The dust motes danced in the slanted afternoon sun, each a tiny, glittering world unto itself. To Kael, they were infinitely more fascinating than the droning voice of Magus Theron, whose lecture on the foundational principles of elemental transmutation was a special kind of auditory torture.
"...and thus, the aetheric conduit must be calibrated to the user's innate resonant frequency, lest the mana flow reverse and cause catastrophic spiritual recoil," Theron intoned, his voice as dry as the parchment he read from.
Kael let his chin rest on his palm, his elbow digging into the worn, gouged surface of the wooden desk. The smell of old paper, ink, and the faint, ever-present scent of ozone from practice spells filled the cavernous lecture hall of the Royal Argentum Academy. He watched the dust, trying to trace the paths of individual particles. It was a game he played to stave off the gnawing feeling of being a fraud.
To everyone in this hall, he was Kael, the scholarship student. The one with no discernible magical talent. The one who was only here because of the boundless, brilliant light of his younger sister, Lily. Her acceptance letter, stamped with the Royal Seal, had included a plus-one—a courtesy extended to the guardian of a prodigy. He was a footnote in her glorious story, and he preferred it that way. A simple, quiet life was all he asked for.
A sharp, painful jab in his ribs shattered his reverie.
"Psst! Kael! Are you even listening?" a hushed, melodic voice whispered to his left.
He turned his head. Lyra, a noble's daughter with eyes the colour of summer violets and hair of spun gold, was looking at him with a mixture of concern and exasperation. She was one of the few who didn't treat him like a stain on the academy's robes.
"Every word, Lyra," Kael murmured, his voice low. "I'm mentally calibrating my aetheric conduit as we speak. Feeling very resonant."
She rolled her eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips. "You're impossible. This is going to be on the mid-terms. If you fail, you'll be scrubbing pots in the kitchens with the rest of the magically inept."
"A man must know his calling," he said with a wry grin. "I hear the soup cauldrons are particularly philosophical this time of year."
Before Lyra could retort, the grand oak doors of the lecture hall creaked open, and a new presence swept in, late and entirely unapologetic. It was Elara, the Hero.
She didn't just enter a room; she commandeered it. Sunlight from the high arched windows seemed to bend towards her, glinting off the polished silver of her armour, which was ornate but clearly functional. A longsword with a gleaming white hilt was strapped to her back. Her hair was the colour of fresh wheat, her eyes a piercing, confident blue, and she carried herself with an aura of absolute certainty that was both intimidating and captivating.
Magus Theron's drone faltered for a second before he bowed his head slightly. "Hero Elara. We are honoured by your presence."
"My apologies, Magus," Elara said, her voice clear and resonant, filling the hall without effort. "A matter of kingdom security required my attention." Her gaze swept over the students, and for a fleeting second, it landed on Kael. There was no recognition, only a brief, analytical scan before she moved to an empty seat at the front. She was the protagonist of this world's story, and everyone, including Kael, was merely a supporting character.
The bell tower finally chimed the end of the lesson, a deep, resonant gong that echoed through the stone corridors. Kael was the first out of his seat, weaving through the throng of students chattering about mana coefficients and Elara's dramatic entrance. He needed air that wasn't thick with academic pretence.
He found his sanctuary on a secluded balcony overlooking the academy's main quad. The air here was cool and crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth from the meticulously maintained gardens and the distant, warm smell of bread from the kitchens. He leaned on the moss-covered stone railing, watching students below—groups of mages in their colourful robes, knights-in-training practising drills in the courtyard, their swords clashing in a rhythmic, metallic song. He was apart from it all, a spectator.
His peace was short-lived. A familiar, energetic voice called his name, and he felt a small, warm body slam into his side, wrapping arms around his waist.
"Brother! I knew I'd find you here!"
Lily. His sister. She looked up at him, her face a beacon of pure, unadulterated joy. Her eyes, the same shade of humble brown as his, sparkled with an inner light he could never hope to possess. Her chestnut hair was a bit windswept, and her novice mage's robes were already smudged with what looked like soot.
"Lily," he said, his voice softening instantly. He ruffled her hair. "Let me guess. Professor Ignatius was demonstrating combustion charms again?"
"It was amazing!" she gushed, releasing him to gesture wildly. "He made a fireball the size of a carriage! Well, it was supposed to be the size of a melon, but I might have… tweaked the runic array a little. By accident!"
Kael sighed, a fond smile touching his lips. This was why he was here. Lily's magical talent was a wild, untamed river, and his only purpose was to make sure it didn't flood its banks and drown her. She was brilliant, but she was also impulsive and naive. In a nest of vipers like the Argentum Academy, where noble bloodlines and political machinations were more important than actual talent, she was a lamb. He was her sheepdog, albeit a very quiet, unassuming one.
