— Continue… — I asked, in a serious and firm tone, staring at her attentively.
— … Well… — Lyrielle hesitated, averting her gaze for a moment.
— Everything I told you really happened. Everything seemed normal at first glance. Aurëalis even seemed to be doing her best to maintain her composure, as if she were pretending a calm she didn't feel. But… I felt it. I felt something different in her words, in the way she spoke, as if she carried an invisible weight… as if she were hiding something important. — she began, with her voice wavering slightly.
— The whole atmosphere was strange… heavy, in a way I can't explain. There was a suffocating tension in the air. And, as I mentioned, all the Light Dragons were surprised by Aurëalis' sudden departure from school. No one was notified, and that's something that never happens. Whenever the princess leaves the academy, there are announcements, alerts… but this time, there was only silence. A suspicious silence. — she continued, frowning at the memory.
— And even though she tried to seem calm, smiling slightly and speaking in a restrained way… it was clear that something was wrong. When she spoke about you… — Lyrielle's voice faltered for a moment.
— It was as if she wanted to hug you with her words. As if she were, even without saying it, trying to protect you… maybe from something too big for me to understand at the time. And maybe… maybe that's exactly what she wanted me to realize by calling me there. — she finished, exhaling slowly, as if a weight was lifted from her chest.
I stayed where I was, leaning against the sofa, with my eyes closed, reflecting on each of her words. Even though my expression seemed calm, inside, a restlessness began to grow.
— Tell me… — I began, after a few seconds of silence, my voice low and loaded with seriousness.
— Could Keltherion… or anyone else within the Light Dragons' kingdom… try to hurt Aurëalis? For any reason?
— W-what?! Of course not! — Lyrielle replied, surprised and almost offended by the suggestion.
— Keltherion and Lyssandra are extremely protective of Aurëalis. If anyone dared to touch her with hostile intentions, that person would face unimaginable consequences. — she affirmed with conviction.
— Ha… Too protective, and yet they drag her to engagement dinners for political alliances, don't they? — I murmured with a sarcastic laugh, shaking my head with irony.
Lyrielle remained silent, not knowing how to respond.
— Sigh… But that doesn't matter now. What matters is knowing that, wherever she is, she will be protected. — I said, stretching with a light sigh, as if trying to dispel the weight of that conversation.
— The rest… time will take care of. Aurëalis is strong. Whatever is happening, she'll find a way. — I added, standing up from the sofa with a light pop in my shoulders.
— What? Wait… Where are you going? — Lyrielle asked, confused and a little alarmed by my sudden change in posture.
— Lyrielle… — I said, looking at her with a calm smile.
— The most important thing in all this is that Aurëalis is safe. And if she's safe… nothing else matters.
— But… — she began, but I gently interrupted her.
— I know there's something bigger happening behind the scenes. You feel it and… I do too. But, as you yourself said, her parents would never allow anything bad to happen to their daughter, right?
She looked at me for a few seconds, hesitant, before finally replying:
— N-no… they would never allow it.
— Exactly. — I affirmed.
— Whatever is happening, I'm sure it will be resolved. And soon she'll be back with us. — I said.
— Aurëalis is strong. And above all, determined. She would face the entire universe if necessary. So there's nothing to worry about. — I finished, confident.
— But Kyrion… the way she spoke… it was as if she were trying to protect you. — insisted Lyrielle, still apprehensive.
— I know she would never be harmed. But you… you don't have the same guarantees. Something could happen to you.
— To me, huh? — I murmured, with a slight crooked smile.
— I don't see why Keltherion or anyone else would try anything against me. I've never done anything to justify that. The only possibility, maybe… is what exists between me and Aurëalis. But that's… a secret only ours. Only me, her… and now you know about it, right?
— Y-yes… of course. — she replied, a little nervous, almost stuttering.
— Then it's all right. — I said, turning around.
— But… what if they found out about you two? What if that's why she seemed so… desperate to protect you? — Lyrielle insisted, stepping forward.
— In that case… I really think you should talk to your leader and start thinking about how to protect yourself, Kyrion. — said Lyrielle, with restless eyes and a trembling voice, almost as if anticipating something dark.
— I'm serious… you have no idea what Keltherion is capable of when he feels something threatens his daughter… or what she represents to the kingdom.
There was a brief silence between us. I stared at her for a few seconds, absorbing her sincere concern.
— Lyrielle… — I murmured with a soft, almost melancholic smile.
— It's comforting to see that you care so much about me. Truly.
I took a step forward, letting the light partially touch my face while keeping a calm tone.
