The academy became quieter after the Dominion Selection announcement.
Not calmer. Sharper.
Every hallway conversation carried tension now. Training grounds stayed occupied until late into the night. Even the instructors had stopped treating the students like children.
Three weeks remained.
And everyone felt it.
Modred found Aurelia sitting beneath the eastern courtyard tree near sunset, a book resting loosely in her lap while the wind moved softly through her pale blonde hair.
She looked up the moment he approached.
"...You look serious."
"...I usually do."
"...More than usual."
He stopped beside the bench.
"...I'm leaving tomorrow."
Aurelia blinked.
"...Leaving?"
"...For training."
She sat up slightly.
"My grandfather sent word. He wants me back in the mountains until the selection starts."
A small pause followed.
"...So I'm leaving tomorrow morning."
"...Oh."
The disappointment was subtle.
But Modred noticed it immediately.
"...I'll be back before the competition."
"...I know."
The wind shifted softly between them.
Then she looked away.
"...Can I come?"
Modred blinked.
"...To the mountains?"
She nodded.
"...I'd like to meet them."
For a moment he simply stared at her.
Then a faint smile appeared.
"...Sure."
That answer surprised her.
"...Just like that?"
"...Shouldn't it be?"
Aurelia laughed quietly.
"...No."
But her cheeks were already turning pink.
Three days later, the mountains welcomed them with cold air and endless forests.
Towering pine trees covered the slopes while rivers carved silver paths through the valleys below. Clouds drifted lazily between distant peaks, making the world feel impossibly vast.
Aurelia stood beside Modred on a narrow cliffside path.
Then she saw him.
An old man stood near the edge of the mountain with his hands behind his back.
Grey hair moved gently in the wind.
Simple clothes.
No armor.
No insignia.
Yet somehow—
he felt larger than the mountain itself.
Aurelia recognized him immediately.
"...Captain Igred."
The old man glanced over his shoulder.
"...Hm."
Captain of the Royal Guard.
Hero of the Western Front.
One of the strongest men alive.
Yet he lived here.
Far from power.
Far from politics.
Far from everyone.
"...Why do you live in the mountains?" Aurelia asked.
Igred looked toward the endless valleys below.
The wind passed through his grey hair.
"...Atonement."
Silence.
Then Modred snorted.
"...What kind of bullshit answer is that?"
Aurelia froze.
Igred slowly turned.
Modred pointed at him.
"...You're just broke."
"...What?"
"...All those years drinking. You can't afford a house in the capital, let alone rent one."
Silence.
Aurelia covered her mouth.
THUNK.
Igred's fist landed squarely on Modred's head.
"...OW!"
"What did you say, you little shit?"
"I'M TELLING THE TRUTH!"
THUNK.
"Language."
"YOU HIT ME!"
"I'll do it again."
"Old bastard."
"Say that again."
"...Lovely grandfather."
"That's what I thought."
Aurelia couldn't stop herself anymore.
She laughed.
A real laugh.
The kind that made her shoulders shake.
Both men looked at her.
"...See?" Modred pointed at Igred. "You're bullying me in front of guests."
"You're not a guest."
Then Igred glanced toward Aurelia.
"...Neither is she."
Aurelia immediately looked away.
Her cheeks turned pink.
The old captain smirked.
"...Come on."
Several hours later, the Liam Estate came into view.
Unlike the solitude of the mountains, the estate was alive.
Training fields stretched across the grounds. Guards sparred in the courtyards while servants moved between stone buildings. Children ran through gardens bursting with flowers.
It felt warm.
Lived in.
Home.
The moment Modred stepped through the front doors—
"MODRED!"
Carla appeared like a missile.
The next thing he knew, he was trapped in a crushing hug.
"...Grandma."
"You're thinner."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm literally not."
"You are."
Modred sighed.
There was no winning.
Then Augustus descended the staircase.
"...Who's the girl?"
Immediately every head turned.
Aurelia straightened slightly.
"...My name is Aur—"
Modred casually reached over and took her hand.
"Her name is Aurelia."
A pause followed.
Then—
"She's my girlfriend."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Augustus blinked.
Leon blinked.
Even one of the servants nearly dropped a tray.
Aurelia's entire brain stopped working.
Then Augustus pointed dramatically.
"...Damn."
Another pause.
"...What a way to introduce somebody."
Leon rubbed his forehead.
"You couldn't ease into that?"
"Why?"
"Because normal people don't do that."
"Seems efficient."
Augustus burst out laughing.
"I missed this idiot."
Carla completely ignored them.
She walked toward Aurelia and gently took her hands.
"My dear, come with me."
"...Miss Liam?"
Carla sighed dramatically.
Before Aurelia could react, Carla had already begun leading her away.
Elena followed behind with an amused smile.
Leon watched them disappear.
"...She's doomed."
"Should we help her?" Modred asked.
Leon immediately shook his head.
"No."
