The academy days continued to unfurl like a scroll, each day written with ink made of laughter, grueling training, and small, stolen moments that flickered like sparks in the dark. To the outside observer, nothing dramatic was happening. There were no dragons attacking the walls, no great wars declared. But between two people, the shift was seismic quiet, yet powerful enough to change the axis of their world.
One evening, the sky turned a bruised purple as the sun dipped below the horizon. The air grew cool, signaling the end of a particularly brutal magic practice. The group - Luna, Velanor, Kairos, Seyana, and Raksha, found themselves collapsing under the canopy of a large ancient oak tree near the training fields.
The tree was massive, its roots knuckling out of the ground like the fingers of a giant, providing a perfect natural bench. The leaves above them rustled softly, glowing amber and gold under the setting sun. Around them, the first fireflies of the evening began to blink into existence, floating like drifting embers.
Velanor lay back against the trunk, picking up a twig and using it to draw elaborate, nonsensical plans in the dirt.
"Mark my words." Velanor announced, gesturing with the twig as if it were a royal scepter. "When we graduate, I'm going to become the strongest earth mage in the history of Zephyros. I won't just move rocks; I'll move mountains. Then, I'll build a mansion... no, a palace and I will force Luna to live next door to me."
Luna, who was quietly cleaning dirt off his boots with a focused expression, paused to sigh. It was a long, suffering sigh. "Why, in the name of the five thrones, would I want to live next to you? I spend every waking hour with you now. That is already a test of my patience."
"Because you love me!" Velanor grinned, undeterred. "And so you can't ignore me even if you try. I'll make the walls thin."
"You're like a stone stuck to my shoe." Luna muttered, though there was no real venom in his voice. "You simply never leave."
"Exactly!!" Velanor laughed proudly, tossing the twig away. "Steadfast. Unmovable. That's an earth mage trait."
Raksha, sitting beside Seyana with her knees pulled up to her chest, smiled at their banter. But her eyes held a serious glint as she looked at the rising moon.
"I have a plan too." she said softy. "I'll be the first commoner from Reyanere to become an official court mage. Not a servant, not a soldier, but a Mage of the High Council. I'll send letters to my village every week big, official scrolls with wax seals proving that talent matters more than background."
The group went quiet for a moment, respecting the weight of her dream. In a world ruled by bloodlines, Raksha's ambition was a battle cry.
Seyana looked down at her hands. They were pale, trembling slightly from the day's exertion. She traced the lines on her palms.
"I…" She hesitated. "I don't know what I'll become."
The admission felt heavy. Everyone else saw a destination, but she only saw a foggy road paved with her father's commands.
Kairos, who had been leaning against the tree in silence, turned his head. His dark eyes caught the fading light. "You don't have to decide now, Seyana. You don't need a title or a mansion to have a future. You'll become something that makes you happy."
Her heart stuttered in her chest. It was a physical reaction, a skip in the rhythm that she was becoming dangerously used to. He always did this, he cut through the noise and chose words that went straight to the truth she tried so desperately to hide.
The others eventually stood up, dusting off their uniforms.
"I'm starving..." Velanor declared. "If I don't eat a roasted chicken in the next ten minutes, I will wither away."
"You have enough reserves to last a winter." Luna followed him toward the dining hall. Raksha squeezed Seyana's shoulder and followed them.
Seyana stayed behind. "I'll catch up." she said. "I just need a moment."
She sat there as the twilight deepened into true night, breathing in the cold, crisp air. It smelled of pine and damp earth.
She thought she was alone, but a soft scuff of a boot on grass told her otherwise.
Kairos was waiting nearby. He wasn't hovering, and he wasn't intruding. He stood at a polite distance, leaning against a wooden fence post, gazing up at the stars.
He was simply making sure she wasn't walking back alone in the dark. When she finally stood and turned to leave, he pushed off the fence and fell into step beside her.
They walked in silence for a few moments, the only sound the crunch of gravel beneath their feet.
