"Some people don't walk into your life.
Your soul just recognizes them and refuses to let go."
⸻
The Aftermath — Three Hours After the Arena Incident
The Arena of Trials was still cracked open like a broken jaw, the dueling floor split where Kayden had "accidentally" pressure-pointed Toren into the next century.
Students whispered in clusters. Knights argued about "dimensional ripples."
Teachers wrote emergency reports with trauma-filled handwriting.
Meanwhile—
Kayden was sitting on a bench.
Eating a muffin.
Looking deeply confused.
Lyra Aelwyn hovered in front of him, arms crossed, frustration radiating like a mini-sun.
"Explain. Now."
Kayden blinked mid-bite. "Explain what?"
Lyra gestured wildly at the ruined arena.
"At what point in your EIGHT-YEAR-LONG LIFE… did you learn to BREAK THE LAWS OF REALITY?!"
Kayden shrugged.
"I tripped. Things happened. Toren fell. Gravity did its job."
"GRAVITY DOES NOT WORK LIKE THAT!"
Mira Dawnstep stood beside Lyra, clutching her notebook to her chest.
"H-He didn't even chant, Lyra… he didn't circulate mana… he didn't even aim."
Lyra pointed dramatically. "Exactly! He panicked and the AIR decided to obey him like some long-lost emperor!"
Kayden bit into his muffin again.
"…Guys, can we not make me sound like a natural disaster?"
Lyra: "You ARE a natural disaster."
Mira: "W-We love you though."
Lyra: "We love you conditionally."
Kayden: "Wow. Motivation."
⸻
Meanwhile — Kirti Elyndra's Carriage
The golden carriage rolled smoothly through the capital roads, but Kirti wasn't watching the scenery.
Her fingers were pressed together, trembling slightly.
That boy.
The silver-eyed child who shattered crystals and redirected mana waves like it was an afterthought.
The boy who stepped near her…
and her heart jolted like lightning waking up.
She placed a hand on her chest.
"…What are you doing to me?"
One of her knight-guards, Sir Axton, glanced back.
"Lady Kirti? You seem troubled."
"I am not troubled."
Axton: "Your aura is fluctuating."
"I am fine."
Axton: "Your heartbeat is elevated."
"I SAID—I am—" she inhaled sharply, fixing her posture, "—perfectly fine."
The other knight, Lady Serene, spoke gently.
"Was it something about the duel today?"
Kirti hesitated.
Just for a second.
"…Yes."
Serene nodded knowingly.
"Toren was reckless. It must've been stressful watching."
"No." Kirti whispered.
"It was the other boy."
The knights exchanged looks.
Axton: "Ah. The silver-eyed commoner."
Serene: "He was… interesting."
Kirti's jaw tightened.
Interesting didn't begin to describe it.
When their eyes met earlier, she felt—
not fear, not curiosity…
Recognition.
Deep, ancient, impossible recognition.
She turned toward the window, golden eyes shimmering.
"Who are you…?"
Her fingers curled.
"And why does my heart remember you?"
⸻
Evening — Back at the Academy Campus
Kayden walked toward the boys' dorms with Lyra and Mira trailing behind him.
Lyra was ranting about physics. Mira was still processing the duel.
Kayden was thinking about dinner.
Then—
Someone blocked his path.
A shadow unfolded across the road.
Tall. Muscular. Wearing the uniform of a top-tier noble family.
His hair black.
Eyes sharp.
Presence cold.
This boy was easily twelve—older, stronger, more disciplined.
"Kayden Lythmoor." The boy spoke calmly. "A word."
Kayden pointed to himself. "Me? Why me? Pick literally anyone else."
Lyra stepped between them.
"Nope. Nope. NOT today. We're done with duels and we're done with nobles who think Kayden is some kind of cheat code."
The noble boy raised an eyebrow.
"I am not here to duel."
Kayden peeked over Lyra's shoulder.
"…You're not?"
The boy shook his head.
"I am here to deliver a message."
He stepped closer, voice dropping.
"The High Houses have taken notice of you."
Kayden paled. "Not good. Not good at all."
The boy continued.
"A child who can use mana subconsciously without training…
A child who shattered the resonance crystal by accident…
A child whose aura interfered with Lady Kirti Elyndra's."
Kayden whispered, "I didn't interfere—my aura just… vibed aggressively."
The noble ignored that.
"I am to warn you: the nobility is watching."
Mira squeaked.
"…Watching for what?"
The boy didn't answer immediately.
But when he finally spoke—
It wasn't a threat.
It was a prophecy.
"For the first time in decades, two ancient signatures have appeared in the kingdom."
He looked directly at Kayden.
"Silver Star."
Then toward the distant noble district, where Kirti lived.
"Golden Flame."
He stepped back.
"It seems… destiny has begun to move."
Kayden scratched his head.
"…Bro you're talking like a cryptic tree spirit. Can you speak normally?"
The noble boy sighed.
"I did. You just didn't understand it."
Then—
he vanished into the evening crowds.
