Morning came with warning bells.
Not literal bells, the Academy didn't need such crude mechanisms when Platinum Resonance could carry specific vibration patterns through the air that every magic-sensitive person within the campus boundaries could feel. This particular pattern made Kael's teeth ache and set his seven frequencies churning with sympathetic agitation: three sharp pulses followed by a long declining tone.
Emergency assembly. All students and faculty to the Great Hall immediately.
Kael was already awake, had been for hours despite the late night. His sleep had been restless, filled with dreams where seven-colored light dissolved into shadow and voices whispered promises about power without pain. The Azure-enhanced bed had done its best to promote rest, but some anxieties ran too deep for ambient magic to soothe.
He dressed quickly in his Academy robes, still the first-year blue, though he noticed new protective enchantments woven into the fabric that hadn't been there yesterday. Someone had upgraded his clothing overnight with wards that would activate if he was attacked. Thoughtful, but also a reminder that his life had become the kind where assassination attempts required constant vigilance.
The escort waiting outside his door was new too. Not the usual Academy guards, but two figures in robes that shifted between all seven frequency colors in nauseating patterns, Prismatic defense specialists, Kael realized with a jolt. People trained specifically to protect against attacks utilizing multiple resonance types.
"Mr. Thornwick," the taller one said, her voice flat and professional. "We'll be accompanying you to the Great Hall. Please stay between us at all times and don't engage with anyone who approaches."
"What's happening?" Kael asked as they began moving through corridors that rearranged themselves to provide the fastest path, Academy architecture responding to emergency protocols.
"You'll be briefed with everyone else," the shorter guard replied, his hand resting on what looked like a crystalline baton that hummed with contained Void energy. A weapon, Kael realized. These weren't just guards, they were combat specialists prepared to fight.
The Great Hall was in chaos when they arrived. Students filled the space in nervous clusters, their usual table organization abandoned in favor of gathering with friends. Faculty stood in tight groups near the walls, their expressions grim. And at the front of the hall, where Master Thorne usually presided over announcements, stood an unfamiliar figure whose very presence made the air feel heavier.
The woman wore robes of deep purple trimmed with silver, official government colors, Kael had learned during his theoretical studies. Her hair was iron-gray despite a face that suggested she wasn't much past forty, and her eyes held the kind of cold calculation that came from decades of political maneuvering. She radiated authority in a way that had nothing to do with magic and everything to do with power of a different, more insidious kind.
"That's Magistrate Cordelia Ashenheart," someone whispered nearby. "Head of the kingdom's Resonance Regulation Division. She only shows up when something's gone catastrophically wrong."
Kael felt ice settle in his stomach. This was about him. It had to be.
Master Thorne stood beside the Magistrate, and for the first time since Kael had met him, the Academy administrator looked genuinely rattled. His usual composed authority had fractured under whatever pressure the government official represented.
"Students of Aethermoor Academy," Magistrate Ashenheart's voice rang out, amplified by Platinum magic but needing no enhancement to command attention. "I apologize for the dramatic summons, but circumstances require immediate transparency rather than carefully managed information distribution."
She paused, letting silence build, a practiced speaker who understood the power of anticipation.
"As many of you are aware, the Academy and surrounding areas have experienced a series of targeted attacks over the past several days. The dormitory explosion. The void-crystal vandalism. Various incidents in Resonance Falls and beyond." Her gaze swept across the assembled students with prosecutorial intensity. "What you may not be aware of is the scope and organization behind these attacks. We are not dealing with random vandals or isolated extremists. We are dealing with a coordinated campaign orchestrated by the Harmonic Order, a designated terrorist organization that has been dormant for decades but has recently resumed active operations."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some students looked confused, but older ones—particularly those from noble families, went pale with recognition.
"The Harmonic Order," Ashenheart continued, "operates under the extremist philosophy that magical purity must be maintained through aggressive elimination of what they deem 'contaminated' or 'aberrant' magical manifestations. Their targets have historically included individuals with mixed-frequency heritage, those who demonstrate unusual resonance patterns, and, most relevant to our current situation, anyone who manifests abilities that their ideology considers an abomination against the natural order of magic."
Kael felt hundreds of eyes turning toward him, though Ashenheart hadn't explicitly mentioned him. The weight of those stares made his seven frequencies churn with anxiety, and he had to actively suppress the impulse to manifest protective magic.
