. "She used Mary to keep you at a distance. That wasn't an accident. That's her way of telling you to stay away. Kai, you've known her for years; you should have recognized such a move when you saw it."
Kai didn't respond immediately. His gold eyes fluttered faintly in the light of dawn before he uttered a soft but firm voice.
"It's alright. She's still very young. can be influenced by those surrounding her. I don't fault her for this."
"Boomer stopped walking," continued Troy. "He stared at him as if hecouldn't believe what he was hearing."
"You're unbelievable," he stated. "Did you listen to what she said? 'We're grown now, we should keep our distance'--that wasn't ambivalence. That was her rejecting you,"
He crossed his arms, jaw clenched. "You're too forgiving, Kai. You always have excuses for people who have already turned their backs on you," he accused.
Kai's smile was minimal but stable. "Maybe. Or maybe I just. still want to believe she'll remember who we used to be," he said.
"Boomer scoffed under his breath. "He'd like to shake some sense into him," but a part of him did understand. Kai wasn't holding on out of need. He just was this way—soft in a world that didn't deserve it."
But Boomer also knew something that others did not: Kai had a storm raging within him—a silent, passionate storm waiting for its moment.
He let out a sigh, adjusting his eyes towards a crowd busy gossiping. "You know what my father used to tell me?" he asked. "They see you most clearly when you are least among them. They can laugh all they want to. They will bow their names when you are above them on your appointed day."
Kai's lips curved, a silent acknowledgment. Of the kind that didn't require words.
A murmur of excitement burst forth in the gymnasium. Heads turned in response to a breeze that blew through the courtyard.
The sky was dotted with a variety of aircraft waiting to take
Kai and Boomer followed their eyes—and spotted a group of figures gliding across the sky above the battle area.
Their wings shimmered behind them, feathery and transparent, rippling with each air current. With each flutter, a whirlwind swept through the arena as they seemed to float in mid-air with hardly any effort.
"That is a class of seniors from the College of Spellcraft," a voice whispered. "Wind element mages strong enough to condensate their magic into air currents in order to create wings," another voice added.
Murmur ran through the crowd in amazement. Whilst most of the outer disciples were still struggling in the Awakening Planes, to them, it would have seemed they were witnessing gods. They were still locked into their bodies, which were learning how to imbue their flesh with magic when they saw these elderly men,
They had already soared beyond.
In the Divine Era, mages were considered one of the highest ranks in cultivation practitioners. Further, among them, only people with control over the 'wind element' were able to fly at the 'Ascend Realm level.'
The leading mage, a tall boy with blue robes, projected his voice through the courtyard.
"We're here to make an announcement for the academy," he explained. His voice traveled far on the breeze. "A part of Skyfire Mountain is reserved for training. Inside this area, only demonic beasts from the Awakening Plane exist."
A wave of excitement ran through the students.
"The next seven days," continued the magician, "will be your hunting season before the Fall Quarter Examinations. You can go inside the secured area to check the effectiveness of your year-long cultivation and tempering yourselves in real battle situations to see danger face to face."
"Another mage spoke up. "You'll all be leaving this academy sooner or later. Out in the real world, you won't have anyone to watch your back. A true cultivator must go through life-and-death situations. But don't forget this: survival first. Go with friends, not alone.""
The warning hung in the air. The students nodded, some with serious faces, others with a reckless glint in their eyes.
The annual hunt was both a challenge and an exhilaration: an invitation to prove oneself in the rugged depths of Skyfire Mountain. It might have dangers, but so it had an origin where danger produced strength.
The head mage raised his hand to quiet them. "In addition, during the Fall Quarter Examination, a homecoming ceremony will be conducted. Guests will come from Greenhold City, including your families. So, show them your performance. They have to see your progress and your value." A buzz ran through the crowd. For many, this was more than an exam—this was their opportunity to prove to their parents they weren't wasting their youth on an impossible dream. The mages finished with a wave of their hands. "Prepare well. The mountain waits," they concluded. With a final flutter of their magic-crafted wings, they launched into the distance, vanishing towards the horizon where Skyfire Mountain smoldered weakly in the light of a rising sun. A burst of excitement swept through the arena. Groups were already springing into formation—students gathering friends, rivals, and affiliates. The Fall Hunt had arrived, and with it, opportunism. Amaya Green emerged from across the courtyard, her black hair shining with light, her green eyes serene but engaged. "Kai Dawnsworn," she called, her voice soft but carrying well above the din of voices, "what is your plan for hunting?" The question hung in the air through the morning hours, a challenge beneath her polished façade—and one which had Boomer looking to Kai with a grin, eager to hear what other volleys his friend would unleash. "And with Kai turning towards her, his golden eyes slitting in thought, the breeze changed—almost imperceptibly, but with a depth of charge, a sense that the very universe hung poised in anticipation of his response," she wrote