The figure of smoke stared at Lyra with ember-red eyes that flickered like dying coals.
Even though he wasn't solid, the air around her felt heavy and thick like the world itself held its breath.
Lyra forced her voice to stay steady.
"You're dead. Everyone says you were sealed centuries ago."
The smoke rippled, forming the faint outline of a tall man with long hair that drifted like ash.
When he spoke, the void vibrated like a distant storm.
"Sealed… yes.
Destroyed… no."
Lyra swallowed. "Why am I seeing you? I didn't call you."
The figure tilted his head.
"You awakened my flame."
Lyra's heart thudded painfully.
"No. It wasn't yours. It came from me."
A deep rumble almost a laugh echoed in the darkness.
"Child, crimson magic does not belong to you.
It belongs to the calamity.
Always."
Lyra stepped back, fists tightening.
"That's not true. Headmaster Aldric said"
The figure's eyes flared dangerously.
"Aldric Vale… the Light Mage who fears what you carry."
Lyra blinked. "He doesn't fear me."
"Oh, child…"
The smoke swirled around her, circling like a slow-moving storm.
"Everyone fears what they do not understand.
And crimson flame is beyond understanding."
Lyra covered her mouth with her hand, heartbeat racing.
She couldn't feel her feet.
She couldn't feel the air.
And yet she wasn't cold.
The crimson flame inside her pulsed… answering the void… answering him.
The Calamity's voice dropped lower, softer dangerously calm.
"Your power will grow.
Your control will fail.
Your flame will devour you…
just as it devoured me."
Lyra shook her head hard.
"No. I won't become like you."
The smoke figure leaned close, so close she could almost feel him even though he wasn't solid.
"Then prove it."
The darkness pulsed.
Suddenly, a red shockwave shot outward rippling like fire through water.
Lyra gasped as pain not sharp, but overwhelming flooded her chest. The world spun. The void cracked apart like breaking glass.
And then—
FWOOM—
She fell.
The real world snapped back violently.
The chamber's floor slammed beneath her knees. The glowing sigil flickered, then dimmed. Lamps swung wildly from their chains, still shaking from the blast.
Lyra choked on a breath, trembling all over.
Aldric was already at her side, kneeling.
"Lyra! Can you hear me?"
She nodded weakly.
But her voice refused to come out.
His expression tightened.
"What did you see?"
Lyra opened her mouth
closed it
opened it again.
"…him."
Aldric went still. "Who?"
Her whisper trembled.
"The Crimson Calamity."
Silence filled the chamber, thick and heavy.
Aldric's jaw clenched. His golden eyes darkened, losing their calm shine for the first time.
"This is worse than I feared," he said quietly.
Lyra hugged her arms around herself, trying to stop the shaking.
"He said… he said the flame would devour me. That it isn't mine."
Aldric placed a hand on her shoulder not warmly, but firmly steadying her.
"Listen to me. Whatever you saw wasn't him not fully. The Calamity's spirit has been fading for centuries. What you encountered was a fragment."
Lyra stared at the floor. "It didn't feel like a fragment…"
Aldric exhaled slowly.
"You must understand something."
He paused.
"Your awakening has stirred forces that should have remained asleep."
Lyra's breath hitched.
"But… I don't want any of this."
"I know." Aldric rose and offered a hand to help her up. "But wanting or not wanting does not change reality."
He looked down at her with a seriousness she hadn't seen before.
"From this moment on, Lyra Vane…"
His voice deepened.
"…you can no longer be treated as a normal student."
Lyra's stomach twisted nervously. "Then what am I?"
Aldric answered without hesitation.
"A hidden mage. One who carries lost power."
He paused, golden eyes steady.
"And from now on… you must be protected."
Lyra's heart pounded.
Protected?
From what?
Or… from who?
Aldric stepped away and touched the runes on the wall. The sigil on the floor faded completely, leaving the chamber dim.
"You will begin special training tomorrow," he said. "Only myself and a few trusted instructors will know the truth of your power."
He looked back at her.
"And you must tell no one what you saw. Not a single student. Not even those who try to befriend you."
Lyra swallowed. "Why?"
Aldric's eyes narrowed dangerous, warning, almost fearful.
"Because if the academy learns the Crimson Calamity is whispering to you…"
He exhaled sharply.
"…some will want to help you."
He paused.
"…and some will want to destroy you."
The chamber doors opened with a soft groan.
Lyra stood frozen.
Her new life hadn't even begun
and she was already in danger.