The afternoon sun stretched long shadows across the academy grounds as the four girls finally stepped beyond the iron gates, their footsteps falling in quiet rhythm against the cobbled path leading toward the capital. The air outside the academy carried a different weight—less strict, less orderly, more alive with the clamor of voices, carriages rolling across the main road, and the faint ring of bells from vendors advertising their wares in the distance.
Blanche moved at a measured pace, her posture still upright despite the fatigue that clung to her shoulders. Vila followed a few steps behind, steady and watchful as ever, her eyes occasionally drifting to Yuxin as though checking if she was still holding up. Ruka trailed close, her hands gripping her own sleeves, expression quiet and brooding, but the way her gaze flicked curiously from stall to stall betrayed that spark of wonder she couldn't quite hide.
The city stretched upward in all its towering stonework, gilded spires and banners fluttering in the wind, until their eyes were inevitably drawn to the horizon—there, rising above every roof and tower, loomed the Sky Gate Tower. The colossal structure stood like a needle piercing the heavens, its base encircled by a bustle of people, markets sprawling outward in colorful rows, lanterns strung above like captured stars. At its very top, glowing faintly in the daylight, shimmered the runic halo of the portal that connected directly to the Sky Atrium.
Yuxin's sharp voice cut through the hum of the crowd as she adjusted the strap of her uniform bag, lips pressed in mild irritation.
"So that's it? That's the big deal? Just a giant stick poking at the sky with a glowing ring on top?"
Blanche's lips curved in the faintest smile, almost imperceptible, but her tone remained calm, patient.
"It is more than just a tower. The Sky Gate is a threshold—between earth and sky, between common ground and the realm where nobility displays its splendor. It's not merely stone and magic, Yuxin. It's a symbol."
Vila nodded quietly, her voice low, steady, yet carrying that strange reverence only she seemed capable of.
"You can feel it in the air… like it doesn't belong to the world below. The winds bend differently here."
Ruka, in contrast, had stopped mid-step, her eyes fixed on the bustling marketplace sprawling at the base of the tower. Her voice slipped out small, almost a whisper, but carried enough warmth to catch the others' ears.
"…It smells like roasted chestnuts."
The others turned, realizing her gaze had locked on a vendor tossing sugar-dusted nuts in a steaming pan. Yuxin sighed, pressing her palm to her temple.
"Unbelievable. We're heading to some floating palace in the clouds, and your priority is snacks."
Ruka didn't answer, but the way her shoulders hunched and the faintest flush colored her cheeks gave her away. Vila's lips twitched, a soft chuckle breaking the tension.
The crowd thickened as they neared the tower's foundation, the girls weaving through merchants selling trinkets, street performers balancing hoops of fire, and children darting between stalls. Every so often, the ground trembled with the low hum of the arcane engines embedded in the tower's heart, feeding the portal high above. A line had already formed near the spiral lift that would carry visitors skyward, but most didn't mind the wait; the lower plaza was alive with energy, a marketplace in its own right where anticipation itself became an attraction.
Blanche let out a quiet exhale, her voice low enough for only her companions to hear.
"Rest while we can. Once we step through that portal, the Sky Atrium will not be so forgiving."
Yuxin raised a brow, her lips curving into a dry smirk.
"Forgiving? It's just a shopping trip, not a battlefield."
But as she spoke, her gaze drifted back upward—up to the halo of runes shimmering at the tower's crown, a bridge between worlds. And though she scoffed, a flicker of unease, or perhaps anticipation, lingered in her eyes.
The four of them pressed forward, swallowed by the crowd, the Sky Gate Tower rising higher and higher above them until it seemed to scrape the heavens themselves.
The four of them stepped beneath the arching shadow of the Sky Gate Tower, the bustle of the lower market fading into a hush as the air grew heavy with concentrated mana. Unlike the sprawling plaza outside, the interior of the tower was compact and efficient—smooth stone floors polished to a reflective sheen, walls inlaid with faintly glowing runes that pulsed in quiet rhythm like the heartbeat of the portal itself. There were only a handful of visible features: a row of circular gateways that shimmered faintly with spatial distortion, a pair of armored guards standing rigid by the entrance, and a reception desk manned by a young woman dressed in crisp academy-blue livery.
