Kael Vireth stood still as the mountain wind cut across the Academy courtyard.
Around him, new Veymancer initiates excitedly chattered, their uniforms crisp, their eyes burning with dreams. But Kael's gray cloak rippled with a heavier purpose—a quiet vow etched into every step.
The instructor's voice thundered across the granite steps of Aevirel Academy, birthplace of Solvara wielders.
"You are the chosen few—the ones who command the Eclipture, the energy of will and memory. Protect it. Do not abuse it."
Kael didn't clap with the others. He watched.
Two boys were already fighting—one conjured a blade of crimson light, the other a stone gauntlet. They hadn't even started lessons. Kael memorized their movements, how they overextended, their gaps.
"Fools burn fast," he whispered.
From the arch above descended Naia Fen, quiet, silver-eyed, and unassuming. She stumbled as she walked past Kael. He caught her arm gently.
"Careful," he said, giving her a faint nod. She blushed.
"Th-thanks… I'm Naia."
"Kael," he replied, already looking past her.
Nearby, Aerin Solari was rallying a crowd with sheer presence. His Solvara flickered like white flame as he sparred five students at once—winning. He had power, charisma, fire.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"You'll be important. Let them follow you."
But what none of them knew was this:
Kael had already been here before.
Not in body—but in memory.
He had spent the last three years mapping the Academy's archives in secret, learning the patterns of every instructor, the psychological profiles of every potential recruit. Every class, every dorm, every secret passage.
And every key weakness in the Academy's defense.
Kael wasn't here to learn.
He was here to begin.
---
As the sun set behind the crimson-topped towers of Aevirel, Kael stood alone on the edge of the training cliff. He opened a sealed scroll—one no first-year should even know existed.
It bore the mark of the Silent Creed.
He didn't flinch.
He smiled.
"To bloom in fire…" he whispered, as wind howled louder,
"…one must first burn alone."