— But, you know… I really don't believe something like that happened. It's not possible… it doesn't make sense. — I continued, with serene conviction.
— And if there's no certainty, there's also no reason to panic. It's not worth creating monsters where there may only be shadows. — I said.
— I understand your fears, truly. But for now… I don't think it's time to raise the alarm. — I finished, with a firm yet gentle look, trying to bring some peace to the unrest dancing in her eyes.
— Sigh… Besides, even if they found out something… and decide to attack me, there's not much I can do but defend myself, right? — I murmured, with a serene voice, but heavy with resignation.
— You know as well as I do that involving my people would mean reigniting an ancient conflict… a new war over something I did. And over something so simple… as loving someone.
I paused, looking at the ground for a moment before continuing.
— I can't allow that. Not because of me. — I finished, raising my gaze to her.
— This is a burden I must carry, not my race. If there are consequences, I will face them alone.
After saying this, I turned, already preparing to leave the room, but my voice echoed once again, with a quiet firmness:
— In the end… whatever has to be, will be. And as I said before… as long as Aurëalis is safe, the rest will find its way in time.
I took a step forward.
— So... there's no need to worry. — I finished, casting one last glance over my shoulder with a faint but meaningful smile. A smile that said, even with the storm gathering, my heart remained steadfast.
— Thank you for the message, Lyrielle. I know getting involved in this isn't easy. So, truly... thank you. — I said, smiling.
— And as for what's to come... don't worry. Now that I know, I'll be more alert. And if something happens... I'll be ready. — I gave a small wave of my hand.
— Good morning, Lyrielle. See you later. — I finished, then resumed walking down the corridors.
Lyrielle, on the other hand, remained there, unmoving, watching my back grow smaller with each step, until my figure nearly disappeared among the halls bathed in the soft morning light.
— Sigh... — She sighed, lowering her gaze for a moment.
— I truly hope all of this is just my imagination, Kyrion. Because if it's not... if there really is something lurking behind this silent mist, something dark hidden between the lines... — she murmured to herself.
— ...then I don't even want to imagine what could happen to you.
She clenched her hands tightly at her sides, trying to contain the unrest growing in her chest, and closed her eyes briefly, letting her thoughts drift toward Aurëalis.
— Aurëalis... — she thought.
— I don't know if the conclusion I drew from what I saw was the right one... or if it was exactly what you wanted me to notice. But... I hope you know I did everything I could to warn him. I truly tried.Her gaze lifted, determined, despite the sadness coloring it.
— From now on, only he can choose the path of the destiny that approaches. My part... is done, my friend... — she thought silently, before slowly turning away, gathering her emotions as if folding a heavy cloak over her shoulders, and, with silent steps, returned to her duties.
After everything Lyrielle had told me, part of my mind remained on constant alert. It was as if, instinctively, I was already preparing myself for any possible threat — even though, on the surface, I didn't truly believe something was happening, nor did I know exactly where such a threat could come from.
At the same time, another part of me — a more sensitive one — began to accept Aurëalis' absence with a new perspective. If she wasn't around in the following days... at least now I understood why.
The mystery behind her sudden disappearance wouldn't become something that, over time, would leave me curious, or even worried.
And so, time went by.
During that first week, the days passed with the same apparent normalcy as always. Mornings began with the insistent sound of the alarm clock pulling me from sleep. Then, I would leave the dormitory, walk to the classroom, endure the academic routine, and then, in the afternoon, seek refuge, either in the forest, among the whispers of the trees, or in the vast golden plains, cradled by the breeze.
There was something in that peace that filled me — or at least, should have filled me.
At night, I returned to my room, lay on my bed, and waited for sleep to find me again, remaining there until the next morning, when the cycle repeated itself, like the predictable turning of an ancient gear.
Two more weeks passed in that same rhythm.
But inside... something started to change.
There was a restlessness gnawing at me, a discomfort I couldn't explain.Something inside simply wouldn't relax. It was as if a rope were stretched to its limit within my chest — and with each passing day, it trembled more, on the verge of snapping.
Since I was little, I had always been able to find peace easily. I just needed to close my eyes, dive into the silence of the world around me, and my spirit would rest. But now, not anymore. Now, even lying under the starry sky or hearing the soft singing of birds at dusk, there was a part of me that seemed closer and closer to shattering. An emptiness that neither nature, nor sleep, nor time could heal. And that was what bothered me the most — because the absence of peace, for me, was like the absence of air.
But why?
Why did I feel that way?
I finally had what I always said I wanted: peace. Silence. Tranquility. Not even Aurëalis was around to tire me further with her endless provocations, her challenging stares, and her constant habit of invading my personal space... and still, something inside me screamed.
