The sigil on Kael's glove flared one last time before dimming into a smoldering red, its runes pulsing like the beat of a slumbering heart.
Trial complete.
Smoke still curled from the edges of the summoning circle. The air reeked of scorched stone and burned parchment. And in the silence that followed, every eye on the field was fixed on Kael Ryuu.
Not because he passed.
Because he shouldn't have.
Students from every house lingered at the edge of the arena, watching with a mix of disbelief, awe, and veiled hostility.
"The Trial Sigil? Alone?" someone muttered. "That one's rigged for advanced squads. No one's even attempted it solo."
"He didn't just attempt it," another whispered. "He beat it."
Kael didn't bask in the attention. He turned, soot-streaked and sore, and made for the edge of the trial ground—where the shadows whispered louder than the crowd.
A single Ignis student broke away from the rest, blocking Kael's path. He was broad, flame-haired, and furious.
"You took my sigil."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "You hesitated."
The Ignis student stepped forward, voice rising. "That sigil was ranked for group trials. You don't get to just—"
"I didn't see your name on it."
"Flame doesn't choose cowards."
Kael let the insult slide. But when the other boy shoved him, Kael didn't move an inch. Instead, the runes on his gloves sparked faintly—threads of unstable enchantment flickering across the knuckles.
The other student took a step back, unwilling to provoke whatever those gloves might do.
Kael brushed past him without a word.
---
Captain's Council Room – Later That Day
Tension was thick.
"Ignis is not pleased," Captain Ryven snarled. His eyes flared with ember-like intensity. "The Flame Sigil never activates for outsiders."
Captain Solen of Lucentia raised an eyebrow. "And yet it did."
"Anima's boy tampered with it. The gloves—"
"—Are under Academy review," Selai interrupted smoothly. She sat tall, hands folded, voice calm. "He passed the trial under the academy's rules. There's no law against efficiency."
Ryven turned on her. "That wasn't efficiency. That was manipulation."
Captain Verra of Umbra laughed. "Perhaps you're just upset the fire likes him more."
Ryven glared, but Verra was already leaning back, amused.
Captain Thorne of Aeonis adjusted his timepiece calmly. "The only thing unusual is that he succeeded. And success, dear Ryven, is not illegal."
Selai offered a polite smile. "Kael Ryuu is my student. If you have an issue, bring it to me."
Ryven seethed but said nothing more.
---
Later That Night – Kael's Workshop
A small explosion rattled the west wing of the academy.
Illovar arrived moments later, storming into Kael's rune workshop to find walls blackened, burnt parchment fluttering to the floor, and Kael sitting cross-legged amidst the chaos, hair frizzed and eyebrows slightly singed.
"Timer runes again?" Illovar deadpanned.
Kael coughed, waving away the smoke. "I added temporal drift correction… The sigil anchor didn't like it."
"The walls didn't like it," Illovar snapped. "Neither did the safety wards. Or the alchemical wing. You almost blew a hole into the archives!"
"Progress requires combustion," Kael said with mock solemnity.
Illovar sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're not wrong. Just… try to keep the combustion in your notes next time."
---
That Night
Kael sat in silence, eyes on the smoldering glove.
"The fire chose you," the voice whispered again. Not from outside—but inside. Deep within.
The Void Crest pulsed softly on his back. Still hidden. Still secret.
He closed his eyes. "I didn't want this kind of attention."
"You don't have a choice anymore."