"Heading to school, young Kael?"
A woman greeted him with a smile, her feet covered in mud.
"Yes, ma'am," Kael replied with a polite nod.
"No need to run, it's still too early for you to be late!" she called out as the boy jogged past.
"It's just a bit of training," Kael said, his voice fading as he moved farther down the path.
From a distance, his small back looked fragile against the pale morning light.
"Isn't that the boy from the Arda family, the one living near the lake?" asked an old farmer beside the woman.
"Yes. Poor child. His father went off years ago and never came back, and his mother disappeared about a year ago."
"I never saw him at school before."
"He only started a week ago. Hardly ever left the area near his house. You'd only see him outside when he was with his mother, and that was long ago."
"What a sad life for someone so young," the old man sighed.
"I don't know the details," the woman said, "but I often see Lina walking toward his house carrying all sorts of things in plastic bags. I think she's been taking care of him lately."
The man clicked his tongue softly. "Poor kid."
---
Only a few students were entering the school grounds that morning.
From nearly two hundred meters away, Kael slowed, then channeled a thin stream of arkanum to his legs.
The world blurred into streaks of green and brown. In seconds, the quiet air split, and he arrived in the empty schoolyard.
His breathing was steady, though his heart pounded from the rush of energy. He paused, scanning the area—the trees, the gate, the empty classroom windows.
["Looks like no one saw me."]
Relieved, he walked toward the restroom, the only place he believed could give him total privacy this early.
Inside, the faint smell of disinfectant mixed with the chill of ceramic tiles. He locked the stall door and raised his palm to chest height. A faint blue glow formed—cold, translucent, swirling before wrapping his entire body.
A thin gust of air lifted his shirt and hair; the cool tingling sensation washed away every trace of sweat and fatigue.
When he lowered his hand, the light vanished soundlessly.
"Hey, you in there," a sudden voice called from outside the stall. "You're the new kid everyone's been talking about, right?"
Kael froze. His heartbeat stumbled.
["I didn't hear the door open… Who is that? When did he get here?"]
He didn't answer. Moving slowly, he unlocked the door and stepped out.
A boy he had never seen before leaned against the wall, messy-haired, a smirk on his face, blocking the way.
["Stay calm. Don't react."]
Kael forced his expression to stay neutral, though the faint color draining from his cheeks betrayed him.
"Hey, wait," the boy said, gripping Kael's shoulder. "Why so nervous? What were you doing here so early—with that look on your face? Hiding something?"
It wasn't a real question. It was a probe—a challenge.
Kael didn't pull away. He simply turned his head slightly until their eyes met. His stare was empty, cold, and unblinking.
The air between them tightened. The only sound was the drip from a leaking tap.
One second. Two.
The boy's grin faltered. His hand loosened.
"Ah… sorry if I said something weird, haha." He released Kael as if his shoulder had suddenly burned, scratching his head in embarrassment. "I was just curious."
Kael said nothing. He walked past him and left without a word.
"Strange kid," the boy muttered to himself.
As Kael walked down the empty hallway, he finally let out a slow breath. His heart still raced.
["That was too close. I have to be more careful."]
He remembered Lina's anxious look and Ruby's shock when they saw him use arkanum.
["This secret is a burden—one that forces me to stay alert, even when I'm alone."]
---
The classroom filled as more students arrived. The noise grew—greetings, jokes, bits of nonsense all blending together.
Kael didn't mind it. As usual, he stared out the window, thinking about the sealed items his mother had left behind. A week had passed with no progress, but he still believed the black envelope held the key.
"Morning, Kael."
"Hey, Kael."
Two voices called at once—from beside him and across his desk.
"Hm?" Kael blinked, pulled from his thoughts.
Ruby and Siro.
"Did anyone bother you before I got here?" Siro asked, sitting backward on his chair.
"No," Kael said simply.
"Tell us if someone does," Ruby added.
"Quiet, Ruby. I'll handle that kind of thing," Siro shot back.
Kael smiled faintly at their small argument. It reminded him of the second day of school—the first real trouble he'd had.
"Bang!"
A loud slap hit the desk.