"The Harmonic Order's recent activities have escalated beyond acceptable threat levels," Ashenheart said, and her voice carried steel now. "They have moved from philosophy to action, from theoretical extremism to actual terrorism. In response, the Crown has authorized emergency measures to protect potential targets and root out Harmonic Order operatives wherever they may be hiding."
She turned slightly, and her gaze landed directly on Kael with the precision of a hunting hawk spotting prey.
"These emergency measures include the immediate transfer of high-value targets to secure government facilities where they can be properly protected and..." she paused meaningfully, "properly monitored."
The ice in Kael's stomach became a full avalanche. They were going to take him. Not to protect him, but to control him. To remove him from the Academy where he had teachers, friends, people who actually cared about his wellbeing rather than just his potential as a weapon or threat.
"Magistrate Ashenheart," Master Thorne's voice cut through the tension, carefully controlled but carrying undercurrents of barely suppressed rage. "As we discussed in our earlier meeting, Aethermoor Academy has more than adequate facilities and expertise to protect students under threat. There is no need to disrupt their education,"
"With all due respect, Master Thorne, the Academy's 'adequate facilities' failed to prevent a bomb from being placed in a student dormitory," Ashenheart interrupted smoothly. "Your security has been compromised. Your staff includes individuals whose loyalties are questionable. And the particular student in question requires specialized containment..." she caught herself, "protection that only government facilities can provide."
"You want to imprison him," Lyrian's voice rang out from the side of the hall, and the legendary hero stepped forward with Golden Resonance flickering around him like a cloak of living time. "Let's not pretend this is about protection, Magistrate. You want to lock away a thirteen-year-old boy because his existence terrifies your political masters."
The temperature in the Great Hall dropped several degrees as two of the most powerful figures in the kingdom faced each other across a space suddenly crackling with potential violence.
"Master Lyrian," Ashenheart said with forced civility. "Your heroic reputation is well-earned, but your understanding of modern political realities is apparently lacking. The boy represents a significant security risk, not through any fault of his own, but simply by virtue of what he is. The Harmonic Order will continue targeting him, which means they'll continue targeting everyone around him. Every student in this hall is at risk while he remains here."
"Then perhaps you should focus on eliminating the Harmonic Order rather than removing their intended victim from his home," Marina Depthsong emerged from the crowd, her Azure robes flowing like liquid compassion around her. "Or does your division find it easier to imprison children than to actually confront terrorists?"
"I find it easier to prevent catastrophes than to clean up after them," Ashenheart replied sharply. "And a Prismatic Resonator with incomplete training who nearly triggered Resonance Cascade twice in two days is a catastrophe waiting to happen."
The revelation sent shock waves through the assembled students. Whispers exploded across the hall as people who'd suspected something unusual about Kael had their suspicions confirmed by the Magistrate's own words.
"Prismatic Resonance?"
"That's impossible, the seal"
"He's the one who caused the examination chaos"
"I knew something was wrong about him"
Kael felt his control wavering under the weight of hundreds of stares, thousands of calculations about what his existence meant. The seven frequencies inside him surged in response to his emotional state, and he felt Crimson heat building in his solar plexus, Azure trying to manifest healing in response to panic, Platinum making the air around him vibrate with building pressure,
A hand landed firmly on his shoulder. Zara stood beside him, her Crimson Resonance flaring protectively, and on his other side Luna appeared with gentle Azure light creating a calming field. Behind him, he felt Gareth's solid Verdant presence like a mountain refusing to move, and Finn's Platinum awareness creating a perimeter of controlled air currents.
"Whatever you're planning to do with him," Zara said loudly enough for her voice to carry across the hall, "you'll have to go through us first."
"And me," Aldric's voice rang out as the prince stepped forward, his Golden Resonance casting light that made the Magistrate's shadow seem darker by contrast. "As third prince of the realm, I formally invoke my right to offer sanctuary and protection to any Academy student I deem worthy. Kael Thornwick is under my personal protection, and any attempt to remove him against his will would be considered an act of aggression against the royal family."
The political move was brilliant and completely unexpected. Ashenheart's expression flickered with frustrated calculation, she'd come prepared to pressure the Academy, to use emergency authority to override educational protections. But she hadn't anticipated a member of the royal family directly intervening.
