The Tower of Glass stood like a needle of light at the heart of the capital, its mirrored walls catching the morning sun and scattering it across the sleeping city. From afar it looked ethereal; from within, it felt like a prison.
Princess Elyndra Vael Erindale pressed her palm against the cold crystal window, watching the academy district awaken. Cadets in navy cloaks marched to lectures. Titan scaffolds glimmered like giant skeletons. Airships drifted over the skyline.
But Elyndra's eyes were searching only for one person.
The boy from the ruins.
The boy her father refused to allow her near.
The boy she still couldn't stop thinking about.
"He survived," she whispered to herself. "But how much of him survived?"
Her heartbeat quickened as she remembered the academy report delivered at dawn:
—Unidentified boy. Aura anomaly. Impossible energy reading.
—Titan manifestation confirmed. Name: AUREON.
—Subject admitted to Astraeum Academy under royal seal.
Royal seal.
Her seal.
She hadn't authorized anything.
Which meant someone was using her authority for political games.
A soft knocking broke her thoughts. Her maid, Lira, slipped into the chamber with a stack of scrolls and a knowing look.
"You're thinking about him again, aren't you, Your Highness?"
Elyndra shot her a glare, but her cheeks warmed.
"I don't even know his name," she muttered, turning back to the window. "I only saw him for a moment… but I can't forget those eyes."
White.
Living white—like a star caught in human form.
And the Titan behind him…
Even ancient paintings didn't capture the scale of that power.
Lira sighed. "If the King discovers you involving yourself with an Ember-Bearer, he will—"
"I'm not 'involving' myself," Elyndra cut in sharply. "I'm checking on a political threat to the kingdom."
"Mhm," Lira replied flatly. "A political threat that just happens to be your age, mysterious, powerful, and—"
Elyndra threw a pillow. Lira barely dodged.
"Enough. I have duties today."
But she didn't move.
Her eyes drifted back toward Astraeum.
Back toward him.
---
A Message She Wasn't Supposed to See
A faint glow pulsed from her desk. Elyndra frowned—an encrypted seal? At this hour?
She approached and recognized the crest immediately:
Astraeum Academy – Headmaster Corvos.
He had sent her a private missive.
She hesitated only a second before breaking the seal.
Words appeared in red flame-script:
YOUR HIGHNESS ELYNDRA,
THE BOY FROM STARHOLD HAS AWAKENED AUREON.
MORE IMPORTANTLY—HE IS EXHIBITING PRIMAL EMBER SIGNS.
I URGE THE ROYAL FAMILY TO HANDLE THIS MATTER WITH THE UTMOST SECRECY.
IF THE NOBILITY LEARNS OF HIS EXISTENCE, THEY WILL COME FOR HIM.
–CORVOS
Elyndra's throat tightened.
Primal Ember signs…
The original form of Titan-binding magic.
A power that could decide the future of the entire continent.
"It's worse than I thought," she whispered.
And yet… deeper inside her, something else stirred.
He would need protection.
He would be alone.
And he would become a pawn in countless political games if left vulnerable.
She couldn't allow that.
Even if it meant defying her father.
Even if it meant breaking every restriction placed on her as the heir of Erindale.
---
The Decision
Lira gasped as Elyndra strode across the room, snatching her cloak from the hanger.
"You're not going to the academy, are you? You can't just—"
"I'm not asking permission," Elyndra said, her voice steady but trembling beneath the calm. "I have to see him. I have to know who he is."
"And what if he's dangerous?" Lira asked nervously.
Elyndra paused.
Then she smiled—small and sad.
"Everything powerful is dangerous. Even me."
She pulled her hood over her head and walked toward the door.
Lira sighed in defeat and hurried after her.
---
The Political Storm Begins
As Elyndra reached the central lift of the Tower of Glass, the ground rumbled faintly beneath her feet—a warning tremor from the academy district.
Another Titan awakening test?
Or something far more uncontrolled?
Her pulse quickened.
If that boy was struggling with Aureon's power…
If the academy was already testing him too aggressively…
She clenched her fist.
"They won't break him," she whispered. "Not while I'm here."
The lift doors slid shut, lowering the princess toward the city.
Toward the academy.
Toward the boy she was not supposed to care about.
But beneath politics and responsibility, one truth burned quietly inside her:
She liked him.
More than she should.
More than she could admit.
And though she didn't know it yet…
He liked her too.
Their paths would collide soon.
As destiny intended.