The South Gate of Silvercrest — Sorra
The wind rolled over the high walls of Silvercrest, carrying the distant clang of bells and the murmurs of crowds below. Sorra stood beneath the archway of the Academy's south gate, her hood pulled low, Nico at her side. The morning sun had barely risen, yet she felt exposed — as though dozens of unseen eyes followed her every step.
Nico walked half a step behind her, his voice low.
"Are you sure you're okay to be out of bed?"
"I don't have a choice," Sorra replied.
Her hands were hidden in her cloak, but her fingers wouldn't stop trembling.
The Headmaster's warning echoed in her mind.
The Crown won't ask next time.
She felt the weight of that truth.
She'd felt it since the courtyard burned white.
As they rounded the corner into one of the Academy's side gardens, Verden waited beneath an ancient flowering tree, its silver blossoms falling like drifting snow.
"You came," he said, pleased.
Sorra lowered her hood. "You said you had information about Nova."
Nico crossed his arms. "And why are we doing this outside? You know the Academy halls are safer."
Verden's eyes flicked to the branches above.
"Says the boy who hasn't noticed the three Crown operatives perched in the rafters."
Nico stiffened. "What—?"
Sorra swallowed.
"So it's true then," she whispered. "They're already inside."
Verden nodded gravely.
"Which is why we cannot speak freely within stone walls. The Crown listens, Sorra Grey. They listen to every whisper of power — and they are terrified of yours."
He stepped closer, dropping his voice.
"Your brother is moving toward the city. And something is hunting him."
Sorra felt cold despite the morning warmth.
"Something?" she repeated.
"Yes," Verden said. "Not someone."
Nico frowned. "You mean a monster?"
Verden's expression hardened.
"No. Something forged."
Sorra felt her heart plunge.
The Forge-Wrought…
He's fighting them alone? Nova—
Her vision blurred for a moment, the same white heat from before prickling beneath her skin.
Verden placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You must not lose control again. Not now. Not with the Crown watching."
She nodded shakily.
"I need to get to Nova."
"Then you'll need allies," Verden said. "And secrecy. Starting now, every step you take must stay in shadow."
As if on cue — three silhouettes moved across the far roof, trailing black cloaks.
Nico cursed under his breath.
"The Crown's already here."
Verden's eyes narrowed.
"Then let them watch."
The Northern Road — Nova
The road down the ridge twisted through jagged stone, the path narrow and half-swallowed by the rising fog. Nova moved with his hood up, cloak drawn tight, every sense alert.
He felt watched.
Not by beasts.
Not by slavers.
By something human.
He reached the edge of the valley, where the broken remains of a watchtower stood like a cracked tooth in the earth. He ducked inside, moving silently through the rubble.
Silent Step.
His footsteps vanished.
The air shifted — a figure dropping from the beams above, landing behind him without a sound. Nova spun, blade drawn in under a breath.
Steel met steel.
Sparks flashed.
The stranger laughed lightly behind their mask.
"Well now," they said, stepping back, "you live up to the rumors."
Nova kept his weapon up.
"Who are you?"
The figure lowered their hood — revealing a woman with ash-grey hair, streaked with black soot, eyes like molten metal.
"My name is Kira," she said. "Captain of the Ironbound."
Nova frowned. "Never heard of them."
She smiled.
"You wouldn't have. We operate in the shadows — what's left of Terra's smith clans after the Crown hunted us down."
His breath caught.
Smith clans.
Survivors?
Kira tilted her head, examining him.
"We've been following you, Nova Grey."
He stiffened.
"How do you know my name?"
She tapped her chest.
"Because you carry the mark. Your aura… your blade… even your stance."
A small smile touched her lips.
"You're a Grey. We'd recognize your blood anywhere."
Nova's grip tightened on his sword.
"Why follow me?"
"Because the Crown fears your family," Kira said simply.
"And because the Forge-Wrought are no accident. Something ancient is being woken — and only House Grey ever had the power to stop them."
Nova's heart pounded.
"You're wrong," he growled. "House Grey is gone."
Kira stepped closer.
"No," she said. "House Grey is hunted. But not gone."
Her eyes locked on his.
"And they will not stop until they have you."
Nova felt lightning crackle along his fingers.
His voice dropped, low and dangerous.
"Then they'll have to kill me."
Kira smiled.
"That's exactly why we want to help."
Silvercrest Academy — Sorra
Sorra followed Verden and Nico through the garden path, moving deeper into the hidden section of the Academy grounds. Every few steps, she felt the faint pull of her bond with Nova — a thread tugging at her chest.
He's fighting something. He's pushing himself too hard.
She clenched her fists.
As they passed beneath an archway woven with vines, Verden finally spoke.
"Sorra… Your power is not ordinary."
She stiffened.
"It's dangerous," she whispered.
"No," Verden corrected. "It's ancestral."
Sorra stopped walking.
"Ancestral…?"
He turned to face her, cloak drifting in the breeze.
"Your family did more than forge weapons. The Greys forged worlds. They crafted artifacts capable of altering the flow of mana itself. Terra remembers their glory — and their downfall."
Her breath caught.
"You're saying my fire—"
"—is tied to your lineage," Verden finished. "And if the Crown takes you, they will turn you into a weapon to finish what they started three centuries ago."
Nico stepped between them.
"You're not taking her anywhere."
Verden raised a brow.
"Good. I don't intend to."
He reached into his coat and handed Sorra a sealed letter.
"This is for your brother."
Sorra stared.
"How can I get this to him?"
Verden smiled faintly.
"You won't. He will come to you."
Her pulse quickened.
"Nova is already on his way," Verden said.
"And when he arrives… the Crown will close their jaws around both of you."
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Silvercrest's sky began to darken — not from weather, but from mana.
Sorra felt her blood run cold.
They're coming for us both.
The Northern Road — Nova
Nova stood atop the broken tower, the fog parting below him as Kira stepped to his side.
"We have a hideout," she said. "A place where the Crown can't track you. If you come with us, we'll explain everything."
Nova tightened his cloak.
His red eyes glowed faintly beneath the mask.
"I don't have time for detours."
Kira smirked.
"You don't. But you need them."
Lightning twitched across Nova's hand.
"I need to reach Silvercrest," he said.
Kira nodded.
"I know."
She pointed east.
"And the Crown's agents are waiting for you on the main road. Dozens. They've already spread the word of a 'masked mage with forbidden power.'"
Nova cursed under his breath.
Of course they had.
"They think you're a threat to Terra," Kira said, shrugging. "And honestly? After watching you fight… I can see why."
Nova glared.
She grinned.
"But threats make useful allies."
He hesitated — thinking of Sorra, of their bond, of her voice echoing through the storm.
Kira extended her hand.
"Come with us. Just for tonight. Learn what the Crown is hiding — and why they want the Greys erased."
Nova's jaw clenched.
He thought of Sorra's fear.
Her voice.
Her fire.
If I'm walking into a trap…
I need to know what I'm fighting.
Finally, he lowered his blade.
"Fine."
Kira smiled wide.
"Good. Now move. The storm is coming."
As they vanished into the mist, Nova cast one last look toward Silvercrest.
Sorra… hold on.