The ground was still smoldering. Lightning-charred craters marred the once-pristine academy courtyard, and fragments of broken stone littered the earth like ancient bones. One Thunder Behemoth lay crumpled in ruin, its massive form still steaming. The other, far off in the mist, was a cracked monument to Dean Kain's power—slain with terrifying precision.
Kaito stood in the center of it all, his chest rising and falling with ragged breaths. Mana still shimmered faintly around his form, fading slowly like starlight at dawn. His grip on the Echo of Arcanum was tight, knuckles white, the blade humming softly—as if proud.
Then—voices.
"Kaito!" Elya's cry rang out, followed closely by the sound of swift, graceful footsteps.
Seraphine Vaelaris arrived in a flash of motion, her blade Whisperfang already drawn, though it wasn't needed. Her golden hair caught the morning sun as she scanned the area, sharp eyes locking first on Dean Kain, then on Kaito. She exhaled slowly, relieved—but tense.
"What in the realms happened here?" she asked, lowering her blade.
Elya rushed to Kaito's side, placing a glowing hand against his arm. "Are you hurt? That beast was huge, you—you fought it alone?"
"I'm... alright," Kaito replied hoarsely. "Barely."
Seraphine raised a brow at Dean Kain. "You let him face that thing on his own?"
"I did," Kain replied without flinching. "And he survived. He needed to."
Seraphine opened her mouth to argue, but then paused. Her gaze lingered on the Echo of Arcanum—its form changed slightly, sharper, almost alive. She turned to Kain.
"This wasn't a random event, was it?"
Kain's expression darkened. "No. The mana ripple that tore open the veil and brought these creatures here... it was deliberate."
"A summoning?" Seraphine asked.
"Possibly. Or a forced crossing through a weak point in the veil. Either way, the timing isn't coincidence."
Elya frowned. "You think someone sent those things? Here? After Kaito?"
Dean Kain didn't answer immediately. Then: "We'll investigate. You and I," he said to Seraphine. "We'll scour the rift site, trace the arcane residue, and follow the mana trails."
She nodded, already flipping her sword to sheath it behind her back. "We'll need containment runes and masking fields. If this happens again—"
"It won't," Kain said firmly. "Not here."
Kaito, meanwhile, leaned heavily on Elya's shoulder, exhaustion catching up to him in waves. The adrenaline that had kept him moving bled away, and a dull ache settled deep in his bones.
"You did well today, Kaito," Seraphine said gently, turning to him. "You're stronger than I gave you credit for."
"Thanks," he muttered, barely conscious.
Later That Night
The dorm room felt heavier than usual. Not in a bad way—more like the weight of something earned. Kaito dropped onto his bed without even changing out of his clothes. The moonlight filtered through the high window, catching the faint glimmer of the Echo resting beside him.
He didn't remember falling asleep. Only that for the first time in days, his dreams were quiet.
The Next Morning
"Rise and shine, hero of the courtyard," Elya teased, nudging him with a plate of fruit and bread. "You've got class today. No escaping."
Kaito groaned, rolled over, and sat up. "Please tell me it's not Professor Vexis again."
"Nope. Professor Lysandra Mirelle. Healing magic."
"Oh good," Kaito mumbled. "Maybe I'll learn how to not die next time."
Aetherion Academy – Healing Gardens
Professor Lysandra Mirelle's class was held in a wide, sun-drenched atrium filled with green life. Flowers bloomed in carefully enchanted patterns, and small fountains bubbled softly, their waters laced with restorative energy. The moment Kaito stepped inside, he felt... lighter.
Professor Mirelle stood at the center, her robe of pale green and white flowing like leaves in a breeze. Her amber eyes lit up as the students arrived, and her voice was warm as sunlight.
"Welcome, all of you. Today, we begin not with spells, but with understanding. Healing isn't just the reversal of harm—it is the restoration of balance."
She gestured, and a pale green sigil hovered in the air, gently pulsing.
"Healing magic draws from the life force around you—and within you. It is as delicate as it is powerful."
