2025-06-18 17:09:58The Academy courtyard was alive that morning—laughter ringing in the crisp air, robes flashing in shades of blue, silver, and red. Students from Class A moved like they owned the sky. They did, in a way. They floated through power-imbued halls, spoke spells with ease, and lived in dorms kissed by sunlight.
Kai stood far back, just beyond the arched bridge that connected the main campus to the lesser towers. His robe—still dirt-smudged from the training pit—hung too loosely on his shoulders. He watched the crowd from the shadows like a ghost watching the living. Then the carriage arrived. Sleek. Blackwood. Drawn by a mechanical griffin, its wings glinting with silver threads. The courtyard quieted. The door swung open, and a boy stepped out. Tall. Golden-haired. Blue eyes like summer storms. His presence hit like sunlight—everyone looked, everyone smiled. He waved like he didn’t notice the attention, which only made it worse. Cyprus….top-ranked prodigy. Crown jewel of Class A. Arcadia’s rising star.And the most dangerous person in the school, depending on who you asked. He looked around once—slowly—and then his gaze drifted…Right to Lina. She had come out of the library, arms full of spellbooks, her hair slightly frizzy from the wind. Her robe was frayed at the hem. She didn’t look up until she was directly in his path. Their eyes met. Cyrus smiled. And Lina—Lina blushed. The books slipped from her arms. Cyrus knelt without hesitation, helping her gather them. Kai felt it. That uncomfortable twist in his chest. He didn’t know why. Was it envy? Or something else? Later, in class, Kai sat in the back row while Professor Rhoan discussed defensive spell theory. His voice was like dry stone scraping across tile. “Power,” the professor droned, “isn’t just about offense. True masters know how to control—how to restrain. If all you do is destroy, you’re not powerful. You’re dangerous. And dangerous people get erased.” Kai tried to take notes. His pen scratched uselessly at the paper. Behind him, someone muttered, “Bet Rafe didn’t care much about restraint.” The class snickered. Kai froze. He didn’t turn around. He didn’t need to. The whispers were growing more frequent lately. And louder. A few desks over, Lina sat perfectly still, her quill moving. Her eyes darted to Kai just once. He didn’t return the look. He didn’t want pity. By the end of the lesson, the halls had filled with heat. Rumors traveled faster than wind spells. “Cyrus asked about her.” “No, not asked. He said she was interesting.” “Lina? From Class E? You’re joking.” “She must’ve brewed a love potion. There’s no way.” Kai stood at the base of the stairwell, listening. The voices weren’t even trying to be quiet. He spotted her ahead, walking alone, her head bowed under the weight of attention. Her steps were small. Uneven. Like she didn’t want to take up space. She hadn’t seen him.But he followed,not closely and not like a stalker.Just close enough to make sure no one tried anything. Class E had been known to take rumors personally. Especially when one of their own climbed even a millimeter out of the pit. She turned down a side hall, one lined with tall stained glass. It reflected in broken rainbows across the stone. “Kai?” He turned. Startled. Cyrus stood there. Unsmiling now. His presence—so warm earlier—had shifted. Colder. Sharper. “I’ve seen you,” Cyrus said, voice casual. “You’re the one from the trial. The duel with Valeera.” Kai nodded, wary. “And you’re the prince of the tower.” A small grin tugged at Cyrus’s lips. “So people say.” “What do you want?” “Lina.” Kai stiffened. “What about her?” “She’s… interesting.” He looked past Kai, as if talking to himself. “She doesn’t fit here. She’s not like the others.” “She’s not yours.” Cyrus blinked. Then laughed. “Yours, then?” Kai didn’t answer. “I don’t believe in ownership,” Cyrus said. “But I do believe in gravity. And sometimes people are drawn together for reasons even magic can’t explain.” “Stay away from her,” Kai said quietly. Cyrus raised a brow. “You think you’re protecting her?” “I’m sure not watching her get used.” Cyrus’s grin dropped. In its place: something flatter. More dangerous. “You have power,” he said, stepping closer. “But no control. No allies. No place. If you think that mark on your chest scares me—” “I don’t.” “Good.” Cyrus leaned in. “Because it shouldn’t scare me. It should scare you.” He turned and walked away. Kai didn’t breathe