Chapter 7: Narrator (Opening Voice):
In a world suspended between stars and storms, where floating continents drift through ancient skies and powers slumber within the soul... each truth holds weight, and each veil, when torn, changes everything.This is the story of how a training mission turned into a revelation—one that cracked the surface of silence and let a hidden fire breathe.
The sky above Vantaria Academy was the color of old parchment and golden flame as the sun set beyond the spire-trees. A quiet wind blew through the courtyard as students began gathering near the outer battle dome—the one usually reserved for field simulations.
Kael stood beside Zayen, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
"Did you feel it?" he asked, barely above a whisper.
Zayen gave a slow nod, his silver eyes scanning the quiet field. "That same strange static in the air from the Vault. It's like something's calling again… but deeper."
Before either could say more, a whistle echoed. Teams were being summoned.
The mission: a mock battle test under instructor Kuno, with elemental modifications and obstacle dynamics activated. Think of it as a war-game with secrets hidden within—some planted by the school, some by fate.
The Rivals Arrive
"Look who finally got upgraded from nursery class."
The voice was sharp, smug, and unmistakably bold.
Kael turned, and there stood Team Valorix, the rising elite trio from the upper ranks. At their center, a boy with glowing crimson eyes and flame-threaded hair—Seren Vale, rumored to have awakened part of an ancient Crest ability.
Beside him:
Tessa Nirei, lithe and quick with control over illusions.
Braen Locke, silent but brutally strong, wielding kinetic gauntlets.
"They're our test opponents?" Zayen murmured. "They're not testing us. They're setting us up."
"Then we break the setup," Kael replied.
The Battle Begins
With the whistle blown, barriers rose, platforms shifted, and chaos unfolded.
Kael darted across moving platforms, wielding his Sketchstep ability, which now felt... different. When his foot tapped the air mid-leap, glowing threads spread from his shoes, creating brief illusions—he was shaping momentum itself. Was this... the first sign of his evolution?
Zayen's Burst Loop cracked like thunder, and for a moment, his movements blurred. Time seemed to skip between frames. He landed strikes with impossible rhythm, like he was bending the tempo of the world—his power too, was changing.
But in the middle of the chaos, Riven, silent and focused, had disappeared from view.
The Twist Unfolds
As Seren cornered Kael near a collapsing rock platform, Riven emerged—mask half torn, hair wild. Her sword clashed with Seren's flaming halberd in a burst of sparks.
"Back off," she growled—and something shifted.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
Not just her stance.
Her voice.
Her energy.
It was raw, unfiltered, and…
"Riven?" Kael said. "Your voice—"
A second strike came. Seren blasted the ground, and the shockwave knocked Kael and Riven off the ledge. They plummeted toward the ravine floor, a hundred feet below.
In that desperate moment, Riven grabbed Kael mid-fall and twisted.
Boom!
A burst of controlled energy slowed their descent just enough. They crashed through a crystal canopy below—and silence followed.
The Reveal
In the dust and stillness, Kael groaned and looked up.
Riven sat against a rock, breathing heavily. Her face mask… was gone.
Long, charcoal-silver hair spilled over her shoulders. Her eyes—no longer concealed—were deep violet, glowing faintly.
"Riven… you're…"
She looked away, jaw clenched.
"I never wanted to lie. But Vantaria doesn't accept people like me. Not easily. I'm… I was supposed to be invisible. Quiet. Useful. Nothing more."
Kael stepped closer, eyes wide, but not with judgment.
"But you're not 'nothing.' You're one of the strongest people I know."
A pause. Then—
"You could've told us."
"I couldn't tell you," she whispered.
The way she said it hit different.
Then their eyes met again. For a heartbeat too long.
The Battle Ends, But the Game Begins
Up above, the instructors ended the match prematurely. Team Valorix smirked and walked off, but Kael knew something had shifted.
Back in the dorm, Zayen cornered him. "You okay? You look like you fell into a void."
"I did," Kael muttered, then glanced at the window where Riven's silhouette stood in the moonlight.
Zayen grinned. "You like her."
Kael blushed. "No—I mean—not like—Shut up."
Zayen leaned back. "Well, get ready. Because whatever game Vantaria's playing… it's only just started. And secrets like that? They don't stay buried long."
Narrator (Closing Voice):One mask falls, and a new truth is born. But in the light of honesty, danger always stirs. For behind veils and rivals, behind sparks and shy glances, the true storm builds—whispers of the Crown Trials, and a fruit that could change everything...
But first—what will Kael do with the truth?And what will Riven do with the feelings she swore she'd never let show?