The night deepened, draping the courtyard in long shadows. Kael remained seated long after Misa's footsteps faded, the exam slip limp between his fingers.
The lanterns around the training field had burned low, their light smearing across the cracked flagstones like pale liquid. Somewhere beyond the academy walls, the low hum of the city blended with the faint chime of the wind-bells—soft, rhythmic, almost like breathing.
He closed his eyes.
And there it was again.
That pulse.
It wasn't part of him—not entirely—but it moved through his body as though it had always been there. Each throb carried an echo, faint and ancient, like a voice trying to speak from the bottom of a deep well.
> *—Kael Saran—*
His eyes snapped open, but the courtyard was empty.
"Who's there?"
Silence. Only the wind answered.
He pressed his palm against his chest. The seed—the thing that defied the ranking devices—was stirring faster now, as if aware it had been noticed. The sensation wasn't painful, but it left him feeling… *seen*.
*Too seen.*
A sharp rustle broke the quiet. Kael turned toward the far archway, where a figure lingered just outside the halo of the nearest lantern.
The man's robes were unfamiliar—not academy colors, not city guard. Dark. Travel-worn. The kind worn by those who preferred to pass unseen.
"Strange result, that 'undefined' tier," the stranger said, stepping forward. His voice was smooth, but laced with an undercurrent Kael couldn't name. "Not something you see every decade."
Kael straightened. "You're not faculty."
"I'm not here for the academy." The man's eyes glinted in the dim light. "I'm here for *you*."
Kael's hand instinctively curled into a fist. "Why?"
The man studied him for a moment, then smiled faintly—as if Kael's question had been the answer he expected. "Because things that don't fit the system's measure… are either worthless, or priceless. And I happen to be a collector of the latter."
The seed pulsed violently, once, like a heartbeat slamming against his ribs.
Kael forced his voice steady. "If you know something about what's happening to me—"
The stranger raised a hand. "Not here. Too many ears. Too many eyes. You'll find me when you're ready."
And then—before Kael could move—he stepped backward into the shadowed archway, and was gone.
Kael stood frozen, the paper crumpled in his grip.
Above, the stars glimmered against the night like distant watchers. Somewhere among them, an unseen path was opening, and he had just taken his first step toward it—whether he wanted to or not.