again until the hall was empty. That night, back in the dorm, Kai stared at the ceiling. The others had fallen asleep. But he couldn’t stop seeing Cyrus’s face. His words. And Lina, standing in that sunlight, books in hand, blushing at someone who didn’t scare her. Kai didn’t blame her. Cyrus was bright, charming, safe. Kai was a question wrapped in bruises. But still, that feeling. The ache in his chest that wouldn’t let him sleep. Somewhere past midnight, he wandered. Back to the library. Back to the place no one went after dark. He slipped past the barrier spells. They didn’t reject him. That was the first clue something was wrong. He walked through the dusty shelves, back to the corner where the book had called to him. It was there waiting.The leather was darker now. The sigil on the spine pulsed with faint red light. He placed a hand on it and boom it opened on its own. Pages flipped and words shifted, arranging themselves into shapes he didn’t fully understand—but felt. Like muscle memory or instinct. A page titled: The Mirror Shard. Another: Veil of Ash and Blood. Then one that wasn’t written at all—just burned in symbols he couldn’t read. But he heard something. A whisper. Like the voice from his dreams. You don’t need to be Rafe… but you do need to stop being Kai. He snapped the book shut. His chest burned where the mark was hidden beneath his robe. He turned and saw her. Lina…..standing in the archway, eyes wide. “You followed me,” he said. She nodded. “I saw you leave. I… I was worried.” “You shouldn’t be here.” “Neither should you.” They stared at each other. Then she said, “You went back to that book.” “It’s calling me.” “That’s what evil does.” Kai’s jaw clenched. “I don’t think it’s evil. I think… it’s me. Or what I used to be.” “You’re not him.” “How do you know?” “Because he wouldn’t have hesitated to use that magic. And you did.” He looked away. “I saw you with Cyrus,” he muttered. Lina blinked. “What?” “You smiled.” “I smile at people sometimes, Kai.” “Do you like him?” “I don’t know him.” “He likes you.” She tilted her head. “Are you… jealous?” He didn’t answer. She stepped closer. “Cyrus is… nice. But he’s also polished. Controlled. He talks like he’s already decided how people fit into his life.” Kai swallowed. “I’m not polished,” he said. “No,” she said. “You’re not. You’re honest. And scared. And angry. And kind—when no one’s looking.” He met her eyes,there was no magic in the air. No glowing sigils. Just silence. And then she said, gently: “Be whoever you are, Kai. Not who the world remembers.” He nodded. Then looked down at the book again. For the first time, he didn’t feel afraid. But he did feel something else. Like a lock turning.
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Chapter 10: He who was Named Rafe
Rain fell on Arcadia that night.A soft, cold drizzle that soaked the stone paths and smeared the stars above. It trickled along windowpanes, whispering like secrets too old to remember.Kai sat alone at the edge of the training grounds, the grimoire hidden in his coat, heart thudding beneath soaked fabric.“I was Rafe,” he murmured again, the words tasting strange in his mouth.He didn’t feel like a Tyrant. He didn’t want to feel like one.But the pieces were falling into place.He remembered the spell now…..Not all of it—but enough.Rafe had been betrayed. Not just by enemies. By friend…by someone he trusted, someone close.In his final moments, he hadn’t fought back. He hadn’t screamed. He had smiled.Because he had already planned his return.A reincarnation spell buried deep within his bones.His mark—the Tyrant’s sigil—wasn’t a curse. It was a beacon. A promise.He would return, and when he did, he would finish what he started.Kai clenched his fists, raindrops slipping through h
Chapter 9: Flash of the Past
The nightmare came again.Burning skies. Screaming winds. Fields scorched black. Smoke rising in thick, twisting plumes that curled like claws into the heavens. Blood sprayed across broken ground like crimson rain.In the dream, Kai stood at the center of it all—laughing.A monstrous sound.Not his laugh nor his voice.But it came from his throat.He looked down at his hands. They dripped red. His fingers clenched, and magic crackled at his fingertips—too dark, too old. Something that didn’t belong in this world anymore.Bodies surrounded him. Friends? Foes? He couldn’t tell.A child with pale blue eyes tried to crawl away.He raised his hand again.The dream shattered.Kai sat in bed, gasping and sweat slicking his back and chest. His heart thundered in his ears. The dorm room was still dark, moonlight spilling across the cold stone floor.He touched his face and his arms, then his ribs…..they felt real and aliveBut the scent of blood still crawled in his nose.He stumbled out of bed
