---
Classroom Silence
The lecture hall buzzed with idle chatter, but Harvey remained quiet. He sat at the far edge, watching Liora Crestfallen from the corner of his eye.
She was perfect—at least on the surface.
Confident. Talented. Feared and respected.
But Harvey knew what lay beneath that composed exterior.
A locked soul. A broken memory. A forgotten betrayal.
> "You've been watching her," a voice whispered beside him.
Harvey didn't flinch.
> "And you've been watching me," he replied calmly.
It was Vale, one of the top-ranking students. A mage-knight with a silver blade and too much curiosity for his own good.
> "She's dangerous," Vale said. "And she's… strange. Her records are spotless, but there are years of data missing before she came here."
Harvey turned to him slowly.
> "So you've noticed it too."
Vale frowned.
> "Just stay careful, Everhart. Whatever she is, the Empire's interested in her. And if the Empire's interested... you should be scared."
Harvey smiled.
> "I don't scare easily."
---
A Dangerous Invitation
Later that day, Liora approached him for the first time.
Unprompted. Unexpected.
> "There's a duel being held in the eastern yard. They're testing advanced formation tactics."
> "And you want me to come?"
She didn't answer. She just stared at him, gaze unreadable.
> "You've seen the way I fight," he added. "You sure you want me around others?"
> "I don't care what they think," she said. "I want to see what you'll do when it matters."
He almost smiled.
> "Then lead the way."
---
Formation Test – Broken Balance
The formation duel was chaos.
Four teams of three.
Layers of illusions, traps, mana constructs, and ranged spells blurred the field into a storm of elements.
But Harvey didn't move immediately.
He watched.
Calculated.
Then stepped into the arena.
He didn't cast a single spell—yet magic unraveled around him like threads in water.
Dispel. Rewrite. Corrupt. Reforge.
The battlefield turned against the others, every spell redirected with surgical precision. Not a drop of wasted mana.
The observers were stunned.
Even Liora.
Especially Liora.
> "How did you—?"
> "I don't break spells," he said as the last team surrendered.
"I break rules."
---
The First Fracture
That night, Liora sat alone on the academy rooftop, gripping the edge of the stone wall.
Harvey found her there—on purpose.
> "You remembered something, didn't you?" he asked quietly.
She didn't answer.
Her eyes were wide. Unfocused.
> "There was fire," she murmured. "Screaming. And… you."
> "You were dying."
He approached slowly.
> "You're not crazy," he said. "And you're not wrong."
> "We've met before."
Her breath hitched.
> "Who… who am I really?"
He touched her shoulder.
Gently.
> "Someone who broke me once."
> "And might save me again."
---