The academy infirmary smelled of antiseptic herbs and refined Aether.
Kael lay on the narrow bed, staring at the ceiling as faint light traced along engraved runes above him. Every breath sent a dull ache through his ribs. The healer had warned him not to move too much—but pain had never been something Kael listened to.
Footsteps stopped beside his bed.
"You're awake."
Lyra's voice.
Kael turned his head slightly. She stood there with her arms folded, posture rigid, silver hair tied back neatly. Her expression was controlled, but her eyes gave her away.
"Did we lose another star?" Kael asked quietly.
Lyra shook her head. "No. We gained two."
He exhaled. "Good."
She stared at him for a long moment.
"You didn't have to step in front of me," she said.
Kael smiled faintly. "Yes, I did."
Her lips parted, then pressed together again. She looked away.
---
Aftermath
Iron Resolve gathered later that day in a private briefing chamber—an unusual privilege for a team still considered low-ranking.
Captain Aldren stood at the front, expression harder than usual.
"What you encountered at Blackreach Pass was not part of the mission parameters," he said. "The academy has confirmed it."
Mira frowned. "Followers of Malrik?"
Aldren nodded. "Yes."
Taren shifted uneasily. "So… what does that mean for us?"
"It means," Aldren replied, "that the academy will begin restricting information."
Kael felt it then.
A tightening.
Control.
"The teams will still be sent out," Aldren continued. "But details will be limited. Casualties will be classified. Failures… buried."
Lyra's hands clenched.
"That's wrong," she said sharply.
Aldren met her gaze. "It's how institutions survive."
Kael looked down.
And how people get sacrificed.
---
The Board Reacts
That evening, the mission board updated publicly.
Iron Resolve's rise had not gone unnoticed.
Whispers followed them openly now.
"They faced followers and lived."
"The powerless one led them."
"They're still behind Crimson Talon… but not by much."
Across the courtyard, Rion Valeris stood alone, staring at the rankings.
Crimson Talon:
Gold Stars – 22
Iron Resolve:
Gold Stars – 2
Black Stars – 5
Still a gap.
But the direction had changed.
Rion's jaw tightened.
"They're accelerating," he murmured.
---
Quiet Training, Loud Change
Iron Resolve trained in silence that night.
No laughter.
No complaints.
Each of them had seen how fragile they were.
Lyra practiced compression drills relentlessly, sweat soaking her clothes as she refined control rather than output. Mira focused on timing and retreat paths. Taren practiced anchoring formations, not brute defense.
Kael watched.
Adjusted.
Corrected.
He never raised his voice.
And still—they followed.
At one point, Lyra stumbled, her Aether flickering dangerously.
Kael was beside her instantly.
"Stop," he said softly.
"I can continue," she snapped—then stopped herself.
She exhaled.
"I'll stop."
Progress.
---
A Question of Leadership
Later, Captain Aldren pulled Kael aside.
"You realize what you're becoming," Aldren said.
Kael shook his head. "I'm just helping my team."
"That's what leadership always looks like at first," Aldren replied.
Kael hesitated. "Sir… why was Iron Resolve really formed?"
Aldren was silent for a long moment.
"Because the academy needed somewhere to put those it didn't want to invest in," he said finally. "Failures. Risks. Uncomfortable variables."
Kael nodded slowly.
"Then we'll change that," he said.
Aldren smiled.
---
Shadows Tighten
Far beneath the kingdom, Malrik Noctis watched ripples spread through a massive Aether map.
"They survived again," one follower said cautiously.
Malrik's lips curved slightly. "Good."
He extended a hand, dark energy coiling around his fingers.
"Prepare the next phase. The academy believes it controls the flow."
The map darkened.
"They are wrong."
---
Unspoken
That night, Kael sat alone on the academy steps, ribs still aching.
Lyra joined him without a word.
They sat in silence.
"…You scare me," she said suddenly.
Kael blinked. "Why?"
"Because you don't know when to stop," she replied. "And because when you speak… people listen."
Kael looked forward. "I'm scared too."
She glanced at him.
"But I won't stop," he continued.
Lyra nodded slowly.
"Good," she said. "Neither will I."
Above them, the stars continued to shift.
Iron Resolve wasn't just climbing anymore.
It was changing the academy itself.