It was a peaceful morning. Which, in Astralis Academy, meant something terrible was about to happen.
Kael Vire sat under the shade of a blue-glass tree in the courtyard, legs stretched, hands behind his head, pretending to nap while three nobles across the path argued about rune formations with the enthusiasm of caffeinated librarians.
He'd already attended combat class, answered a question in theory, and made it to lunch without committing a felony. It was, by his standards, a productive day.
Naturally, fate decided to ruin it.
A shadow fell across his face.
Kael cracked one eye open.
"Can I help you," he said, "or are you just here to admire the cheekbones?"
The owner of the shadow—Drevan Mallinor—didn't laugh.
Tall, broad, and carrying the kind of permanent sneer that suggested he slept in armor, Drevan stood with two lesser lackeys behind him. His House crest, a snarling flame-wolf, was pinned to his jacket like he thought it added authority.
"I'm here," Drevan said, "to demand an explanation."
Kael blinked. "For what?"
"You mocked the honor of House Vire," Drevan said, voice raised enough to gather attention.
Kael sat up slowly. "...By sitting?"
"By smiling. And losing."
Kael blinked again, slower this time.
"That's it?" he asked. "The crime is smiling and not punching someone?"
"You humiliated yourself in front of the academy. You've become a joke."
Kael put a hand to his chest. "You wound me."
More students had started to gather. Lunch trays paused mid-air. Whispers bloomed like weeds.
Kael sighed and got to his feet, dusting off his coat with exaggerated delicacy.
"Alright," he said. "I'll bite. What exactly are you proposing?"
Drevan's expression turned smug. "A formal duel. Tomorrow. On the eastern dueling grounds."
"Oh good," Kael muttered. "Violence with paperwork."
"You'll answer for your disgrace."
Kael raised one brow. "You know you're not a protagonist, right?"
Drevan didn't flinch. "Tomorrow. Midday."
Kael studied him a moment. Then gave a small, thoughtful smile—the kind that had made people nervous even when the old Kael was in control.
"Alright," he said. "I've been meaning to practice my restraint."
The crowd murmured louder now. Some gasped. A few actually seemed excited.
Kael gave a mock bow and turned away.
"That," he said under his breath, "was tomorrow's problem."
[SYSTEM: That is now today's reputation issue.][New Event Flag Triggered: Student Duel – Moderate Significance][House Vire Reputation: Under Watch]
By evening, Kael's duel was the hottest topic on campus.
He tried to avoid the worst of it by taking the long path back to his quarters, cutting through the back alleys between lecture halls and the old teleportation rotunda.
Even then, whispers followed.
He heard them in the library stairwell. At the refilling station. In the elevator made entirely of levitating floor tiles.
"Did you hear? Drevan challenged Kael."
"Isn't that suicide?"
"No, no, Kael's changed. He'll probably smile and walk away."
"I heard he's trying to act noble now."
"I heard he's sick. Like, physically. Maybe brain damage."
Kael passed a mirrored wall and snorted at his reflection.
"I change my hair, answer one question in theory class, and suddenly I've got a terminal case of morality."
Back in his room, the System chimed again.
[You have an upcoming Duel Event.][Performance Parameters: High Visibility – 74% Campus Attendance][Expect: Provocation Attempts, Physical Confrontation, Instructor Observation]
Kael flopped onto his bed.
"I'm not trying to impress anyone. I'm just trying not to get stabbed before midterms."
[Then stop acting like a likable version of yourself.]
He threw a pillow at the air. The System did not flinch. It never did.
As the sun dipped behind the outer rings of Astralis, Kael considered his options.
He couldn't refuse the duel—doing so would make him look weak, and worse, cowardly. The old Kael would've turned Drevan into a stain on the dueling ground without blinking.
But Kael didn't want that.
He didn't want people thinking he was dangerous in the same way as before.
He wanted them uncertain. Off-balance. Guessing.
"So," he muttered, staring at the ceiling, "how do I win without looking like I won?"
[Creative cruelty. The kind that doesn't leave bruises.]