"Just try to keep the 'accidents' to a minimum, Lily. My heart can't take it."
"Don't worry," she said, linking her arm with his. "I have you to protect me, right?"
The words were a gentle dagger in his heart. He had no magic. No noble title. All he had was a fierce, desperate love for his sister. It felt… insufficient.
"Always," he whispered, the word a solemn vow.
Their moment was shattered by a new, grating voice.
"Well, well. If it isn' the scholarship case and his little pyromaniac sister."
Three figures stepped onto the balcony, blocking the exit. Kael recognized them immediately: Jax, Borin, and Silas. Sons of minor nobles, their family crests embroidered ostentatiously on their robes. Jax, the ringleader, was a bulky youth with a cruel twist to his mouth.
"Jax," Kael said, his voice flat. "Did you get lost on your way to the dunce cap fitting?"
Jax's face flushed. "Watch your tongue, gutter-scum. You're only here to clean up after your sister's messes." His eyes slid to Lily, glinting with malice. "Speaking of which. We heard about your little 'accident' in Ignatius's class. My father's friend was sponsoring that rare phoenix-feather lectern you singed. It was worth more than your entire worthless bloodline."
Lily shrank behind Kael, her grip on his arm tightening. "I… I said I was sorry. I'll pay for it."
"Pay for it?" Borin, a lanky boy with a face like a weasel, sneered. "With what? The copper coins you fish out of fountains?"
"Maybe she can work it off in the kitchens with her brother," Silas chimed in, his voice a nasally whine. "Scrubbing floors seems to be the family trade."
Kael felt a cold anger settle in his gut. Insults towards him were like water off a duck's back. But targeting Lily was a line they should not have crossed.
"Apologize to my sister," Kael said, his voice dangerously quiet.
"Or what?" Jax took a step forward, puffing out his chest. "You'll bore us to death with one of Theron's lectures? You have no magic, Kael. You're nothing. A shadow. And shadows get stamped out."
Jax made a subtle gesture with his hand. The air around Kael and Lily grew heavy, thick. It was a simple pressure spell, a bully's favourite. It felt like being submerged in mud. Kael's knees buckled slightly, and he heard Lily gasp as the air was forced from her lungs. He struggled, muscles straining against the invisible weight, but it was useless. He was powerless. The humiliation was a physical burn on his skin. He could see the triumphant smirks on their faces.
"Maybe we'll report the damage to the headmaster," Jax mused, walking a slow circle around them. "Get the little fire-starter expelled. I'm sure the brothels in the lower city are always looking for fresh—"
The world dissolved into a searing, white-hot pain behind Kael's eyes.
It was not a sound, but a frequency that shattered his thoughts. Not a light, but a data-stream that burned directly onto his retinas. The pressure spell broke as his concentration, his very being, was ripped away from the physical world.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION DETECTED...]
[HOST MENTAL STATE: CRITICAL STRESS. COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS: COMPATIBLE.]
[BIO-SIGNATURE: CONFIRMED. SOUL RESONANCE: STABLE.]
[ESTABLISHING NEURAL INTERFACE... ESTABLISHED.]
[WELCOME, USER.]
Kael staggered, clutching his head. The words were not in his ears; they were in his mind, cold, digital, and utterly alien. The world snapped back into focus, but it was different now. Overlaid on his vision were translucent blue screens, displaying text in a clean, serif font.
Jax and his cronies were laughing, mistaking his stumble for a final act of weakness.
"Look at him! He can't even stand straight!"
[ANALYZING HOSTILES...]
Text boxes appeared next to the three bullies.
**[TARGET: JAX SON OF MARQ]
[THREAT LEVEL: LOW]
[VULNERABILITIES: SLOW NEURAL SYNAPSES, POOR LATERAL MOVEMENT, OVER-RELIANCE ON CRUDE FORCE MAGIC.]
**[TARGET: BORIN SON OF HELMAN]
[THREAT LEVEL: NEGLIGIBLE]
[VULNERABILITIES: WEAKNESS IN LEFT KNEE (OLD INJURY), LOW MANA RESERVES.]
**[TARGET: SILAS SON OF PYRUS]
[THREAT LEVEL: NEGLIGIBLE]
[VULNERABILITIES: SEVERE ASTIGMATISM, POOR KINETIC AWARENESS.]
Kael stared, his mind reeling. What was this? A hallucination? A nervous breakdown?
[IMMEDIATE OBJECTIVE: NEUTRALIZE HOSTILE THREATS.]
[SUBOBJECTIVE: SAFEGUARD DESIGNATED 'LILY'.]