"Hey, Kael, right?" A girl with bright blue hair stood there, confidence all over her posture. Her expression said look at me.
Kael didn't. He didn't even glance up.
Annoyed, she grabbed his wrist. "So, just how smart are you to skip six years and land straight in year seven?"
It was the same girl from his first day—the one who had mocked him then too.
"But after watching you yesterday," she continued, "you don't seem that smart. You barely pay attention. Maybe you don't belong here at all."
Her name was Lyra Ardelia—popular, loud, and exhausting. Not dangerous, just… too much.
Kael stayed silent. He knew that engaging would only drag him into a long, pointless argument.
"So what, did your parents pay someone to get you in?" she pressed.
The noise in the room died instantly.
Everything around Kael seemed to freeze. The chatter faded into a dull hum.
He didn't explode. He just stood up slowly, chair legs scraping the floor. The sound was sharp in the sudden quiet.
He didn't glare. He looked straight at her—expressionless, cold.
Lyra stiffened. Her earlier bravado evaporated as instinct tightened her chest.
"W-what? Did I say something wrong?" she stammered.
Kael's voice was calm when he finally spoke. "Don't. Say. That. Again."
Each word carried quiet force, something that made everyone nearby hold their breath.
"Hey, what's your problem—" Lyra began, but a hand clamped over her mouth.
Ruby, pale and wide-eyed, pulled her away from Kael toward the door. He wasn't breaking up a fight—he was dragging her away from danger.
"Ruby! Let me go, I was just—" she started as soon as he released her.
"Shh," he said, pressing a finger to his lips. "You have no idea. You said something about his parents—you almost triggered something."
Ruby glanced into the classroom, then lowered his voice. "I'm just trying to protect both of you."
He remembered the way Kael had once controlled arkanum so easily. He didn't want to see that power flare up by accident.
"What are you saying? Was I right about his parents?" Lyra whispered.
"No. It's not that," Ruby sighed, giving her the simplest version of Kael's story he could.
Lyra's eyes softened. "Poor Kael…"
Seeing her reaction, Ruby stopped there. It was enough.
The bell rang, slicing through the tension. Classes were about to begin.
Both returned to their seats. Lyra hesitated before sitting, then glanced back at Kael—who was, as always, staring out the window, lost somewhere far away.
"Siro, get back to your seat," Ruby said as the teacher entered.
Kael blinked, snapping out of his memory.
"I wasn't there that day," Siro muttered, standing and heading to his chair. "If I had been, that loud-mouthed girl wouldn't have said a thing to Kael."
Ruby just shook his head, ending the exchange.
The class settled. Kael stayed quiet. Lyra never spoke to him again after that day.
Hours passed—six subjects, one break. Near the end of the day, Kael's attention finally caught on the board.
The lesson was about seals and keys—the basic mechanisms behind objects across Arka. He hadn't listened much, but when his eyes landed on the drawings, something clicked. It reminded him of the mark on the black envelope.
He raised his hand. "Sir, what if the seal is shaped like a sunken circle with a pattern inside?"
"That depends on the pattern and its placement, Kael," the teacher replied.
Kael already knew the basics. What he wanted was beyond that—but saying more might reveal too much.
The teacher noticed his hesitation. "Interested in seals now? That's unusual for you."
Their short exchange drew the attention of everyone in the room. One by one, students turned toward them as their discussion deepened.
Ideas bounced between teacher and student—questions, theories, possibilities—until the bell interrupted again.
"Alright, that's enough for today," the teacher said.
"Sir," Ruby spoke up, "could you explain a little more? I'll stay to wrap up what you and Kael were discussing."
A few students nodded, curious to hear more. Lyra too watched silently, her eyes fixed on Kael.
"Fine," the teacher agreed. "Anyone who wants to leave, go ahead. Those who want to stay, stay."
Most stayed. Only a handful left.
"Kael, come draw the pattern you meant," the teacher said, wiping the board clean.
Excitement spread through the room. Kael's earlier comments had sounded far beyond standard lessons. Even the teacher looked curious now.
Where had a boy like him learned such concepts?
---
To be continued...