"Some marks cannot be hidden—not even by time."
—Archivist Lenorra, Vault of Forgotten Glyphs
The Sky Above Breaks
At dawn, the sigil still burned.
Suspended above Skyhold Academy like a wound in the sky, it shimmered between planes—visible only to those sensitive to mana shifts. Its shape was unmistakable: a circle with twelve interlocking fangs, surrounding a crimson teardrop.
Kairo stared at it from his dormitory balcony, heart pounding.
The mark of the Heaven Breakers.
The last time it appeared, the eastern continent was reduced to cinders.
He heard a knock. When he opened the door, Professor Aldryn stood there, eyes bloodshot.
"Kairo Vale. With me."
Summoned
Kairo was led into the Council Tower, a place most students never entered. High stone arches and flame-lit sigil walls surrounded the Grand Table.
Around it sat eight Councilors—elders, generals, and headmasters.
Lyra was already there. So was Reign Azaril, watching Kairo like a hawk.
"The sigil appeared after your duel," Councilor Myrrh stated, her voice sharp. "Coincidence?"
"I didn't summon it," Kairo replied calmly.
"But you recognized it," Reign said. "We saw your expression."
Kairo hesitated.
"Yes."
That alone sent murmurs through the room.
"How?" Myrrh pressed.
"I don't know. Dreams. Memories. Pain."
Lyra spoke. "It means he's connected. That doesn't mean he's responsible."
"She speaks for you now?" Reign sneered.
"She believes in truth," Kairo shot back.
Councilor Vennor raised a hand. "Enough. Until we understand what this means, we must asume the worst. And prepare."
He turned to Kairo.
"You're suspended from combat training. Effective immediately."
Lyra gasped. Kairo clenched his fists.
"But—"
"Until further notice, your movements will be monitored. If this sigil returns, or spreads… we may not survive a second Skyfall."
The Forbidden Wing
Lyra met him that evening in the shadow of the Forbidden Wing—a sealed wing of the academy's ancient archives.
"I don't care what they say," she told him. "We're going to find out what that sigil really means."
"How?"
She pulled out a golden key. "Stole it from my father. It opens any locked archive in Skyhold."
Kairo raised a brow. "You just casually steal from your noble father?"
"He taught me to be clever. He didn't say don't use it against him."
They entered the Forbidden Wing.
Inside, ancient tomes glowed with protective runes. Dust floated like mist. The air tasted of old lightning and sealed truth.
One book pulsed.
Heaven Breakers: The First Rebellion.
Kairo opened it—and memories stabbed his skull.
Fire. Screams. A city burning. A woman with silver hair whispering his name—"Kairo, run!"
He dropped the book.
"What is it?" Lyra asked.
"I remember her. From before."
"Who?"
"My mother."
Puzzle of the Past
Kairo couldn't sleep that night. He returned alone to the garden where the duel had taken place.
There, a figure awaited him.
Not Zephyr. Not Reign.
A woman in ash-gray robes, face veiled, holding a silver staff.
"Breaker blood stirs again," she said softly.
"Who are you?"
"A Seer. And once, your guardian."
"You know me?"
"I watched you burn," she whispered. "I watched your father fall. And your mother... she lives. But not here."
Kairo stepped forward. "Where?"
"In the Hollow Realm. A prison between worlds."
She turned to leave.
"Wait!"
She stopped. "Others will come for you. Not all wear masks. But all have secrets."
She vanished into mist.
Kairo fell to his knees.
Reign Moves
Reign Azaril stood in front of the Headmaster's window, watching the sigil with narrowed eyes.
"He's hiding something," he told Headmaster Siroth.
"Perhaps," Siroth murmured. "But power isn't always danger. You were Unranked once."
"I earned my place."
"And now you fear losing it?"
Reign's jaw tightened. "I fear history repeating. Breakers are monsters."
"Or martyrs."
Reign left without replying.
Outside, he drew a small orb and whispered: "Deploy Phase One. Let's see how unranked he really is."
Ambush
Kairo didn't see it coming.
Three masked students attacked him near the Elemental Wells. Their movements were practiced. Not students. Trained assassins.
He fought back—hard.
Runefire sparked. Ground shattered. One attacker caught a blast full in the chest.
But Kairo held back his Breaker Flame.
He defeated them with blade and wit.
But it was close.
Too close.
A fourth attacker watched from above, cloaked in shadows.
"It's him," she whispered into a crystal. "He didn't awaken. But he's close."
From the other end of the crystal, Reign's voice came:
"Next time, don't hold back."
Shifting Hearts
Lyra nursed Kairo's bruises in silence.
"I can't protect you," she said quietly.
"I don't need—"
"You do. But you don't let anyone close enough."
He looked at her. "I want to. I just don't want you to get hurt."
She took his hand.
"Then stop fighting alone."
They leaned into each other.
Almost kissed—again.
But a knock shattered the moment.
A courier with a black envelope.
"Kairo Vale. You are sumoned to the Ranking Trials."