That night, only a single moon hung in the sky.
Because of it, the world seemed dimmer than usual.
Inside one of the rooms, Kael was buried in books—page after page spread open across his desk.
Beside the piles of notes were scattered trinkets: fragments of his mother's belongings.
He was searching for clues—something that might tell him more about her legacy.
"Oh no… I didn't realize it was this late," Kael muttered after glancing at the clock on the wall.
He began tidying up, returning each book to its proper shelf, arranging them by category.
The scattered objects went back into their boxes, one by one.
When everything was neat again, he turned off the light and left the room spotless.
Kael walked down the quiet hall, entered his room, and lay down, letting exhaustion pull him into sleep.
---
Elsewhere that same night—
"Are you out of your mind?"
A middle-aged man adjusted his glasses as he spoke.
"I'm serious, dear! That boy is insane!"
The voice belonged to Grace—her round face trembling with anger.
"Even if he is, I'm not killing him. Doing that would be suicide," said her husband, Anton.
They were Setnov's parents.
"Why not? I looked into him a little, and do you know what I found?" Grace said sharply.
"I don't care," Anton interrupted. "Don't tell me anything. I don't want to get dragged into nonsense."
"Nonsense? He tried to kill me, Anton! He held a sword to my neck!" Grace followed him as he stepped out of the car.
"And yet you're standing here, perfectly fine, aren't you?" Anton said flatly, walking toward the house.
"But—"
"Grace."
His tone cut through her words like a knife.
Grace froze. Since childhood she had been spoiled—born into a wealthy family and later married off to Anton in a union of convenience between noble houses.
Their bond wasn't built on affection, only duty—an agreement made for family reputation.
Grace's pride, however, was her armor. She had never learned to back down—especially when her pride or her son was involved.
Anton was her opposite. He was raised on discipline, logic, and consequence.
He valued reason above impulse and refused to act on emotions.
"Don't do anything behind my back," Anton said coldly.
"I've ignored your habits for years—not out of kindness, but because they never crossed the line. This time they do."
Grace stayed silent, her fists clenched, eyes lowered.
"Understand this," Anton continued, his voice rising. "If you even think about going after that boy again, you'll destroy us.
Killing a parentless child—or even a lunatic with no family—would bring disaster on my name. And when that storm hits, your whole family will go down with us."
He turned and walked away, leaving Grace trembling in the middle of the room, rage bottled behind her silence.
---
Days passed. Then weeks.
By the time months had slipped by, the incident with Setnov's mother had become old gossip.
Kael's life returned to quiet routine—except for the two visitors who now came by almost every afternoon: Siro and Ruby.
"Hah… hah… I'm starting to keep up with your tempo," Siro gasped between breaths.
"Still far behind. Especially you, Ruby," Kael said without slowing.
"Hey! I'm not some monster like you two," Ruby protested.
Siro laughed. "Look who's talking. You're barely human yourself, Ruby."
"Fine, fine. But after watching you two for months, I'm convinced—Siro, you're another anomaly," Ruby teased.
"How am I the anomaly? Look at him," Siro said, pointing at Kael, who continued training without pause.
Ruby chuckled. "Fair point."
Then Siro asked, "By the way, have you noticed her?"
Ruby followed his gaze toward the porch—and smiled. "You mean Lyra? Yeah. She's been following us for a week now."
On the porch, Lyra sat casually, legs swinging above the ground, a cup of warm tea in hand.
Her small eyes tracked every movement of the boys as they trained.
"What are you staring at?" she said suddenly, eyes on Ruby.
"Ah—nothing! Just… curious," Ruby answered awkwardly.
"Hmph. Bury that curiosity before it gets you in trouble," Lyra said coolly.
Ruby and Siro exchanged a glance, both shrugging in sync.
"If you're done talking, get back to practice," Kael called out.
"Come on, Kael. Isn't this enough for one day?" Ruby complained.
"The sun hasn't set yet. Keep going," Kael replied.
Ruby sighed and jogged closer. "Wait—mind if I ask something?" he whispered beside Kael's ear.
"About what?"
"What's going on between you two?" Ruby murmured, glancing toward Lyra.
"I don't know. She just started following me after school."
"Seriously? You're not hiding something?" Ruby grinned. "Come on, share a little secret with your friend."
"Why don't you find out yourself?" Kael said.
"What do you—"
Before Ruby could finish, Kael raised his hand, index and middle fingers together.
