Silvius said nothing. He stood still, jaw tight, guilt rotting in his gut.
This is exactly why he didn't want to get involved. That damn kid brought nothing but chaos. Wild, reckless, impossible to tame—just like a stray dog that bites every hand that feeds it.
"Zane also told me that child possesses a high-level divine beast—the Ash Crow," Orvahn said calmly.
Selviane froze. Her expression dropped the moment the words hit.
"The Ash Crow?!" she snapped, turning sharply toward the headmaster.
Orvahn gave a slow nod.
The Ash Crow—Velkarth—a mythical beast, a rare divine entity born of resentment and rage. A colossal crow with piercing purple eyes, its dark fire—Soulburn—could erase anything it touched. For generations, the Veyrion line had bonded with that very creature, wielding its wrath to slay dragons and wage wars. It was the pride of the North. A symbol of power… and destruction.
That Kael possessed it—when even his father was rejected—meant only one thing:
The Ash Crow had chosen him.
Silvius stiffened.
Zane saw it.
Of course he did. Silvius had tried to lie, brushing it off as a low-level crow. But if the truth reached Orvahn's ears… Kael could be marked for death. The king wouldn't risk letting a boy with that kind of power grow unchecked.
"Headmaster, the truth is—"
"ENOUGH."
The word cracked like thunder. Silvius snapped his mouth shut, gaze dropping.
"Silvius Veil," Orvahn said, voice razor-sharp. "Tell me—what is the role of an instructor?"
Silvius looked up slowly. That expression… it had been years since he'd seen this version of Orvahn—the Commander, not the Headmaster.
"An instructor is someone who guides their student down the right path," Silvius replied.
"Correct. So tell me—why aren't you guiding that boy?"
Silvius clenched his fists. He was trying. He'd done more for Kael than for any student in years. But that brat was stubborn, angry, drowning in pain—and Silvius wasn't sure how to pull him out of it.
"I've been watching," Orvahn said. "You saw potential in him the moment you laid eyes on him. You chose him. You care. So what's stopping you?"
Silvius didn't answer.
What was stopping him? Was it fear? Doubt? Was it the ache in his chest he couldn't explain every time that boy looked like he was ready to die?
The silence hung thick.
Then Orvahn cut deeper.
"Is it because of the loss of your wife?"
The room dropped into stillness.
Silvius froze, then slowly looked down. His fists trembled. He let out a dry, bitter laugh—one that didn't hold a shred of joy.
"I don't even know anymore."
The Headmaster sighed.
"Do you remember when we first met, Silvius?"
Silvius nodded slowly.
He remembered all too well—the version of himself he used to be: a blood-soaked wanderer, drunk on rage and revenge, carving his path through corpses in the name of lost love and shattered honor.
He had been feral. Aimless. Consumed.
Until Orvahn pulled him out of that darkness. Until this very man taught him what it meant to live with purpose—to be a true knight, not a butcher with a blade.
"I remember," Silvius said. His voice was steady now. "And I understand."
A rare smile crossed his face.
Orvahn rose from his chair, walked to him, and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Good. Because now it's your turn. You're going to guide that child to the right path."
He pointed out the tall, arched window.
From there, they could see the lone tree on the edge of the training grounds—where Kael still hung, bound and silent, like a shadow left to rot in the daylight.
"Sorry to interrupt your little redemption arc," Selviane cut in, arms crossed, "but what about the Ash Crow? If that rumor spreads, the king won't sit quietly."
Orvahn turned calmly.
"You don't have to worry. I told Zane the boy doesn't possess a high-level divine beast."
"And he believed you?"
"Of course." He smiled faintly. "I'm the Headmaster."
Selviane facepalmed.
"Not exactly a foolproof strategy."
"Maybe. But the Ash Crow isn't our biggest threat right now." Orvahn's tone shifted—he turned grave. "There's talk across the empire. The king is preparing to start another war."
"A war?!" Silvius snapped, scowling. That damned king again—throwing lives away like poker chips for his own twisted ambition. Silvius clenched his jaw. It all made sense now—why the northern lands were gutted, why the Veyrion line was destroyed. The king hadn't just punished a family… he'd eliminated a potential obstacle but of course he can't say it out loud. Silvius exhaled sharply. Getting tangled in politics always led to blood.
"Unbelievable," Selviane muttered. "How many more lives will he ruin?"
Orvahn crossed his arms and looked toward the capital in the far distance, his voice colder now.
"We don't know the reason yet. But strange cults are rising. People disappearing and Deaths with no explanation. It's spreading like a disease in the capital."
He exhaled.
"Our duty is clear: protect the students. Keep the academy safe."
"Yes, Grandmaster," they both said in unison.
Silvius gave a final bow.
"Then I'll begin."
"Good."
As Silvius left the room, Selviane watched him go.
"Silvius Veil… such a mystery. You care about him more than you let on, don't you?" she teased.
Orvahn smiled faintly.
"You're not wrong. I chose him for a reason. But it seems I have more responsibilities now."He moved to the window again, watching the wind rustle the branches of that lonely tree.
The last Veyrion.
"Maybe it's time I repay a debt… for all the good that family once did for me."
And in the distance, Kael—chained by ropes, but not broken—stared up at the endless sky.