The academy halls were unusually quiet.
Despite their resounding victory, the members of A-2 returned to their routines with a heightened sense of tension. Whispers of Kaen's overwhelming strength spread like wildfire—not just among students, but the faculty too.
In the corner of the library's upper floor, Zian sat alone, a pile of ancient texts scattered around her. Her fingers trembled slightly as she flipped through worn pages filled with forgotten runes.
Every time she closed her eyes now, she saw flashes—swords clashing in a sky split by light, voices crying out in languages no human had ever spoken, and Kaen—always Kaen—standing in the middle of it all like a storm wearing a smile.
She touched her chest. "Why… does it feel like I've fought beside him before?"
Kaen, meanwhile, was in the alchemy labs, helping Mira refine an explosive compound. Or rather, watching with his usual amused detachment while Mira tinkered with beakers.
"You know," Mira muttered, "for someone who doesn't speak much, you're strangely good at giving people the creeps."
"Flattery will get you everywhere," Kaen replied dryly.
Rayden entered the lab, carrying a sealed report. "They're increasing surveillance on us. Headmistress Velda submitted a request for magical scans during combat training."
Kaen gave a slow nod. "Expected. Let them look. They'll only see what I want them to."
Outside, on the academy's training field, Zian tested her magic alone. The light she conjured had grown… fiercer. Harder to control.
When she swung her blade, a wave of radiant energy erupted forward, splitting the ground.
She staggered, gasping. "This power… it's changing."
From the shadows, Professor Drayven—still believed to be just a homeroom teacher—watched in silence. The slime creature within him stirred, connected to Kaen.
"She's beginning to wake," he whispered. "Just as you planned, Master."
That night, in her dorm, Zian dreamed again.
But this time, it wasn't war. It was a pact.
Two voices—one of shadow, one of light—echoed in unison.
"Together, we will bring judgment."
She jolted awake, drenched in sweat.
Outside her window, Kaen stood beneath the moonlight, looking up.
He whispered, "Do you remember now, my fallen light?"