Days at Sword had returned to what could be called "normal."
Kael walked through the academy's wide corridors, his steps firm and eyes alert. He wore the standard uniform, dark coat half-open and sleeves rolled up, revealing toned arms — the result of increasingly intense training routines. He seed focused, but there was a certain weariness beneath his eyes. He was still thinking about the berserker boys. Still feeling the pressure.
Umbra floated around like a bodiless shadow, invisible to all except those with high magical sensitivity. An ancient, silent spirit, watching everything with eyes that didn't exist.
Ahri, however, was the complete opposite.
The small white fox spirit, with glowing eyes and an unreal coat, slept peacefully atop Kael's head, her tail swaying back and forth, drawing attention from every student in the halls.
"Hey, look at that... Isn't that Kael? The guy who was in the infirmary?"
"Yeah, but... why is there a magical fox on his head?!"
"Holy mana... Is that a spirit?!"
Kael ignored the whispers as he made his way toward the Magical Artifacts classroom. He was used to being watched by now, but this… was different. Ever since Ahri started appearing regularly, the number of stares had doubled. And the strangest thing: she always showed up on her own, when she felt like it, and always chose the sa spot — the top of his head. He never summoned her. She simply ca.
"Are you planning to stay there all day?" Kael asked under his breath, raising an eyebrow.
Ahri opened one eye slowly, as if waking up was an offense to her very being, but said nothing and kept sleeping.
"Don't worry too much about her, she seems to be recovering energy," Umbra said, observing the fox. "She's in a state similar to mine."
Kael sighed. Not even the system seed to know exactly what Ahri was. When he asked, the response was always vague.
[Spiritual entity linked: classification unknown. Latent potential: high. Emotional connection: developing.]
Not very helpful.
Upon entering the classroom, the space lit up with floating crystals that pulsed in sync with the mana of the students present. Magical artifacts were displayed in reinforced cases, like a cross between a museum and a lab.
The teacher, a dwarf with a golden beard and enchanted glasses floating in front of his eyes as he read from a grimoire, looked up when Kael entered.
"Ah, Scarlet. Arriving on ti for the second ti this week. What a miracle."
Kael gave a crooked smile. "Miracles happen."
"Well, well… and you brought company today?"
"Yeah. And she enjoys sleeping during your classes, professor. Nothing personal."The dwarf huffed, but the corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk.
"Well, I hope she learns through osmosis. Today we're covering containnt seals for cursed artifacts. Nothing better than a restless spirit nearby."
As class began, Kael took his seat. Umbra hovered in the ceiling's shadows, as silent as ever. Ahri slid down to his shoulder and settled there, coiled like a living scarf. The students nearby kept staring — so fascinated, others clearly uncomfortable.
But Kael tried to stay focused.
The system, however, wouldn't let him forget.
[Warning: two hostile mana signatures detected in the vicinity of the campus.][Hostility: latent. Intensity: moderate. Preventive alert activated.]
He frowned. It wasn't an actual threat… not yet. But it was close. And more importantly… 'Why is the system warning about sothing like this?... This is the first ti it's done that...'
As if to confirm, Umbra whispered through their spiritual link:
"The system is using my sensory perception… It seems it can tap into my energy to enhance its functions... Also… sothing is approaching."
Kael responded in thought. "Shadow or light?"
"Sothing pretending to be light."
He swallowed hard, but showed nothing on his face.
Ahri raised her head, eyes shimring toward the window, as if she felt it too.
Outside, two new students were crossing the academy gates.
Twins. A boy and a girl. Silver hair, nearly opaque eyes. A heavy air of nobility surrounded them both, but sothing felt… off. Sothing forced.
[Identities registered: Riven and Lys Mallorean. Transferred from West Academy due to restructuring. Risk assessnt: unknown.]
[Familial connection identified with the berserkers from the previous incident.]
Kael stared at them through the window for a few seconds. The new students walked side by side, with movents far too synchronized—like well-trained dolls. There was sothing… artificial in every gesture they made.
"Think they're going to be a problem?" he asked in thought, directing the question to Umbra.
The reply ca quickly, wrapped in a deep, feminine ntal whisper as always:
"Their mana level is lower than yours. Considerably."Umbra paused for a mont. "I estimate your magical density to be about 75% higher. Still… remain alert. Raw power isn't everything."
Kael gave a subtle nod, eyes fixed on the twins until they vanished from sight. The uneasy feeling didn't fade. It was as if the world was winding up for another blow — and once again, he stood at the center.
That's when he felt Ahri's tiny paws shifting through his hair. The little fox yawned loudly, stretched atop his head, and with a light hop, landed on the desk in front of him.
She spun around three tis in place, completely ignoring the professor's lecture on containnt seals, and then flopped onto her back, belly up, as if she were sunbathing in a garden.
So students stifled laughter. Others just kept staring.
Kael let out a quiet sigh before muttering, "She's way too lazy, don't you think?"
Umbra replied in her usual dry, direct tone: "She's a spirit of nature… not a pet. The concept of 'laziness' doesn't apply."
"Yeah, I'm noticing that." Kael answered with ntal sarcasm, while Ahri let out a purr of satisfaction, her eyes half-open. "If it were up to her, I'd have been killed in my sleep already."
