Selene Whitmore moved quickly through the Nexus Academy corridors, her casual clothes fluttering behind her as she walked at a brisk pace.
Her eyes scanned sharply until they caught sight of a familiar figure through the glass windows of the training hall.
"...Why is he here?" she muttered.
Inside, Kael stood across from Silva, holding a wooden sword. The tension between them was visible even from afar.
"Did he come to practice swordsmanship?" Selene whispered under her breath, eyes narrowing.
Her expression twisted with conflicting emotions.
"I don’t understand it," she mumbled. "Why am I... drawn to someone like him? He’s not particularly tall or handsome. A cool, confident guy who shares my profession someone who could fight alongside me on missions that would make more sense."
She pouted unconsciously.
"Ugh, it’d be easier to give up if he were just average across the board," she sighed, cheeks flushing pink.
"Aaah! What the hell am I thinking?!" She smacked her cheeks lightly with both hands.
"I’m not here to daydream about my ideal type! I came to observe Kael Vi-rel," she scolded herself.
A deep voice interrupted her inner chaos.
"Be quiet," came a voice beside her.
Startled, she turned and frowned.
He stood with his arms folded, his usual cold demeanor unchanged.
"If you’re here to investigate him," Elric said flatly, "then do it quietly. You’re drawing attention."
Selene crossed her arms. "Are you keeping an eye on him too?"
Elric turned his gaze back toward the training hall. "Just observe."
"You’re so boring..." she sighed dramatically.
From within the hall, the sound of clashing wooden swords echoed loudly.
Selene’s eyes flicked back to the action just in time to see Kael Vi-rel engage Silva in a fierce spar.
Even from afar, it was clear Silva was being pushed back.
"What...?" Selene blinked, stunned. "Silva has superior physical stats. How is Kael holding his ground?"
Elric’s gaze sharpened. "He’s amazing."
Selene didn’t even try to hide her agreement. "I know, right? Kael Vi-rel’s a lot stronger than we gave him credit for."
Elric nodded slightly. "He’s beyond expectations."
They watched as Kael suddenly surged forward. His speed spiked and in that instant
Silva’s wooden sword shattered, splinters flying in the air.
Selene’s eyes widened.
"That wasn’t raw strength..." she muttered.
’At the last moment... Kael got faster.’
There was something off no, strange about Kael’s technique. In the instant before the clash, the flow of mana from his sword had twisted unnaturally.
’That section... shouldn’t contain mana,’ Elric thought, frowning. ’And yet it did irrationally strong mana. Was that intentional?’
’He broke Silva’s sword to mask his physical limitations. Tactically brilliant.’
Silva’s broken sword dropped to the floor.
Elric clenched his jaw.
’He’s more dangerous than I thought.’
"Kuek..." Silva stepped back, sweat dripping down his forehead.
Selene, impressed despite herself, said, "Their stat difference is clear, but Kael’s swordsmanship is on a whole other level."
Elric glanced sideways at her, relieved she responded.
’Whew. I almost talked to myself again.’
"Selene Whitmore," he asked, cautiously, "do you know Kael Vi-rel well?"
Selene shook her head. "No. I only met him once by chance."
’I knew it. We’ve only spoken a few times during cadet training. She has a sharp tongue, and she doesn’t tolerate nonsense. If someone annoyed her, she wouldn’t hesitate to throw them across the room.’
"Tell me if you have a problem with me."
"I don’t care if you die," she had said coldly to a senior cadet.
That was Selene Whitmore no filter, no mercy.
’Did she mellow out after entering the academy...? Or is this some strange new phase?’
Elric decided to test the waters.
"Do you always talk now?"
Selene squinted at him. "What’s that supposed to mean? You wanna die?"
Elric turned away, sweat beading on his neck.
’Nope. She’s the same.’
Back in the training hall, the two combatants had stopped. Silva looked visibly frustrated, panting hard.
"You broke my sword," Silva said, frowning.
Kael wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "Sorry. Got too into it."
Silva frowned deeper. "That’s not the point. I underestimated you."
Kael nodded. "You’re strong. But there’s a gap between strength and experience like I said before."
Elric’s eyes narrowed.
Kael continued, "I’ve survived long battles on the frontlines."
His thoughts spiraled.
’Wait. What? The war between humans and monsters ended years ago. Nexus students are groomed for that war, yes, but no one here should’ve seen it firsthand not unless...’
Selene raised an eyebrow, catching the same implication.
Elric muttered under his breath. "...The battlefield?"
He replayed Kael’s words again and again in his head.
How long has it been since the great war against the monster legions ended?
That war was no small conflict it had reshaped the world. Whole regions had fallen. The only place still occupied by monsters...
...was the Black Lands.
A cursed territory where even elite warriors feared to tread.
’If he’s really been to the Black Lands... then who the hell is he?’
Kael Vi-rel. A man with no past, no background, and no clear family name.
Not even Nexus’s intelligence division could dig up his history.
Elric’s mind raced with possibilities, suspicions growing.
Selene, meanwhile, watched Kael as he calmly extended a hand to Silva.
Silva hesitated, then took it.
"Thanks," Silva muttered. "I learned something."
Kael smiled faintly. "So did I."
Selene unconsciously clenched her chest.
’Why does that make my heart... flutter?’
She turned away quickly.
’No. I must not get distracted. I’m here to monitor him. That’s all.’
And yet, as she glanced one more time at Kael’s steady figure under the sunlight filtering into the hall...
...she couldn’t deny it.
There was something dangerous and captivating about Kael Vi-rel.