The Imperial Academy had never known silence like this.
Not the hush of study halls or the focus of exams—
but the kind that comes after an earthquake.
Every hallway Kael walked through seemed to stop breathing.
Every classroom he entered felt like it forgot what to do with its own tension.
Eyes followed.
Voices lowered.
Even nobles who once mocked his "background" now stood aside to let him pass.
No one dared say his name to his face.
But everywhere behind his back:
"That's him—Kael Riven…"
"They say he used aura like it was a blade of judgment."
"They say he survived Lucien's sunburst spell. Alone."
"He doesn't even come from a House…"
"What is he?"
The nobles didn't know whether to bow or run.
And Kael?
He said nothing.
He walked like always.
A little tired. A little distant. Not seeking approval.
But deep in his eyes, something was sharper than before.
The only place where the weight eased…
was their room.
Lucien was already sprawled on his bed when Kael came in, booting his shoes off with a groan.
"Long day?" he asked without looking up.
Kael threw his jacket over the back of a chair. "You're the Crown Prince. Can't you abolish group projects?"
Lucien smirked. "I'd have to attend half the classes first."
Kael actually chuckled—quiet, but real.
Lucien glanced at him then, half-expecting some grand revelation, some epic speech about their duel or what they were now.
But Kael just walked over to the window, leaned on the frame, and stared outside.
"People are acting weird," he muttered.
Lucien shrugged. "We gave them a spectacle they'll write about for centuries. Let them panic a little."
Kael glanced over his shoulder. "You're not worried?"
Lucien closed his eyes. "Not about us."
"…Us?"
Lucien opened one eye. "You're under my protection now, Kael. Just like I promised my father."
Kael blinked. "...You talked to the Emperor?"
Lucien nodded once. "Told him if anyone tries to use you, I'll break their teeth."
Kael didn't respond for a while.
Then: "Why go that far?"
Lucien looked at him calmly. "Because for one moment, I thought you were dead. And I hated it."
The room fell quiet again.
But Kael's grip on the window frame loosened just slightly.
That night, when Lucien finally snored into his pillow like a dead man, Kael didn't sleep.
Instead, he pulled a small journal from beneath the floorboard.
No one knew he kept it. No one would ever read it.
He opened to a blank page and wrote:
"Next time… don't die just to prove a point."
The whisper haunted him.
Not in fear.
But in mystery.
It hadn't come from any of the healers.
Not the guards.
Not Lucien.
Not even a dream.
It had come during his lowest moment.
And it had saved him.
He didn't believe in gods.
Not really.
But someone had been there.
Someone had healed him before the imperial healers even touched his body.
And tonight, beneath the cover of darkness, Kael Riven began to find out who.