A few years before
The Royal Academy of Flavia was a city within the city.Located at the heart of the capital, it stood in stark contrast to the chaos of the nearby alleys.Where marketplace cries and clattering hooves ruled, the Academy grounds offered a bubble of discipline, of silence… and of ambition.
The entrance arch was carved with ancient spiritual energy symbols. Stylized lines of fire danced like serpents, and an eternal flame burned at the center of the main courtyard.This wasn't just an institution—it was a forge.You entered with dreams. You left as a weapon… or reduced to ash.
Among the hundreds of students that passed through each year, two names would soon rise above the rest.
Her name was Kaelia Varn.Dark eyes, black braided hair, an energy almost impossible to contain.She was always moving, asking too many questions, half-defying every order.Daughter of peasants who had moved to the city, she'd been noticed by a recruiter after she accidentally set an entire field ablaze during an argument.
He was Taren Solren.Quiet, observant, rarely surprised—he listened more than he spoke.From a modest district, he had discovered Spiritual Energy on his own by watching palace guards train from his rooftop.They said that at thirteen, he had stopped a falling rockslide by vaporizing an entire boulder.
Their first meeting was abrupt—during the Academy's annual ritual for pairing students into duos.
On a massive platform erected in the courtyard, professors called out names two by two, without explanation.When "Kaelia Varn and Taren Solren" were called, a ripple of laughter swept through the crowd.
Kaelia rolled her eyes."Seriously? The guy who never talks?"
Taren barely shrugged."We'll manage."
"You don't seem thrilled either."
"Haven't had time to be, yet."
She stared at him. She wasn't sure if it was a jab… or a compliment.
The first month was tense.They watched each other more than they worked together.Kaelia would blast training dummies with raw force, shouting as she cast.Taren calmly melted his targets with almost religious focus.
"You training or playing?" he asked one evening.
"Why not both?"
"Because fire's not a toy."
"And it's not a funeral either."
They disagreed on everything.And yet… their synchronization during evaluations was flawless.
One day, during a defense exercise, another student lost control of a spell.A column of fire veered off course and hurtled toward Kaelia.
Taren didn't hesitate.He raised his hand.
The fire curved away from him like a tamed beast.It bent around Kaelia and faded into nothing.
She stood stunned."You... you controlled it?"
He looked at her."No. I convinced it."
She didn't understand. But from that day on, she stopped challenging him.
In the evenings, they sometimes met on the roof of the East Wing.They'd watch the city in silence.Kaelia would spark flames between her fingers.Taren traced invisible circles in the air.
"What do you think they're really training us for?" she asked.
"Officially? To protect the kingdom."
"And unofficially?"
"To disappear, maybe."
She wasn't sure if he was joking. That bothered her.
A month later, everything changed.
A man was waiting outside their military history class.He wore a black coat with no insignia.His face was pale, his eyes piercing.
"Room 7. West Wing. You're expected."
No explanation.No threat.But the order was clear.
Room 7 wasn't known to the students.Behind a massive door, it held only a single stone on a black pedestal.
"Place your hands."
Kaelia hesitated."Is this a test?"
"It's a confirmation."
They placed their hands.
A tingling. A strange, not unpleasant warmth.Then… a chill.As if something was watching from deep inside their minds.
When they withdrew their hands, the stone had changed color: deep red.
The man said nothing.But he smiled—just slightly.
From that day forward, their training changed.
Private lessons.Unofficial tests.Exercises with no grades, no records.
They learned to listen without seeing.To walk without sound.To kill without flame.
One evening, Kaelia followed a teacher down a forbidden hallway of the library.She opened a door she was never meant to see.
Inside: a room with no light.An ancient mural on the wall.An eye—surrounded by flame and shadow.
She stepped closer.But the room vibrated.And when she opened her eyes again, the mural was gone.
She never spoke of it to Taren.But he saw the change in her.And he didn't ask.
Around them, rumors began to grow.
"Some duos are being… tested.""There's a secret project.""They're preparing them for things… they shouldn't witness."
A name was whispered.Never confirmed.
Project Salamander.
And through it all, Kaelia and Taren continued to walk side by side.Without ever admitting it, they had chosen each other.
But in a world of fire and lies… love could only be born in the shadows.