The squad should have left already. The scrolls Reyna carried were enough to complete the assignment, more than enough to satisfy Darius and the examiners. But Kael’s eyes kept pulling him back toward the inner wing of the Varion estate.The lamplight in the gallery burned lower than before, a faint ember beneath the portraits. Something about its position struck Kael as off.“We have what we came for,” Reyna said firmly, her boots scuffing against the stone floor. “Let’s not tempt whatever trap this is.”Kael shook his head. “The maps were too obvious. Nobles don’t guard military intel by leaving it on desks. Someone staged it. Which means the real prize is still hidden.”“They were enough,” Jared said, leaning casually against the wall, arms folded. He looked entirely at ease in the Varion estate, as though the house itself bowed to him. “Take the scrolls and enjoy the praise. No one’s handing out medals for paranoia.”Kael’s gaze sharp

The memorial square stood quiet, its stones still damp from the morning rain. Black iron plates rose in neat rows, each carved with names in tight, precise letters. Cadets gathered in silence, the weight of absence pressing heavier than the grey clouds above.Kael stood among them, cloak hanging loose, hands hidden at his sides.Reyna stepped forward when the bell struck. Her voice was steady as she spoke the words all cadets were expected to know.“We remember those who trained beside us. We honour those who fell before their time. Their names etched here will not fade. Their blades are gone, but their watch continues.”Her tone never wavered. But Kael noticed the way her fingers curled tight around the scroll she read from, knuckles pale.The echo of her words died slowly. Cadets bowed their heads. A few murmured the creed under their breath. Others simply stared.Kael’s eyes scanned the plates. The names blurred until one shar

The training halls were empty, echoing only with Kael’s boots. Torches flickered along the stone walls, their smoke curling into high arches. He had chosen this time carefully between rotations, and before dawn. No one was meant to see what he was about to try. He stepped into the centre of the floor, laid his palm flat, and closed his eyes. The Rift stirred. At first it was nothing more than a vibration beneath his ribs, a slow hum that matched his heartbeat. Then it deepened, pulling against the rhythm, dragging time’s fabric like water against a current. Kael exhaled. “Steady.” The air thickened. Dust hung mid-fall. One torch flame bent sideways, then froze entirely. A bird wheeled across the rafters and locked in place, wings suspended. Kael’s jaw clenched. “I can hold it. Just… hold.” The floor rippled. Not stone anymore, but waves of glass, bending with each

The summons came early. Kael woke to the sound of the bell and the steady footsteps of Darius in the corridor. He dressed quickly, fastening his belt with hands that moved more from habit than awareness. When he stepped out, the others were already gathered. Reyna standing with her bow strapped across her back, Jared smirking like he’d been waiting all morning, and Kyna adjusting the folds of her cloak.Darius gave them the details in the most straightforward way possible. “Escort duty. Stormhaven noble through the Arknell pass. Limited guard presence. You’re to keep him safe until he reaches the far end.”Jared tilted his head. “A noble? That’s it? Not exactly thrilling.”Reyna’s tone was sharp. “Thrilling isn’t the point. You want to pass exams, you learn to keep people alive.”Kael kept his silence, though he noted the way Jared’s eyes gleamed, not with respect for the assignment, but with the excitement of being seen in public beside a nobleman.The march to Arknell took most of t

(Flashback)The halls of House Varion did not echo. They absorbed sound, swallowing every step into silence. The stone floors were polished black, the walls lined with banners older than the city itself. At ten years old, Jared already knew that silence meant one thing: his father, Lord Eryndor was waiting.The training yard behind the estate was stripped bare of ornament. No flowers, no colour, only sand and stone. A rack of blunted blades stood beside the wall, each gleaming from constant oiling. His father stood in the middle of the yard, arms folded behind his back, a figure cut from the same sharp lines as the house itself.“You’re late,” his father said.Jared bowed his head. “Yes, Father.”“Say it properly.”“I was late, my lord.”His father gave a single nod. “Pick up a blade.”Jared did as told. The wooden practice sword was heavier than it looked, but he didn’t let the strain show. His father’s eyes were sharp, always searching for weakness.“Ready yourself.”Jared raised th