Lunaris was buried deep in the library's inner section, half a dozen books opened in front of him, his fingers gliding over old papers as his eyes flicked from one dusty title to another.
"Hmm…" he murmured to himself. "From what I've heard from the Clan Head, Namgoong Gyo would train her regardless of whether she lasted a minute against him. So, her sword arts should be no problem."
He frowned, tilting his head as he reached for another book. "So, what she lacks is utility. Something subtle. Poison arts… or healing techniques. Something to cripple stronger opponents and something to patch herself up mid-battle."
He was so focused on the ink-stained diagrams of nerve points and spiritual acupuncture that the first noise barely registered, a rapid patter of footsteps, sharp and hurried, echoing between towering shelves.
He looked up, irritation flickering in his pale eyes.
'Who's running? In the library?'
For a heartbeat, his brows knit together as he considered punishing him, but then he exhaled and shook his head.
'Perhaps it's urgent. Let it go.'
He turned another page, his finger sliding over diagrams of meridian poisoning techniques.
Then a voice cut through the silence, too loud and too desperate, reverberating against the marble floor and the vaulted ceiling.
"YOUNG LORD! Where are you?"
Lunaris's hand froze mid-turn.
'Who…?' His annoyance grew as he tried to maintain his calm. 'Did something happen?'
He rose, closing the book shut. His boots clicked against the polished floor as he walked toward the main desk, the air of authority around him like frost.
At the front stood a boy his own age, hunched and gasping for air, face slick with sweat.
Lunaris's eyes narrowed.
'Was he the one running?'
"What do you want?" Lunaris's voice was calm, smooth, and almost bored.
The boy's eyes widened with urgency.
"Young Lady, Young Lady Caelrisu! She's been hospitalized!"
For the briefest heartbeat, Lunaris's mask cracked. His fingers tightened on the edge of the desk, knuckles whitening. Inside, his thoughts skittered like frightened insects.
'What happened?! Did she cut herself? Did Namgoong Gyo push her too far? Was there an assassination attempt? Did someone sneak into the pavilion? Was there a clan attack? Did she…'
Outwardly, his expression didn't change. Only his voice, pitched just slightly lower, gave anything away.
"What happened? Elaborate."
The boy swallowed hard, still panting. "The specifics are… unknown, Young Lord. The Matriarch said she's all right for now… but she also said the Young Lady might die by her own hand when she wakes up."
Lunaris's heart calmed for a moment.
'If Mother said it, it seems like the situation is under control. She must be. She must be. But what if she isn't? What if the situation's already spiraling?'
His hands, resting on the table, had gone cold. His face was a mask of aristocratic calm. Only his eyes flickered.
"Take me there," he said while maintaining a calm expression.
"Yes!" The boy straightened instantly, bowing before spinning to lead the way.
***
The Clan Head's office was a fortress of paper. Scrolls, reports, and stamped documents towered around his desk like ramparts, and the scratching of his pen was the only sound that dared exist in the room.
He didn't even look up when the faint flutter of wings echoed against the lacquered walls.
A Raven landed on the polished floor and bowed, his forehead nearly touching the ground.
"Speak," the Clan Head said without pausing his writing, his tone level and weary. "What happened?"
"Young Lady Caelrisu is injured, my lord."
The pen froze for a second and then started scribbling again.
"Hmm…" He leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing. "So that massive surge of Essence earlier, that was her?"
"Yes, my Lord," the messenger said, still kneeling, voice trembling slightly.
The Clan Head exhaled slowly, setting down the pen. "I also felt your matriarch's presence flare up… so I assumed it was under control."
"Well…" the messenger shifted uneasily. "The Matriarch is furious, my lord. She said, ah, she said you were an 'irresponsible fool' for handing such a thing to the young lady."
"Oh…" He blinked, rubbing his temple. "She found out that fast, huh."
"Yes, my Lord. And, uh, Third Elder sent me here to warn you."
"To warn me?"
"Yes," the messenger said, gulping. "Because the Matriarch is already on her way here. She was… throwing things."
There was a long pause. The Clan Head's eyes darted once toward the open window. Then he stood abruptly, coat rustling.
"I see. In that case…" He smiled faintly. "I think I'll go check on my niece."
"An excellent decision, my lord," the messenger said immediately, lowering his head even further.
The Clan Head flicked his sleeve, and the air shimmered. His form blurred, vanishing from the office just as a fiery aura flared in the distance, shaking the wooden frames of the room.
The Raven tilted its head toward the door where the matriarch's fury approached, sighed, and whispered to itself:
"Wise judgment indeed, my Lord."
***
Vermas was standing in the middle of the training field, surrounded by dozens of disciples, his spear dancing through the air like wind. Each motion carried weight and grace, the kind that came only from years of experience.
Just as he was about to demonstrate the finishing thrust, a calm, familiar voice echoed in his mind.
[Vermas, Cael is injured.]
The spear froze mid-air.
For a moment, everything was silent. Then the wind began to stir, faint at first, then growing stronger until the banners around the field began flowing violently.
The disciples exchanged panicked glances as the air pressure spiked, dust swirling like a small storm.
[Who did it!?] his mental voice roared.
[Ah, you don't have to become so enraged.] The Clan Head's voice was unbothered, even lazy.
[She did it herself.]
Vermas's eyes widened. The gusts intensified, lifting a few dustbins off their posts.
[What!? You mean, could it be a suicide attempt!? Or, wait, did that damn Namgoong Gyo do something to her!?]
A sigh echoed through his mind.
[Do you even realize what you're saying? Namgoong Gyo is someone I personally rewrote in front of you.]
[But humans change!] Vermas snapped, fury and panic leaking into his voice. His aura was flaring uncontrollably now, making the entire ground tremble.
The Clan Head's calm tone returned, almost as if speaking to an impatient child.
[Just come to the hospital, Vermas. And bring Fremileo along. He'd be worried.]
The wind died abruptly. Vermas's face was dark, his jaw clenched tight.
He turned to his confused students, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"Class dismissed for today. If you value your lives, don't ask why."
Without another word, he shot into the air, carrying Fremileo along with him, who was in utter confusion, leaving a violent sonic boom that echoed through the Clan grounds, followed closely by startled cries of the children present there.
"Was that Elder Vermas!?"
"Did we make him angry!?"
That day, because of her reckless act, the entire Clan was thrown into chaos.
Every person who loved her family, friends, mentors abandoned whatever they were doing and rushed toward the hospital in panic and fury.
And Caelrisu, oblivious to the uproar she had caused, lay silent and unmoving in her hospital bed
unconscious for an entire week.