The receptionist's smile was practiced and polite as her eyes lifted to meet the newcomers—yet her posture stiffened slightly when she saw Blanche's crest stitched into her uniform, Vila's foreign elven presence, and the overall aura of exhaustion hanging over them. Still, her tone was gentle, welcoming, carefully measured for courtesy.
"Welcome to the Sky Gate Tower. Do you have your travel permit or pass ready?"
Before anyone else could move, Yuxin sighed through her nose, reaching casually into the fold of her uniform. With a practiced flick of her wrist, she drew forth the ticket pass her parents had given her—a slip of shimmering blue light that wasn't paper at all but something crystalline, translucent, alive with runic latticework that bent the light around it. Unlike normal passes, which were thin and tearable, this one pulsed faintly like a captured shard of sky itself.
Yuxin extended it with the most casual gesture imaginable, like she was handing over a scrap receipt.
"Here. That's our entry, right?"
The receptionist froze. Her eyes widened, her smile faltered, and for a second she simply stared at the pass as though it had no right to exist in her hands. When she finally found her voice again, it cracked at the edges of her composure.
"T-this… this is a premium Sky Atrium pass. P-please wait here a moment, young ladies. I need to… verify this."
Blanche, Vila, and Ruka exchanged quick looks between themselves, the sudden shift in the woman's tone not lost on them. Yuxin only raised a brow, lips quirking.
"Is it that shocking? It's just a piece of glowing rock."
But before she could say more, the receptionist clutched the pass delicately between both hands—like it might shatter if handled too roughly—and with a hurried bow, rushed through the side door behind her desk. The echo of her heels against the polished floor rang sharp in the quiet chamber, and then she disappeared into the staff-only corridor.
The girls were left standing in the center of the room, the silence stretching around them. The two guards at the entrance shifted slightly, their gazes darting toward Yuxin's group, but they did not speak.
Ruka shuffled her weight nervously from foot to foot, her arms hugging herself as she murmured, barely audible,
"…Why do I feel like we're in trouble already?"
Blanche inhaled slowly, posture tall despite her fatigue, her eyes following the door where the receptionist had vanished.
"Not trouble. Attention. That pass is not ordinary, Yuxin. You should have warned us."
Yuxin waved a hand dismissively, leaning back against the desk like she owned the place.
"Relax. It's just a ticket. They'll come back, they'll open a portal, we'll go up. Easy."
Vila, however, remained silent, her sharp eyes narrowed at the way the guards kept sneaking glances at them. She crossed her arms lightly, her presence still and unreadable, though there was a tension in her shoulders that Blanche recognized immediately.
For a moment, no one spoke. The air thrummed faintly with the mana currents of the portals, the blue glow from the runes reflecting in their eyes.
And so they waited, the four of them standing together in the quiet chamber of the Sky Gate Tower, unaware of what kind of reception their premium pass had just summoned.
The receptionist returned at last, her posture stiff, and behind her walked a man in his early forties. His presence filled the small chamber with a calm authority that had nothing to do with the faint lines on his face or the neatly pressed navy-blue uniform he wore—it was in the way he carried himself, upright and deliberate, every movement balanced between courtesy and command. A pair of silver-rimmed spectacles sat perched upon his nose, catching the glow of the portal runes as he adjusted them with a single finger.
His voice, when it came, was deep and smooth, the kind of tone used by men who had mediated more disputes than they cared to remember.
"Good morning, ladies. I was told there is a… rather special pass being used today."
His gaze settled on Yuxin, sharp but not unkind, weighing her the way one might weigh a puzzle piece that doesn't quite fit the picture. He inclined his head politely, folding his hands behind his back as he spoke again.
"Would you confirm, miss, that this ticket truly belongs to you?"
Yuxin gave a slow blink, clearly unimpressed by the air of ceremony around him. With a casual shrug, she pushed off from where she leaned against the desk and held the glowing crystalline slip higher, her words flat.
"Yeah. It's mine. What about it?"
The man tilted his head slightly, lips curving in something like restrained curiosity.
"If I may ask, for our records… what is your family name?"
That question struck differently. Yuxin hesitated, her hand tightening just slightly on the pass. Her gaze flicked sideways to Blanche, Vila, and Ruka, then back to the floor. For a moment, silence stretched thin.
When she finally answered, her voice was small, reluctant.
"…Corvusvale."
The man leaned forward a little, one hand cupped to his ear.
"I beg your pardon, miss? Speak clearly, please."
Yuxin's jaw clenched. She drew in a sharp breath through her nose, then forced the word out louder, rougher, as if it pained her to say it.
