In thirty minutes, we arrived at the gates of Newoaga.
That meant we had roughly an hour and thirty minutes before the Saintess arrived.
So we waited.
The gates towered above us, white stone etched with gold inlays that caught the sunlight. The city behind them hummed faintly—distant voices, bells, the sea far behind—but here, in front of the gates, everything felt… still. Like the air itself knew something important was about to happen.
To pass the time, we talked.
Not about anything important. Just… things.
Kai complained about how stiff the regalia felt and how he couldn't kick properly in it. Liam told him that if he tried to kick a Saintess, he'd personally knock him unconscious first. Seraphyne leaned against Liraeath and whispered something that made Liraeath snort before immediately pretending she hadn't.
Arion stared at the sky and muttered that holy knights probably didn't eat normal food and survived purely on prayer. Theon asked if they glowed in the dark. Aelira told them both to shut up before they embarrassed us internationally.
Kazen leaned closer to me.
"If this goes wrong," he murmured, "I'm blaming you."
I gave him a flat look.
"I didn't invite her."
He grinned anyway.
An hour passed.
The mood shifted.
The joking faded. Postures straightened. Voices lowered. No one wanted the Saintess to arrive while we were… being us.
I stood at the front.
Not because I wanted to—but because Instructor Aldred looked like he was five seconds away from either vomiting or passing out. His shoulders were stiff, jaw tight, eyes fixed on the road beyond the gates like it might personally betray him.
Kazen leaned over.
"Rain," he said quietly. "You talk to her."
I turned so fast my half-cape shifted.
"What?"
"You take charge," he said. "You're calm."
"I am absolutely not—"
"It's you," Seraphyne cut in. "You don't care."
"I do care," I shot back. "I just don't panic."
"That's exactly it," Varein said. "We're all panicking."
Arion swallowed hard.
"I feel like I'm going to vomit."
"Same," Theon added. "And I barely ate."
I stared at them.
"…Why me?"
Varein shrugged.
"You're the representative of the first years."
That made my stomach drop.
Wait.
"Did General Izekel even tell her that first years would be escorting her?" I asked slowly.
Silence.
Everyone froze.
Kazen blinked.
"…Oh."
Seraphyne's face drained of color.
"Oh no."
Aelira pressed her fingers to her temple.
"There is too much missing information."
Panic started to creep in, subtle but sharp.
I exhaled slowly.
"Calm down."
They all turned to me.
"We handled a Gaiadrake," I said.
The entire class snapped back in unison.
"THAT WAS A GUARDIAN," they shouted.
"THIS IS A DIPLOMATIC ISSUE."
"BIG DIFFERENCE, RAIN."
I flinched.
"…Fair."
Then—
"I SEE THE FLAG," Varein barked.
Everything snapped into place.
We turned as one.
A golden sun emblem fluttered into view beyond the gates, mounted atop a white-and-gold carriage. Behind it marched knights in pristine armor—white plate lined with gold, shields polished to mirror shine, aura faint but unmistakable.
Holy knights.
Varein leaned in.
"They use aura," he whispered. "And traces of ether."
I swallowed.
The carriage rolled closer. Boots halted in perfect formation. Shields lifted slightly. Swords remained sheathed—but ready.
One knight stepped forward.
"State your identities."
I felt something familiar stir in my chest.
This again.
I stepped forward before I could overthink it.
"We are first-year students of the Lionhearth Academy," I said clearly. "We greet the Saintess and the Holy Knights."
I paused, then added, carefully,
"Our General—General Izekel—gave us notice of your arrival. We are here to assist in escorting the Saintess."
The knights exchanged glances.
The leader nodded once.
"He speaks truth."
Relief washed through me.
"Your names?"
"I am Rain," I said.
One by one, the others introduced themselves.
The knight inclined his head.
"I am Apostle Zaleza of the Holy Knights of Luminara. It is an honor."
I returned the gesture.
"Follow us," Zaleza said. "We are staying with the King and Queen of Newoaga."
My stomach sank.
More.
Always more.
We followed as the procession moved uphill toward the castle—stone spires rising against the sky. Large. Commanding. But not as overwhelming as Lionhearth's.
At the gates, the King and Queen awaited us.
Queen Maridyn.
King Neartih.
They greeted the Saintess first.
I felt small.
Why were we even here?
Why were first years guarding someone with holy knights?
The carriage doors opened.
Saintess Lumiel stepped out.
Holy knights bowed instantly.
I signaled the class, and we bowed as well.
I glanced up briefly before lowering my head.
Light yellow hair. Golden eyes. Calm, radiant—like sunlight given form.
She greeted the King and Queen… and passed us without acknowledgment.
Which was fine.
Honestly, preferred.
Inside the castle, we followed at a distance. The halls were vast, polished marble and gold trim everywhere.
The King asked who we were.
I stepped forward again, repeating General Izekel's order.
They nodded.
Then ignored us.
My shoulders loosened slightly—but the unease remained.
They spoke of a royal gathering that night. The Saintess agreed.
We reached the throne room.
Guards stopped us.
The King chuckled.
"Only we may proceed."
Mocking.
They entered.
Holy knights followed.
We were left outside.
I clenched my fists.
…The hell?
The doors shut with a heavy thoom.
Silence followed—thick, deliberate.
