The walk back to the academy was surprisingly peaceful. Silva led the way, his wooden staff balanced across his shoulders, with June and Julie keeping stride beside him. Julie had been talking almost nonstop.
"So your grandfather taught you to fight?"
"Yeah."
"And he's really strong?"
"Yeah."
"How strong?"
Silva thought of Cornelius.
"...Strong enough that you might be better off asking him than me."
Julie puffed out her cheeks.
"That's not an answer."
June let out a quiet giggle. Silva glanced at the twins; ever since they'd left Marcus behind, their earlier fear had completely disappeared—especially Julie's. Helpless girls? He was starting to doubt it.
Suddenly—
Rustle.
Silva froze. June and Julie stopped too. Something had moved above them. Silva glanced up slowly. Nothing—just branches swaying lazily in the breeze.
"What is it?" June asked.
"I thought I heard something."
Julie's crimson eyes flicked toward the canopy, narrowing. She'd heard it too. More than that, she felt it—someone was watching them. But the presence was slippery, hard to pin down.
June edged closer to her sister. The twins exchanged a look.
You feel it?
Yeah.
Then—they spotted a teenager near the oak trees, feigning sleep.
He looked a bit older than the rest, with messy white hair and striking golden-yellow eyes. His clothes were plain, almost too ordinary .The strangest part was that none of them had sensed him—not even June or Julie. The white-haired boy yawned and smiled.
"Hello."
Silva's grip on his staff tightened.
"Who are you?"
The boy placed a hand on his chest.
"Nero."
Julie eyed him suspiciously.
"How long have you been standing there?"
Nero tilted his head.
"Standing here?" He pointed upward.
"I was in the tree."
June's eyes widened as Silva glanced toward the branches.
"You were the one watching us?"
"Watching sounds creepy," Nero said, scratching his cheek.
"I prefer observing."
"That's the same thing," Silva replied.
Nero paused, then shrugged. "…Fair."
Julie narrowed her eyes. "Why were you observing us?"
Nero's grin widened. "Because you three were entertaining."
June caught on instantly. "You saw what happened earlier?"
"Everything."
He looked straight at the twins. "Especially your wonderful performance."
Julie froze, and June's cheeks turned red.
Silva frowned. "What performance?"
"N-Nothing," June blurted.
Julie pointed sharply at Nero. "You talk too much."
Nero chuckled as Silva's suspicion deepened. "What exactly did they do?"
Nero opened his mouth, but Julie stepped forward.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Yes."
"Too bad."
Silva sighed as Nero laughed again. Something about him was off—he seemed harmless, playful even, yet didn't quite belong in this forest.
Nero's golden eyes locked with his, and in a heartbeat, Silva's surroundings disappeared.
Blinding light—brighter than the sun—filled his vision, stretching into an endless sky. A massive silhouette shifted within it: wings, scales, a colossal creature gliding above the clouds as the heavens seemed to bend around its presence.
Blink.
The forest snapped back into view. Silva staggered backward.
"Silva?" June asked.
Julie's voice sharpened. "What happened?"
Silva fixed his gaze on the white-haired boy, still smiling faintly, those golden eyes glowing like sunlight buried deep within.
Slowly, Nero's smile faded.
For the first time, real surprise crossed his face.
"...Interesting."
Silva raised his staff.
"What did you do?"
"Me?" Nero blinked with mock innocence.
"Nothing."
"Don't lie."
"I'm not."
Julie stepped between them, her crimson eyes narrowing.
"Your eyes," she said.
Nero met her gaze. "What about them?"
"They were glowing."
He paused, then smiled. "Were they?"
June watched in silence, uneasy. It wasn't that he felt dangerous—if anything, he felt like nothing at all. No mana, no aura, no presence. It was as if he stood there without truly existing.
"What are you?" she whispered.
Nero's golden eyes shifted toward her, and for an instant the forest flared with strange light. Sunlight pierced the canopy in sharp golden beams, shadows dissolved, and the leaves gleamed like emerald glass. Then it was gone.
He put a finger to his lips. "That's a secret."
Julie and June stared. Nero only smiled. "Nothing."
He walked past them.
"Where are you going?" Julie called.
"The exit."
"You're taking the wrong path."
Nero stopped in his tracks, glancing ahead, then behind, and finally toward the trees. "…Am I?"
Silva pointed the other way. "The academy's that way."
After a long pause, Nero calmly turned around. "I knew that."
Julie burst out laughing, and even June covered her mouth.
Silva gave him a look. "Sure you did." Nero strolled past them like nothing had happened.