"Prince Aldric," she said carefully, "I don't think you understand the full scope of what you're offering to protect. This isn't just an unusual student. This is someone who could potentially destroy the Academy and everyone in it if he loses control..."
"Then perhaps you should be more concerned with helping him maintain control rather than treating him like a weapon to be locked in a vault," Aldric interrupted with the casual authority of someone who'd grown up around political maneuvering. "Or does the Resonance Regulation Division now operate under the assumption that citizens are guilty of potential future crimes?"
Theron Voidwalker materialized from shadows at the hall's edge, his Obsidian presence making darkness itself seem more substantial. "The boy has three Prismatic Resonators actively training him in control techniques that we learned through personal experience. He has made extraordinary progress in an incredibly short time. And he has demonstrated repeatedly that when given support and proper guidance, he chooses control over catastrophe." His dark eyes fixed on Ashenheart with uncomfortable intensity. "What support does your government facility offer besides isolation and fear?"
The Magistrate was losing ground and knew it. Her jaw tightened with frustration as she realized the political trap closing around her, three legendary heroes, a royal prince, and a group of determined students all publicly opposing government overreach. Any attempt to force the issue now would create a crisis that her superiors would not appreciate.
"Very well," she said with cold precision. "The boy may remain at the Academy for now. But understand that this is a provisional arrangement subject to review. If there is another incident, another near-cascade, another attack that can be traced to his presence here..." She didn't finish the threat, letting it hang ominously.
She turned to address the entire hall once more. "The Harmonic Order is a real and present danger. All students should be aware that association with known targets may make you targets yourselves. The Resonance Regulation Division will be conducting interviews over the coming weeks to ensure that no Harmonic Order sympathizers have infiltrated the Academy staff or student body. Cooperation is mandatory."
The implication was clear, she couldn't take Kael directly, but she could make life miserable for everyone around him, could turn his presence into a source of constant investigation and suspicion.
"Dismissed," Master Thorne said firmly before Ashenheart could continue. "Students, return to your dormitories or classes. Faculty, please remain for additional briefing."
As the crowd began to disperse, Kael found himself surrounded by his friends forming a protective barrier as they moved toward the exit. The other students gave them a wide berth, some out of fear, some out of respect, some simply because the determination radiating from Kael's small group suggested that interference would be unwise.
They made it halfway across the hall before a voice called out.
"Kael Thornwick."
He turned to find Magistrix Seraphina Vex approaching, her purple robes somehow looking more menacing in the morning light. She moved with the casual confidence of someone who belonged anywhere she chose to be, and her Obsidian Resonance created shadows that didn't quite match the light sources around her.
"Magistrix," Kael said warily, very aware of how his friends tensed beside him.
"I wanted to offer my support," Seraphina said with what sounded like genuine concern. "What Magistrate Ashenheart attempted was unconscionable, trying to imprison a student for the crime of existing in a way that frightens bureaucrats. You have my assurance that many faculty members stand firmly against such overreach."
"Your support is noted," Master Thorne's voice cut in as he appeared beside them. His expression when looking at Seraphina was complicated, the warmth of a godfather mixed with suspicion that hadn't been there days ago. "But perhaps this conversation should wait until Mr. Thornwick has had time to process this morning's events."
"Of course," Seraphina said smoothly. She turned her attention back to Kael, and for just a moment, her mask of concern slipped. Kael saw something else beneath it ; calculation, perhaps, or hunger, or something darker that he couldn't quite identify. "If you ever need someone to talk to about the pressures of being what you are, my door is always open. I know what it's like to have abilities that frighten people, to be viewed as a threat simply for existing."
Then she was gone, gliding away through the dispersing crowd with shadows trailing behind her like loyal servants.
"I don't trust her," Zara said immediately.
"Neither do I," Thorne replied, surprising them all with his agreement. "And that's precisely why we need to discuss some developments that have come to light." He looked at Kael seriously. "But not here. Come with me, all of you. There's something you need to see."
Master Thorne led them through passages that required Void manipulation to access, walking through walls that appeared solid but weren't, down staircases that existed in spaces between the Academy's normal architecture. Kael's Prismatic guards followed at a discrete distance, their presence a constant reminder that his life had fundamentally changed.