Ruby froze. "No. No, no, no—don't you dare. I'm not ready for that again! I still remember the pain from last time!"
"And there are other people here!" he hissed, keeping his voice low. "If they find out you can control arkanum like that, you'll be in trouble!"
"This time won't hurt as much," Kael said with a sly smile.
"That still means it will hurt!" Ruby shot back.
Kael exhaled, half amused. "Where's your curiosity now?"
Ruby paused. He knew Kael was teasing him, that grin giving everything away.
Still, curiosity gnawed at him.
"Fine," Kael said. "You remember last time, right? I injected a bit of arkanum into you—it expanded your perception.
The more your body adjusts, the easier it becomes to handle the pain."
Ruby crossed his arms. "I still don't trust you."
"I'm the one who understands the process best. Why not trust me?"
"Because you say that with a suspicious smile every single time."
Kael shrugged. "Forget my expression. If you've already forgotten your lessons, maybe you're not as smart as you look."
Ruby groaned. "Ugh, fine! I know, I know—awakening energy hurts at first, but it gets easier after.
I'm only agreeing because I want to know what's going on with you and Lyra—not because I'm falling for your tricks!"
"Think what you like," Kael said with a small grin.
"Siro, move back a bit," he added. "Sit like I do—cross-legged."
Siro frowned. "So you're teaching him something new before me?"
"I'm doing this for Ruby's sake—so he doesn't fall behind you," Kael said.
That single sentence was enough.
Siro turned red and stepped back without another word. It felt nice to be acknowledged—something he hadn't felt in a long time.
Ruby sat cross-legged. Kael stood in front of him, turning his back to Siro and Lyra so they couldn't see.
He pressed two fingers to Ruby's forehead.
A thin thread of blue light extended from Kael's hand, seeping gently into Ruby's head.
Memories began to flow.
---
A rooftop. Empty, quiet.
Kael lay on his back beneath the shadow of a wall, staring at clouds drifting above the city.
Creak.
The door opened.
"Ah—sorry! Am I disturbing your peace?" a girl's voice asked.
Kael turned his head slightly. A girl with long twin tails stepped into view, hair tousled by the wind. It was Lyra.
She bowed awkwardly. "Please forgive what I said before."
"Hm? About what?" Kael asked lazily.
"When I accused you of having special connections to get into the academy."
"Ah. That. Forget it," Kael said. "I wouldn't have remembered if you hadn't brought it up."
Lyra laughed nervously. "Then… may I sit here for a while? The climb up was rough."
"Do as you like."
They fell into silence. The only sound was the wind sweeping over the roof.
"Why aren't you with Ruby?" Lyra asked softly.
Kael didn't respond. He didn't even know how to.
There wasn't a reason—he just wanted space, nothing more.
When he stayed silent, Lyra shifted uncomfortably, then tried again.
"Can I ask you something about batik sigils?"
That caught his attention. Kael sat up, leaning against the wall.
"What do you want to know?"
Seeing him engage, Lyra brightened. Her confidence returned, her hands animated as she spoke.
They exchanged thoughts—technical, abstract, fascinating.
That was how it began.
The first real connection between them.
From that day, Lyra often sought Kael out, dragging Ruby into long discussions about symbols and theory—sometimes far beyond their grade level.
A week before Kael shared these memories with Ruby, Lyra had stopped him by the school gate.
"Kael… can I come to your house?"
"For what?"
"I, uh… I just noticed Ruby and Siro always follow you after school.
Not that I've been watching you or anything!" she added quickly, flustered.
Kael didn't reply, scanning the area.
"I only want to talk more," she said rapidly. "There's still so much I want to ask—so yes, that's all. Just talk!"
"I don't mind," Kael said. "But don't interrupt my training."
"Got it! I'll be quiet!" Lyra said, nodding rapidly.
"And one more thing—I don't have many snacks at home, so don't expect any."
"That's fine, that's fine! I'll bring my own on the way!" she chirped.
"Suit yourself," Kael said.
That was the last image Ruby saw before the light faded from his vision.
When he opened his eyes, the memory lingered like an echo.
Kael stood over him. "Does it hurt?"
"Not really," Ruby said, rubbing his forehead. "It felt warm… like a bee sting, maybe."
"Good. Remember that feeling.
Compare it with the flow of arkanum around you—once you recognize the rhythm, you'll start to control it," Kael said quietly.
Ruby nodded, still processing the fragments of Kael's world now imprinted in his own mind.
---
To be continued...