The sun sank behind the towering spires of Dawnspire Academy, casting long shadows that stretched across the courtyard like grasping fingers. Students hurried to evening lectures, unaware of the storm forming in the upper halls—unaware that the fate of the kingdom was being decided tonight.
Elias did not know it either.
At this moment, he sat alone in the isolation chamber, gaze unfocused, hands trembling faintly. The whispers had quieted again, but today's training had shown him something terrifying:
The whispers were learning.
At first, they had attacked randomly, throwing illusions and false futures at him. But after hours of training, Elias noticed a pattern—each time he rejected a whisper, the next one was more clever, more tailored, more intrusive.
It was as if the Ominous Wisdom was… evolving.
He rubbed his temples and exhaled shakily.
The door opened softly.
Lena stepped inside, carrying a small lantern whose golden glow softened the tension in the room.
"You're alone again," she said quietly. "I figured."
Elias mustered a weak smile. "Elowen is at some meeting."
"More like a Council interrogation," Lena muttered. "They want answers."
Elias frowned. "About… me?"
"About what else? The entire academy felt the runes shake today."
He grimaced.
He hadn't noticed—during the worst moment of training, he had been too lost in the battle for his own mind. But if the runes had shaken… that meant his talent had strained the academy's stabilizing spells.
That was not normal.
Not good.
Lena sat beside him, placing the lantern between them. The small flame cast warm patterns against the cold stone walls.
"Talk to me," she said gently.
Elias hesitated.
"Something new happened today."
Lena stiffened. "New… as in bad?"
"I don't know." He took a breath. "The whispers aren't random anymore. They're… studying me."
Lena froze.
"What do you mean?"
"They test my reactions. They change tactics. They probe for weaknesses."
Lena shivered. "That sounds like someone trying to get into your head."
"It is someone," Elias corrected softly. "Or something."
The lantern flame wavered as a faint wind slipped through the door cracks.
Lena clenched her fists. "Then we just train harder. And faster. And—"
"It isn't just training anymore."
His voice trembled despite himself.
"It's survival."
Lena reached out and took his hand, squeezing it tightly.
"We'll survive," she said firmly. "Together."
Elias nodded, breathing a little easier.
Then, faintly—
Naïve child. She cannot follow where you fall.
He jerked slightly.
Lena noticed instantly. "What happened?"
"Nothing," he lied quickly.
But Lena was not fooled.
"You're a terrible liar," she repeated softly.
Elias sighed.
"It whispered about you."
Lena's eyes filled with a fury he had never seen before. "It can shut its damn mouth."
He let out a shaky laugh.
"Lena… you can't punch a cosmic entity."
"I can try," she muttered.
Elias felt warmth bloom in his chest.
For a moment, the whispers faded.
For a moment, he was simply Elias.
---
While Elias and Lena sat in quiet solidarity, the upper tower hall of the academy glowed with torchlight. The chamber was circular, lined with shimmering glyphs and portraits of past head magi, each painted with solemn dignity.
Now the hall was filled.
Seven members of the High Council of Dawn, dressed in ceremonial dark blue robes, sat around the crescent-shaped table. At the center of the assembly, Magus Elowen Ardent stood alone.
Her expression was composed.
But her heart was heavy.
Councilor Virand of the Silver Loom spoke first, voice cold and sharp as a blade.
"Elowen Ardent, Head Magus of Dawnspire Academy. You stand before the Council on account of the incident concerning the student Elias Verdan."
Elowen bowed slightly.
"Ask what you must."
Councilor Thalia of Hearthwood Forest leaned forward.
"Begin with the truth. Did he awaken the talent we fear he awakened?"
Elowen murmured, "Yes."
The chamber went still.
Councilor Virand slammed his palm on the table.
"A calamity is born within our academy walls!"
Elowen's jaw tightened. "He is not a calamity. He is a student."
Councilor Orlan snorted. "A student with the talent of madness."
"Or insight," Elowen countered sharply.
The council murmur grew louder.
Councilor Thalia raised a hand. "Silence."
She turned to Elowen, her eyes dark.
"Is it true the boy bent the Mind-Gazing Crystals? Made them crack?"
Elowen hesitated.
"…yes."
The council erupted again.
"Impossible!"
"A danger to the academy!"
"Execution must be considered—"
"Enough!"
Elowen's voice echoed through the hall with a force that made even Virand flinch.
She stepped forward.
"If you kill Elias Verdan, you will destroy one of the greatest minds this kingdom could ever produce. His stability is not perfect—true. But he has resisted what no one else has in recorded history."
