Kage's expression shifted—amusement and certainty flickering across his features. He met Aldwyn's eyes.
"Because everything I need is buried beneath your foundations."
The words hung in the air, simple and strange.
Supreme Himura's brow furrowed. "Elaborate."
A boyish smile broke across Kage's face—the kind that stripped away pretense and left only his fifteen years bare.
"You're right that I could forge my own path. Hunt in the wilderness, seek out rogue purists, find some forgotten master in a cave. But that's the path of desperation—scraping together scraps of knowledge, praying luck favors me."
He gestured to the Chamber around them.
"This academy holds six centuries of accumulated knowledge. Techniques refined across generations. Resources gathered from across continents. Masters who've reached heights I can only imagine. And most importantly—"
He leaned forward, pupils dilating.