We stood there in the corridor, dressed like a unit, looking every bit like knights… and still left outside like excess baggage.
No one spoke at first.
Then Kai muttered, barely audible, "Wow. That was… subtle."
Seraphyne crossed her arms, pink aura flickering faintly at her fingertips before she forcibly smothered it. "Did we just get benched?"
"They didn't even look at us," Arion said, scratching the back of his head. "I mean—wow."
Liam exhaled slowly through his nose. "This is political."
"That makes it worse," Theon replied flatly.
I stared at the closed doors. Not angry—yet—but alert.
This wasn't disrespect by accident.
This was intentional.
Apostle Zaleza had said nothing. Neither had the holy knights. They'd filed in smoothly, perfectly disciplined, leaving us behind without a word—as if it were understood we didn't belong inside.
Which meant something else was going on.
I turned slightly, lowering my voice. "No one reacts."
They all looked at me.
"Not yet," I added. "This isn't a snub. It's a test. Or a setup."
Varein's eyes narrowed. "You think they're measuring us?"
"Or sidelining us," Aelira said quietly. "Both are bad."
We repositioned instinctively—nothing obvious, just enough that we weren't all clumped together. Old habits. Defensive spacing. Aldred noticed and didn't comment, but his jaw was tight.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
The corridor was long and elegant, white stone veined with gold, tall windows letting sunlight spill across the floor. Beautiful. Too open. Too exposed.
A bad place to be caught off guard.
I felt it before I saw it.
A pressure shift.
Subtle—but wrong.
"—Rain," Liraeth murmured, shield hand tightening.
I nodded once.
Footsteps echoed from the far end of the hall.
Measured. Heavy. Armored.
Not castle guards.
Not holy knights.
They wore steel trimmed with blue enamel—Newoagan royal guard—but their formation was loose. Too loose.
Their captain stepped forward, hand resting near his sword.
"You're the Lionhearth students," he said.
"Yes," I replied evenly. "We were instructed to wait here."
He looked me over slowly. Too slowly.
"…That won't be necessary anymore."
Aldred stepped half a pace forward. "Explain."
The captain smiled thinly. "His Majesty believes the saintess does not require additional escorts. You're dismissed."
Dismissed.
Just like that.
I felt Seraphyne stiffen behind me.
Kai cracked his knuckles once before stopping himself.
Varein's aura stirred—just a whisper of wind.
I met the captain's eyes.
"With respect," I said, calm, "we were given orders by General Izekel of Lionhearth."
A flicker. There. Annoyance.
"Izekel does not rule Newoaga," the captain replied. "You do not answer to him here."
"That's not how joint jurisdiction works," Liam said sharply.
The captain's smile vanished. "Careful, boy."
I raised a hand slightly—enough to halt escalation.
"This isn't about authority," I said. "It's about responsibility. If anything happens to the saintess—"
"—that will be handled," the captain cut in.
By whom?
Not you, I thought.
Because if it were, you wouldn't be trying this hard to push us out.
I studied him a moment longer.
Then nodded.
"We'll wait," I said.
His brows furrowed. "You were just dismissed."
"And we'll remain on standby," I replied. "Out of the way. Quiet. Unobtrusive."
A pause.
This wasn't what he wanted.
Finally, he scoffed. "Do what you want. Just don't cause trouble."
He turned and marched off, guards following.
The moment they were out of earshot, Seraphyne hissed, "Oh, I hate this place."
Kai leaned closer. "Rain. This smells bad."
"It does," I agreed.
Aldred exhaled slowly. "We proceed carefully. No confrontations. No assumptions."
"But we don't leave," Varein said.
"No," I replied. "We don't."
We settled in along the corridor walls, casual on the surface, coiled underneath.
Time passed again.
Voices echoed faintly from beyond the doors—indistinct, formal. Laughter once. Controlled. Measured.
Then—
I felt it.
A tug.
Not on my aura.
On the water.
Far away—but unmistakable.
The sea shifted.
Not violently. Not yet.
Just… listening.
I frowned, eyes drifting to the nearest window.
"What is it?" Aelira asked softly.
"…Nothing," I said.
That wasn't true.
But I didn't understand it yet.
Then the doors opened.
Light spilled out as the throne room guards stepped aside.
The holy knights exited first—faces neutral, hands never far from their weapons.
Saintess Lumiel followed.
Up close, the pressure around her was undeniable.
Not hostile.
But heavy.
Like standing beneath a noon sun that never moved.
Her gaze swept the hall—and stopped on us.
For the first time since arriving, she really looked.
Her golden eyes lingered on our uniforms. On our stances. On the way we watched the exits without realizing we were doing it.
Then—
They settled on me.
I felt it again.
That pull.
Like tide answering the sun.
She tilted her head slightly.
"…You're not supposed to be here," she said.
The holy knights stiffened.
I stepped forward before anyone else could speak.
"With respect, Saintess," I said evenly, "we were ordered to assist in your protection."
She studied me for a long moment.
Then smiled.
Not warm.
Not cold.
Interested.
"I see," she said. "Then perhaps… this visit will be more complicated than expected."
The holy knights exchanged looks.
Apostle Zaleza frowned.
Saintess Lumiel's gaze never left me.
And I understood something then—quietly, clearly.
We weren't dismissed because we were unnecessary.
We were dismissed because someone didn't want us close.
Something had already started.