The academy corridors were louder than usual.
Laughter echoed through the stone halls. Groups of students clustered together, voices overlapping as excitement for the coming festival spread like wildfire. The Kingdom Founding Celebration was tomorrow, and the Royal Academy felt like a pot just before boiling over.
Aster walked through it all with a calm expression.
But his thoughts were anything but calm.
Kain Kaiser…
He replayed the principal's words again and again as he scanned the courtyard.
Petition.
Opposition.
Fear of something being lost.
Aster didn't believe Kain was acting out of simple arrogance. He'd seen arrogance before—loud, obvious, desperate to be noticed.
Kain's hostility was different.
It was restrained. Tight. Like something clenched too long.
Aster finally spotted him near the training grounds, standing with a small group of noble students. They were laughing—too loudly, Aster thought—as Kain spoke. But even from a distance, Aster noticed it.
Kain wasn't smiling.
His eyes were distant, unfocused, as if he were somewhere else entirely.
Aster took a breath and walked forward.
◆ ◆ ◆
"Kain."
The group fell silent.
Kain turned slowly, eyes narrowing the moment he recognized who had called him.
"…Snowflake."
A few of the other students shifted uncomfortably.
Aster didn't react to the tone. "I need to talk to you."
Kain scoffed. "We don't have anything to discuss."
"Alone," Aster added calmly.
That caught Kain's attention.
The students around him exchanged glances. One of them leaned closer. "You want us to—"
"I'll handle this," Kain said, cutting him off.
His gaze never left Aster.
Whatever Kain had been thinking, something in Aster's expression made him reconsider.
"…Fine," Kain said after a moment. "Come on."
Without another word, he turned and walked away.
Aster followed.
◆ ◆ ◆
They stopped near the edge of the academy grounds, where an old stone terrace overlooked the lower gardens. It was quiet here—far enough from the main paths that no one would overhear them.
Kain leaned against the railing, arms crossed, staring out at the trees below.
"Well?" he said flatly. "Say what you came to say."
Aster didn't rush.
He stood a short distance away, posture relaxed but steady.
"I spoke with the principal," Aster said.
Kain's jaw tightened.
"He told me everything," Aster continued. "About the petition. About what you tried to do."
Silence.
Aster looked directly at him. "Why?"
Kain let out a short, humorless laugh.
"So you came to accuse me?"
"No," Aster replied. "I came to ask you that? did I ever do something to offend you?"
That made Kain turn.
He studied Aster closely now, as if seeing him properly for the first time.
"…You really don't know when to quit," Kain muttered.
"I want the truth," Aster said. "Why do you hate me?"
Kain flinched.
Just barely—but Aster caught it.
"…Hate?" Kain repeated slowly.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then he looked away again.
"It's not that," Kain said quietly. "It's not that I hate you."
Aster waited.
Kain's fingers tightened around the railing.
"It's just…" His voice faltered, then hardened. "Every time I see you, every time I hear your songs, every time people talk about what you've accomplished with sound magic…"
His voice dropped.
"My mind goes somewhere else."
Aster said nothing.
Kain laughed again—bitter this time.
"Oh, you don't even know who or what I'm talking about, do you?" he said. "Listen to me. Talking like you'd understand."
He shook his head. "Forget it."
Aster stepped closer. "Your sister."
The words hung in the air.
Kain froze.
"…What?" he asked slowly.
"I know about her," Aster said. "Not everything. But enough."
Kain turned sharply. "You—"
"I didn't learn it from records," Aster added calmly. "I learned it because I was looking for answers about sound magic. About why it was abandoned. About why people thought it was useless."
Kain's breath was shallow now.
"…You shouldn't have dug into that," he said.
"Maybe," Aster replied. "But now I understand."
Kain looked at him then—not with anger, but with something raw.
"My sister," Kain said quietly, "was better than me."
Aster didn't interrupt.
"She was smarter. Kinder. Stronger," Kain continued. "I wanted her to lead the Kaiser family, and I tried to follow in her footsteps."
He clenched his fists. "But the magic she awakened was sound magic."
The word tasted bitter.
"Everybody looked down on her just because, she awakened a rare magic that no one in the world has knowledge about."
His voice cracked. "They told her it was useless. That it wasn't meant for combat. That it didn't suit our family."
Aster felt something tighten in his chest.
"She tried," Kain went on. "Gods, she tried so hard. Training. Research. Studying mana control until she collapsed."
He laughed hollowly. "I was a child. I watched her destroy herself trying to prove that she deserved to be respected."
Kain looked away.
"When she left… I didn't stop her, I couldn't stop her, she didn't even tell me even though we were so close."
Silence swallowed the terrace.
"I was angry," Kain said. "Angry that she chose to leave instead of staying with me. Angry that she abandoned his only brother, and went of somewhere ."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"And now…"
He looked at Aster again.
"Now I see you."
Aster felt the weight of those words.
"You're everything she could have been," Kain said. "Everything she was never allowed to become."
His shoulders trembled.
"And I hate that I admire you for it."
Aster finally spoke.
"Kain," he said softly, "what happened to your sister was unjust."
Kain closed his eyes.
"I regret it every day," Kain admitted. "Letting her go. Not Understanding what she was going through."
He let out a shaky breath.
"That's why I tried to stop your performance," he said. "Not because I wanted to hurt you—but because I was afraid."
"Afraid of what?" Aster asked.