"Come along, then."
Julie frowned. "Why are you leading now?!" Somehow, despite having met him less than five minutes ago, Nero was walking with them.
As they made their way toward the academy, Silva kept stealing glances at Nero. That strange vision still lingered in his mind—a golden sky, a massive creature, light stretching endlessly across the heavens. He couldn't explain it, and Nero wouldn't. Finally, Silva asked, "Why are your eyes yellow?" Nero looked over. "Why aren't yours?"
Silva frowned.
"That's a terrible answer."
"I thought it was great."
Julie groaned.
"Do you ever answer questions seriously?"
"Sometimes."
"When?"
"When the questions are not boring."
June chuckled quietly.
Despite his odd demeanor, Nero was surprisingly easy to talk to. But the more they walked through the forest, the stranger things became. Wild animals kept their distance. A frost wolf emerged from the trees, spotted Nero—then lowered its head and silently backed away.
The trio noticed.
Nero kept walking like nothing had happened.
Julie finally asked, "Did you do something?"
"No."
"Then why did it run?"
Nero shrugged. "Maybe because I'm handsome."
Julie studied his face.
"...You're irritating."
"I hear that a lot."
But June wasn't laughing anymore. She glanced at the retreating beast. It didn't seemed scared. It seemed... submissive.
As if recognizing something standing far above itself.
They came to a shallow stream. Silva crossed first, June right after, and Julie leapt over with ease. Nero lingered at the edge, his gaze caught by sunlight dancing on the water. For once, his playful grin faded as he stared, lost in something distant—a memory he couldn't place. An endless sky. Three massive shadows soaring above the clouds: one wreathed in fire, one cloaked in darkness, and one—himself—radiant, watching over both.A vision flashed in his mind: Blaze. Then another: Pandora. He blinked, and it was gone. Touching his forehead, he muttered, "…Again."
Silva glanced back. "You coming?" Nero's smile returned in an instant. "Of course." He stepped across.
But as he passed Silva, his golden eyes briefly glowed again.
Nero didn't understand those visions.
He didn't understand why certain places caused memories that weren't his to appear.
And he certainly didn't understand why looking at Silva gave him the strange sensation that he had known him for a very, very long time.
Somewhere deep within Nero, something ancient began to awaken—a presence that had once soared above the world, a creature whose wings had carried it across the heavens, a dragon whose brilliance had lit entire kingdoms. Long ago, that dragon had a name: Ray. But Nero knew nothing of this. Not yet. By the time the academy gates appeared through the trees, the sun had begun descending toward the horizon.
Silva quickened his pace.
"We're almost there."
Julie grinned.
"Then let's hurry!"
June nodded, and the four of them dashed toward the exit.
As soon as they emerged from the Secular Oak Forest, an instructor stepped forward.
"Ore."
Silva handed over his piece first.
The instructor examined it.
"Authentic FOR Ore." He turned to the principal.
"First successful applicant!"
Silva's eyes widened.
"First?"
The principal nodded.
"Congratulations."
A smile spread across Silva's face.
Julie bounced forward.
"Me next!"
She dropped her ore into the instructor's hand.
"Authentic."
"Second successful applicant."
Julie threw her hands up in triumph.
"Yes!"
June calmly passed hers over.
"Authentic."
"Third successful applicant."
June smiled.
Everyone turned as Marcus burst from the forest, dirt and leaves clinging to him. He stumbled toward the instructors, triumphantly raising a chunk of FOR Ore overhead.
"I FOUND IT!"
The instructor examined it closely before nodding. "Authentic."
"The four victors have been decided!" the principal declared.
Silva looked at his ore—first place. Julie had taken second, June third, and Marcus secured fourth.
With a smile, the principal added, "As promised, each of the top four may request one custom weapon from the academy's blacksmith."
Silva's fingers brushed the wooden staff strapped to his back as Cornelius's words echoed in his mind. He already knew what he wanted—a real staff, made just for him.
Nearby, June and Julie whispered about their own choices while Nero stood silently.
"So, what were you doing in the forest?" Silva asked.
"I was napping," Nero replied, turning away before Silva could respond. "See you around, Silva."
"Wait."
Nero kept walking and then disappeared.
He slipped behind one of the academy buildings.
Silva couldn't shake the memory of Nero's eyes—or the impossible vision within them: golden skies, vast wings, and blinding light. Staring at the empty spot where Nero had vanished, Silva felt sure this wasn't their last meeting.
Far from the academy, Nero walked alone until he stopped. A ray of evening sunlight warmed his face, and his golden eyes glowed brighter than ever.