A month later,
The morning Kael left House Ardent, the sky was colorless — the kind of washed-out grey that made the world feel like wet stone. Servants moved quickly, avoiding the courtyard center where the Crown's escort waited with stiff backs and unreadable faces.
Kael wore a simple travel coat over his tunic. No ornaments, no family crest beyond what protocol required. His father insisted on that. "Don't draw eyes," Lord Ardent had said. That was the most affection Kael had received in weeks.
Marcus stood with arms folded, jaw set. The heir didn't like losing a brother to the Academy; it meant reputational risk, a narrative he couldn't control.
"You'll come back with stories," Marcus said. "Just don't embarrass the house."
Kael nodded once. Selene — one of his younger sisters — ran up and hugged him. "Bring me a wizard story," she said, too innocent for the weight behind her words.
He didn't promise. He just pat her head lightly.
The Crown-appointed knight, Sir Renhalt, approached. His armor was matte black, the kind that didn't shine even in sun. His tabard bore the Crest of the Tower — a single eye over a closed book.
"Kneel," Renhalt said.
Kael did.
Renhalt touched a metal ring to Kael's shoulder. A brief, cold pulse shot through Kael's body. He stiffened instinctively.
"Tracking seal," Renhalt explained. "Standard for new prospects."
[ALERT: FOREIGN MARK DETECTED→ ANALYSIS COMPLETE→ THREAT LEVEL: LOW→ INTERFERENCE: POSSIBLE BUT NOT RECOMMENDED]
The Frost Codex processed it instantly. Kael kept his face flat.
Renhalt rose. "We travel now."
Kael stood and faced his sprawling family one last time. No speeches. No farewells. House Ardent didn't waste words.
He climbed into the carriage.
The estate shrank behind him.
The future approached in the shape of grey roads and a cold wind.
The port town was louder than Kael expected. Ships groaned at their moorings. Merchants yelled. Gulls screamed overhead like broken instruments. The smell of saltwater mixed with fish guts and smoke.
The vessel waiting for him dwarfed the others. Built of darkwood, reinforced by iron nails shaped into runic patterns, its hull curved like a beast's ribcage. The prow held a metal sculpture of an open eye.
Kael stared up at it.
"The Tower's Reach," Renhalt said. "She's sailed forty years without sinking. Good omen."
Kael doubted that. Anything a wizard used wasn't "good" for anyone else.
Renhalt led him up the gangplank. The deck was surprisingly empty. A few other children stood in a loose cluster — boys and girls from other noble houses. Some looked terrified. Others forced confidence. One pale girl vomited over the side.
Kael stayed apart from them. Observation first. Interaction later.
A man in deep-blue robes walked out from the cabin. He wasn't the same wizard from the affinity test, but he had the same quiet aura — the kind that made noise feel disrespectful.
"I am Magister Ovrin," he said. "Your escort to the Academy."
He scanned them all with eyes that looked like polished obsidian.
"No running. No fighting. No magic use without instruction. If you break a rule, you'll be dealt with swiftly. If you endanger this vessel, the sea will take you before I do."
Kael believed it.
Ovrin lifted his hand. Runes lit up along the ship's railing. The mooring ropes fell away on their own, coiling like snakes.
"By order of the Crown," Ovrin said, voice cutting through the wind, "we sail."
The ship lurched, slow but absolute. Water churned. The port slipped away.
Kael gripped the railing as the wind struck him — cold, crisp, familiar. His mana stirred in answer. The Codex flickered:
[MANA PURITY: 0.3% → 0.4%][ICE AFFINITY RESPONSE: +0.1]
Not good. Too visible on a ship full of magical sensors.
He forced the reaction down, breathing slow. The cold dissolved.
"First time at sea?" a voice asked beside him.
Kael turned. A boy about his age leaned casually against the railing. Light brown hair, sharp eyes, casual smile — someone used to talking.
"I'm Eiden," the boy said. "House Cern. My father thinks sending me to the Academy makes me a prodigy or a prisoner. Not sure which."
Kael answered with only, "Kael. Ardent."
"Ah, second son." Eiden grinned. "We're practically brothers in misery."
Kael didn't react.
Eiden continued, "Any idea what the Academy's like?"
"Dangerous," Kael said.
Eiden blinked. "That's… honest."
Before he could say more, the sky above them dimmed.
Clouds gathered unnaturally fast — pulled into a spiral like water draining. The wind dropped into complete silence.
No gulls.No waves.No sound at all.
The air smelled faintly of ink and brine.
Ovrin's head snapped up. "Stay still."
Something enormous shifted beneath the water — something unseen. A long, slow ripple disturbed the ship's shadow.
Kael stared over the railing.
He saw nothing.
But something was definitely looking back.
The sea hummed.The ship creaked.A low pressure pushed against Kael's skull.
The Frost Codex chimed:
[WARNING: UNKNOWN PRESENCE DETECTED][CLASSIFICATION: ELDRICH – LOW GRADE][RECOMMENDATION: DO NOT USE MAGIC]
Kael held the railing tightly.
The ripple passed.
Sound returned in a single crash of waves.
Eiden exhaled shakily. "What… was that?"
Kael didn't know. And the Codex offered no answer.
The Academy wasn't even in sight yet, and already the sea carried things that watched with too many eyes.
Kael kept his face blank, but his heart hammered.
This was only the beginning.