Hearing the voice, Nyxaria turned towards Valdis and said
"It seems you have company. I'll be going now."
As she was about to stand up from the bed, Valdis suddenly asked
"Why don't you want to meet other people and only talk to me?"
Nyxaria paused and said, "I can't meet other people even if I wanted to."
Feeling puzzled, he asked, "Why?"
"Because I don't exist on the physical plane any longer. The reason only you can see me is that I'm currently living in your mental space," she said
"Wait, doesn't that mean if someone caught me talking to you..."
"They would probably think you've gone mad because from that person's point of view, you're talking to yourself," she said with a wide smile on her face.
Before he could respond, another knock came, and Nyxaria said, "I'll be going now, don't miss me too much."
As soon as she finished talking, she vanished. Looking at the spot where she had previously stood, Valdis sighed and started towards the door.
He opened the door to see his sister standing, and without asking, she stepped in.
Her presence was calm and composed yet carried a natural authority that filled the room the moment she stepped in, glancing at him briefly before walking further inside.
"I heard you returned," she said. "How was the training?"
Valdis leaned back slightly.
"It was intense, but I learned a lot."
She nodded and said
"That's expected."
They spoke for a while.
He described the nature of the trials from the beginning down to the climb. She listened quietly, occasionally asking questions.
"The instructor for the first class was Instructor Alaric, but I didn't know he was famous."
Isolde had been listening to everything Valdis had said, but when Valdis mentioned one name—
Everything changed.
She froze.
Just for a moment, then slowly turned toward him.
"Alaric, as in Alaric the barbarian," she asked
"Yes, that's what they call him."
Hearing his confirmation, her eyes narrowed slightly. The reaction was subtle, but clear.
Just like their mother, she understood what that meant.
"It seems you guys are extremely lucky."
She didn't say more, but she had already concluded in her head
Valdis noticed it, but didn't press her for answers
Instead, he shifted the topic to something else
"Tell me about the Obsidian Crown Academy?"
That made her pause for a moment—
She didn't speak; she just walked over to the bed and sat down.
"It seems you're planning already?" she asked.
Valdis shrugged slightly.
"I just want to know what I'm walking into."
She studied him briefly, then nodded and replied
"Fair enough."
After saying that, her tone shifted slightly, becoming slightly more serious.
"The Obsidian Crown Academy isn't like anything you've experienced so far."
Valdis listened quietly.
"It's divided into multiple divisions," she continued. "Combat, Aether control, auxiliary professions…"
"Each one operates independently, but they all compete."
"They compete?" Valdis asked
"Yes, because the primary goal of entering the academy is to get stronger as an individual, so unless you are one of those special admission candidates, if you fail the year, the academy will expel you. No second chances."
Hearing that, Valdis was shocked, as that rule felt a little too strict
"There's also a ranking system."
"The one that ranks people based on strength?" Valdis said
"There are several rankings in school, but the one I'm talking about is the most important and at the same time the least important, as it focuses on academic excellence. Failing in your academics is one way to fail the year."
"But I thought you said the academy focuses primarily on making the individual stronger." Valdis frowned as he asked.
"Yes, but when I say stronger, I mean both physically and mentally. One of the criteria for passing a year is your academics, and the other lies in strength, as the school requires you to be at a particular level of strength as you progress. The school aims to create powerhouses who will hold important positions in the future, not brainless tyrants."
She paused to see her brother's reaction, and after a while she continued
"That's why academy students are recruited quickly by multiple organizations after they graduate."
"What about the entrance examination? How do they conduct it?"
She shook her head slightly and said.
"That depends on the dean; he designs each examination personally, so no one really knows what to expect."
A brief pause.
"But one thing is consistent."
Hearing this, Valdis immediately turned towards his sister and asked
"What is that?"
"The final stage is always a hunting trial."
Valdis's eyes narrowed slightly, hearing this.
"Hunting?"
She nodded.
"You'll be sent into a designated zone filled with beasts with a simple goal: get as many points as possible. The stronger the beast, the higher the points you can obtain after killing it."
Valdis understood immediately, "So it's a competition."
"Exactly, but extremely brutal, as individuals can also rob each other for points. So in that exam, the most dangerous things aren't the beasts but the other examinees."
She leaned back slightly.
"And with your current level?"
She turned to him with a faint smile on her lips.
"You'll pass easily, so you don't need to bother about it much."
Valdis didn't respond immediately.
But his gaze sharpened slightly because if it were that simple, then the people who pass the examination wouldn't be as few.
He exhaled slowly.
"I'll see for myself."
Without any warning, his sister stood.
"Get some rest," she said. "You'll need it."
As she left, Valdis lay on his bed and sighed
'It seems I have a lot ahead of me."
As Isolde stepped out of Valdis' room, the door closing softly behind her, her expression returned to its usual calm indifference.
The corridor stretched ahead—long, dimly lit, and silent. Soft golden lights flickered along the walls, casting faint shadows that danced across the polished stone floor. The estate was quieter at this hour, most servants having retreated, leaving only the stillness that came with night.
Her footsteps were light and unhurried.
Until she reached the turn of a corridor where a figure stood, half-hidden in the shadows, leaning casually against the wall as though he had been waiting for some time.
Isolde saw this but didn't stop, didn't even slow down.
But as she passed, she spoke
"You don't want to go see him?"
Her voice sounded calm, but the question seemed to affect the shadow as it shifted slightly.
After a short while, the figure sighed and said
"I'll meet him soon,"
After saying that, the figure pushed himself off the wall and stepped forward and into the light.
Dark hair, sharp features. with a presence that felt heavy, controlled but dangerous.
Malrik, Valdis' elder brother.
His gaze flickered briefly in the direction Isolde had come from, then returned to her.
"But for now," he said, "it's you I came to see."
Isolde finally stopped, turning slightly, her eyes meeting his.
"Why?"
There was no curiosity in her tone.
Just a question.
Malrik smiled faintly.
"I'll be heading to the Ashen Threshold soon, and it'll be a while before we see each other again."
A pause.
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"So I thought we'd have a little spar so I can check how much you have improved since we last saw each other."
"So you want a spar," Isolde said plainly.
Malrik didn't deny it.
Instead, he turned and began walking towards the battle area in the estate.
"Come, you have a lot to show me."
No hesitation.
No further explanation.
His steps were steady as he moved down the corridor, heading deeper into the estate.
Isolde watched him for a second with an eyebrow raised. She stood like that for a moment before she chuckled and followed him