A quiet hum followed Caelum like a shadow. It wasn't a sound others could hear, but a vibration in the air, a subtle shift in the flow of energy around him.
It intensified whenever someone moved with intent nearby, a silent warning system honed over a millennium of solitude.
This hum was his eyes now, painting a world of subtle pressures and currents.
He walked the busy halls of Aetherveil, a silent island in a sea of youthful chatter and hurried footsteps.
The air vibrated with the excitement of learning, the clash of practice swords echoing from the training yards, the low murmur of spells being recited in classrooms.
To Caelum, it was a symphony of intent, and today, the intent directed at him felt sharper than usual.
Sword class. He could feel Valerius standing stiffly near the weapon rack, the boy's anger radiating like heat from a forge.
The metallic tang of the new steel sword Valerius held was distinct, a different resonance than the older practice blades. Lysandra's presence was a firm, unwavering pressure, her gaze, though unseen, felt like a physical weight.
"Rivenhart," her voice cut through the air, devoid of warmth. "Demonstrate your… abilities."
Caelum turned his head slightly towards her voice, the subtle hum around him intensifying as Valerius shifted his stance.
He raised his own simple wooden sword, the grain of the wood familiar beneath his fingers. He didn't need to see the glint of steel to know when Valerius lunged. The sudden shift in the air pressure, the almost imperceptible rush of displaced air – it painted a clear picture.
He moved, not with a practiced parry, but with an economy of motion that placed him just outside the arc of the blade.
Frustration pulsed from Valerius. He attacked again, a clumsy feint followed by a downward strike.
The hum around Caelum shifted, a new pressure point forming. Again, Caelum wasn't there. He moved like a whisper in the wind.
The other students gasped. They saw a blind boy evading a skilled swordsman with an almost supernatural awareness.
Then came the contact. The subtle vibration of Valerius's intent changed as his swing connected with empty air.
Caelum's wooden sword moved in response, a swift, precise tap against the steel. A brittle crack echoed in the sudden silence. Valerius's new sword, pride of his family, now bore a visible fracture.
The air crackled with disbelief. Valerius stared at his damaged weapon, his anger replaced by a bewildered shock.
"The wood… it has a certain resilience," Caelum offered quietly, the hum around him settling back to a calmer rhythm.
Later, in the magic classroom, the air thrummed with raw energy. Students fumbled with incantations, sparks and weak bursts of light flickering around them. When Caelum's turn came, he simply stood still, his breathing slow and even.
He didn't visualize flames or lightning. Instead, he focused on the gentle vibrations within himself, the echoes of the endless starlight of the Hollow Bloom. A soft, white light bloomed in his outstretched hands, calm and steady, a stark contrast to the flickering chaos around him.
"Light magic," the instructor murmured, a note of confusion in his voice. "Untaught."
Reya's presence was a gentle warmth beside him. "You feel things, don't you?" she asked softly. "Not see them."
"The world speaks in many ways," Caelum replied, his voice a low murmur.
The sharp spike of malice preceded the physical contact.
A heavy shove against his shoulder. The air around the attacker vibrated with arrogance and cruelty. "Still fumbling around, blind boy?" the mean voice sneered.
Caelum remained rooted. The hum around the mean boy intensified, then… fractured. It was a strange sensation, like a discordant note in a familiar melody. The boy's intent, so forceful moments before, suddenly wavered, then… vanished. The physical pressure against Caelum remained, but the feeling behind it was gone.
Confusion rippled through the air.
The mean boy stood frozen, his face a mask of blankness. The humming around him was erratic, broken. Then, just as suddenly, it returned to normal, the malice replaced by a bewildered fear. The boy stumbled back, his eyes wide with an unremembered terror.
As Caelum walked away, the quiet hum his constant companion, Reya watched him with a thoughtful frown. The world around Caelum seemed to bend in subtle, inexplicable ways. And she had a growing feeling that the silent boy with the bandaged eyes was far more than he appeared.