THE ALMIGHTY DOMINATING AURA

CHAPTER 5 - WHISPERS IN THE SHADOWS

The night air was crisp when Kael finally stepped out of the Elders’ hall. The moon hung high, casting silver light across the academy’s towering spires. The once-familiar pathways felt different now, heavier, as though the very stones whispered with judgment.

His steps echoed in the empty courtyard, but silence never truly followed him. Already, voices lingered in the shadows.

“Did you hear? Kael awakened something unnatural…”

“They say it crushed Rynald and his men to their knees.”

“No ordinary aura does that. Maybe it really is demonic.”

Every word pierced Kael’s ears, each whisper dripping with fear or awe. Students who once laughed at him now glanced away quickly, or worse—stared with wide, wary eyes as if he were a beast that might snap its chains.

Kael tightened his fists. Just yesterday, they had mocked him for being powerless. Now, they mocked him for having too much.

He reached his quarters—a small stone chamber on the farthest edge of the dormitories. The door creaked as he pushed it open, the scent of old wood and dust greeting him. He slumped onto the narrow bed, running a hand through his tangled hair.

Observation… watched… judged. The Elders’ decision replayed in his mind. They didn’t trust him. No one did.

His gaze drifted to the window, where moonlight streamed through. “Dominating Aura,” he whispered, tasting the words. He didn’t understand what it was, but he could feel its pulse beneath his skin—a steady drumbeat of power, raw and untamed.

And it terrified him almost as much as it thrilled him.

A knock at the door startled him. He rose cautiously, sliding it open.

Standing there was a slender figure cloaked in deep blue, a hood shadowing her face. Her voice was soft but sharp. “You should be more careful, Kael. The whole academy is buzzing about you.”

He frowned. “Who are you?”

The hood lowered, revealing a girl with striking emerald eyes and dark hair tied neatly at her back. She looked a year or two older, her posture calm yet commanding.

“Selene,” she said simply. “Disciple of Elder Marath.”

Kael blinked. “An Elder’s disciple? Why are you here?”

She studied him for a long moment, her gaze unflinching. “Because you’ve just painted a target on your back. Rynald won’t stop. And others… far stronger than him… will soon test you.”

Kael’s heart thudded. He had suspected as much, but hearing it aloud sent a chill through him. “And what does that have to do with you?”

Selene’s lips curved into the faintest smirk. “I don’t like cowards, Kael. You didn’t grovel before the Elders tonight. That intrigues me.” She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “But intrigue won’t save you. Power will. Learn to wield that aura… or it will consume you before your enemies even get the chance.”

Before he could reply, she stepped back, her cloak swirling around her as she turned to leave. “Train hard,” she said over her shoulder. “You’ll need it.”

The door clicked shut, leaving Kael alone again.

He sat back on the bed, her words ringing in his ears. Learn to wield it… or be consumed.

The aura inside him stirred, resonating with the challenge, almost as if it had been waiting for those exact words.

Kael clenched his fists, his golden-flecked eyes burning with determination. “Then I’ll master it,” he swore quietly. “I’ll master it, no matter what it takes.”

Outside, the whispers of the academy grew louder, spreading like wildfire. But Kael no longer trembled beneath them.

For the first time in his life, he wasn’t the prey.

He was the storm.