Chapter 8: The Girl who Heals
Kai woke to soft light and a pounding headache.At first, he thought he was dead. The pale surface above him was smooth white stone, the smell of mint magic in the air. The faint hum came from glowing crystals tucked into infirmary corners, casting everything in pale warmth.His whole body aching from shoulder to spine. His sides felt bruised all over; something sticky stuck to his ribs-salve, or blood, or both.He shifted, wincing. A soft gasp came from his side.Lina.She had been asleep in the stool, curled in beside the bed, with arms folded on the sheets. Her brown hair had fallen across her arm and onto the sheet. One of her hands was still gently wrapped around his.He blinked once….twice….He tried to move.Her head lifted with a start. “Kai!”She stood, flustered, brushing hair from her face.“I—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I was just—just making sure you were okay.”He stared at her, trying to place the right emotion.Not confusion or not fear, just something sof
Chapter 7: First Blood Duel
By morning, the academy buzzed with a rumor too loud to ignore.Someone had challenged Kai to a First Blood Duel.The kind that didn’t end with applause—but with pain.Official duels at Arcadia were rare for Class E students. Too rare. Usually, they were mock trials or punishment drills, never real matches with real stakes. But Kai’s mark had changed that. His existence was a question now, and the academy wanted answers. Or entertainment or probably both.The challenge came from Daren Volk—Class C, fire user, son of a merchant noble….known for flashy moves and dirty finishes.Kai read the notice posted on the board, his name burned in gold at the top. The words “PUBLIC ARENA – NOON” glared like a threat.Lina stood beside him, her voice barely above a whisper. “You don’t have to do this.”He gave a dry smile. “It’s mandatory.”“They want to see if you’ll break.”“Then I’ll disappoint them.”The arena loomed at the center of Arcadia’s training grounds—a great circle of stone enclosed by
Chapter 6: Pages of Sin
The next night, Kai returned to the library.He waited until curfew bells echoed over the academy spires, until the halls thinned and the students vanished into their dorms. He didn’t run. He didn’t sneak. He walked—head down, feet silent, breath low—as if the shadows themselves allowed him passage.No one stopped him. Maybe they didn’t see him. Maybe they didn’t want to.The library was colder than he remembered.The sealed section even more so.He didn’t go to the front desk. He didn’t light a lamp.He didn’t need to.The book called him like…. it had a voice.A heartbeat…..like…. it knew.It was still there, open now, as if someone—or something—had turned the page in his absence.Gold ink shimmered in curving lines across black parchment.The sigils curled like living things.And for the first time, the symbols didn’t look foreign.They looked like language.He reached for the page.It pulsed.Not with magic—but with memory.His fingers trembled as he touched the corner.The sigil burn
Chapter 5: Fangs in the Library
It began with footsteps,quick and too many for a single person.Too quiet for friends.Kai woke before his eyes opened. That edge-of-sleep awareness that smelled of danger. His body, trained by fear even if his mind wasn’t ready, jerked upright. Cold sweat clung to his spine. The shared dorm was dark except for the flickering blue of the ward-stone embedded in the ceiling.The others slept but something was wrong.He reached for the blunt dagger under his cot.Another step…too close.He moved without thinking—ducked, rolled, and barely missed a fist crashing down where his head had been.He scrambled to his feet.Five shapes.All masked.All silent.Magic pulsed between them, low and crackling like a growl beneath the surface.One of them spoke. “Tyrant’s spawn.”The words weren’t loud, but they carried.Kai’s breath caught.He didn’t ask questions. He bolted.Down the narrow hallway, past the communal washroom, boots slapping hard on stone. The walls blurred beside him, but he knew the
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