The sky above Vaelcrest cracked with a soundless flash, lightning without thunder, magic without rain. Morning classes had just begun, but the air was already heavy. Something was stirring beneath the polished surface of the academy's routines.
Nyxar noticed it immediately. The students moved differently, hurriedly. There was tension in their steps, in their whispers. Even instructors seemed sharper today, more alert, as though something important was happening and no one wanted to say it out loud.
He was in the middle of breakfast when the summons came. A glowing crest appeared above his table, spinning in place before flaring once and vanishing.
Kaela raised an eyebrow. "Instructor duel?"
"Looks like it," Nyxar said, wiping his mouth. "Want to bet on who I'm fighting?"
"If it's Arlen again, try not to humiliate him too much."
He stood. "I'll consider it."
"Liar." She grinned, but there was a flicker of worry in her eyes. It wasn't just another spar. They both felt it.
Nyxar followed the summoned path...floating steps of light leading across the eastern bridges, then through the Duel Hall's wide gates. The hall was vast and ancient, its ceiling painted with murals of Vaelcrest's founders in battle: mages wielding rivers like blades, conjuring night from empty skies, bending the stars into sigils.
At the far end, three instructors stood in council. Beside them, a student waited. He was tall, lean, with golden-brown skin and deep violet eyes that seemed to catch and hold light. His uniform bore the crest of Solarborn House, stitched in radiant thread. A half-cloak hung from one shoulder. Every movement he made seemed effortless. Solaryn.
Nyxar stopped in his tracks. So this was how it began.
Solaryn stepped forward. He hadn't changed much...still carried that poised calm, the kind that didn't need to shout to make its presence known.
"Nyxar," he said with a nod. "Been a while."
"Yeah. I suppose it has."
"I requested this duel," Solaryn continued, folding his arms. "It's nothing formal...just a demonstration. The instructors want to see how you've progressed."
"And you?"Nyxar asked.
Solaryn smiled faintly. "I'm curious too."
Nyxar stepped into the dueling circle, stone etched with rings and ancient markings. The room quieted. A ward, typical of a magical barrier shimmered into existence around them, isolating the arena from the rest of the hall.
There was no countdown, just the sound of their footsteps and breath.
Solaryn moved first...swift and measured. A burst of light erupted from his palm, forming a radiant blade that pulsed with devastating heat. He didn't hesitate, swinging low in a controlled arc.
Nyxar ducked the incoming deathbeam and slid sideways, then launched a palm strike toward Solaryn's ribs. It landed...but the pressure rebounded, hitting him back. There was no pain, just resistance. it was like trying to strike the sun.
Solaryn countered with a knee aimed at Nyxar's chest. Nyxar caught it midair and twisted, shifting the impact with his shoulder. The force shuddered through him.
Then came the real attack. Solaryn's entire body flared. Glyphs danced across his limbs...burning runes in orbit. He raised his hand and the light around them bent. For a second, Nyxar couldn't breathe. It felt like standing beneath the weight of noon, every ray of light sharpened into a blade with no loophole. His defeat might have been set in stone.
Then he felt it again... like a subtle whisper. "let me help." he suddenly felt energized... the strange kind of energy. The shadows rose at his back, quiet and cold. The light dimmed slightly. The runes slowed. Then he stepped forward into the pressure.
Solaryn's eyes narrowed. "You've changed."
Nyxar didn't answer. He struck again...this time not dodging but slipping through, like a shadow drawn toward stillness. His hand found Solaryn's shoulder and then his chest. He pulsed with a whisper of the Passenger's weight, making Solaryn stumble and gasp with eyes wide in surprise.
The instructors stirred.
Nyxar didn't press forward. He stepped back.
Solaryn exhaled. "That wasn't elemental magic."
"No."
"What was it?"
Nyxar shook his head. "Still figuring it out."
They stood there for a few seconds, breathing hard, until one of the instructors clapped once. "Enough."
The ward fell. The hall returned to sound and color.
Solaryn bowed slightly. "Well fought."
"You too."
Nyxar turned to leave, but Solaryn spoke again...softly, so only he could hear. "Your power is deeper than I imagined. That realm you touched… it's waking up."
Nyxar stopped walking.
Then Solaryn continued. "Be careful of what wakes with it."
***
He returned to the dorms in silence, his body sore but his mind louder than ever. Kaela found him in the study court, tucked beneath the shade of a Memory Tree. She didn't ask what happened. Instead, she tossed a book at his chest. "'Tactical Improvisation for Unaligned Casters.' Thought you might want a challenge."
He smirked. "Trying to educate me?"
"I'm trying to keep you alive."
"Sweet."
"Don't push it."
They sat together for a while, flipping pages they didn't really read. After a long pause, Kaela asked, "What does it feel like...your magic?"
Nyxar considered. "Like something watching from the bottom of a well. Sometimes it whispers. Sometimes it screams."
"Lovely."
"I try to make it sound poetic."
"You sound... haunted."
"I probably am."
She leaned back, arms crossed behind her head. "We're all haunted by something, Nyxar. Some of us just have better lighting."
He laughed, a real one this time.
***
By nightfall, the storm had returned. The sky was split in long flashes, but no rain came. Just wind and pressure. A storm with no release.
Nyxar stood on the highest terrace of the east tower, cloak drawn close, eyes scanning the horizon. He thought of the duel. Of Solaryn's eyes. Of the weight behind those words.
That realm you touched… it's waking.
The Obsidian Core stirred inside him, quiet and hungry.
Not yet, he thought. Not yet.
But it was listening. And it was patient.