The truth was, no matter how much I tried to ignore it, I knew exactly what it meant.
Aurëalis' absence was a hole growing in the middle of my chest — an unbearable void I didn't want to name.
That presence that drained my energy so much had, silently and almost cruelly, become an essential part of my own balance.
Aurëalis, with her sharp words and that strangely possessive way of treating me, had become part of my chaos, part of my life — and, paradoxically, it was precisely that chaos that allowed my mind to find peace. Without her there, without her energy surrounding me and forcing me to stay more alert than usual, I felt... incomplete. Like a field without wind. And that absence... it was slowly killing me.
So why?
Why hadn't she come back yet?
What had happened?
Was something really wrong?
Lyrielle's words, spoken three weeks ago, echoed in my mind like a persistent whisper.
"It was like she was trying to protect you from something..."
Had that "something" caught up to her?
Had she — trying to protect me — ended up disappearing for good?
No matter how much I tried to rationalize it, the tightness in my chest didn't go away.And deep down, what scared me the most... was knowing that maybe I was starting to miss her in a way I couldn't even understand myself.
— Tsk... Damn it... Aurëalis... Are you... really okay? — I muttered, lying on the cold stone in the forest, with my eyes fixed on the sky between the treetops, unable to find peace — not even for a second.
It had been three weeks since the last day I saw her.
Three weeks with no sign, no word from her... not even from Lyrielle.
It was as if the world had swallowed Aurëalis whole.
— Damn it... — I muttered, sitting up on the stone.
— I need to find Lyrielle… maybe she knows something. This is starting to worry me. What kind of mission takes this long? — I muttered, rubbing my eyes, exhausted.
The sun was already starting to hide behind the trees, tinting the sky a soft golden hue. Just another calm late afternoon, unlike how I was feeling inside — increasingly restless, maybe even anxious.
— Sigh… I better go now and try to find Lyrielle before it gets completely dark… — I said, standing up with a weight on my shoulders that wasn't just physical.
I walked back toward the school, but instead of heading straight to my dorm like usual, I made my way to the theater — the place where Lyrielle often spent her time after classes. Luckily, she was just coming out as I arrived.
— Lyrielle? Hey… — I called out, approaching slowly.
She jumped, startled by my sudden appearance.
— AGH… K-Kyrion?! You could have given me a heads-up before sneaking up like that! — she exclaimed, placing a hand over her chest.
— Haha… sorry about that, I didn't mean to scare you… — I replied with an embarrassed smile, scratching the back of my neck.
— Sigh… it's fine. — She sighed, relaxing her shoulders.
— Is everything okay? Do you need something?
— Actually… yes. I wanted to know if you had any news about Aurëalis… if you've heard anything, or know when she'll be back…
For a few seconds, Lyrielle just stared at me. Her eyes hesitated, then slowly she lowered her gaze, shaking her head in a silent, equally worried gesture.
My chest tightened slightly.
— I see… — I murmured, looking away.
— Well… I guess I'll get going. See you… — I said, turning to leave.
— Kyrion, wait… — her voice reached me before I could take my first step.
— Hm? What is it… — I answered, turning back, trying to keep a light tone.
— Are you… okay? — she asked, with a genuinely worried look on her face.
— Of course, why do you ask? — I dodged, even though my eyes were barely staying open from exhaustion.
— It's just… you seem even more worn out than the day I told you about the mission. Did something happen?
I stayed silent for a moment. What could I say? That my chest felt like it was collapsing from the absence of someone I once thought was way too attached to me?
— Haha… no, no… I'm fine, don't worry about me, Lyrielle. — I forced a weak smile.
— But… if you hear anything about her, please find me in the forest. I'll… be there, waiting for some kind of answer… — I finished, with my voice almost fading by the end.
— Bye… — I said, giving a slight wave before walking away toward my dorm.
Lyrielle remained there, standing still, watching my figure disappear into the distance once again. Her gaze carried something hard to describe — concern, perhaps… or something beyond that.
But at that moment, there wasn't much we could do except wait… and hope that answers would come soon.
After a slow and dragging walk, I finally reached my dorm, much earlier than usual. Karix still hadn't come back, so I just locked the main door, headed to my room, and locked it too.
Inside the room, I let my clothes fall along the way and went straight to the shower. The hot water ran down my body, but not even that could relax the constant tension in my muscles.
After finishing my shower, I got dressed and threw myself onto the bed, trying to find some rest. I turned from side to side, but sleep seemed to evade me, as if even it shared my restlessness.