He smiled.
"Now you're getting it."
The next morning, Kael awoke early, dressed in light combat gear, and arrived late.
By the time he strolled toward the eastern dueling grounds, the crowd was already thick—students on every tier of the amphitheater, instructors watching from above, crystal cameras orbiting like bored hawks.
Drevan was already in the ring, stretching, cracking his neck, radiating rage.
Kael waved lazily at him.
"Oh good," he said as he stepped inside. "You're still angry. I was worried you'd run out of steam."
Instructor Niaomi stood off to the side, arms folded, her expression unreadable.
"You're late."
"I like to make an entrance."
She didn't blink. "Rules?"
Kael shrugged. "No lethal damage. No permanent damage. And no monologuing longer than thirty seconds."
Drevan snarled. "This isn't a joke, Vire."
"Then you really need better material."
The arena flared to life—rings of energy rippling outward across the dueling ground like someone had dropped a stone into a lake made of runes. Violet sigils hovered in the air, forming a transparent barrier around them.
Students leaned forward. Someone whispered a bet.
Niaomi raised her hand.
"Begin."
Drevan moved like a missile—blade drawn, boots flaring with ignited sigils. He shot forward with a snarl, swinging in a horizontal arc meant to cleave Kael cleanly in half.
Kael didn't even draw a weapon.
He sidestepped. Graceful. Effortless. Like he was late for lunch, not being attacked.
The sword sliced through the space his ribs had been a second ago.
Kael gave him a sympathetic glance over his shoulder.
"You missed."
Drevan twisted on his heel, flame trailing from his boots, and struck again—downward, brutal, a vertical cleave.
Kael lifted his right hand.
A translucent sigil blinked into existence—a smooth curve of refracted aether.
Drevan's flame-laced blade collided with it and veered off with a burst of sparks, carving a glowing scar into the air as the redirected strike fizzled out behind him.
Kael exhaled slowly. "That was dramatic. Not effective, but dramatic."
The crowd whispered. Even the instructors leaned in.
Drevan, now furious, triggered his gauntlet enchantments—flames surged down his arm, lining his blade, erupting in arcs.
He launched a flamewave straight toward Kael.
Kael rolled his neck, sidestepped, and walked through the flames like they were steam from a shower.
A shimmer of protective runes flickered around his boots—subtle, low-tier shielding magic.
Kael emerged without a singe, dusting imaginary ash from his coat.
"Did you set your blade to warm or medium-toast?"
Drevan charged again, teeth bared.
Kael flicked a finger.
A tiny sigil pulsed beneath Drevan's boots. A gravitational spike.
Drevan's footing collapsed. His momentum twisted. He staggered forward, off balance.
Kael was already moving.
In three smooth steps, he was behind Drevan, two fingers crackling with soft blue energy.
He tapped him on the back of the neck, just beneath the skull.
A paralysis sigil, gentle but absolute.
Drevan froze mid-motion, his body locking up before he could finish a word.
Kael leaned in close, just enough for Drevan to hear him.
"Stop trying so hard," he whispered. "It's embarrassing."
Then Kael stepped back, turned toward the crowd, and gave an elegant, courtly bow.
The arena barrier flickered and dropped.
Silence.
Then the murmurs started—quick, rising.
"He didn't even draw a weapon."
"What was that spell?"
"He walked through fire—"
"Did he paralyze Drevan with two fingers?"
Instructor Niaomi stepped forward, eyes unreadable.
"You're not the same," she said softly.
Kael smiled, faint but full of teeth.
"What gave it away?"
He walked out of the ring like it had been an errand.
Behind him, Drevan remained frozen—alive, unharmed, humiliated.
And Kael's legend? It didn't soften. It crystallized.
Not as a savage brute.
But as something worse.
A predator with patience.
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Duel Completed – Public Response: Elevated][Reputation Tag: "Villain" retained][Sub-tag Added: "Unpredictable"][Kael Vire Status: 17% Plot Disruption]
Kael grinned to himself.
"Good."