Mira clung to Kayden's sleeve.
"T-That… that was scary…"
Lyra glared at Kayden.
"Kayden. Be honest. Do you know what any of that meant?"
Kayden whispered darkly,
"Not a single neuron fired."
⸻
Night — Kirti Cannot Sleep
The Elyndra manor glowed softly with moonlit enchantments.
Everyone slept.
Except Kirti.
She sat on her bed, hugging her knees, staring at her palms.
Silver energy.
A ripple that split mana.
A move she had only glimpsed in dreams of a man fighting beside her—
dreams she never understood.
She whispered to the empty room.
"…I dreamt of him long before I saw him."
Her voice cracked, barely audible.
"Who are you, Kayden Lythmoor…?
Why does my heart ache when I think of you?"
A soft knock.
Her mother entered quietly.
"Kirti, my love… you're awake?"
Kirti nodded.
Her mother sat beside her.
"You seem troubled."
Kirti hesitated.
"…Mother… have you ever felt…"
She searched for the word.
"…like you were waiting for someone you've never met?"
Her mother froze—surprised by the depth of the question.
"…Yes," she whispered after a moment. "Once."
Kirti's eyes widened.
"What did you do?"
Her mother smiled softly.
"I followed the feeling. It led me to your father."
Kirti lowered her gaze to her hands.
"Should I… follow mine too?"
Her mother cupped her cheek gently.
"When your heart pulls you toward someone, Kirti… it is not a mistake."
She paused.
"It is destiny."
Kirti breathed shakily.
Destiny.
Yes.
That was the word burning in her chest.
⸻
Kayden — Also Cannot Sleep
Kayden lay in his dorm bed, staring at the ceiling.
Lyra snored on the other side of the room like a dying walrus.
Mira breathed softly.
Kayden whispered to himself.
"…Who was that girl?"
He didn't know her name.
Didn't know her family.
Didn't know her past.
But when she looked at him—
he felt something warm.
Something electric.
Something broken.
He raised a hand to his chest.
"Why… does my heart hurt… when I think of her?"
He didn't understand it.
But something inside him—
deep, ancient, older than this life—
whispered:
Find her.
⸻
The Shadows Move
Across the academy rooftops—
Two cloaked figures returned.
White Cloak:
"The connection is strengthening."
Black Cloak:
"Too early. Much too early."
White:
"Fate doesn't care about timing."
Black:
"The kingdom will fracture if these two awaken fully."
White smiled beneath the hood.
"Then let it fracture.
The world must break before it is reborn."
Black turned away.
"Keep watching them.
The Silver Star is unstable."
"And the Golden Flame," White added,
"is beginning to remember."
⸻
The Next Morning — The Academy Bells Ring
Kayden yawned, walking into the courtyard.
Lyra dragged him by his collar.
"You're late! AGAIN!"
Mira held a lunchbox.
"I-I brought you food because you forget to eat—"
Kayden smiled.
"You guys are the best."
And then—
Every student froze.
Because descending the academy stairs, surrounded by knights and elite nobles—
Kirti Elyndra walked into the courtyard.
A goddess among mortals.
Golden aura faint even when she tried to suppress it.
Hair glowing like dawn.
Every head bowed.
Kayden did not bow.
Because Kayden was busy choking on his own breath.
"THAT'S the girl—?!"
Lyra's soul left her body.
"KAYDEN PLEASE DO NOT EVEN LOOK AT HER—"
Too late.
Kirti's gaze flicked toward him.
And again—
Their eyes met.
The world quieted.
Her golden aura flickered.
His silver spark pulsed.
Two threads tugged tighter.
Kirti stepped toward him.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Kayden panicked.
Lyra panicked even more.
Mira simply fainted.
Kirti stopped right in front of him.
Her voice was soft.
Barely controlled.
"…Kayden Lythmoor."
Kayden froze.
"Yes?"
He squeaked.
Kirti stared into his eyes, trembling with confusion, curiosity… and something painfully familiar.
"Yesterday," she whispered.
"When you fought…
What exactly did you cast?"
Kayden blinked.
"I don't know."
Kirti exhaled shakily.
"…Then why does your mana feel like—"
Suddenly—
A horn blast echoed across the academy.
Students screamed.
Instructors ran.
A crimson banner rose over the gates—
ENEMY SIGHTED.
BEAST BREAKTHROUGH AT THE CITY WALL.
The alarm shook the entire academy.
Kirti's eyes widened.
Kayden stood up.
Lyra grabbed his sleeve.
"KAYDEN DO NOT SAY YOU'RE GOING—"
Kayden pulled his arm free.
"I have to."
Kirti looked at him—
shock, fear, recognition all swirling.
"You're—
You're going to fight?"
Kayden looked back at her.
Silver glimmers in his eyes.
"I don't know why…
but every part of me is telling me to."
Kirti's heart stopped.
Because that same instinct—
was rising in her too.
⸻
To be continued in Chapter 6 — "When Stars Remember Their Names"