The evening mist hung low over the Aurelius Magic Academy, wrapping the stone towers in a ghostly embrace. While the rest of the students were either celebrating their awakening results or whispering about the 'Silver Freak' who had cracked the testing stone, Kaelen Vance was moving like a shadow toward the northern edge of the campus.
His chest burned. Every breath felt like inhaling ground glass. It was the price of forcing a teenager's undeveloped mana circuits to act as a conduit for Divine Essence.
I pushed too hard, Kaelen thought, leaning for a moment against a moss-covered wall. But it was necessary. I needed to catch Elara's eye, and I needed to let the enemies hiding in the shadows know that I am no longer a pawn.
Beyond the academy walls lay the Forbidden Grove, a dense forest where the mana was wild and predators were many. It was off-limits to students, but Kaelen knew its secrets better than the instructors. In his past life, he had spent months hiding here during the Siege of Astrum. He knew that near the 'Weeping Willow,' a rare Lunar Spirit Herb bloomed once every decade.
He stepped into the trees, the air immediately turning colder.
The Silent Stalker
High above on a balcony of the Solar Dormitory, a figure watched the silver-haired boy disappear into the woods.
Princess Elara pulled her cloak tighter. Her heart was still racing from what she had witnessed in the hall. As a High Priestess of the Sun, she could sense the purity of mana. What Kaelen had released wasn't just strong—it felt ancient, holy, and strangely familiar.
"Where are you going, Kaelen Vance?" she whispered.
Without calling her guards, Elara stepped onto the railing. With a graceful leap, she summoned a flicker of golden light beneath her feet, slowing her descent. She was a prodigy of the Solar Path, and her curiosity was a fire she couldn't extinguish. She followed him into the darkness of the Grove.
Deep in the Grove
Kaelen wasn't alone in the forest for long. The snap of a twig behind him made him freeze. He didn't have his sword, Aethelgard, yet. He only had his bare hands and a soul full of forbidden techniques.
"Come out, Silas," Kaelen said, not bothering to turn around. "I know your scent. It smells of cheap wine and cowardice."
From behind a cluster of dark oaks, Silas stepped out, flanked by two bruisers from the upper years. All three had their wands drawn, the tips glowing with a sickly yellow light.
"You think you're a big man now, don't you?" Silas spat, his face twisted in a mask of jealousy. "You cheated. I don't know what kind of dark artifact you used to break that stone, but I'm going to beat the truth out of you. By the time I'm done, you'll be begging to go back to being a nobody."
Kaelen finally turned. Despite the pain in his chest, he looked bored. "You've chosen a very dangerous place to settle a grudge, Silas. This forest doesn't care about your noble title."
"Kill him!" Silas roared.
The two bruisers launched spells—Fire Bolts and Earth Spikes.
Kaelen didn't dodge. He moved.
Using the 'Flowing River Step,' he glided between the attacks. To the nobles, it looked like he was blurring. To Kaelen, their movements were in slow motion. He closed the distance in a heartbeat.
Bam! Bam!
Two precise strikes to their solar plexus sent the bruisers collapsing to the forest floor, gasping for air. Their mana circuits had been temporarily paralyzed by a tiny jolt of Kaelen's silver energy.
Silas's eyes went wide. "W-what are you?"
"I am your nightmare," Kaelen whispered, grabbing Silas by the throat and lifting him off the ground.
But before Kaelen could finish him, a terrifying roar shook the entire forest. The trees groaned, and the ground vibrated.
From the shadows emerged a Night-StalkerManticore—a Rank-3 beast that shouldn't be this close to the academy. Its tail, tipped with a poisonous barb, lashed out, shattering a nearby tree. Its eyes were glowing red, locked onto the scent of blood and fear.
Silas screamed, his pants darkening as fear took over.
Kaelen dropped him. "Run, Silas. If you stay, you're just a snack."
Silas didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled up and bolted toward the academy, leaving his unconscious friends behind.
Kaelen stood his ground, his eyes narrowing. He was weak, his mana was depleted, and a Rank-3 beast was standing between him and the healing herb he needed.
Fine, Kaelen thought, his hands sparking with faint silver lightning. I needed a real workout anyway.
The Fight for Survival
The Manticore lunged. Kaelen rolled under its claws, feeling the wind of its strike. He knew he couldn't win a battle of strength. He had to use precision.
He jumped onto a low-hanging branch and then onto the beast's back. The Manticore thrashed, trying to throw him off. Kaelen gripped its fur, his fingers glowing.
"Sovereign's Touch: Internal Rupture!"
He slammed his palm into the beast's spine, sending a concentrated needle of silver mana directly into its nervous system. The beast shrieked, a sound that echoed for miles.
But Kaelen was exhausted. His vision blurred. He fell off the beast, landing hard on the damp earth. The Manticore, though wounded, turned for a final, lethal strike. Its stinger was inches from Kaelen's chest.
Flash!
A wall of pure, golden solar fire erupted between Kaelen and the beast.
"Get away from him!"
Elara stood there, her hands raised, her hair glowing like a halo. She looked like a goddess of war. With a wave of her hand, she sent a blast of sun-magic that sent the Manticore tumbling back into the shadows, howling as it fled.
The forest went quiet.
Elara turned to Kaelen, her breathing heavy. She hurried to his side, kneeling in the dirt. "Kaelen! Are you alright? You're freezing!"
Kaelen looked up at her, a weak smile on his face. "You followed me... Princess."
"Of course I followed you! You almost got yourself killed!" she scolded, but her hands were gentle as she began to channel healing magic into his chest. "Why are you out here? Why did you hide your strength for so long?"
Kaelen felt the warmth of her magic—the same warmth he had missed for a decade. He reached out, his hand shaking, and lightly touched the hem of her cloak.
"I didn't hide it to trick you, Elara," he whispered, his eyes closing. "I did it to save you."
Elara froze. He had called her by her name, not her title. And the way he said it... it sounded like a man who had loved her for a thousand years.
"Who are you, Kaelen Vance?" she whispered to the sleeping boy.
She didn't know the answer yet, but as she looked at his scarred hands and the power he had shown, she knew one thing: Her life, and the fate of the kingdom, would never be the same again.
She picked up the small, glowing Lunar Spirit Herb that Kaelen had been searching for. It was right there, at his feet. She crushed it and pressed the essence to his lips.
The Silver Knight began to heal, and in the silence of the Forbidden Grove, a new destiny was forged in gold and silver.