"Corvusvale."
And this time, to erase any doubt, she pulled a thin chain from beneath her uniform—a pendant hanging at the end, a dark circle etched with the unmistakable sigil of a raven, wings curled inward as if guarding some invisible secret. The sight of it struck like a sudden chill through the room.
The man froze for half a heartbeat—then broke into a low chuckle, shaking his head as if some long-forgotten jest had just landed.
"Ahh… Corvusvale. So that's how it is. Well, that explains everything. Forgive me, miss, I wasn't aware the family had… descendants walking these halls. A lapse on my part."
His laugh was not cruel, but it carried the weight of surprise, the kind of laugh one gives when a truth arrives uninvited but undeniable.
Yuxin's eyes narrowed, her tone clipped, irritated.
"Yeah, great. Now can you stop dragging this out and just open the damn portal already?"
The man gave a small bow of apology, though the amused smile never quite left his face.
"Of course, of course. My apologies for the delay. I tend to be thorough when a name like Corvusvale crosses my desk."
He tapped the side of his glasses with one finger and added in a lighter, more conversational tone,
"For courtesy's sake, I am Albrecht Veyron, supervisor of the Sylvan Gate branch. Please, consider the tower at your service."
He stepped back, gesturing toward the shimmering portal ring, the soft glow inside beginning to pulse in invitation.
Yuxin moved first, her steps clipped and decisive, the luminous folds of the portal rippling faintly as she passed through its edge. Blanche, Vila, and Ruka followed in her wake, their shoes echoing softly against the polished marble floor of the tower as if each sound was swallowed whole by the vast resonance of the gateway chamber. Blanche glanced sideways at Yuxin's stiff shoulders, her own brow furrowed in mild astonishment.
"I never knew your family name was Corvusvale," Blanche said softly, her voice carrying a note of elegance even in simple surprise. "You've never mentioned it."
Yuxin kept her gaze forward, jaw tightening. She didn't slow her pace, didn't look back. Her reply came curt, as though she had rehearsed it a hundred times before but still hated the taste of it on her tongue.
"Because I don't use it. I don't want it in my name."
Blanche's expression flickered with curiosity, her tone calm but probing as they stepped closer to the portal's glow.
"And why is that?"
Yuxin hesitated, her lips parting, then pressing shut again. A faint blush dusted her cheeks, betraying her discomfort. When she finally spoke, her voice was lower, as though she hoped the portal hum would drown it out.
"…It doesn't suit me."
Blanche blinked, her composure slipping for once into genuine surprise.
"My, my. You're serious?"
Yuxin angled her head away, the faint blush deepening.
"Don't look at me like that. I care about these things too, alright? I want my name to sound… cool. And Corvusvale—it's so gloomy. It's like I'm branded with a shadow I didn't ask for."
Vila, trailing behind with her hands folded loosely, tilted her head ever so slightly, her pale lashes fluttering as if she considered the logic but found no fault. Ruka, hugging her arms across her chest, stifled a faint laugh that earned her a sharp glare from Yuxin.
Blanche, meanwhile, shook her head, her lips curling into a smile half amused, half bewildered.
"All this time, you carried such strength, such composure, yet here you are refusing a name because it doesn't sound right to you. Truly, I didn't think vanity had a place in your vocabulary."
Yuxin bristled, spinning on her heel just enough to jab a finger toward Blanche, her eyes sharp despite the lingering blush.
"It's not vanity. It's style. I'm a woman too, you know. I don't want people to hear 'Corvusvale' and immediately think of death, ravens, and tombstones every time they look at me."
The air thickened with the shimmer of the portal's energy, catching the edges of her hair in ghostly light. Her words, though petulant, carried an honesty that made the others pause.
Blanche allowed herself a quiet laugh, the sound like glass chimes carried by a winter breeze.
"And yet… the shadow suits you in ways you refuse to see. But very well, I'll respect your wish, Yuxin. Though you must know—no matter what name you carry, it is not the word itself that defines its beauty, but the strength of the one who bears it."
Yuxin rolled her eyes, tugging her collar up to half-hide her face.
"Ugh. Don't get all poetic on me right now. I said what I said."
With that, she turned back toward the portal, striding into its radiant frame. The others shared a glance—Blanche's serene smile, Vila's quiet calm, Ruka's faint smirk—before following her through into the skybound light.