The morning sun filtered gently through the academy's towering spires, casting golden rays across the courtyard. Zane stretched lazily, arms behind his head, still relishing the satisfying memory of toppling the senior department's Number One with nothing but the blunt end of the End Blade and sheer speed.
Just as he was about to slip back into his dorm for a nap, a crimson glyph shimmered midair in front of him.
> "Training. Now. Bring the Skybird." – Kaela
Zane blinked, then chuckled. "Subtle as always."
He turned toward Sera's dorm—which, of course, was empty.
"Behind you, idiot," she called out, already lacing her fingers through his. "Kaela?"
Sera grinned. "Let's go then, Shadowboy."
As they strolled across the academy grounds, hand in hand, Nyx materialized on Zane's shoulder with her usual sass.
"Well, well, aren't you two just the embodiment of teenage rebellion and unprocessed emotions," she drawled, floating lazily beside them.
Zane rolled his eyes. "Don't start."
"I'm just saying," Nyx shrugged, "One minute you're chopping through gravity freaks like butter, the next you're holding hands like you're about to sing a duet. The void has fallen far."
Sera tilted her head toward Nyx. "Jealous much?"
"Pfft," Nyx scoffed, doing a lazy spin in the air. "Please. I've been around for eons. I've seen galaxies fall in love and explode. Your little hand-holding adventure doesn't even crack the top five."
Zane smirked. "Top five, huh?"
"Of worst ideas," she shot back.
They passed a few confused students along the way—some recognizing Zane from the previous day's fight, others whispering about his cracked mana orb or the fact that no one had seen Sera actually enter or leave her own dorm in days.
But the two of them kept walking—past the training halls, past the libraries, until they reached the quiet cliffside path that led into the forested outskirts of the academy. Crimson glyphs glowed faintly beneath the leaves, only visible to those who could see Kaela's magic.
"Do you think she's planning to kill us this time?" Zane mused.
Sera shrugged. "Only if we mess up her aesthetic again."
"She did say I was getting better."
"She also said your shadow tentacles were 'gross and unrefined.'"
Nyx burst into laughter.
As the last glyph shimmered beneath their feet, the forest opened to reveal the hidden training grounds. The air was thick with magic—wild, ancient, and just a little terrifying. Kaela was already waiting, leaning casually against a massive obsidian pillar.
Zane and Sera stopped a few steps from her.
"Ready for round two?" Kaela said with a thin smile.
Zane tightened his grip on Sera's hand.
"Let's see what we've really got."