Chapter 10 - The Price of Power
The silence after the duel was worse than the storm itself.
Kael's ears still rang from the clash of lightning and shadow, his vision blurry as he stumbled behind Professor Aric. The man's presence was like a wall of iron, his heavy boots striking the stone in grim rhythm as he led them down the corridor. No one dared follow. Students melted out of the way, their whispers buzzing like hornets.
"Did you see - ?"
"He lost control."
"He nearly - "
Kael kept his gaze on the floor, each murmur cutting like a blade. His chest still burned with the stormmark's heat, the broken chain pulsing faintly through his shirt. Every step was agony, both from his bruised body and the shame that clawed at his gut.
Ember limped at his side, tail low, sparks flickering weakly from his fur. The bond between them was heavy with exhaustion, but also something sharper - Ember's growl of defiance against the whispers.
Joren walked on Kael's other side, his stride unshaken, his smirk returned. Shadows still clung faintly to him, but he looked untouched by guilt or fear. If anything, there was satisfaction in his eyes, as though the outcome had been exactly what he wanted.
They entered Aric's office. The door slammed shut behind them with a thud that rattled the walls.
The professor turned slowly, his weathered face grim, his eyes like stormclouds. "What in the abyss were you two thinking?"
Neither boy answered.
Aric's staff struck the floor, the sound sharp as a crack of thunder. "A sanctioned duel is one thing. But this? You shattered half the corridor, endangered your peers, nearly destroyed each other. This academy is not a battlefield for your pride."
Kael swallowed hard. His throat was dry, but words scraped their way out. "It was my fault."
Joren's head turned, eyebrows lifting slightly.
"I couldn't control it," Kael admitted, his voice low. "The storm - I tried, but - " He stopped, his fists clenching, shame twisting tighter in his chest.
Aric's eyes softened, but only slightly. "Kael, your lack of control is not an excuse. It is a danger. To yourself. To everyone around you."
Kael lowered his head, Ember pressing closer to his leg.
"And you," Aric turned on Joren, his gaze sharp as steel. "You provoked him. You goaded him into revealing what he was not ready to wield. Don't think I don't see your games."
Joren's smirk faltered for the first time. He bowed his head with mock humility. "Of course, Professor. I only wished to test a fellow student's strength. I didn't realize it would spiral so far."
The lie hung in the air like a snake's hiss.
Kael's stomach turned, but he stayed silent.
Aric pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily. "The Headmaster will hear of this. For now, both of you are confined to your quarters until further notice. No classes. No training."
Joren inclined his head gracefully, as though the punishment were nothing. Kael only nodded, his shame growing heavier.
As they were dismissed, Joren lingered near the door, his voice low enough that only Kael heard.
"You made quite the spectacle, Thunderheart. Now the academy knows exactly what you are."
Kael stiffened, but Joren only smiled, eyes glinting. "And trust me... that's just the beginning."
He left, shadows trailing faintly in his wake.
Kael stood frozen, Ember nudging his hand softly. The whispers outside the office door were already rising again, carrying through the stone walls.
Dangerous.
Unstable.
Cursed.
Kael's chest burned hotter. He pressed a hand over the stormmark, the broken chain pulsing like a living wound.
He had wanted to belong here.
Instead, he had given them reason to fear him.
Kael's return to the dorms felt like walking into an execution ground.
The corridor that usually buzzed with chatter fell silent the moment he stepped inside. Students froze mid-conversation, eyes darting toward him. Some quickly looked away; others did not bother to hide their stares. Ember padded beside him, his ears low but his eyes sharp, daring anyone to come too close.
Kael kept his head down, but the whispers still found him.
"Did you hear? He almost blew a hole through the wall."
"They say he lost control completely."
"No - he aimed for Joren. But if the professor hadn't stopped him - "
"Storm-cursed. Just like the stories."
Each word twisted like a knife. Kael clenched his fists until his knuckles whitened. He wanted to shout, to deny it, to explain - but his throat locked tight. What could he say? They had all seen it.
He slipped into his room, shutting the door harder than he meant to. Ember hopped onto the bed, curling into a tight ball, though sparks still crackled faintly across his fur, echoing Kael's unrest.