Elya nudged Kaito. "She's amazing. I heard she cured a petrification case in less than a minute once."
Kaito nodded. "I can feel the mana in this place. It's... calm."
Professor Mirelle continued, leading the students into grounding exercises, teaching them to sense the flow of life through the soil, the water, even each other. Kaito's Echo pulsed faintly as if responding to the lesson.
For the first time since his arrival, Kaito wasn't fighting. He was listening—to the magic, to his body, to the world.
And he realized: this was also a part of becoming stronger.
Elsewhere on Academy Grounds — The Rift Site
A charred ring of earth marked the epicenter where the mana had fractured.
Seraphine knelt beside the still-sparking soil, fingers glowing faintly with arcane light as she traced the lingering edges of the magical disturbance. The air still shimmered—subtle, but wrong. Even now, hours later, the magic refused to fully dissipate.
"It wasn't a natural tear," she murmured. "This was forced. Someone punched through the veil."
Dean Kain stood nearby, arms folded, sapphire robes untouched by the wind swirling around them. His gaze was distant but sharp, following the unseen threads of energy.
"More precisely," he said, "someone guided the rupture. Like threading a needle with a storm."
Seraphine stood and turned to him, the edge in her voice more curious than confrontational. "You're certain this wasn't an accident?"
Kain's eyes glinted. "There are no accidents when Thunder Behemoths are involved."
She exhaled, brushing blonde strands from her face as she considered. "To summon two at once… It would take tremendous mana. A nexus ritual, maybe. Something anchored in place—or someone."
"The rift residue is imbued with trace elemental signatures—lightning, earth, and something else... foreign," Kain said, stepping forward and casting a circular glyph into the air. "This isn't local magic. It's warped. Corrupted by intent."
Seraphine narrowed her eyes. "Intent... meaning a target?"
Kain didn't answer immediately. Instead, he released another pulse of energy from his palm. The surrounding grass flattened outward in a ripple, revealing buried runic patterns scorched into the ground. His expression darkened.
"Tracking glyphs. Primitive, but effective," he muttered. "They were keyed to the Echo."
Seraphine's gaze sharpened. "So Kaito was the target."
Kain nodded. "They wanted to test him—or eliminate him. Either way, someone knew he'd be here… and how to reach him."
Seraphine stepped back, crossing her arms. "That's more than coincidence. Someone powerful is watching him. Tracking him through the Echo."
"Or worse," Kain said. "They're connected to it."
The wind stirred uneasily around them. Seraphine looked up at the sky, now serene and cloudless, though traces of scorched air still clung to the atmosphere like fading echoes.
"You think it's the Silver Court?" she asked. "They've meddled in forbidden magic before."
"They're one possibility," Kain replied, eyes narrowing. "But I suspect someone closer. Someone who understands the Echo's nature."
Seraphine's lips curled into a slight smirk despite the tension. "You keep saying that like you don't know its origin."
Kain's look was unreadable. "I know parts. Enough to be wary."
Seraphine sighed and summoned a binding ward across the site, sealing the residual energy beneath a lattice of glowing script.
"This'll keep anyone from snooping through the remains," she said. "But we're dealing with someone who thinks several moves ahead."
Kain turned away, voice low. "Then we'll have to start playing the same game."
Aetherion Academy – Later That Evening
As they walked back toward the high towers of Aetherion, torchlights flickering to life in the twilight, Seraphine glanced sideways at the Dean.
"You've been preparing Kaito like a weapon," she said quietly. "Is that why you didn't interfere when he fought the Behemoth?"
"I needed to see what he would do when faced with something that couldn't be reasoned with," Kain replied without breaking stride. "And I needed him to see it too."
"You're turning him into something dangerous," she said, not unkindly.
"I'm preparing him for the world that's already dangerous," he replied. "And the role he doesn't yet understand."
Seraphine was silent for a moment, then smirked again. "Well. Let's hope he survives long enough to get the full story."
They walked on beneath the stars—two guardians in a world that had just begun to stir.