"That sound magic would be proven right," Kain said. "And that I would have to accept how wrong we all were, and my sister went through all that, for having sound magic.."
The wind stirred between them.
After a long moment, Kain straightened.
"…Don't worry," he said quietly. "I won't do anything to stop you. The performance, the announcement—do it."
He looked at Aster, eyes tired but sincere.
"Just do what you want."
Aster studied him carefully.
In that moment, he didn't see an enemy.
He saw a brother who had failed someone he loved.
"…I believe you," Aster said.
Kain blinked.
"You shouldn't," he muttered.
"But I do," Aster replied. "Because everything you've done comes from love. Twisted by regret—but love nonetheless."
Kain said nothing.
Aster turned to leave.
As he walked away, he felt lighter.
Tomorrow was the big day.
And whatever happened—
He would face it honestly.
**********************************
By the time Aster returned to Snowflake Mansion, the sky had already begun to darken.
The lamps along the garden path flickered to life one by one, casting soft golden light across the familiar stone walkway. The house looked the same as always—warm, calm, steady—but something inside Aster had shifted.
He paused at the door for a brief moment before entering.
Inside, voices drifted from the sitting room.
Astra was speaking animatedly, Lea responding with her usual blunt confidence, and Arlienne's calm, grounding presence held the conversation together like a gentle thread.
When Aster stepped in, all three looked up at once.
"You're late," Lea said immediately. "So?"
Astra stood up. "Did you find him?"
Aster nodded.
They didn't push him right away.
Arlienne simply gestured toward the table. "Sit. You look like you've been carrying something heavy."
Aster obeyed.
For a moment, he just sat there, fingers resting against the wood, gathering his thoughts.
Then he spoke.
"I talked to Kain."
The room grew quiet.
Astra leaned forward slightly. "And?"
"He's not a bad guy," Aster said.
Lea blinked. "That's… not what I expected."
Aster let out a small breath. "Neither did I."
He told them everything.
About the terrace.
About the conversation.
About Kain's sister.
As Aster spoke, Astra's expression softened, confusion slowly giving way to understanding. Lea's usual sharpness dulled into something more thoughtful. Arlienne listened without interruption, her eyes never leaving her son's face.
"He didn't try to stop us because he hates us," Aster finished quietly. "He tried because seeing what we're doing reminds him of what his sister was never allowed to become."
Silence followed.
"…That's awful," Astra said softly.
Lea clicked her tongue. "Still doesn't excuse breaking my headphones."
Aster almost smiled.
"But," Lea added after a pause, "I get it."
Arlienne finally spoke. "Regret has a way of twisting love into something sharp."
Aster nodded. "He regrets not stopping her from leaving. Regrets not believing in her. And now… sound magic succeeding feels like proof of how wrong everyone was."
"And that scares him," Astra said.
"Yes," Aster replied. "But he promised he won't interfere anymore."
Lea raised an eyebrow. "You trust him?"
Aster thought about Kain's eyes. Not angry. Not cruel. Just tired.
"…I do," he said. "At least enough."
Arlienne studied him for a long moment, then smiled gently.
"You did the right thing," she said. "Understanding doesn't weaken you. It strengthens you."
Astra reached over and squeezed Aster's hand. "I'm glad you talked to him."
Lea smirked. "And if he tries something tommorow, I'll punch him."
Arlienne cleared her throat lightly.
"…Later," Lea amended.
The tension eased, replaced by something warmer.
Familiar.
◆ ◆ ◆
Dinner that night was quieter than usual, but not heavy.
They talked about small things—academy gossip, which professors were likely to attend the festival, which nobles would pretend not to be impressed.
Afterward, Astra began sorting through performance outfits, laying them carefully across the sofa.
"Are we really doing this tomorrow?" she asked softly.
Aster nodded. "Yes."
"The announcement too?" Lea asked.
"Yes."
Arlienne watched them both. "Are you nervous?"
Astra smiled faintly. "A little."
Aster shook his head. "Not nervous. Focused."
He stood and walked toward the window, looking out at the softly lit garden.
"Tomorrow isn't just about selling something," he said. "It's about proving that sound magic belongs in this world."
Arlienne joined him. "You've already proven that."
Aster turned to her. "Tomorrow, the whole kingdom hears it."
◆ ◆ ◆
Late that night, Snowflake Mansion was filled with quiet preparation.
Aster double-checked the runes etched into the announcement devices.
Astra practiced breathing control and pitch stability.
Lea made sure no one would tamper with the equipment—twice.
Arlienne moved through the house calmly, offering tea, adjusting cloaks, reminding them to rest.
When everything was finally ready, they gathered once more in the sitting room.
Outside, distant fireworks echoed as early celebrations began.
Tomorrow, the Kingdom Founding Festival would begin in earnest.
Astra looked around the room. "No matter what happens tomorrow…"
She smiled.
"…We do it together."
Aster nodded. "Always."
Lea crossed her arms. "Then let the whole kingdom watch."
(Lea stays over at snowflake mansion some days, and today was one of them)
Arlienne placed a hand over both of theirs.
"Sleep well," she said softly. "Tomorrow is a big day."
As the lights dimmed and Snowflake Mansion settled into silence, Aster lay awake for a while longer.
Thinking of El.
Thinking of Kain.
Thinking of a world that was slowly, stubbornly changing.
Tomorrow—
The music would speak again.