Kael sank onto the chair, pressing his face into his hands. His stormmark still throbbed with heat, the broken chain glowing faintly under his shirt. He tugged the fabric down to look, half hoping it would have faded. It hadn't. If anything, the mark seemed stronger, the cracks of lightning etched deeper across his skin.
A knock at the door broke the silence.
"Kael?"
It was Lyra.
He hesitated, shame and anger warring inside him, but finally opened the door. Lyra stood there, worry etched across her face. Behind her, the corridor was still buzzing, but she ignored the stares.
"You shouldn't be here," Kael muttered.
"And leave you brooding alone?" she shot back gently. "Not a chance." She slipped inside, closing the door behind her.
Kael sat back down, unable to meet her gaze. "You saw it. I almost lost control. I could've - " His voice cracked. "I could've hurt everyone."
Lyra moved closer, her voice steady. "But you didn't. You stopped yourself."
"I didn't stop," Kael snapped, his hand clenching into his shirt where the mark burned. "Aric stopped me. If he hadn't - "
Ember lifted his head, letting out a low growl, as if disagreeing. Sparks flared briefly in his fur, a reminder that Kael wasn't alone in that moment.
Lyra placed a hand on his arm, her touch grounding. "Kael, everyone here is training to control dangerous powers. That's why the Academy exists. Yes, yours is stronger, wilder, maybe scarier. But that doesn't mean you're a monster."
Kael finally met her eyes. There was no fear there. Only stubborn defiance.
"You really believe that?" he asked, his voice quiet.
"I don't care what the others whisper," she said firmly. "I know who you are. And so does Ember."
Ember wagged his tail once, a sharp spark snapping in the air.
Kael let out a shaky breath, some of the weight in his chest easing. But before he could answer, the door creaked again.
Dain stood in the doorway, his jaw tight, eyes unreadable.
Kael tensed. "Come to say I told you so?"
Dain's lips pressed into a thin line. "No. I came to tell you to be careful. Joren isn't done with you."
Kael blinked. "What?"
Dain stepped inside, his hawk swooping to perch on his shoulder. "I've seen the way he looks at you. That duel - it wasn't just pride. He wanted something. And now he knows more about you than anyone should."
Lyra frowned. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying," Dain said grimly, "that Joren isn't just your rival anymore. He's your hunter. And if you're not careful, he'll use your storm to destroy you."
The words hung heavy in the air.
Kael felt the storm inside him stir again, restless, as though sensing the truth in Dain's warning.
The room felt smaller with Dain inside, his sharp presence filling the space like a drawn blade. His hawk shifted on his shoulder, feathers ruffling, eyes glinting with restless energy.
Kael leaned forward, his stormmark still burning faintly under his shirt. "What do you mean Joren is hunting me?"
Dain's expression was grim. "Joren's family isn't like the rest of us. They're not here just to learn. They're here to gain influence. Power. His father sits on the High Council, and his bloodline traces back to the Eclipsed Order themselves."
Lyra stiffened. "The Eclipsed Order? The ones from the old wars?"
Dain nodded. "Not just from the wars. They've never gone away. They whisper in the dark, weaving politics and bloodlines together. Joren is their prodigy, trained since birth. His shadow-wolf isn't a pet - it's a legacy. Every generation, a shadow-wielder in their line binds themselves to one."
Kael's stomach churned. He remembered the way the wolf had split and multiplied, the way the shadows had bent so easily to Joren's will. "So the duel..."
"Wasn't about pride," Dain said flatly. "He wanted to see how far you'd go. What your storm could do. He wanted the Academy to see it too, to mark you as unstable. Once the Council hears of this..." His eyes narrowed. "They'll have the excuse they've been waiting for."
Lyra's face paled. "They wouldn't - he hasn't done anything wrong - "
"That doesn't matter," Dain cut her off. His hawk let out a sharp cry, as if echoing the warning. "To men like Joren's father, perception is power. If they convince the Academy that Kael is a danger, they can control him. Or remove him."
The words struck Kael harder than any blow Joren had landed. His chest tightened, breath shallow. He thought of the whispers in the hall, the fear in his classmates' eyes.
Dangerous. Unstable. Cursed.
Lyra moved closer to him, her hand tightening on his arm. "Then we'll prove them wrong. Kael's not a danger. He just needs time."
Dain's jaw clenched. "Time is the one thing they won't give him."
