The morning sun bathed the academy's courtyards in golden light as every first-year student was summoned to the central platform. Hundreds of students filled the training grounds, but the murmurs died away the moment Magnus Bourlance appeared.
He didn't need to raise his voice to command respect.
"Listen carefully."
Everyone straightened their backs.
"The academy's repairs have been completed. Starting today, the lightning tournament that will determine this semester's rankings will begin."
A quiet murmur spread through the crowd.
Magnus continued without the slightest change in expression.
"The matches will follow a single-elimination format. There will be one bracket for swordsmen and another for mages. Only the top four competitors in each category will advance to the final stage."
He paused briefly before sweeping his gaze across the students.
"Don't waste this opportunity. At this academy, talent opens doors... but results decide who deserves to walk through them."
With a wave of his hand, a massive crystal panel slowly rose from the ground. Silver runes flowed across its surface, and one after another, names began writing themselves across the glass.
The students crowded around it.
Some smiled in relief.
Others turned pale.
More than a few began cursing under their breath.
Lusian quickly scanned the list until he found his name.
Lusian Douglas de Mondring vs. Adel Douglas.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Could've been worse..."
A few meters away, Emily also found her match.
Emily Carter vs. Melodi Denisse.
Her expression became noticeably more serious.
"Of all people..."
The rest of the board continued filling with names. Several matchups immediately caught everyone's attention, sparking excited conversations among the students. More than one noble family would see its heirs face each other far sooner than expected.
Lusian looked over the entire bracket once more.
Some matches would end in only a few minutes.
Others would reveal who the truly dangerous students of their generation were.
Emily looked up, and her eyes met his.
Neither of them spoke.
Both understood that this tournament was far more than a school competition.
It was their first opportunity to show the kingdom's nobility just how much they had grown.
The students' chatter once again filled the academy corridors while the enormous crystal board remained suspended above the central courtyard. The names engraved across its surface continued drawing anxious glances. Every match represented an opportunity to rise... or a defeat that could never be erased.
The following day, as soon as morning training ended, Isabella sought out Lusian.
She walked with her head lowered. Her hands were clasped together so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
When she reached him, she hesitated for several seconds before speaking.
"Lord Lusian... may I have a moment of your time?"
Lusian immediately noticed the anxiety in her voice.
He nodded without asking any questions.
The two of them walked to a quiet corner of the courtyard, where the voices of the other students reached them only as distant echoes.
For several seconds, Isabella remained silent.
She took one deep breath... then another... then a third.
It seemed she was gathering the courage to say what weighed on her heart.
"I need to tell you something."
Lusian remained silent.
Finally, Isabella slowly raised her head.
Her eyes were red.
"I think... I was the one who wrote the letter that led Caleb to the restaurant."
Lusian frowned.
He said nothing.
He waited for her to continue.
"But... I don't remember writing it."
Her voice began to tremble.
"I don't know how to explain it...
It was as though my body had stopped obeying me."
A chill ran down Lusian's spine.
"Tell me everything from the beginning."
Isabella nodded slowly.
"That day, I was on my way to meet my father at the Golden Dome Restaurant. Before I arrived, Lorenzo Denisse intercepted me. He said he wanted to introduce me to someone."
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"There was a man I'd never seen before.
He looked like an ordinary merchant.
Nothing about him stood out.
But when he shook my hand..."
Her breathing became uneven.
"After that...
Everything went blank.
I don't remember anything at all.
I only woke up several hours later."
She lowered her gaze to her own hands, as though she could still see them.
"There were ink stains on my fingers.
The servants said I looked disoriented.
That I didn't respond when they spoke to me."
Lusian remained perfectly still.
This wasn't ordinary memory loss.
"Did it feel... as though someone else was controlling your body?"
Isabella slowly opened her eyes.
She nodded.
"Yes...
Exactly.
It was like I was watching everything from very far away.
As if someone else had taken my place."
Lusian lowered his gaze.
He knew of only one kind of magic capable of producing such an effect.
Mind control.
A forbidden technique.
One frequently used by the Demonic Cult.
But he still didn't have enough evidence to say so with certainty.
Isabella took a small step toward him.
"I don't know what happened during those hours.
I don't know what I wrote.
I don't know who received that letter.
But..."
Tears welled up in her eyes.
"If I really was the one who led Caleb there...
Then my family will never be able to prove our innocence."
The tears finally rolled down her cheeks.
"My father had nothing to do with it...
Neither did my brothers...
Please...
Help us."
Lusian remained silent for several moments.
Finally, he raised a hand and gently rested it on Isabella's head.
"I believe you."
She slowly looked up at him.
"I don't believe you acted of your own free will."
Isabella broke down in tears.
She had carried that guilt ever since Caleb's death.
Hearing those words caused all the pressure she had been holding inside to finally collapse.
Lusian slowly withdrew his hand.
"I'll send a letter to my mother.
I can't promise she'll stop the war.
But I can promise that I'll keep investigating until I uncover whoever was truly behind all of this."
Isabella bowed deeply.
"Thank you...
Even if all you can do is save my family...
That will be enough."
After Isabella left, Lusian remained standing alone in the middle of the courtyard.
The wind gently stirred the folds of his uniform.
He hadn't discovered anything new.
All of this had already happened once before.
Caleb would die.
The Douglases would march against the Armetts.
The war between the two great families would claim thousands of lives.
Lusian slowly closed his eyes.
He had tried to change the future.
And yet...
The war continued drawing closer.
As though fate would always find another path to lead them toward the same ending.
He lacked the authority to stop his father.
He lacked the evidence to convince his mother.
He lacked the influence to prevent two great noble houses from declaring war on one another.
He slowly unclenched his hand.
Isabella was a victim too.
Just like Caleb.
Lusian lifted his gaze toward the clear blue sky.
Knowing the future was meaningless if he didn't possess the power to change it.