Chapter 4
The halls of the Arcane Academy of Lurenth buzzed with hushed whispers and clumsy energy bursts as news of the elite mock duels spread like wildfire. It wasn't often that the academy allowed lower-ranked students to participate—let alone someone with Kael Vireon's reputation.
The announcement had appeared that morning, glowing faintly with an official mana-seal. Students from every division huddled around the crystal board where the matchups shimmered.
Among the names of elite dueling houses and golden-blooded prodigies, one pairing stood out like a cracked wand in a weapons vault:
Lera Veyne vs. Kael Vireon(Classroom Arena B | Day 6, Sun-Ascend Bell)
Confused laughter erupted almost immediately.
"Did they mix up the names?"
"Wait, that's the Kael? The accident magnet?"
"Maybe it's a punishment match. Lera can warm up her spells on him."
Kael, who stood a few paces back with his usual disinterested expression, said nothing.
Tommell beside him looked like he was about to faint. "You… you're going to fight her? Lera Veyne? She's ranked third in the Combat Division!"
Kael gave a half-shrug. "It'll be fun."
Tommell stared. "Are you trying to die?"
Kael didn't answer. He was too busy watching the name shimmer on the board—Veyne—burning softly with a glow too familiar.
Lera Veyne stood far from the commotion, arms crossed, expression unreadable. Dressed in dark crimson training robes, the emblem of her house glinting on her shoulder, she glanced at the listing without a flicker of amusement.
When one of her classmates whispered something about "getting an easy win," she didn't respond.
Instead, her gaze drifted across the field—quietly, sharply—until it found Kael.
They locked eyes.
Only for a moment.
Then she turned away.
Later That Day
Inside the beginner spell theory classroom, Kael sat with a scroll open in front of him and a blank expression that masked his thoughts.
The classroom was nearly empty—most students had left after finishing their rune practice, but Kael remained.
Not to study.
To think.
The name Veyne—it couldn't be a coincidence. The same house. The same cold elegance in her posture. The same calculating sharpness in her eyes. Lera Veyne didn't look exactly like Elaria… but something beneath her surface felt familiar.
Could it be her?
Could Elaria have been reborn too?
And if she had… did she remember?
Kael's fingers hovered over the old rune etched into the desk's wood. A crude carving, likely from a student years ago—an anchor rune, the kind used to steady unstable mana.
He traced it absently.
"What happens," he muttered to himself, "when ghosts start walking around in new skin?"
Elsewhere in the Academy
Dean Thalos, head of the Arcane Division, watched the pairing from his upper tower with mild interest. A tall, wiry man with eyes like hollow steel, he tapped a crystal monocle against his chin.
"Veyne and Vireon," he said quietly to the air. "What an odd pairing."
His assistant—a rotund scribe in ink-stained robes—cleared his throat. "Would you like me to adjust the matchup, sir? It might be unbalanced."
Thalos shook his head.
"No. Let it happen. Sometimes, the weakest threads reveal the strongest patterns."
Evening
Kael sat beneath the Moon Tree in the academy gardens. The soft silver leaves rustled gently, catching the light of the dimming sun.
He focused inward, reaching beyond the veil of this world into his buried memories—magic, combat, silence, betrayal.
His mana was still fractured. This body had potential, yes, but lacked the strength to control high-tier spells yet. His soul, however, pulsed like a sealed storm waiting to be freed.
He wasn't ready to reveal everything.
Not yet.
But soon.
And the duel?
He wouldn't lose.
Even if he had to pretend he did.
❖ END OF CHAPTER 4 ❖