[POV: Eris Vaeloria]
The academy tournament grounds blazed with heat and excitement, but Eris Vaeloria's heart was somewhere else—buried beneath the shadows of a night no one else remembered.
They called it a miracle. Claimed the ritual had collapsed on its own. That the demons vanished without cause.
But she knew better.
That night—shackled in crimson chains, her magic siphoned dry for the summoning of the Nameless God—she had tasted despair. A thousand demons circled her prison. A general of ruin stood chanting the final verses. She couldn't move. Couldn't scream. Her fire had died in silence.
And then… he came.
Cloaked in solar flame, wielding light like a blade, Rael had descended upon the altar like judgment itself. The screams of demons had echoed around him, but he did not falter. She remembered the moment his eyes locked onto hers—through smoke and shadows. Not with pity, not with fear… but with quiet, burning fury. Like her life mattered more than the heavens themselves.
He had saved her.
Alone.
Fought through hell for her.
And vanished before sunrise—bloodied, broken, and silent.
Four months had passed since then. No sign. No word. Not even a whisper.
But today—at the Arcane Tournament—she would know.
If he was still at Arcane Academy…
He would appear.
---
[POV: Lyra Dreamshade]
Meanwhile, Lyra Dreamshade reclined under the shade of a wind-summoned parasol made of braided air threads. She sprawled across a floating cushion, an ice-cold mango parfait lazily orbiting her like a moon. Her silver hair was tied in a messy ponytail, her robe half-buttoned, socks mismatched. Peak chaos. Peak Lyra.
At a glance, she was the image of apathy.
But her eyes—half-lidded, soft gray-blue—were fixed on the tournament stage. Or more precisely, on the entrance tunnel.
"Four months and not even a letter," she muttered, sipping from her levitating glass. "Tch. You selfish idiot…"
She wouldn't admit it out loud—not even to herself—but Rael's disappearance had gnawed at her. Quietly. Constantly.
He wasn't like the others. He didn't treat her like a misfit genius or a lazy waste of talent. He listened. Genuinely. No mocking, no pushing.
He made her want to try—just a little. And that was dangerous.
Lyra exhaled and flicked her fingers. A lazy swirl of mana chilled the air around her. The tournament grounds buzzed with energy. Students screamed. Professors cast barrier wards. Elemental flares burst overhead like fireworks.
Betting circles shouted names—Eris Vaeloria, the Thunderbranch Guild prodigy, a dark horse noble from Ardent Flame.
None of them mattered.
She only cared about one.
And if he showed up… she wanted to know if he was still Rael—
—or something more.
---
[POV: Evelyn Starwyn]
Evelyn knelt beneath the boughs of the Spirit Tree, where vibrant motes of mana danced like fireflies. Her hands were folded in prayer, and the wind swayed her long brown hair gently.
She'd come here to calm her nerves before the tournament.
But her thoughts wandered back. Always to him.
Rael.
He hadn't said goodbye. No explanation. Just that small, rare smile—gentle, like she was something precious. Then he vanished like mist on sunrise.
She hadn't told anyone, but after his disappearance, the spirits whispered more often. Fragmented echoes drifting through the veil.
> "The Solitary Light descends…"
She clutched the spirit charm around her neck. Warmth pulsed faintly within, almost like it answered her fears.
"Is he okay?" she whispered.
The tree said nothing.
But her heart answered.
He was alive. Somewhere. Growing stronger. Preparing for something they could not yet see.
Now, the tournament called her name.
And as she rose to join the others at the coliseum gates, a quiet hope kindled in her chest.
Would he be there?
Had he finished whatever storm he'd entered?
---
[Backstage – Arcane Arena]
The Arcane Tournament was the most anticipated event since the founding exams. The stands overflowed with students, professors, nobles, merchants. Banners fluttered in every direction. Elemental fireworks lit the skies. A massive crystal projection hovered above the center, displaying brackets, names, and real-time magical feeds.
> "Welcome to the Arcane Academy Tournament!" boomed the announcer. "The strongest of the first-years will clash today—for glory, rank advancement, and access to the Inner Sanctum's relics!"
That last part made Eris stiffen. The Inner Sanctum. The restricted archive. If Rael needed strength… he'd need access to that.
The names appeared one by one on the board.
Rael's wasn't there.
Eris's brows furrowed. "He's not signed up?"
Lyra groaned, rolling off her cushion. "Tch. Of course not. He's Rael. King of late entrances."
Evelyn wrung her fingers. "Then… maybe he'll enter as a surprise challenger?"
And then—
The arena changed.
The crowd quieted. A breeze passed, carrying warmth. Mana in the air stirred.
A shadow walked forward from the far tunnel—flame-tinted light dancing around him. Tall. Cloaked. His coat billowed behind like smoke on a battlefield. His hair, once raven-black, now shimmered in silvery waves kissed with fire. His steps echoed—not heavy, not loud—but like the ground remembered them.
And his eyes… faintly golden. Radiant.
He walked like a god unburdened.
Eris's breath caught. Lyra dropped her parfait. Evelyn's spirits flared with bright, wordless joy.
Rael had returned.
And he was no longer the same.
---
[POV: Eris]
Their eyes met across the arena.
Time stilled. The flame she'd buried inside—the one she tried to tame for months—roared awake.
> He came back.
> He kept the promise only I remember.
Her hands tightened, heat blooming in her palms.
"Welcome back," she whispered, fire curling like wings at her sides.
---
[POV: Lyra]
She stared at him, stunned.
Her lips trembled. Then curled into a crooked smile.
"You dramatic bastard…"
Her chest ached—and it pissed her off.
---
[POV: Evelyn]
She couldn't stop the tears. She didn't want to.
"You kept your promise…" she whispered, voice catching like song in the wind.
The spirits danced around her. Elated. Whole.
---
The audience didn't know who he was.
But the earth remembered. The wind remembered.
And the girls who'd waited—each in their own way—now stood beneath the same sun once more.
The Arcane Tournament had begun.
And Rael Ramos, bearer of the Solari Flame, had returned to rewrite fate.
---
[Arena – Later That Round]
A crater smoldered at center stage, golden heat still rippling from its edges. The crowd screamed. Professors froze. Magical projections glitched from sheer overload.
Rael stood at the center, breathing steady.
Cloaked in light.
Hair aglow.
Unbroken.
Alive.
Eris stared in disbelief. The dam inside her shattered.
"Rael!!" she shouted, sprinting forward with no thought of dignity or pride.
Lyra blinked—then ran after her, faster than she thought her legs could move.
Evelyn dropped her staff, hands flying to her mouth as tears streamed freely. "It's really him…!"
They reached him together.
Eris crashed into his chest, fists pounding once before wrapping around him tightly. Lyra hugged him next, silent but shaking, burying her face in his back. Evelyn clung to his arm, sobbing with every breath.
They held him like he was a miracle.
Like he might vanish again.
Rael blinked, stunned.
Then, slowly… he smiled.
Warm. Quiet. Tired.
He wrapped his arms around them.
"Sorry I made you wait," he said softly.
And in that moment—under banners and starlight, surrounded by fire and tears—
Rael Ramos was no longer alone.