After a while, however, sleep finally began to take me. Finally, what I had been trying to achieve again for a few hours had arrived.
I slowly began to fall asleep, feeling a tiny bit of peace begin to form. And everything was going well, until, just when I finally started to give in to exhaustion, something shattered the calm.
Two slight ripples of energy vibrated in the air around me — subtle, but unmistakable for someone who understood their meaning.
There was someone there. No… there were two people there, two presences. Invisible. Silent. But real.
And they were inside my room.
— W-What ?... Are… there two people here? — I thought, keeping my eyes half-closed, pretending to still be on the verge of sleep while clearly sensing those two presences standing just a few meters from me. They were like hidden lighthouses in a fog — impossible to see, yet undeniably there.
— What the…? How did I not notice this before? Am I really this exhausted...? — I frowned slightly, not moving a muscle.
However, my body was already reacting.
Tension gripped my senses, and in an automatic reflex of defense, my energy began to flow, coursing under my skin like a river whose current was only growing stronger. My body stiffened slightly, preparing for any strike.
And then it all happened in the blink of an eye.
The moment my energy manifested, they realized they'd been detected.
And attacked.
A violent shift in the air betrayed their approach — almost imperceptible, almost... but not enough.
The daggers they wielded gleamed for a millisecond under the room's light before being stopped.
...CLANG...
— Ha… Mind telling me who you are? — I asked seriously, now standing, holding both daggers in my hands.
— And why you had to bother me right now, when I was finally about to fall asleep?
But the two — cloaked in near-perfect magical invisibility — only exchanged glances in silence.
No answer.
Only contempt, a cold determination, and then a second attack.
They dropped the daggers they'd been holding and, in absolute sync, each drew a second blade, lunging at me again immediately after.
This time, with even greater speed, almost impossible to follow with the naked eye — one attacked from the left, aiming for my ribs, while the other came from the right, with his blade pointed directly at my jugular.
It was truly impressive — but at the same time, useless.
Because mere milliseconds before their daggers could pierce my skin, the primordial void responded instead.
Both blades — along with the arms wielding them — were sucked into my primordial void, as if reality itself had been torn open and devoured.
…Sound of arms being torn off…
The two were then thrown backward by an invisible force, stumbling, gasping, while their blood sprayed violently in all directions. The shimmering golden liquid stained the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling of the room. It was hot... and absurdly bright.
I stood at the center of the scene, observing closely.
— …Golden and luminous blood, huh? — I murmured, raising an eyebrow.
The room still pulsed with the energy of the recently interrupted battle.
The two intruders staggered back, now visible, clutching their mutilated forearms, trying to contain the bleeding with basic healing magic, but clearly shaken by what had just happened.
— Light Dragons… — I concluded, seeing all that.
— So… it was true.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
— Damn it… If that's the case, then what I feared the most… has probably happened. — I thought.
— …Tsk… I know you're Light Dragons, and from what I see… you're very well trained, huh? — I commented in a calm voice, watching them struggle slightly to stop the bleeding.
— Almost perfect invisibility magic, so good that I barely sensed you. And even after losing an arm each one… not a single scream. — I paused, narrowing my eyes.
— Really… very well trained. — I finished.
Both remained still. Silent. Their eyes stared at me with anger… but also with fear.
— So… are you going to tell me why you're here? Or are we going to have to do this the hard way? — I asked.
Yet, even then, they remained silent.
— It was Keltherion, wasn't it? — I continued, stepping forward, with a firm gaze.
— Some of his best soldiers, sent with clear orders. To infiltrate the academy without alerting Lycandor. Am I right? — I asked.
The confirmation didn't come through words.
But their eyes, and the way they swallowed hard… said everything.
— ...Yeah… I figured. — I sighed, intertwining my fingers, releasing just a tiny amount of the Void around me — enough to make them stagger.
— Well… if you're not going to say anything, that's fine. — I murmured.
— I don't need to force any answers from you, after all, I already know everything I needed to know…
I closed my eyes.
— So let's just… finish this. — I said.
Then, I pressed my palms together, and as I slowly opened them, the energy of the Primordial Void began to form between them — a swirling mass of darkness, dense and pulsating… distorting light, sound, and space.
— Goodbye. — I said as my eyes opened again, this time reflecting the very end of all things.
The pressure in the air grew so intense that the room's walls began to crack. The wood creaked. Time itself seemed to twist as if being sucked into a black hole.
And it was at that moment that they finally gave in to desperation.
— DAMN IT… LUCIUS, USE IT! — yelled the one who seemed to be the older of the two, with a voice filled with panic.
