Not every fire burns loud. Some wait. Some smolder. The dangerous ones… they wait for the wind to change."
— Seris
Entry One: The Morning After
The academy was different the next morning.
Where it had been alive with restless energy and challenge the day before, now it was quiet—almost hesitant.
The heavy stones of the ancient walls seemed to absorb the silence, holding it like a secret.
Shadows clung to corners and corridors longer than usual, reluctant to disperse.
Even the light filtered through stained glass windows in dim, fractured beams — too soft, too pale.
The air had weight.
I could feel it deep in my bones.
I found Lyra and Nia near the training hall entrance, whispering like they always did when they thought no one was listening.
"You'll never guess what happened," Lyra was saying with a mischievous grin.
They stopped mid-sentence when I said, "I saw Joren last night."
Lyra's eyes went wide; Nia bit her lower lip nervously.
"He's… not just a name or a story here," I said quietly. "He's something else — fire and power made flesh. A storm you can't outrun."
Nia leaned closer, voice barely a whisper. "Did he say anything to you?"
I smirked, feeling the memory ripple inside me.
"We didn't talk much."
"What did you do?" Lyra pressed, eyes shining with teasing curiosity.
I hesitated.
The words stuck in my throat like a bitter taste.
"Well… we kissed. Then... it was the heat of the moment. I don't think I'll pursue it."
Lyra scoffed, crossing her arms defiantly.
"What? And you waited so long to tell us? Why not pursue it?"
Nia frowned. "Yeah… he's cute."
I nodded slowly. "Maybe. Or maybe it's a mistake."
Entry Two: The Encounter
The memory of that moment burned clear in my mind — sharper than any flame.
It had been just before dawn.
The training yard was silent, empty, bathed in the soft silver light of the rising moon.
I was alone, trying to focus, trying to make peace with the shadows that had begun to stir beneath my skin.
They moved like whispers, silent and watchful, curling at my feet and slipping between my fingers.
I was terrified—terrified of what I might do if I lost control.
Then he appeared.
Kael.
Emerging from the darkness like a bolt of lightning, his blue flames flickering wildly in the cool morning air.
"Vayne," he said, voice sharp and cold, eyes burning like twin suns. "You don't belong here."
I squared my shoulders, meeting his gaze without flinching.
"I belong wherever I choose."
He laughed—short, harsh, full of contempt.
"You're an E-Class. No powers. A mistake."
The word hit me like a slap.
A mistake.
Something inside me broke.
The shadows surged suddenly, as if fueled by my rage, swirling upward like smoke twisting from an unseen fire.
A tendril of darkness flicked out, fast and precise, but not meant to hurt.
It hovered inches from his arm, quivering like a warning.
His eyes widened—just for a moment—then narrowed sharply.
"You're hiding something," he said, voice low, dangerous. "Tell me what it is."
Entry Three: The Bond
Later that afternoon, I poured everything out to Lyra and Nia—the flickering shadows, the strange heat beneath my skin, the feeling that something inside me was waking.
"You're not just some weak E-Class," Lyra said softly, eyes bright with belief.
"You're special."
Nia nodded, her voice steady and sure.
"Maybe more special than anyone here."
I pulled out the worn letter Seris had given me—the one with the words etched into my memory: "Trust your shadow. Don't trust the light."
"It's like a warning," I said. "Or maybe a promise."
Lyra frowned thoughtfully.
"Maybe shadows aren't what they seem."
Entry Four: Kael's Change
Kael's demeanor shifted the next time he saw me.
Gone was the mockery, the dismissiveness.
His eyes flickered with something unfamiliar—curiosity, respect, maybe even concern.
"You have power," he said quietly, voice almost a whisper, as if sharing a dangerous secret. "The kind no one else here can touch."
When our eyes met, I saw something flicker beneath his fiery gaze—a flicker of recognition.
I was no longer just a shadow to be ignored.
Entry Five: The Moment
One evening, we trained together.
Kael's blue flames roared dangerously close to my skin, crackling with raw, fierce energy.
I coaxed the shadows to obey, watching them ripple and curl like living things.
The heat from his fire was tangible, searing and magnetic.
His breath was uneven, close enough to feel.
"Careful," he warned, voice low and rough. "You're stronger than you think. But power like yours… it's dangerous."
His fingers brushed mine — was it accidental? Maybe.
But I didn't pull away.
Between fire and shadow, something sparked.
A tension, electric and unspoken.
For a moment, nothing else existed.
No academy. No rules. No fear.
Only us.
Entry Six: Protector and Challenger
In the days that followed, Kael's attitude shifted again.
The distant coldness softened into something fiercely protective—though he'd never admit it aloud.
When other students sneered at me, Kael was there—a living wall of blue flame that made even the boldest hesitate.
But behind closed doors, he pushed me harder than anyone else.
Because he saw what I could become.
And maybe, just maybe, he wanted to be the one standing beside me when I claimed it.
Entry Seven: The Future Beckons
That night, alone in my room, I let the shadows curl and coil around me.
They were no longer whispers in the dark.
They were part of me—fierce, alive, waiting.
Kael's fire and my shadows.
Two forces destined to collide.
When they do, nothing will ever be the same.
Entry Eight: Unspoken Promises
As I drifted toward sleep, I remembered Seris's words again:
"Not every fire burns loud. Some smolder quietly, waiting for the wind to change."
And I wondered if that wind was blowing through the academy right now.
If it was the beginning of something neither Kael nor I could stop.
Or control.