Kael finally spoke, his voice low, hoarse. "So what do I do? Keep hiding? Keep pretending I can control this when I can't?"
Dain's gaze softened, though only slightly. "No. You learn. Faster than anyone else. You master that storm before Joren and his family twist it against you." He paused. "And you stop letting him choose the battlefield."
Kael lifted his head, meeting Dain's sharp gaze. For once, there was no rivalry there - only raw seriousness.
Ember growled softly at Kael's feet, as if urging him onward. Sparks snapped faintly in his fur, his loyalty a constant anchor.
Lyra nodded firmly. "Then we stand together. If Joren wants to hunt you, he'll have to go through us."
The weight in Kael's chest eased slightly at her words. For the first time since the duel, he felt something other than shame or fear. He felt... anchored. Not alone.
But Dain's warning still echoed in his mind like rolling thunder.
The Eclipsed Order.
The High Council.
Joren's hungry smile.
He realized now the duel hadn't been the end of anything. It was only the beginning.
The dorm room was quiet again, but the silence carried a different weight now. Not the heavy shame of whispers, nor the suffocating fear of being watched - but something tense, deliberate.
Kael sat on the edge of his bed, Ember pressed close at his feet, sparks still flickering faintly from his fur. Lyra stood near the desk, her arms crossed, her face set with stubborn resolve. Dain leaned against the wall, arms folded, his hawk preening its feathers but never taking its sharp eyes off Kael.
For a long moment, no one spoke. The only sound was the faint rumble of distant thunder outside, as though the storm itself was waiting for his decision.
Kael finally broke the silence. "You both saw what happened today. The way I lost control. The way they looked at me afterward. They're right - I am dangerous."
Lyra's eyes flashed. "No. You're powerful. There's a difference."
Dain added quietly, "Power always scares the weak."
Kael shook his head, guilt gnawing at him. "If Aric hadn't stopped me, the Academy would be rubble. I don't even know what I am, or why this storm chose me. All I know is... it's too much."
Ember growled, nudging Kael's hand firmly, as if refusing to let him give up. Sparks tickled his skin, warm and grounding.
Lyra stepped forward, her voice soft but fierce. "Then let us carry it with you. You don't have to face this alone. Whatever you are, Kael, you're still you. And I trust you."
Her words struck deeper than any blade. Kael looked up, meeting her gaze. There was no fear there. Only belief.
Dain's tone was harder, but no less resolute. "She's right. You may not be able to stop Joren on your own. But together... maybe we can. If the Eclipsed Order are moving pieces already, we can't just wait. We prepare. We fight."
Kael studied them both, his heart pounding. He thought of the whispers, the fear in the Academy's eyes, Joren's smirk, the crackling hunger of his stormmark. For so long, he had carried it all alone, certain no one could understand.
But Lyra's faith, Dain's grim warning, Ember's growl - they were anchors in the chaos.
Slowly, Kael nodded. "Then we make a pact. No matter what comes. No matter what they say. We stand together."
Lyra's lips curved into a small, relieved smile. She extended her hand. "Together."
Dain hesitated, then pushed off the wall, his hawk letting out a piercing cry as if sealing the moment. He clasped her hand firmly. "Together."
Kael placed his hand over theirs, Ember barking once, sparks flaring brightly in the dim room.
The air seemed to hum, as if the storm itself acknowledged their vow.
For the first time, Kael didn't feel cursed. He felt chosen.
He met his friends' eyes and spoke, his voice steady. "Then let this be our oath: whatever Joren plans, whatever the Eclipsed Order want - I won't let them use me. We'll fight them. We'll fight for each other."
The hawk screeched, Ember barked, and Lyra's phoenix mark glowed faintly at her wrist, feathers shimmering just beneath her skin. Even Dain's usually cold eyes burned with quiet fire.
Kael felt the stormmark pulse in response, the broken chain blazing brighter than ever. But this time, it didn't feel like a wound. It felt like a promise.
The promise of a storm that would not bow.
The three of them stood together, bound not by blood, but by choice. An oath forged in shadows, lightning, and fire.
And somewhere beyond the walls of the Academy, Kael knew, Joren was already plotting his next move.
But Kael no longer feared the darkness ahead.
Because he would not face it alone.