The grand hall felt as though the walls were closing in on Kael Voss.
Every laugh, every whisper, and every finger pointed in his direction stabbed like needles straight into his chest.
Lyra Solari stood there with her arm looped possessively through Lucien Blaze's, her once-perfect smile now sharp and cruel. Lucien kept his hand resting confidently on her waist, as if she had always belonged to him.
Kael couldn't move. His feet felt rooted to the marble floor.
"Lyra… what are you saying?"
His voice came out small and broken.
Lyra rolled her eyes, as if he were a child who couldn't grasp simple facts.
"Kael, be realistic. You have no flame. Zero power. That means you have nothing to offer me."
She flicked her silver-blonde hair over her shoulder.
"Do you honestly believe the Solari family would allow their only daughter to marry a boy who can't even summon a spark? A boy who will never lead the Voss clan? A boy who is… utterly useless?"
The word "useless" echoed through the hall.
Someone behind Kael burst out laughing.
"Useless Voss! Haha!"
Another voice joined in.
"Looks like the great Flame Sovereign's bloodline ends with a complete failure!"
The laughter grew louder and crueler.
A group of girls near the front covered their mouths in mock sympathy, but their eyes sparkled with glee.
One of them spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.
"I almost feel sorry for Lyra. She wasted so many years on that trash."
Another girl giggled.
"At least now she can be with a real man. Lucien is Class S. Kael is… Class Nothing."
Kael's hands shook violently at his sides. Tears burned behind his eyes, but he refused to let them fall in front of everyone.
He searched Lyra's face for any trace of the girl who used to sneak into his room at night, who held his hand under the table, who promised they would be together forever.
That girl had vanished.
Now she looked at him as if he were nothing more than dirt beneath her shoe.
Lucien leaned down and kissed Lyra's cheek slowly and deliberately, right in front of Kael.
"Don't worry, babe," he announced loudly enough for the entire hall to hear. "I'll keep you warm tonight. No need for dead flames."
The crowd roared with laughter.
Someone started a chant.
"Use-less! Use-less! Use-less!"
More voices joined in. The chant swelled louder and louder.
Kael's knees felt weak.
He remembered every moment with Lyra.
The first time she kissed him under the cherry blossom tree.
The night she whispered, "When you become clan head, I'll stand right by your side."
The promise ring he had planned to give her the next day.
All of it… lies.
Kael's voice cracked when he finally spoke.
"So… all this time… you were only waiting to see if I would be strong enough?"
Lyra didn't even blink.
"Yes," she said coldly. "Love is nice, Kael. But power is better."
She turned away, pressing herself closer to Lucien.
Lucien smirked over his shoulder.
"Run along now, little flameless boy. The adults are talking."
Kael stood alone in the middle of the laughing crowd.
His heart felt as if someone had ripped it out and crushed it underfoot.
He turned slowly and walked away.
Every step felt impossibly heavy.
The students parted as if he carried some contagious disease.
Some spat on the floor as he passed.
Others made exaggerated fake crying sounds.
"Poor little Kael… no fire… boo-hoo…"
He kept walking, eyes fixed on the ground, tears finally streaming down his face.
He didn't notice Draven Voss standing at the side of the stage.
Draven watched him with cold, satisfied eyes and a tiny, dark smile playing on his lips.
Kael pushed through the grand doors and ran.
He sprinted past the manicured gardens, past the training fields, all the way to the remote back area of the academy where no one ever ventured.
He collapsed against an old, gnarled tree, breathing raggedly, tears pouring down his cheeks.
"Why…?" he whispered to no one. "Why me…?"
He punched the tree trunk with his fist.
Once. Twice. Three times.
His knuckles split and bled, but he barely felt the pain.
"I was supposed to be the strongest… I was supposed to protect everyone… I was supposed to make Father proud… How am I going to find the man in the black cloak?"
He slid down the tree and sat on the ground, hugging his knees tightly.
The sun was setting. The sky burned blood-red.
A shadow fell over him.
Kael looked up, his eyes red and swollen.
Draven Voss stood there with his hands in his pockets, staring down at him.
Draven's voice was quiet, but it sliced like a blade.
"Feeling sorry for yourself?"
Kael quickly wiped his eyes.
"Leave me alone, Draven."
Draven didn't move.
"You know what the funniest part is?"
He crouched down so they were eye to eye.
"Everyone always said you would be the strongest. The true son of the Flame Sovereign. The rightful heir. And look at you now."
He let out a soft, cruel laugh.
"No flame. No power. You have nothing."
Kael looked away.
Draven leaned closer.
"From today onward, I am the head of the Voss clan. Not you. Me."
He stood up.
"And tomorrow… I'll make sure the entire kingdom knows who the real Voss is."
Draven turned and walked away, his footsteps slow and triumphant.
Kael remained under the tree as the sky darkened.
Night fell. A cold wind swept through, but he didn't move.
Hours passed.
Then something strange stirred inside him — a burning sensation deep in his chest, near his heart.
'I can't believe heartbreak and humiliation can cause this much pain.'
He muttered to himself as his vision blurred. He collapsed onto the ground and passed out.
A deep, ancient voice whispered inside his mind, like distant thunder rolling across mountains.
He suddenly found himself in an entirely different realm. He stood up and wandered around until he stumbled upon a massive gate with a handprint-shaped keyhole. As he stared at it, an enormous lizard-like red eye snapped open.
Kael stumbled backward, keeping his distance from the gate.
The eye drew closer and closer to
the bars. Kael's eyes widened in shock as he finally saw the creature behind those eyes.
"You… you are a dra… dragon."
"Child," the voice rumbled, "let me out… let me out of here!!"