The lecture continued, but the tension in the room had shifted. Students whispered quietly, caught between fascination and fear. Aiden remained at the back, calm as ever, eyes fixed on the tapestry depicting the ancient battlefield. Nothing disturbed his composure.
Kael, however, could not resist.
"…Honestly," he muttered under his breath loud enough for a few near him to hear, smirking, "this pretty boy in the back… looks like he's going to fall asleep before the lesson even ends. Weak. Worthless. I don't know why everyone even bothers noticing him."
A ripple of laughter spread from a few students nearby, feeding off Kael's arrogance.
Veylan, however, froze slightly mid-step. His hand resting lightly on a podium, he let the words hang in the air for a moment.
Fool, he thought silently, his gaze flicking toward Aiden. Do you even realize who—or what—you are provoking?
Veylan's mind ran through the possibilities in a silent, cold calculation. His sharp eyes studied Aiden without moving his head too noticeably. Calm. Controlled. Observing.
That boy… Veylan thought, He suppresses something vast. Something primordial. He doesn't act… yet. But if he ever wanted to?
Veylan's lips pressed into a thin line. The lesson continued, but his mind raced. He could erase everything. Entire cities, entire nations, the world itself. And Kael… that insolent fool has no idea what he's standing in front of.
Kael leaned back in his chair, smirking as he crossed his arms. "Even the teachers have to notice me. Unlike that guy." He pointed vaguely at Aiden. "At least I actually do something in class."
Veylan's jaw tightened imperceptibly. He did not speak. He had learned long ago that words were wasted on fools. Actions mattered. And right now… he had a student before him capable of actions that could alter the entire world.
Aiden, unsurprisingly, did not react. Not a flicker. Not a glance. He sat still, like the world around him barely existed.
Exactly, Veylan thought. Calm. Suppressed. Patient. That is the danger.
The tension thickened in the room without anyone else realizing it. The faint air of something ancient stirred subtly around Aiden, just enough for the experienced teacher to notice, but hidden enough that the rest of the class remained oblivious.
Veylan's thoughts were sharp, cold, and precise:
Kael is an idiot. And he is lucky. The being in front of him is not merely a student. Not merely a boy. If he chooses, he could unmake this academy, this city, this world… and Kael would be gone before he even realized what hit him.
Kael, still smirking, leaned back in his chair, completely unaware of the magnitude of what he had provoked.
Veylan's red eyes flicked toward Aiden again, his lips curling into the faintest shadow of a smile—part intrigue, part warning.
Observe carefully, he thought. Do not interfere… yet. But know this: if he loses patience, there is nothing you or anyone else can do to stop what he can unleash.
A faint pulse of energy, imperceptible to the students, vibrated in the air around Aiden. It wasn't aggressive. Not yet. But it was aware.
And high above, watching from her private chambers, the silver-haired teacher felt it too. Her heartbeat quickened—not from fear, but from anticipation.
"…Yes," she murmured softly. "…He's exactly what I thought. And now… we'll see who truly holds the edge."
In the classroom, Kael continued to scoff, oblivious to the storm quietly sleeping at the back of the room.
Aiden's gaze remained neutral, composed—but deep inside, the Primordial power stirred slightly, acknowledging the fool standing so arrogantly before him.
Let them laugh, Aiden thought silently. It won't last long.
The class carried on, but the tension between Aiden, Kael, and Veylan remained unspoken, vibrating quietly like a taut string about to snap.
The seed of reckoning had already been planted