"Meaning?" Councilor Orlan demanded.
"Meaning," Elowen said firmly, "he is the first bearer of Ominous Wisdom who has not succumbed immediately. He anchors. He stabilizes. He rejects intrusive influence."
Councilor Virand narrowed his eyes.
"And how long, Elowen, until it succeeds in erasing him?"
Elowen forced her breath to stay steady.
She did not answer immediately.
Finally, she whispered:
"That depends… on whether he fights alone."
The council chamber fell quiet.
---
Back in the isolation chamber, Elias lay on the cot, staring at the ceiling. Lena sat cross-legged beside him, sketching something in a small notebook.
He turned his head.
"What are you writing?"
Lena snapped the book shut immediately. "Nothing."
He raised an eyebrow. "Lena."
"It's nothing!" She puffed her cheeks in embarrassment. "Fine—it's things you say. And how the training goes. And… and things that make you smile."
His heart warmed.
"Why?"
Her voice softened.
"Because you're changing so fast," she whispered. "I want to remember the parts of you that stay the same."
Elias's breath caught.
He didn't know how to answer.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—the door swung open before he had to.
Elowen entered, alone, her face more tired than Elias had ever seen.
Lena leaped to her feet. "Did the Council—"
"The Council is… concerned," Elowen said diplomatically.
Elias sat up. "Concerned means furious, doesn't it?"
Elowen exhaled. "Yes."
Lena scowled. "They can't take him from the academy, can they?"
"No," Elowen said. "Not yet. You are my student, Elias, and by our laws, you remain under academy protection. But the Council demands proof of your stability."
"What kind of proof?" Elias asked.
Elowen's eyes softened.
"Public demonstration."
Elias's heart stopped.
"What?"
Lena exploded. "NO! He's barely learned to breathe without hearing voices! You can't put him in front of a crowd!"
Elowen raised her hand.
"This demonstration is not optional," she said quietly. "If we refuse, the Council will interpret it as proof that Elias is a danger. They may invoke Article Seven."
Elias swallowed.
"What is Article Seven?"
Lena whispered, "Removal."
Elias stared.
"Removal?"
Elowen met his eyes.
"You would be taken from the academy. Confined. Possibly… permanently."
Lena grabbed his arm.
"I won't let them!"
Elowen closed her eyes briefly.
"Lena. This is bigger than us."
Then she looked at Elias, expression intense.
"You will not survive confinement," she said frankly. "And you will not escape it. If the Council moves against you, your fate will be sealed."
Elias felt the air grow cold.
"So I need to prove I can control my talent."
"Yes."
"Tomorrow."
Elias froze. "Tomorrow? That soon?"
Elowen nodded.
"The Council wants no delays."
Lena shook her head furiously. "This is madness!"
"No," Elowen corrected softly. "This is politics."
The lantern flickered.
Elias's mind raced.
He was not ready.
He was barely stable.
He could anchor himself—but only just.
If the whispers surged in front of the Council…
He would be declared a threat.
His freedom stripped.
His humanity doubted.
His future stolen.
He clenched his fists.
"I'll do it," he whispered.
Lena whipped toward him. "Elias—!"
"I have no choice," he said quietly. "If I don't prove myself, I lose everything."
Lena trembled.
Elowen stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You won't face it alone," she said. "I will help you. Lena will help you. Aldric will guard the chamber. We will make sure you succeed."
Elias nodded slowly.
But inside, he felt hollow.
Because something deep in his mind…
something wrapped in shadow and starlight…
began to stir.
Yes… show them. Show them all.
Elias flinched.
Lena noticed instantly.
"Elowen! He—"
"I know," Elowen said sharply. "Anchor!"
Elias grabbed hold of the light inside his mind, forcing the whisper back. It retreated—slowly, reluctantly—like claws dragging across metal.
The moment it faded, Elias collapsed to his knees, gasping.
Lena caught him again. "Elias!"
Elowen knelt beside him.
"This is why we must prepare," she said. "Tonight. All night. Tomorrow… you cannot afford a single mistake."
Elias leaned against Lena, shaking with fear and exhaustion.
He whispered:
"If I lose myself up there…"
"You won't," Lena said fiercely.
Elowen added, "Because we won't let you."
Elias closed his eyes.
And in the dark, the Eye blinked—
—softly.
As if amused.
As if entertained.
As if waiting for the performance to begin.
Tomorrow, Elias Verdan would stand before the Council.
Before the kingdom's most powerful minds.
Before fate itself.
And he would either prove he could control the Ominous Wisdom…
—or the kingdom would decide to destroy him.