The sun was high, the cheers had quieted, and yet… the storm had just begun.
The moment Lyra declared Kael Vaelthorn as her permanent duo partner, something in the academy's very atmosphere shifted. Like fate holding its breath.
A ripple passed through the courtyard. Students whispered. Instructors exchanged glances. Nobles in the observation towers leaned forward.
And Kael?
He scratched his head.
"Why does it feel like I just accidentally signed a national treaty…?"
Lyra didn't answer.
She stood beside him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
---
Meanwhile, Raen Ashviel was not pleased.
His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword.
He wasn't angry. Not visibly.
But Elira noticed the small twitch in his jaw, the sudden stiffness in his posture.
"Something wrong?" she asked.
Raen forced a smile. "Of course not. It's just… unexpected. That's all."
"Lyra has always walked alone," Elira said softly. "Until now."
Raen's gaze locked onto Kael—still rubbing sleep from his eyes. Still wearing that annoyingly calm expression.
"…What does she see in him?"
---
Elsewhere, in the Academy Archives.
Hema flipped through a mountain of books, her eyes glowing slightly with magic as pages turned rapidly.
"Kael Vaelthorn," she muttered.
She had kept her distance.
Watching him. Studying him. Not as a rival—but as a curiosity.
Today had proven something dangerous: Kael wasn't just lucky.
He was unreadable.
The magic she used to gauge battle intent, energy alignment, and emotional rhythm?
Didn't work on him.
He registered like a stone in a stream. Cold. Still. Disconnected.
"…I need to know more," she whispered.
A crimson sigil flared on her wrist as she pulled out an old, forbidden tome.
If Kael wasn't reacting to the world… maybe the world was reacting to him.
---
Later that day, in the dining hall.
Kael sat across from Lyra, poking a bowl of steamed rice and mushrooms.
"I don't understand," he said. "Why me?"
Lyra shrugged. "You're quiet. You don't ask questions. You don't try to impress anyone."
"That's your criteria for a life partner?"
"Battle partner," she corrected. "Don't get weird."
He squinted. "I'm weird?"
"You slept through the entire announcement ceremony and somehow became the most watched student in the school."
Kael: "Not my fault."
Lyra: "Also not a denial."
Across the hall, other students whispered behind cups and plates.
"Did you hear? Kael neutralized an A-rank with a step."
"I heard he talks to shadows. Like, actual shadows."
"No, no, no—he doesn't talk. The shadows listen."
Kael sneezed.
Lyra: "You starting a cult?"
Kael: "If I am, I'd better be getting a discount on tea."
---
Meanwhile, in the Headmaster's Tower.
Seven instructors stood before the headmaster, each with a sealed report in hand.
The Headmaster, an ancient elf with a half-mechanical eye, tapped the desk slowly.
"Three fake duos declared," he said. "Raen and Elira. Lyra and Kael. Hema's yet to announce."
One instructor asked, "Shall we test them further?"
"No," the Headmaster said. "Observe. Especially Kael."
"Is he dangerous?"
The Headmaster's eye whirred faintly.
"He's the kind of danger the world doesn't realize until the final chapter."
---
Back in Kael's dorm.
He slumped onto his bed. Stared at the ceiling. Thought about noodles again.
Then Lyra's voice echoed from behind the door:
"We're sparring tomorrow."
"…No."
"Bring snacks or I'll spar your spine."
"…Fine."
---
Somewhere far away… beneath the continent…
A Shadow Envoy knelt before a spiral-shaped altar.
"He is moving again," they said. "Our Lord walks the path. Still unaware. Still perfect."
From the shadows, a Seven-Pillar figure whispered:
"We shall gather soon. Not to guide… but to kneel."
---
End of Chapter 35