"Did I say something wrong earlier?" he asked suddenly, his voice laced with uncharacteristic uncertainty.
Seyana looked up, surprised. "No. Why do you think that?"
"You looked… sad..." Kairos said, glancing down at her. "When I said you should be happy. Your expression... it looked like you were saying goodbye to something."
Seyana shook her head, clutching her arms around herself against the chill. "It wasn't sadness, Kairos. It was confusion. I've always lived by expectations. My father, the court, the kingdom… they have a script for me. I never imagined who I want to become… only who I'm supposed to become."
Kairos didn't respond immediately. He didn't offer a platitude or tell her to just rebel. He just listened, letting her words hang in the air between them.
Then, he stopped walking. Seyana stopped too, turning to face him.
"If the whole world expects something from you." he said softly, his voice intense and low, "I hope you still choose something for yourself, too. Even if it's small. Even if it's just… a favorite color, or a favorite song. Or a friend."
She didn't answer. She couldn't. The lump in her throat was too large. For the first time, someone wasn't asking for her obedience or her strength. Someone finally wanted her to choose.
A week later, the academy was buzzing with the intensity of mid-term evaluations.
The class was Mutation-Magic, a difficult branch of sorcery that involved channeling mana internally to enhance physical attributes. It was dangerous.. pushing too much magic into the muscles could tear them, and pushing it into the nervous system could cause blackouts.
"Focus!" the instructor barked, walking between the rows of students. "Channel the mana through your legs! Visualize the wind moving through your veins, lightening your bones!"
Sparks of green wind and red fire shot across the room as pairs competed for speed, dashing from one end of the training hall to the other. The air smelled of ozone and burning rubber.
Kairos and Luna finished first, as always. Kairos moved like a blur of shadow, and Luna moved with the unstoppable momentum of a boulder rolling downhill.
"Next pair! Seyana and Raksha!"
Seyana stepped up to the starting line. She was tired. She had been practicing late every night, trying to master the techniques so her father wouldn't hear reports of her failure.
I have to be faster, she told herself. I have to be perfect.
"Go!"
Seyana pushed her mana. She didn't just stream it; she flooded it. She forced a torrent of energy into her legs. She shot forward, faster than she had ever moved before, leaving Raksha behind in a trail of dust.
She crossed the finish line in record time.
"Excellent!" the instructor shouted.
Seyana turned to smile, but the world suddenly tilted.
Her vision swam. The floor seemed to rush up to meet her face. The sounds of the room the cheering, the instructor's voice everything sounded like they were underwater.
She collapsed to her knees, her legs giving out as the mana backlash hit her.
Before she could hit the ground, before the instructor could even take a step, a blur of motion cut through the room.
Kairos was there.
He caught her, his arm sweeping around her waist to support her back, his other hand gripping her shoulder to steady her.
"Seyana!" His voice was sharp, cutting through the fog in her mind. "Can you hear me?"
She blinked, trying to focus on the face hovering above hers. He looked terrified.
She nodded weakly, clutching his shirt for balance. "I'm fine… just… dizzy."
The instructor hurried over, checking her eyes. "Mana exhaustion. She pushed her flow too quickly without stabilization. Take her outside for fresh air, immediately."
Kairos didn't wait to be told twice. He guided her toward the door, taking most of her weight so she barely had to walk.
"Sit here.." he said gently, helping her onto a stone bench beneath the open window of the corridor. The cool breeze hit her face, helping to clear the black spots dancing in her vision.
She closed her eyes, breathing slowly, feeling the mana settle back into her core. When she opened them again, Kairos was crouching in front of her, watching her with clear, unguarded worry.
"You don't have to look at me like that." she whispered, feeling a fresh wave of heat rise to her cheeks that had nothing to do with magic.
"I will look like this if you scare me like that." he countered, his voice rough.
His honesty made her blush deeper. He didn't try to hide his fear for her.
"I'm used to pushing myself too hard.." she murmured, looking down at her boots. "Expectations never let me rest. If I stop, I feel like I'm falling behind."
