The woman lifted her hand slightly.
The floating bow snapped into her grasp as if it had been waiting for that moment. Frost gathered along the string, forming a crystalline arrow in an instant.
She aimed directly at Taika.
Taika's eyes widened.
"H-Hey, wait-!"
The arrow was released.
It cut through the air with a sharp, icy whistle.
But just before impact-
A translucent barrier flared into existence in front of Taika. No chant. No gesture. No preparation.
The arrow struck the barrier and shattered into glittering shards of frost.
Taika blinked.
She hadn't consciously cast it.
Her body had moved on instinct. Her magic corrected itself and responded faster than her thoughts.
Across the courtyard, the woman's aqua eyes sharpened.
Without hesitation, she leapt backward, creating distance, her dress flowing like water as she landed gracefully near the academy gates. Another arrow formed, colder and denser than the first.
Above them, windows slid open.
Students crowded the first, second, and third floors, staring down in shock. Whispers spread rapidly.
"Is that… a real attack?"
"Who is she?"
"Why is she targeting Taika?"
The second arrow was released.
This one moved faster.
The second arrow never reached Taika.
It stopped midair.
Frozen.
Not by Taika's barrier this time, but by the sheer will of the one who shot it. The arrow dissolved into shimmering frost before touching the ground.
The woman lowered her bow slightly.
"My name is Isolde Icecryst."
Her voice was calm, yet it carried across the entire courtyard without effort.
A ripple of shock spread through the watching students. Windows above filled with stunned faces.
Clare's eyes widened. "Icecryst…?"
Maya gripped the window frame. "No way…"
Alwin exhaled slowly, realization sinking in.
Isolde Icecryst was no ordinary intruder.
She was the King's daughter.
And a second year student from the same magical course as Taika.
Whispers exploded across the building.
"The princess?"
"Why would she attack a first year?"
"What is happening?"
Isolde's aqua gaze never left Taika.
"This is not an attack," she said evenly. "This is a confirmation."
The frost in the air thickened.
"And you," she continued softly, "have just answered my question."
The courtyard fell into a suffocating silence after Isolde's question.
"You know who the Seven Mystics are, right?" she asked, her voice steady.
Taika swallowed but nodded slowly. "Legends… the strongest mages in history."
Isolde studied her carefully. "I can tell that you're worthy of becoming one--"
A sharp crack split the air.
A red blade streaked between them like a thunderbolt, trailing violent red lightning. It tore through the space in front of Taika and Isolde before slamming into the ceremony podium behind them. Wood splintered. Sparks scattered.
Gasps erupted from every window.
An enemy-
No.
Someone Isolde knew.
A figure stepped forward from the academy gates. Medium chestplate armor. Red long sleeved shirt beneath it. Black pants. Worn boots that scraped lightly against stone. His black hair faded into crimson at the tips, and his red eyes gleamed with dangerous amusement.
Isolde's expression hardened.
"What are you doing here… damn it."
The young man ignored her tone and continued walking closer. His gaze shifted.
It landed on Taika.
He stopped for half a second, clearly captivated.
"…So this is her," he murmured.
Then he smirked and spoke clearly enough for everyone to hear.
"My name is Raiden Zeit."
The surname echoed.
Zeit.
The same as Taika's.
Whispers erupted again across the academy.
Taika's heart pounded. She had never heard of him before.
Raiden tilted his head slightly, eyes still fixed on her.
"Interesting… you really don't know, do you?"
The question lingered in the charged air.
Were they related?
Or was the name more than just coincidence?
Taika steadied her breathing despite the tension in the air.
Her fingers tightened slightly around her bag strap as she looked directly at him.
"…Zeit," she said carefully. "That's my last name too."
Raiden's red eyes glinted with interest.
Taika hesitated, but forced herself to continue.
"I don't remember having a big brother. Or a little brother."
The courtyard remained silent, every student listening. Even Isolde did not interrupt.
"So tell me," Taika asked, her voice firm despite the uncertainty in her chest.
"…Are we related?"
Raiden's smirk deepened, but there was something unreadable behind it. Not mockery. Not fully hostility.
He stepped closer, red lightning faintly crackling along his fingers.
"That," he said slowly, "depends on what you remember."
Isolde exhaled slowly.
"Sorry to interrupt your little reunion," she said, her voice firm. "But Taika… the person you're speaking to is Raiden Zeit."
She paused.
"Your brother."
The courtyard went completely silent.
"…From another mother."
Taika's mind went blank. Her brother? That was impossible. She would have known. She would have remembered.
Questions flooded her thoughts all at once. Why had no one told her? Why now? Why here?
Raiden said nothing. His expression softened slightly, but he did not deny it.
Before the whispers could explode again, Isolde stepped forward, her presence commanding.
"Everyone," she called out clearly, her royal authority undeniable. "Return to your classrooms. As the King's daughter, I ask that no one interfere. We will continue this discussion in the library."
