The air in Principal Velren's garden chamber was damp with the scent of old stone and living roots. Ayna and Kael stepped across the moss-lined threshold just as the vines slithered from the walls—silent and smooth—twisting together to form two chairs.
They didn't flinch. The Principal's control over the garden was well-known, a whisper of the deeper forces that clung to the Academy's oldest figures. Still, awe flickered in their eyes—just for a moment.
Then it passed.
Principal Velren stood by a twisted fig tree, his hands behind his back, his gaze on the distant peaks through the circular opening in the wall.
"He's in Skycloud," Velren said without turning. "Neo."
The silence cracked like dry bark.
Ayna stepped forward. "So it's true."
Velren turned slowly. His eyes, always heavy-lidded, were darker than usual.
"The Martial Sky Guards took him yesterday. Formal arrest. He's being held in Skycloud's central prison—awaiting judgment."
Kael's jaw tightened. "On what charge?"
Velren didn't blink. "Theft. Of a fifth-tier classified relic. A broken one, yes—but still bearing the crest of the Sunblade family."
Ayna's brow furrowed. "That's impossible. Neo wouldn't even look at something like that without permission."
"Which is why this troubles me." Velren's voice was low, clipped. "The relic was lost during the war. Thought gone for good. But recently, it resurfaced—buried among junk in Red Ember's vault. Boss Lann noticed the crest. Saw opportunity."
"To curry favor?" Kael muttered.
Velren nodded. "He contacted the Sunblades through quiet channels. Tried to build a bridge. But before any envoy could arrive, the relic vanished."
Ayna leaned forward. "And it just… reappeared in Neo's room?"
"Wrapped. Hidden. But unmistakable."
Kael's voice was flat. "He's being framed."
"I suspect as much. But the evidence is lined too perfectly. No signs of struggle. No record of someone planting it. And worst of all—no defense witnesses. The Martial Sky Guards have barred all access. No visitors. No contact."
Ayna stood. "This is being buried."
Velren's gaze sharpened. "Not if we act quickly. This wasn't random. Someone knew the relic's importance. Knew the right timing. Knew Neo would be an easy target."
Kael's tone was grim. "You think it's someone inside?"
"I think someone wanted the Sunblades angry. And they wanted Neo gone."
The garden was quiet again, save for the wind brushing through vine-curtains.
"I need you two," Velren said, voice edged with steel. "Find the first fracture. Who knew about the relic before it surfaced? Who entered the vault last? Who stood to gain from Neo's disappearance?"
Ayna nodded. "And if it leads to Boss Lann?"
Velren's eyes didn't waver. "Then burn that bridge."
---
In the private estate of the Sunblade lineage, beneath crystal chandeliers and artificial stars embedded in the ceiling, Damian Sunblade lounged lazily on a reclined chair, a glass tablet glimmering by his ear. The device, shaped like a translucent fragment of sky, flickered as a voice reported.
"All steps completed, my lord. The relic was reported missing on schedule. Its discovery in Neo's dorm was confirmed by the Martial Sky Guards."
Damian didn't respond immediately. He swirled the untouched wine in his other hand—liquid gold in a cut obsidian glass—and watched it dance. A slow smile spread across his lips.
"And Principal Velren?" he asked, voice a languid purr.
"As expected. He's remained silent, observing."
Damian's eyes drifted toward the ceiling. The artificial stars shifted ever so subtly—a programmed constellation drifting into place. He whispered names under his breath.
"Neo… Ayna… Kael…"
Each name was a note in a twisted melody.
He laughed. Quietly at first, then deeper, the sound echoing like velvet dragged across steel.
"Velren won't act. Not yet," he murmured. "A single theft, even a classified relic, isn't enough. He's too rational. Too bound by due process. He'll wait for the truth to unfold... or at least, for enough falsehoods to seem true."
He tapped the edge of the glass tablet, freezing the report.
"But what if there's more?" Damian mused aloud. "A pattern of guilt. A second scandal. An incident that paints not just theft, but intent. Corruption. Betrayal. Yes…"
He flicked his fingers.
From the far wall, the butler stepped forward—silent, waiting.
"Begin Phase Two," Damian ordered. "Let the evidence spread. Let the whispers grow fangs. The witnesses are ready?"
"They are, my lord. Everything is in motion."
"Good." He set the glass aside, untouched. "Neo's brilliance isn't enough to protect him. Not anymore. I don't want him simply condemned—I want him redefined. Let the academy see him as something rotten cloaked in promise."
He stood at last, robes cascading like flowing dusk, and moved to the wide glass wall overlooking the estate's horizon—lush, perfect, unnatural.
"They'll all move soon," he said. "Kael will bark and bite. Ayna will doubt and dig. Velren will watch… and maybe act."
He turned, smiling once more.
"But I will already be ahead."
Outside, the artificial stars above the Sunblade estate dimmed slightly—just a shift in code, unnoticed.
Inside, Damian Sunblade laughed again.
---
The scent of aged parchment still lingered in the office, mingling with the crisp silence that followed Principal Velren's grave explanation.
Before Kael or Ayna could speak again, the door eased open—not hurriedly, but with that practiced weight that only someone of calm authority ever mastered.
A woman stood a few paces beyond the threshold. Tall. Poised. Unreadable. Her robe shimmered faintly, lined with silver thread that moved like liquid under moonlight. Not ornate. Not showy. But precise. Symbolic.
Only one person in the Academy wore such a pattern.
Velren didn't need to look. "Yes?"
"Apologies," the woman said. Her voice carried like a chime muffled by fog—clear, but distant. "Urgent news has arrived."
Ayna and Kael turned to face her fully. There was no reaction in their expressions, only the weight of understanding. This was no ordinary summons.
She stepped forward, a data slate emerging from her sleeve. "Boss Lan, proprietor of Red Ember's Relic, has died. Immediate cause cited as a cerebral failure. The city board has confirmed it as a stroke."
Ayna froze. "What?"
Kael's thoughts collided mid-step. "Just like that? But he—he was the one who reported the relic missing."
"And," the woman continued, "Skycloud Central Court has scheduled the theft trial."
Velren tilted his head, slow and sharp. "Already?"
The assistant inclined hers in return. "In two days."
For the first time in the conversation, even Principal Velren went silent for longer than expected.
Ayna's voice dropped. "That's impossible. Trials don't move that fast. Not without executive interference."
Kael's jaw locked. "The investigation's barely begun. What about evidence review, counsel, procedural delay? This is a joke."
The assistant's face remained unmoved. "The court's rationale: Preservation of national-grade relic integrity and potential destabilization of academy trust. They have exercised emergency override rights."
"Emergency override?" Kael echoed. "Since when does Skycloud think a student with no prior record is a national threat?"
"Since someone whispered the right words into the right ears," Ayna muttered, her gaze tightening.
Velren rose from his seat.
"This is a hand carefully played," he murmured, more to himself than them. "And we're only now seeing the second card."
The silver-robed woman bowed slightly, then stepped back, vanishing into the corridor like a shadow stitched to the halls.
Kael looked at Velren. "We need to move."
"Quickly," Ayna added.
The principal nodded slowly, already considering the next ten moves—each one darker than the last.
---