— W-what? But that… — the younger tried to say, but was immediately interrupted.
— DO WHAT I SAID, KID! OR WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE RIGHT HERE! — roared the veteran, with his eyes burning in pain and frustration.
— …Tsk… fine! — replied the younger one, who, in a quick motion, pulled from inside his cloak a small sphere pulsing with pure light.
It was the so-called Luminous Sphere. The only one of its kind.
Forged in the heart of Lumina, its power was so intense that not even the gods themselves dared to use it in open fields. An item given only to the most devoted soldiers. A trump card meant to be used only as an absolute last resort.
Without hesitating for even a second, he hurled the sphere toward me.
At the very instant when the Void was about to consume them, the small sphere floated in the air and exploded inches away from my body.
BOOOOMM.
The light released was beyond description. It wasn't just brightness — it was as if the very concept of darkness had been erased from existence. An explosion so intense it distorted space-time, cracked dimensions, and heated matter like the birth of a star.
For a fraction of a second, I felt my body being torn away from me.
My mind froze. My senses… shut down.
It was as if I was being swallowed by a new Big Bang.
And then, nothing.
Silence struck like a cold slap.
When I regained consciousness, all I could feel were icy chains clamped onto a floor of black stone, binding my arms and legs, with each link pulsing with the energy of what seemed to be sealing magic — preventing me from using my own energy.
The room was dark, suffocating, without windows — only a few bluish torches flickered, fixed on the wall in front of me and around me. Their light reflected the sweat on my forehead, and the runes that glowed on the chains binding me.
I was captured.
— Tsk… What the hell… is happening? — I muttered with a rough, dragging voice, still groggy.
My senses were slowly returning, like waking from a forced coma, and my head throbbed.
— Where… am I…? — I whispered, trying to piece together the broken fragments of memory.
And then, like a lightning bolt crashing through my mind, everything came back. Every second. Every detail.
The fight.
The Void.
The Sphere.
The explosion of light.
— A-AAAGH… D-Damn it… my head…! — I screamed, curling my body as the memories returned all at once, like a vortex tearing my brain apart from the inside.
The pain was intense — almost unbearable… but brief.
Soon, it dissipated, and along with it came clarity.
— So… that's what happened, huh? — I muttered, panting, staring at the cold stone floor.
— Tsk… Who would've thought they'd use a Luminous Sphere against me, huh? — I said.
It was at that moment that a voice echoed softly through the room, cutting through the darkness like a blade slicing the silence:
— Truly, even I was impressed to hear they needed something so powerful… and so rare… to deal with someone like you, Kyrion. — the voice said.
That voice… there was something about it.
It was eerily familiar, like an old melody played far away — one that the mind recognizes but cannot quite name.
It resonated inside me like a whisper buried deep within some unreachable memory, forever slipping away like fine sand carried off by the wind.
I had heard it before, I was certain. But no matter how hard I tried to remember, the memory escaped, dancing just out of reach.
With some effort, I forced myself to focus on the direction from which that voice came.
The gloom distorted everything, and with my powers sealed, my vision — especially in my human form — was weaker than usual.
Everything seemed blurred, as if the very air itself was being filtered through some magical veil.
But even before seeing him, I could feel it.
That aura. That energy.
And then, suddenly, he emerged from the shadows, walking slowly towards the bluish torches along the walls.
Each of his steps echoed like bells of judgment, and the magical light flickered as it touched his silhouette.
The golden glow of his eyes was the first thing I recognized.
Then, the sharp features — carved into murals across the universe, symbols of strength and honor.After that, his overwhelming presence. And finally, that same serene look of superiority that even Aurëalis would sometimes wear.
— Tsk… — I furrowed my brow, forcing myself to lift my gaze.
— Looks like I'm in some serious trouble now, huh…? — I thought, as a shiver ran down my spine as that figure approached — and with it, the inevitable realization of who that voice was.
He stopped before me, imposing without even saying a word. He was dressed in formal garments, radiating a light that felt almost natural. The chains binding me trembled slightly at his presence, as if recognizing the authority of a king.
— To what do I owe the honor… Keltherion? — I asked at last, my voice dripping with sarcasm, even as my body remained immobilized.
And thus, for the first time, Keltherion and I faced each other. A silent encounter that heralded events that would make the cosmos itself tremble.
From that moment onward, the delicate balance between Gods and worlds would begin to crumble, Giving birth to a new era... An era marked by tensions, ruptures, and destruction that would echo through eternity.
Title of the next chapter:
"The Harbinger of a New Era (Part 1)" - Kyrion versus Keltherion. What could go wrong ?