James didn't remember climbing the stairs.
His legs moved on instinct, carrying him out of the vault like he was surfacing from underwater. His pulse was a drumbeat in his ears, louder than the crunch of his boots on ancient stone. Sundrakar's voice lingered in his skull—not words anymore, but pressure. A presence. Something vast and coiled, curled like a storm waiting behind his ribs.
By the time he stepped back into the upper chamber, Instructor Tavros was already counting heads.
"There you are," he said without looking. "Try not to wander off during a class trip, Solkaris. These ruins have collapses. Or worse—resonant traps."
James gave a nod he didn't feel. His hands were still shaking slightly.
He rejoined the group near the back, where Kael leaned against a cracked pillar and studied him out of the corner of his eye. James didn't say anything, but Kael's brow furrowed the moment he got close.
"You're humming," Kael muttered under his breath.
James blinked. "What?"
"Not actually. But it's like your body's throwing off heat." Kael's voice was low enough that no one else heard. "You smell like firestone."
James opened his mouth to respond, but the Solar Core pulsed again.
[Core Sync – 12%]
> Entity Influence: Residual Energy Detected
Emberstate Active (Temporary Effect)
Body Temp: +1.2°C – Internal Aether Circulation Stabilizing
Note: Emotional Stability Recommended for Bonded Core Development
He closed the interface with a mental nudge, swallowing hard. Kael was right. He was burning, just beneath the skin. But it wasn't sickness. It wasn't panic.
It was power.
As they filed out of the ruins and back onto the tram platform, the warmth didn't fade. The Aether lines beneath the rails flickered red when James stepped over them. The tram itself hissed once in protest when he boarded, the lights along its inner rim pulsing in sync with his heartbeat for a moment too long.
Kael didn't comment. But he sat next to him.
Just in case.
---
By the time they returned to the academy, the sun had already begun to dip behind the outer spires of Citadel Solaria. Golden rays slashed through the clouds like spears, casting long shadows over the practice fields and courtyards.
James stepped off the tram last.
He hadn't taken ten steps when someone grabbed his collar and slammed him into the wall.
The impact knocked the wind from his lungs.
"Still pretending, huh?"
Vale Thorne's voice was smooth, but sharp beneath the surface.
James didn't move. His hands clenched, not in fear—but in restraint. Vale's grip tightened.
"Everyone's talking," he said, his breath hot against James's cheek. "You don't Awaken, you get sent to D-Class, then suddenly you're throwing people in training matches and glowing during drills?" Vale pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes. "You think you're special?"
James's eyes met his.
Not defiant. Just steady.
"I don't think anything. I'm just not pretending."
Vale's smile didn't reach his eyes. "You know what I think? I think whatever system glitch lit you up during the Awakening is starting to break again. You're not a Knight. You're not even a Mage. You're a spark without fuel."
James didn't answer.
And maybe that's what did it.
Vale shoved him again. Not hard enough to injure. Just enough to make a point.
But when James hit the wall, the heat in his chest surged.
No warning this time. No soft pulse.
Just fire.
It didn't burst out. It didn't consume the air. It simply filled him—muscles tightening, breath sharpening, vision sharpening until the world felt more present, more vivid, more... real.
The system flared again.
[Combat Stress Detected – Core Response Triggered]
> Core Sync: 14%
Trait Activation: Draconic Tension – Reflex +2 (10 sec)
User State: Suppressed Hostility – Surge Deferred
James didn't hit back.
He didn't need to.
His body had already braced, instinctively rolling his shoulder to absorb the force, boots planted wide. Vale's smirk faltered as he realized the shove had done nothing.
"You done?" James asked, voice low.
Vale stepped back, hands still raised. "Careful, golden boy. People who climb too fast tend to fall hard."
Then he was gone, blending into the crowd of students returning from afternoon courses.
Kael appeared moments later, arms crossed.
"I was gonna jump in," he said, "but I wanted to see how long you'd hold back."
James exhaled slowly. The warmth inside him ebbed—but it didn't vanish. Not like before. It settled beneath his skin, lingering, pulsing faintly like it had found a new home.
"I don't want to fight him," James said. "Not yet."
Kael tilted his head. "Yet?"
James's lips quirked upward. "I didn't say I'd never want to."
Kael smiled.
And far beneath the academy, the crimson egg pulsed harder than before.
Its shell split—not broken, not hatched.
But opened.
A single, glowing line now ran down its side.
And for the first time, it exhaled.