A new screen popped up, displaying three simple options.
[TACTICAL SOLUTIONS:]
[A] DISORIENT AND DISABLE. (RECOMMENDED FOR MINIMAL WITNESSES)]
[B] PERMANENT NEUTRALIZATION. (HIGH RISK, HIGH EFFICIENCY)]
[C] DEFLECT AND RETREAT. (LOW PROFILE)]
Permanent neutralization? Kael's blood ran cold. This… this thing in his head was talking about murder.
"No," he whispered, a desperate denial.
[QUERY NOT RECOGNIZED. PLEASE SELECT A TACTICAL SOLUTION.]
"Brother?" Lily's voice was small, terrified. She was still feeling the after-effects of the pressure spell, and now her brother was talking to himself.
Jax, emboldened by Kael's apparent madness, stepped closer. "What's the matter, gutter-scum? Finally lost your mind?" He drew back his fist, aiming a magically-enhanced punch straight at Kael's face. The air crackled around his knuckles.
Time seemed to slow, thick as honey.
[AUTOMATED DEFENSE PROTOCOLS ENGAGED. SELECTING OPTION A.]
Kael's body moved without his conscious command. It was not a thought, but an instinct downloaded directly into his nervous system. He didn't dodge the punch; he flowed inside it. His left hand came up, not to block, but to guide Jax's wrist past his head. At the same time, his right foot swept forward, hooking behind Jax's ankle.
The movement was effortless, perfectly economical. It used Jax's own momentum and weight against him. Jax's eyes widened in shock as his balance vanished. He crashed to the stone floor with a heavy thud, the air whooshing out of his lungs.
[TARGET JAX: NEUTRALIZED. STATUS: INCAPACITATED.]
Borin and Silas stared, dumbfounded.
[PROCEEDING WITH SUB-OBJECTIVE: DISORIENT REMAINING HOSTILES.]
Kael's body was a puppet on strings pulled by the System. He took two quick steps forward. With a precise, almost gentle motion, he drove his thumb into a specific nerve cluster on Borin's shoulder. Borin screamed, a high-pitched, pathetic sound, as his entire arm went numb and useless. As he crumpled, Kael pivoted, his elbow snapping back to catch Silas square in the solar plexus. Silas folded like a wet rag, gagging and clutching his stomach, his glasses flying off his face to skitter across the balcony.
[TARGET BORIN: NEUTRALIZED. STATUS: DISABLED.]
[TARGET SILAS: NEUTRALIZED. STATUS: INCAPACITATED.]
[OBJECTIVE COMPLETE.]
The whole encounter had taken less than three seconds.
Silence descended, broken only by the moans of the three bullies and the distant clang of practice swords from the quad below. Kael stood amidst them, his chest heaving, not from exertion, but from sheer, unadulterated terror. He looked at his own hands as if seeing them for the first time. They were steady. They didn't feel like his.
"Kael…?" Lily whispered, her eyes wide with a mixture of awe and fear. "How… how did you do that?"
He had no answer. The cold, blue screens were still there, burning in his vision.
[QUEST COMPLETE: 'Neutralize Hostile Threats'.]
[REWARD: 50 GOLD COINS (ACADEMY ACCOUNT CREDITED), 'BASIC STEALTH' SKILL ACQUIRED.]
A new sensation flooded his limbs, a strange, cool knowledge of how to shift his weight, control his breathing, and move through shadows without making a sound. It settled into his muscle memory like he had trained for it for years.
[NEW QUEST ISSUED: 'Avoid Academy Suspicion'.]
[DESCRIPTION: DO NOT ALLOW AUTHORITIES TO CONNECT YOU TO THE NEUTRALIZED TARGETS. TIME LIMIT: 24 HOURS.]
[SUCCESS: UNLOCKS 'ASSASSIN'S TOOLKIT' INTERFACE.]
[FAILURE: ACADEMIC EXPULSION, IMPRISONMENT.]
"No," Kael breathed again, his voice a ragged thing. "Get out of my head."
[QUERY NOT RECOGNIZED. SYSTEM INTEGRATION IS PERMANENT.]
Permanent.
The word echoed in the hollow chamber of his mind. He looked at Lily's frightened face. He looked at the three noble sons groaning on the ground. He had wanted a simple life, a quiet existence in his sister's shadow. He had gotten his wish in the most horrifying way possible. He was now truly a shadow—a shadow with a voice in its head that graded its violence and offered rewards for deceit.
The simple life was over. It had ended not with a bang, but with the silent, clinical chime of a System notification. And as the first tendrils of dusk crept across the sky, painting the white towers of the academy in hues of blood and gold, Kael knew, with a certainty that chilled him to his soul, that the games had only just begun.