"If it were up to her… the world would've surrendered by sheer cuteness."Umbra responded — this ti with a tone almost ironic, the closest she ever got to making a joke.
Class continued with the usual monotonous pace of theory and controlled demonstrations. The dwarf professor kept explaining the volatile properties of faulty containnt seals, showing how a simple inscription mistake could blow up half a classroom. Literally.
As soon as the end-of-class chi rang, Kael stood up. Ahri landed softly on his shoulder, stretching in the process, then climbed back up to his head like a throne rightfully claid.
Umbra faded into her fully dispersed form, nearly impossible to detect even with the sharpest magical senses. Only Kael could feel her presence — like a shadow that touched the soul, not the body.
He had barely taken five steps into the hallway when a familiar figure appeared in front of him.
"Ah, there you are," said Lyra, in her usual composed yet firm tone. Her arms were crossed, eyes gleaming with professional precision. Her white coat billowed with the movent of the magical air around her — always present, always under control. "I finished what you asked ."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Faster than I expected. I thought it'd take at least until tomorrow."
"I'm efficient, Scarlet. And honestly, I wanted it off my desk before it exploded. Literally or taphorically. With you, it's hard to tell."
She turned around and started walking, signaling subtly for him to follow.
"Co on. I'll show you on the way."
Kael followed, curious. Ahri adjusted herself on his head, as if equally intrigued.
The sound of Lyra's boots echoed rhythmically through the halls as she walked ahead without saying a word for a few monts. Kael followed in silence, alert, still wondering what could be so important — or dangerous — that it warranted her sarcasm. Ahri, curious, glanced from side to side, ears twitching, absorbing every sound and scent like it was her first ti there.
"You still haven't told what exactly you did," Kael remarked, breaking the silence, keeping his tone casual.
Lyra rely glanced over her shoulder. "You'll see. Words wouldn't do it justice. Besides, I don't want to give you any ideas ahead of ti."
"Giving ideas is kind of inevitable."
"And that's exactly why I'm carrying the magic security key in my pocket."
Kael chuckled under his breath.
After passing through a few less crowded corridors, they arrived at a door made of enchanted steel, embedded into a stone wall carved with arcane markings. It was an area of the academy he rarely visited. The portal itself looked ordinary, if not for the complete lack of any label or sign.
Lyra placed her hand on the tallic surface and murmured a few words in an ancient tongue — likely Draconic — and the lock ca undone with a soft click. Arcane energy rippled outward, like a warm breeze.
She pushed the door open.
"Welco to your new testing space."
What revealed itself on the other side made Kael blink in surprise.
A small field stretched out before him. The grass was a vivid green, almost unnaturally perfect. A crystalline lake occupied the right side, with smooth stones and a gentle stream that ford a serene fountain in the center. There was a circular area with runes etched into the ground — clearly a summoning or containnt zone — and farther back, reinforced training dummies made of enchanted wood and ethereal tal.
All around, stone columns supported a partially open ceiling, allowing natural light (or perhaps an artificially simulated version) to stream in. Floating crystals hovered along the edges, absorbing and balancing the mana in the area, creating a highly stable environnt for testing magic and abilities.
Kael stepped inside slowly, taking it all in with genuine admiration.
"This is…" he began, but trailed off, not quite sure how to define it.
"Yes," Lyra replied, with a rare tone of satisfaction. "Customized. Safe. Soundproofed and isolated. Nothing that happens here leaks out. No sound, no mana. You can train all you want, test artifacts, or... I don't know, summon an interdinsional entity. Not that I recomnd it, obviously."
Kael walked toward the center of the field, feeling the ground lightly vibrate beneath his feet, as if the place acknowledged his presence.
"You did all this yourself?" he asked, still impressed.
" and three assistants. And maybe two support golems. But the structure and the primary enchantnts are mine." She pulled a small scroll from her coat and handed it to him. "Here's the basic control interface for the room. You can adjust climate, local gravity, mana density, and a few other things."
Kael looked at the scroll, which held a sequence of complex but readable symbols and instructions. "This is amazing…"
Ahri leapt off Kael's head and darted across the grass, twirling midair before diving into the edge of the lake with a soft splash, as if made of cotton and light. The little fox floated on the water's surface with a purring sound of pure contentnt.
"She approves," Kael said, a light smile on his lips.
"Of course she does. That lake is infused with stabilizing magical mist. Spirit creatures love it," Lyra replied.
"Anyway, I've got to go." Lyra waved and turned to leave. "Oh, and I've given entry permissions to Irelia, Sylphie, and Alia for this chamber. If you want anyone else to have access, just let know," she said, giving a final wave.
A mont of silence lingered between them.
Kael finally spoke. "Thank you, Lyra. Really."
She looked away, as if unwilling to deal with emotional gratitude. "Just don't destroy the lake in the first five minutes, please."
Ahri sneezed in the water, as if laughing. Kael smiled too.
Then Umbra whispered ntally:
"This place... is pleasant. Almost welcoming. A wise decision on her part."
"It was more than that," Kael replied in thought. "It was a gift."
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