The pressure in the air shifted. Students hesitated, then slowly obeyed. Windows closed. Hallways emptied.
The courtyard quieted once more.
Taika stood between them, still trying to process what she had just heard.
Without another word, Isolde turned toward the academy entrance.
Raiden followed.
After a brief pause, Taika did too.
The three of them walked toward the library, where answers were finally waiting.
The library doors closed behind them, sealing the quiet inside. Sunlight filtered through tall windows, dust drifting lazily in the air.
Raiden stood near one of the long tables, arms crossed. For once, he wasn't smirking.
"I'll keep it simple," he began.
"Before you were born… our mother had another family."
Taika's chest tightened.
"She and her husband fought. A lot. Eventually, the family broke apart."
His red eyes lowered slightly.
"She was already pregnant at that time. With a boy."
Silence filled the space between them.
"That boy was me."
Taika's fingers trembled slightly at her sides.
Raiden continued, voice steady but not cold.
"After they separated, she raised me for a while. Then things changed. She met another man."
He looked directly at Taika.
"And she had a daughter."
A pause.
"That daughter is you."
The words settled heavily in the quiet library.
"That's the whole story," Raiden finished. "No conspiracy. No secret clan. Just broken choices and different paths."
Taika stood there, trying to piece together a life she never knew existed.
Taika stood frozen for a moment.
Then her vision blurred.
Tears slipped down her cheeks before she even realized she was crying.
"She… never told me," she whispered.
Her voice trembled, not from anger, but from hurt.
All this time, she thought her family was simple. Clear. Complete. She never imagined that somewhere out there, a brother existed. Alone. Living a different life while she studied peacefully at the academy.
"I didn't even know…"
Her shoulders shook slightly as more tears fell. It wasn't just the shock. It was the realization that a part of her life had been hidden from her.
Raiden watched quietly. The sharp edge in his expression faded.
"I wasn't told about you either," he said, softer this time. "I found out later."
The library felt smaller. Heavier.
Taika wiped her eyes, but the tears kept coming.
She wasn't just learning about a brother.
She was realizing that her world had never been as complete as she believed.
Taika tried to steady her breathing.
Yes, she was hurt. Yes, she felt betrayed that her mother never told her.
But beneath the pain… something else slowly surfaced.
She wasn't alone.
After her family died, she thought that chapter of her life had ended completely. That there was no one left who shared her blood. No one who understood what it meant to carry the name Zeit.
Yet here he was.
Standing only a few steps away.
A brother.
Not perfect. Not part of the life she remembered. But real.
Taika wiped her tears and looked at Raiden again. This time, her gaze was different. Softer.
"…So I still have family," she whispered.
Raiden didn't smile, but his shoulders relaxed slightly.
"Yeah," he replied. "You do."
The library felt less suffocating now.
The truth hurt.
But it also filled a space in her heart she didn't realize had been empty.
Taika tried to hold it in.
She really did.
But the tears only came harder.
A small, broken sound escaped her as she covered her face, shoulders shaking. It wasn't graceful. It wasn't composed. It was raw and honest.
"I… I didn't know…" she cried, her voice trembling. "I thought I lost everyone…"
Raiden stood there for a second, unsure. He wasn't good with this. He wasn't used to comforting anyone.
But seeing her cry like that… something in him moved.
He stepped forward and pulled her gently into his arms.
Taika stiffened in surprise at first. Then she clutched the front of his shirt, crying against his chest.
"It's okay," Raiden said quietly, one hand resting on her head. "You're not alone anymore."
His voice was softer than before. Not teasing. Not sharp.
Just honest.
Across the room, Isolde watched in silence, her icy gaze calm.
For the first time since this morning began, the tension in the academy shifted into something warmer.
Not conflict.
But family.
Taika's cries slowly softened, though her fingers still gripped Raiden's shirt as if letting go would make him disappear.
Raiden awkwardly patted her head at first, then rested his hand there more naturally. He wasn't used to this kind of closeness. But he didn't pull away.
"I should've come sooner," he muttered quietly. "I just… didn't know how."
Taika sniffed, pulling back slightly to look at him. Her eyes were red, cheeks flushed from crying.
"You're really… my brother?" she asked again, almost like a child needing reassurance.
Raiden gave a small nod. "Yeah. Annoying, right?"
A weak laugh escaped her despite the tears.
The heavy silence that once filled the library was gone. In its place was something fragile, but real.
Isolde finally stepped forward, her heels echoing softly against the floor.
"Emotional reunions aside," she said calmly, though her tone was no longer cold, "there is a reason I confirmed this today."
Taika wiped her face and straightened. Raiden's expression shifted back to serious.
"The Seven Mystics," Isolde continued. "The bloodlines tied to them are awakening again."
Her aqua eyes locked onto the two siblings.
"And the name Zeit is not ordinary."
The warmth in the room faded, replaced by a quiet tension.
Family was only the beginning.
Something far greater was about to unfold.