The academy was louder than usual after the afternoon bell.
Students flooded through the halls, heading toward training grounds, libraries, and dormitories.
Most followed the same routine.
Study.
Train.
Improve.
Repeat.
Kael Virex did the same.
But today, he decided to change his routine.
His black notebook rested beneath his arm as he walked through the academy grounds, his steel-grey eyes scanning the paths ahead.
Seven months ago, he would have stood out for the wrong reasons.
A weak body.
No Path.
A student who barely passed the entrance exam.
Now, he was different.
His body had changed through months of relentless training.
His frame was lean but athletic, built through countless hours of physical conditioning. His movements were controlled and efficient, his posture naturally straighter than before. His hands carried faint callouses from repeatedly striking training targets with nothing but his fists.
Yet despite those changes...
Most people still saw the same thing.
An F-Class student.
A No-Path.
And Kael had no intention of correcting them.
Being underestimated was useful.
---
His destination was the S-Class training grounds.
The strongest students in the academy trained there.
Not because they needed to prove themselves.
Because everyone already knew their strength.
The facility alone showed the difference between classes.
The F-Class training area was old and worn.
The S-Class arena was a masterpiece.
The stone floor was reinforced with countless mana formations. The walls were designed to withstand powerful abilities. Even the air around the arena felt heavier because of the amount of mana constantly being released.
Students gathered around the viewing area.
Some admired.
Some envied.
Kael simply observed.
He opened his notebook.
---
The first person to enter the arena immediately drew everyone's attention.
Auren Valcrest.
Rank One.
The strongest student in the first year.
Auren's appearance alone made him memorable.
His long black hair flowed behind him, interrupted by striking crimson-red streaks that resembled burning embers when the light touched them.
Only one of his eyes was visible.
A brilliant sapphire-blue.
The other was hidden beneath his hair, a secret the Valcrest family rarely allowed outsiders to see.
Rumours surrounded it.
Some said it was a blessing.
Others said it was the reason the Valcrest family stood above countless others.
Nobody knew the truth.
Auren never spoke about it.
Standing opposite him was—
Caelan Strade.
Rank Four.
His emerald hair moved slightly as wind gathered around him, his bright green eyes focused completely on his opponent.
The signal sounded.
Caelan attacked first.
The wind exploded beneath his feet.
Fast.
Precise.
Powerful.
Kael's pencil moved immediately.
"Acceleration created before movement."
"No wasted mana."
"Controls the environment before attacking."
Caelan's strikes came from different angles.
Auren avoided every single one.
Not with speed.
With understanding.
A single step.
A slight turn.
A shift in position.
Nothing unnecessary.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"He isn't reacting."
"He's predicting."
Around him, the other students watched in amazement.
Kael watched for information.
---
The next battle began shortly after.
This time, the crowd became even louder.
Lady Elara Ashbourne.
Rank Two.
The Duke's daughter.
Her crimson hair flowed behind her as she entered the arena, a spear resting comfortably in her hand. Her golden eyes remained sharp and focused, never leaving her opponent.
Prince Lucien Edevane.
Rank Three.
The Queen's son from the Kingdom of Velmora.
His dark blue hair contrasted against his violet eyes, which shimmered faintly whenever his spirits appeared.
The two had been companions since childhood.
Everyone knew it.
And their fighting style showed it.
Lucien summoned spectral beings across the battlefield.
Elara moved between them effortlessly.
She never asked where to go.
Never waited for instructions.
She already knew.
Kael wrote faster.
"No communication needed."
"Perfect trust."
"Their abilities complement each other."
This was what interested him most.
Not raw power.
Not destruction.
Understanding.
---
The training continued.
Fire.
Lightning.
Earth.
Wind.
Every Path displayed a level of refinement Kael had never seen from F-Class.
He continued writing.
Until—
A sudden shout interrupted everything.
"Move!"
One of the S-Class students had lost control of an attack.
A compressed spear of wind spiralled through the air after colliding with another technique.
It wasn't aimed at anyone.
It was simply unstable.
Unfortunately...
Its path led directly toward the spectators.
Students reacted immediately.
Some moved.
Some froze.
Kael didn't.
His eyes were still on his notebook.
The attack approached.
Five metres.
Three.
One.
Then—
A tiny spark appeared.
Black.
Crimson.
For less than a second.
The wind spear touched the strange light.
And began to decay.
Not explode.
Not break.
Decay.
The front of the attack crumbled into black particles before the remaining mana collapsed harmlessly.
The arena went silent.
Then everyone started talking.
"Who blocked it?"
"Was that Auren?"
"No, maybe an instructor."
"Someone reacted quickly."
Nobody knew.
Nobody questioned it.
Training continued.
---
Kael looked up.
The attack was gone.
"...What happened?"
A student nearby shrugged.
"Someone saved you."
"I see."
Kael looked around.
He couldn't identify who.
He simply closed his notebook.
No thanks.
No conversation.
He wasn't interested in attention.
He walked away.
---
Behind him, several S-Class students watched.
"He didn't even thank anyone."
Another laughed.
"What did you expect?"
They looked at Kael's F-Class uniform.
"He's F-Class."
A pause.
"A No-Path."
And just like that...
They stopped caring.
---
But Auren Valcrest did not.
His sapphire eye remained fixed on the place where the attack had disappeared.
The wind moved through the arena.
For a brief moment, his crimson-streaked hair lifted.
Revealing the hidden eye beneath.
Gold.
Not ordinary gold.
A brilliant, unnatural gold.
The eye that the Valcrest family concealed.
The eye that made their bloodline feared.
Auren stared.
He had seen everything.
The attack.
The disappearance.
The black-and-crimson spark.
He replayed the moment.
There was no defensive spell.
No mana signature.
No Path activation.
Nothing.
His instructor approached quietly.
"You noticed it?"
Auren didn't answer immediately.
His golden eye slowly disappeared beneath his hair again.
"...Yes."
"What was it?"
Silence.
For the first time in a long time...
Auren Valcrest had no answer.
Finally, he spoke.
"...I don't know."
His gaze moved toward the path Kael had taken.
The quiet F-Class student.
The No-Path.
The boy who had walked away without even realizing something impossible had happened.
Auren's expression remained calm.
But his curiosity had awakened.
"...That wasn't a Path."
The evening breeze swept through the arena.
And for the first time...
The strongest student in the academy had encountered something he could not understand.