Rumors spread through Aether Academy faster than mana through a cracked conduit.
They slithered through corridors, leapt across floating platforms, and whispered themselves into existence between sparring matches and late-night strategy sessions. By the morning after Celestial Tempest's arrival, there was only one topic anyone cared about.
Bolt.
Not just because he was new.Not because he rang the Celestial Bell.Not even because he defeated an Abyssal Warborn.
But because of how it felt when he walked past.
THE WHISPERS OF ACADEMY
Celestial Tempest learned quickly that Aether Academy did not hide its hierarchy—it celebrated it.
Power wasn't subtle here.
It was measured. Ranked. Feared.
Kaori sat cross-legged at a table in one of the academy's open commons, her book forgotten as voices drifted in from behind her.
"…I'm telling you, the air changed when he arrived."
"That's impossible. Students don't affect the ambient mana like that."
"Then explain why my spell destabilized when he walked by."
Damian leaned back in his chair nearby, arms folded. "They're talking about you again."
Bolt sighed. "They always are."
Akane grinned, spinning a training baton between her fingers. "At least this time they sound scared."
Valea frowned slightly. "Not scared. Careful."
Sylva nodded. "That's worse."
Across the commons, a group of upperclassmen were openly arguing.
"One Abyssal Warborn doesn't mean anything."
"He fought it alone."
"That thing wiped out a battalion."
"And he won."
A senior leaned forward, lowering his voice."Do you know who noticed?"
That single sentence shut the group up.
Kaori felt it immediately.
"…Who?" someone asked.
The answer came like a blade sliding from its sheath.
"Rei Tsukihara."
Even Damian stopped joking.
Bolt's eyes narrowed slightly. "So it's true."
Kaori looked at him. "You know that name?"
"Yeah," Bolt said quietly. "Head of the Disciplinary Committee. Strongest student in Aether Academy."
Akane tilted her head. "Strongest?"
Valea swallowed. "They call him the Flame God of Aether Academy."
Silence followed.
Sylva whispered, "God…?"
Damian exhaled slowly. "Okay. That's not ominous at all."
Bolt didn't react outwardly—but something in his chest stirred.
Not fear.
Recognition.
THE FLAME GOD
High above the student districts, within a chamber few were allowed to enter, a meeting was already underway.
The room was circular, its walls forged from obsidian-veined crystal resistant to heat beyond natural limits. Ancient runes glowed faintly, suppressing destructive output.
Because the one seated at the center needed those precautions.
Rei Tsukihara sat calmly, one leg crossed over the other, hands resting loosely on his knees.
Silver-black hair framed his sharp features. His eyes—deep amber, like embers buried under ash—were half-lidded, unreadable.
The air around him shimmered faintly.
Heat without flame.
Across from him stood Leon Vandros, arms folded, posture respectful but firm. Beside Leon were several high-ranking student council members and representatives from elite squads.
The room itself seemed… tense.
Not because of hostility.
Because Rei Tsukihara was present.
Leon broke the silence."Thank you for coming, Rei."
Rei's gaze lifted lazily. "You called. I came."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
One council member shifted uncomfortably. Another wiped sweat from their brow despite the room's temperature controls.
Leon took a breath. "I wanted to discuss the arrival of Celestial Tempest."
Rei tilted his head slightly. "Ah."
That single sound carried weight.
Leon continued, "Specifically… Bolt."
Rei didn't respond immediately.
He leaned back slightly, eyes drifting toward the ceiling as if recalling something distant.
"When I first heard they were arriving," Rei said at last, "I assumed it was exaggeration. Another overhyped squad elevated by circumstance."
Leon watched him carefully. "And now?"
Rei's eyes lowered.
"…Now," he said, "I am no longer certain."
The room stiffened.
Rei Tsukihara did not doubt lightly.
"I did not see him fight," Rei continued. "I arrived after the Gauntlet concluded. But when Celestial Tempest entered the academy grounds…"
His fingers tapped once against the armrest.
"There was an aura."
Several council members leaned forward.
"Not power," Rei clarified. "Not raw output. Something deeper. Denser. Like a storm compressed into a blade's edge."
Leon's eyes narrowed. "You felt it too."
Rei nodded. "Just standing near him was… uncomfortable."
One of the council members blurted, "You mean hostile?"
Rei shook his head. "No. Focused."
That unsettled them more.
"He didn't glare," Rei continued. "Didn't posture. Didn't try to assert dominance. Yet the space around him felt dangerous—as if something catastrophic was restrained by will alone."
Leon exhaled slowly. "That aligns with what I sensed."
Rei's gaze sharpened."If we fought—"
The room froze.
"—there would be a problem."
Every head snapped toward him.
Leon's voice was careful. "A problem… for who?"
Rei considered.
"…For the academy."
No one spoke.
Rei continued calmly, "I investigated him further. Quietly."
Leon wasn't surprised. Rei never acted without information.
"I traced his record," Rei said. "The Abyssal Warborn—Kairos. Artificial. Created by the Abyssal Monarch."
Murmurs erupted.
Rei silenced them with a glance.
"Bolt fought him alone," Rei said. "And won."
Leon clenched his fist slightly.
"That alone would make him noteworthy," Rei added. "But then there is his blade."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "Raiketsu."
Rei nodded. "I heard of it from a transfer student from his former academy. Forged from the remnants of another Warborn's weapon. Reborn through lightning. Bound by will."
His eyes glinted faintly.
"A blade like that does not obey weakness."
Leon leaned forward. "So what are you saying?"
Rei's gaze hardened.
"I am saying," he replied, "that Bolt is not a rising threat."
The room held its breath.
"He is already standing at the edge of something dangerous."
Leon studied him. "Do you intend to confront him?"
Rei stood.
The temperature spiked subtly.
"Not yet."
Relief flickered across a few faces.
"But understand this," Rei said, turning toward the chamber's exit. "If he loses control—even once—I will act."
Leon nodded. "Understood."
As Rei walked away, flames briefly flickered beneath his feet—controlled, absolute.
The Flame God had taken notice.
TWO STORMS, ONE SKY
That night, Bolt stood alone on a floating platform overlooking Aether Academy.
Raiketsu rested against his shoulder, humming faintly in the moonlight.
He felt it again.
That pressure.
That sense of being observed—not by something abyssal this time, but by something equal.
He didn't know Rei Tsukihara.
But he knew instinctively—
They would meet.
And when they did…
The academy would not remain untouched.
Bolt tightened his grip on Raiketsu.
Somewhere else, high above the academy, Rei Tsukihara paused mid-step and glanced toward the same sky.
"…Interesting," he murmured.
Two storms had arrived at Aether Academy.
And the world was about to feel the heat.