"Then I'll be the one who tells you to rest," he replied instantly. It wasn't a suggestion... it was a vow.
Her eyes widened, meeting his. The intensity in his gaze stripped her defenses away. He wanted to be part of her life. He wanted to be the breakwater against the ocean of expectations drowning her.
She wanted him in her life, too. And both of them were absolutely terrified of what that meant.
The instructor stuck his head out the door. "Kairos! Get back in here! Next drill!"
Kairos stood up slowly. As he turned to leave, his hand brushed against hers. It wasn't a mistake. His fingers lingered for a split second against her skin, sending a jolt of electricity through her that was stronger than any spell.
"If you feel dizzy again," he said quietly, looking back over his shoulder, "call me first."
She nodded, unable to speak.
That night, the dormitory was quiet, save for the scratching of quills and the turning of pages.
Seyana sat at her desk, a textbook open in front of her. She had been staring at page 42 for an hour. She hadn't read a single word. Every time she blinked, she felt Kairos's arm around her waist, supporting her. Every time she breathed, she remembered the scent of him.. soap, rain, and magic.
The door creaked open. Raksha walked in, took one look at Seyana, and crossed her arms dramatically.
"You like him."
Seyana jerked in her chair, knocking her quill to the floor. "No, I don't!"
"Oh, please." Raksha scoffed, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed. "You panic when he smiles. You blush when he talks. You stare at the back of his head during lectures when he's not watching. You think I don't see it? I'm your best friend, Seyana. I see everything."
Seyana felt her heart thudding against her ribs like a trapped bird. "Even if I do…" she whispered, her voice trembling, "it doesn't matter. Raksha, you know who I am. You know who my father is. King Raezon will never allow it. He sees me as a piece on a chess board, not a girl who can have a… a crush."
Raksha softened. She walked over and placed a comforting hand on Seyana's shoulder.
"Love isn't someone's decision to make, Seyana. Not even a King's. You deserve someone who cares about your happiness, not your utility."
Seyana looked away, staring out the dark window. "Happiness is not something I'm allowed to choose."
Her voice cracked on the last word.
Because deep down, beneath the fear and the duty, she already knew the truth. She knew she would choose him. If life ever gave her the slightest chance, she would choose Kairos in a heartbeat.
And something inside her feared, with a cold, heavy dread, that life never would.
Across the courtyard, in the boys' dormitory, the mood was equally heavy.
Kairos stood on the small stone balcony attached to their room, staring up at the vast expanse of the night sky. The stars looked cold and distant, offering no answers.
The glass door slid open. Luna stepped out, leaning against the wall behind him. The earth mage was quiet, his presence grounding.
"What's going on between you and Seyana?" Luna asked. Direct. Simple.
Kairos didn't answer for a while. He gripped the stone railing until his knuckles turned white.
"I don't know." he admitted finally, his voice lost to the wind. "I just know… I want to protect her. When she fell today, my heart stopped. I just want to be someone she can depend on. Even if she never chooses me… even if she goes back to Solaris and marries some Duke… I want her to be safe."
Luna nodded slowly, looking at his friend's back. "That's love, Kairos."
Kairos exhaled shakily, his breath pluming in the cold air. "I'm scared, Luna."
"Why?"
"Because I'm falling for a girl who is forbidden to love. She is the sun, and I'm just… me. If I get too close, I'll burn. Or worse, I'll be the reason she gets in trouble."
Luna walked forward and placed a firm hand on Kairos's shoulder.
"Then don't force fate." Luna advised wisely. "Just be there. Sometimes love grows naturally, not by confession… but by staying. Be the one thing in her life that doesn't demand anything."
Kairos closed his eyes, leaning into the touch of his friend.
He already knew. It was too late for warnings. It was too late to guard his heart.
He wasn't falling anymore. He had already fallen, hard and fast, with no hope of recovery.
Chapter 4 ends - Yes it is!