Lysandria — POV
I still couldn't understand the being that lived with Aeldir.
Even after questioning him directly, nothing became clearer. One moment he agreed, the next he refused. His loyalty didn't follow logic—it followed something deeper. Or perhaps something colder.
One thing was certain.
He had no desire for bodies, no hunger in his gaze.
As long as Aeldir remained, I would be safe—at least from him.
I could face that being.
But I could not defeat him.
With that thought, I slept.
---
Thunder tore the academy awake.
Not natural thunder—compressed, violent mana colliding with the air.
We rushed outside.
At the academy gate lay a woman, her body half-buried in dust. Blood stained the stone beneath her. Armor plates were torn apart, shattered as if ripped by force rather than blade.
The worst part—
She had fallen onto the same arrogant prince Aeldir had crushed on his first day.
"Apologize," the prince said coldly.
The woman tried to rise, but failed.
The words she spoke were foreign and broken. I could tell she didn't understand them—only the tone. The demand. The expectation of submission.
Gravity answered her instead.
The prince enchanted the ground. Mana dragged her down, forcing her knees into stone. A translucent barrier snapped into place around them, sealing the space.
She screamed.
When I pushed through the crowd, I finally saw her clearly.
White armor—once a knight's suit—now barely holding together. Black hair matted with dust and blood. Her chestplate was cracked, the only piece still intact. Emerald-green eyes burned with pain and disbelief.
She looked… human.
Too human.
She tried to speak again—
"So—"
The barrier shattered.
A water bullet pierced straight through it, dispersing the spell as if it had never existed.
Silence followed.
Then he appeared.
The student from the dungeon incident.
Recognition spread instantly.
So did fear.
His aura descended.
The prince collapsed to his knees as if the air itself had gained weight.
The man ignored him.
He walked past everyone and knelt beside the injured woman, extending his hand.
"Is it you, Mira?"
Her head turned slowly.
"Brother… is it you?"
Tears fell before she could stop them.
She stood—unsteady—and stared at the mask.
Confusion rippled through the crowd.
"Yes," he said calmly.
"I am your brother. The astro boy."
Then he looked back at the prince.
"If you ever touch her again," he said, releasing his aura,
"you'll learn what pain actually feels like."
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Seraphine and I stepped forward together.
"We'll take her to the medic ward."
He nodded once.
Then vanished.
---
The healers worked quickly.
Bandages. Restoration spells. Stabilization.
While they worked, he was already standing before the principal.
"If you want my help," he said,
"I have another condition."
The principal narrowed his eyes.
"And why would I accept it?"
"During the dungeon incident," he replied evenly,
"I planted a shadow flame on everyone present."
Silence fell.
Only then did I remember the moment before the water attack.
His breath—unnatural. Fine ash drifting through the air, settling without heat or reaction. I hadn't understood it then.
Now I did.
"If you refuse," he continued,
"I kill them."
The principal exhaled slowly.
"And where would you run?"
"I'm under a system-imposed exile for half a year," he said.
"When I vanish, suspicion falls on no one."
"…Speak."
"There's a student," he said.
"Enroll her. Protect her."
The principal closed his eyes.
"Very well."
When he vanished, the principal whispered to himself:
"He comes, changes the board, and leaves again…
He's no pawn.
He's a queen."
---
The ward resembled the elven one—quiet, sterile, heavy with magic.
She was awake when he entered.
"Where were you, brother?" she asked.
"I was trapped."
"Why didn't you escape?"
"I will," he said softly.
"But my time is short. I'll disappear again soon."
Tears welled in her eyes.
"For now," he said,
"trust no one except Aeldir."
"I'll return," he continued.
"And when I do, I'll explain everything."
"Promise me."
"I promise."
He stepped out.
Before leaving, he leaned close to Aeldir and whispered:
"She is my sister. Protect her."
Aeldir nodded.
Understanding without words.
The man's body began to disintegrate.
Light scattered.
And he was gone.
Back to the dungeon.
---