"Why?"
"Survival instinct."
Meanwhile—
Aurelia found herself sitting inside a comfortable room overlooking the estate gardens.
Tea had somehow appeared.
She wasn't sure how.
Carla sat opposite her.
Elena sat beside Carla.
Both women smiled.
Aurelia suddenly understood how criminals felt.
"...Miss Liam?"
"How long?"
Aurelia blinked.
"...How long what?"
"You and Modred."
Her face immediately warmed.
"...Not very long."
Carla nodded.
"Mhm."
Elena nodded too.
"Mhm."
"...Miss Liam."
"Carla."
"...Miss Liam."
"We'll work on that."
Aurelia sighed.
Elena laughed softly.
"...Relax. We just want to know more about you."
"...I'm trying."
Carla leaned forward.
"...How did he ask you out?"
Aurelia looked away.
"...It was actually sweet."
Silence.
Carla blinked.
Elena blinked.
"...Sweet?" Carla repeated.
"...Modred?" Elena added.
Aurelia frowned.
"...What does that mean?"
Elena nearly laughed.
"He's the type who'd challenge a dragon because it annoyed him."
"...That's probably true."
The room erupted into laughter.
Aurelia couldn't help smiling.
Carla noticed immediately.
Then her expression softened.
"...Thank you."
Aurelia blinked.
"...For what?"
"For making him smile more."
The teasing vanished.
Just for a moment.
"...That boy carries too much by himself," Carla said quietly.
"...I know."
Carla smiled.
"...Then I'm glad he found someone who notices."
The next morning began before sunrise.
Mist drifted across the mountains.
The air felt colder.
Sharper.
Modred arrived at the training grounds expecting another spar against Leon or Augustus.
Instead—
both brothers sat atop a wooden fence.
Watching.
Neither looked relaxed.
That bothered him immediately.
"...What's wrong with you two?"
Augustus smirked.
"...You're dead."
Leon nodded.
"...Helpful."
A presence approached.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Birdsong faded.
The wind seemed quieter.
Even the mountain itself felt different.
Igred walked onto the training field carrying a massive black war axe across one shoulder.
The weapon looked ancient.
Scarred.
Countless battles had left marks across its surface while faint runes glowed along the dark steel.
THOOM.
The earth trembled as he planted it into the ground.
"...You've spent years learning the sword."
His voice remained calm.
"...Now let's see how much you've actually learned."
Modred grinned.
His sword slid free.
Flames danced along the blade.
Igred pointed the axe toward him.
"...Come."
Modred vanished.
The ground exploded beneath his feet.
Fire erupted around his body as he crossed the distance instantly.
His sword flashed.
Fast.
Precise.
Deadly.
CLANG.
The impact echoed across the mountain.
Modred's eyes widened.
Igred had blocked it with one hand.
One.
Hand.
Then—
BOOM.
The world disappeared.
Modred crashed through three trees.
Then a boulder.
Then another.
Stone exploded.
Dust filled the air.
Augustus whistled.
"...Made it longer than expected."
Leon nodded.
"...By half a second."
Modred climbed from the rubble.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
His grin widened.
"...Again."
Hours passed.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Every strike failed.
Every feint failed.
Every burst of speed failed.
The gap felt impossible.
By midday, Modred's clothes were torn and blood stained his knuckles.
Yet he kept standing.
Kept charging.
Kept fighting.
Igred smiled.
"...Good."
The old captain adjusted his grip on the axe.
Immediately the atmosphere changed.
Leon sat forward.
Augustus stopped smiling.
The pressure became overwhelming.
Modred felt it too.
Danger.
True danger.
The kind that made every instinct scream.
Then Igred swung.
The motion looked casual.
Simple.
Yet the moment the blade moved, the mountain seemed to hold its breath.
A black line appeared across the heavens.
Then the sky split apart.
Clouds divided.
Sunlight poured through a wound carved directly into the heavens.
The shockwave crossed entire mountain ranges.
Forests bent.
Cliffs cracked.
Far below—
the Liam Estate felt the impact.
Aurelia rushed outside.
Carla stopped speaking.
Elena froze.
Every guard looked upward.
The sky remained divided for several seconds.
Training grounds.
Silence.
Modred stood frozen.
Not because he wanted to.
Because every instinct screamed the same thing.
Death.
The axe stopped inches from his neck.
Igred lowered it slowly.
"...That."
His voice remained calm.
"...Is the difference between us."
Modred stared upward at the divided sky.
For the first time since entering the academy—
he truly understood how high the summit stretched.
Igred stepped back.
"...Again."
Augustus burst out laughing.
"...You broke him."
Leon shook his head.
"...No."
Modred was already standing.
Bloodied.
Bruised.
Grinning.
His grip tightened around his sword.
"...Again."
For the first time that day—
Igred's smile widened.
"...That's my grandson."
And the mountain echoed with the sound of steel once more.