[EXT. SCHOOL OF LIGHT – GRAND COURTYARD – EARLY MORNING]
[TIME SKIP: 11 Years Later — Students Now 16 Years Old, Class 9]
The sun rose gently over the School of Light, casting long shadows across the grand courtyard.
Time had flowed like a quiet river, carrying the once small and clumsy children toward adolescence.
The boy who once stumbled over every race he ran...
The girl who once spun through halls like a wild breeze...
They had all grown.
They were no longer mere children.
They were the seeds of legend — quietly maturing under the patient watch of fate.
---
Lyrion, now sixteen, stood tall and lean.
His silver hair had darkened slightly, the anklet hidden beneath his skin still faintly pulsing.
His powers and talents remained sealed...
but he had grown stronger — more determined.
At his side, laughing as she always had, was Veloria.
Her beauty had blossomed effortlessly, her violet hair catching the wind like a living river.
To anyone watching, the bond between them was unmistakable —
an invisible thread pulling them closer with every passing day.
---
In the training fields, Kairo and Syleria sparred under the bright morning sun.
Their mock battles had grown intense —
fire clashing against space in an elegant, fiery dance.
> Syleria (teasing):
"You still can't land a proper hit, flame boy."
> Kairo (grinning):
"Maybe I'm just being polite."
Their chemistry crackled even louder than their powers.
---
Nearby, Sylion and Aria sat by a small garden they had built together.
Aria's delicate healing magic made flowers bloom instantly.
Sylion's quiet support gave her the strength to try again every time a seed faltered.
No words were needed between them.
Their connection was silent — but deep as the earth.
---
Across the courtyard, Auron and Cyra playfully raced along the stone paths.
Auron — all clumsy energy —
Cyra — quiet strength wrapped in wit.
Their bickering was endless, but their smiles were real.
> Cyra (laughing as Auron tripped again):
"You'll never outrun me, nature boy."
> Auron (grinning while brushing dirt off):
"One day, stone girl. One day."
Their laughter filled the courtyard like a warm breeze.
---
[EXT. TRAINING HALL – MIDDAY]
Inside the vast halls of training, the eight students sparred, studied, learned —
growing not just in strength, but in friendship.
Though Lyrion still struggled at many physical tasks,
he was slowly improving.
The first faint hints of his dormant abilities sometimes flickered when he least expected.
A hand moved too fast.
A dodge timed too perfectly.
Signs... that the sealed light within him stirred restlessly, waiting for its moment.
---
And Veloria was always there.
When Lyrion tripped during sword practice —
Veloria cheered the loudest when he stood again.
When he failed a magic exercise —
Veloria clapped anyway, as if he had succeeded.
She never once let him feel alone in his struggles.
---
> Veloria (grinning after another failed spell):
"You're still my favorite, you know?"
> Lyrion (muttering, embarrassed):
"Even when I'm the worst?"
> Veloria (laughing brightly):
"Especially when you're the worst."
Her laughter was like sunlight, chasing away the shadows clinging to his heart.
---
[Lyrion's Hidden Truth]
Unknown to him,
his struggles were not because he lacked talent —
but because he had too much.
The seal on his anklet had locked away not only his divine powers...
but even his natural skills.
Had he been allowed to unleash his full strength,
he would have soared above all others — isolated and alone.
But now...
he was growing with them —
laughing, failing, standing again.
And somehow, that made him stronger than he would have ever been alone.
---
[EXT. SCHOOL GARDENS – SUNSET]
As the day waned, the friends gathered at the top of the garden hill, watching the sun sink into golden clouds.
Lyrion sat under the old flowering tree, Veloria by his side as always.
Kairo and Syleria bickered playfully nearby,
Sylion handed Aria a flower he had quietly picked,
and Auron attempted to make Cyra laugh with clumsy juggling (and failed gloriously).
---
For a while, they were simply teenagers.
No destiny.
No gods.
No wars.
Just dreams...
laughter...
and the slow weaving of something eternal.
---
[EXT. RUINED WORLD – DEEP NIGHT]
But far away...
In the ruins of a forgotten temple,
the darkness watched.
Zyren stood atop a cracked altar, the black wind stirring his ragged cloak.
Around him, hidden deep underground,
the armies of shadow were slowly taking form —
broken spirits, lost beasts, corrupted soldiers.
---
> Zyren (quietly, to himself):
"Grow stronger, little seeds of light.
Laugh while you can.
Because when the time comes...
your light will be the first I devour."
His crimson eyes gleamed with cold certainty.
The time of waiting was nearing its end.
The child of darkness would not sleep forever.
---
[EXT. SCHOOL OF LIGHT – GARDENS – NIGHT]
Back under the stars,
Lyrion looked up, feeling something stir deep in his chest.
A strange unease.
A shadow brushing against the edges of a dream.
But Veloria's head rested lightly against his shoulder,
her steady breath easing the strange fear.
For now...
peace held firm.
But the threads woven through time
were tightening.
Faster than any of them knew.
---
TO BE CONTINUED...