They eventually reached a chamber that looked like it served as some kind of security hub. Crystalline displays covered the walls, each one showing different views of the Academy and surrounding areas, surveillance through combined Azure scrying and Obsidian remote-seeing magic. A handful of faculty members worked at various stations, their faces drawn with stress and exhaustion.
Professor Aldridge looked up as they entered, her Void-dark eyes acknowledging Kael with a slight nod before returning to the display she'd been studying. "Master Thorne, the temporal analysis is complete. You'll want to see this."
Lyrian moved to join her, his Golden Resonance allowing him to perceive the temporal traces that others couldn't see directly. His expression darkened as he studied whatever the display showed.
"Explain for those of us who can't read time-echoes," Marina requested, moving to stand beside them.
"The dormitory explosion occurred at precisely 3:47 AM yesterday," Aldridge said, manipulating the display to show a recording of the blast captured from multiple angles. "The device was a sophisticated combination of Crimson thermal acceleration and Void spatial compression, designed to create maximum destruction in a confined area while minimizing spread to adjacent rooms."
"Which requires someone with advanced knowledge of both frequencies," Theron observed darkly.
"Indeed. But that's not the interesting part." Aldridge adjusted the display, and suddenly the recording showed not just the present moment but temporal layers bleeding through, past and future overlapping in ways that made Kael's head hurt to watch. "Master Lyrian, what do you see in the temporal traces?"
"Two people," Lyrian said quietly, his face grim. "One placing the device approximately six hours before detonation. The other visiting the site roughly three hours before the blast, not to stop it, but to verify placement and set the final trigger."
"Can you identify them?" Thorne asked urgently.
"The first person used Obsidian shadow-manipulation to obscure their features, and the temporal traces are degraded. But the second person..." Lyrian manipulated the temporal display with practiced ease, bringing certain layers into sharper focus. "The second person didn't bother hiding as carefully. They were confident no one would be reviewing temporal records at that time of night."
The image resolved into clarity, and Kael felt his breath catch.
Magistrix Seraphina Vex stood in the dormitory hallway, her hand resting on the door to Kael's room, her expression calculating as she verified something on a small crystalline device that glowed with Void energy.
"She was there," Zara breathed. "She was checking the bomb placement."
"Or possibly attempting to prevent detonation," Professor Aldridge said, though her tone suggested she didn't believe it. "The temporal traces don't show her activating anything, just observing."
"She was making sure it would work," Aldric said flatly. "Making sure the timing was right to destroy Kael's room without causing mass casualties. Terrorism with precision, enough destruction to send a message, not enough to trigger full military response."
"This is circumstantial," Thorne said, but he sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "Being present isn't proof of guilt. She could have sensed the device through her Obsidian abilities and been investigating"
"At 3 AM without alerting security?" Marina interrupted. "Without attempting to disarm it or evacuate students? Come now, old friend. We both know what we're looking at."
Thorne's face aged a decade in the span of seconds. "She's my goddaughter. I've known her since she was eight years old. I mentored her through her Academy years, watched her grow into one of our most brilliant students"
"And somewhere along that path, she was radicalized by the Harmonic Order," Lyrian said gently. "Or perhaps she approached them first, drawn by their philosophy after her brother's death. Either way, we need to face the reality that Seraphina Vex is actively working against us."
"We need proof," Thorne insisted. "Absolute proof before we accuse a Magistrix of terrorism and attempted murder."
"How much proof do you need?" Zara demanded. "She's on the temporal recording at the bomb site hours before detonation!"
"That's not enough for formal charges, not when her family has the political connections they do. The Vex family would claim she was investigating, that we're persecuting her for her brother's death, that the Academy is scapegoating a brilliant young woman to cover up our own security failures." Thorne slumped into a chair, looking utterly defeated. "We need either a confession or evidence of direct Harmonic Order communication."
"Then we get it," Aldric said with the determination of someone who'd grown up navigating political intrigue. "We watch her. We track her movements. We wait for her to make contact with her handlers, and when she does, we have absolute proof."
"That could take weeks," Luna protested. "Weeks where she's free to plan more attacks, hurt more people"
"Weeks where we know who the traitor is and can feed her false information," Aldric countered. "Better to have an identified enemy you can monitor than an unknown one working in shadows."
It was sound tactical thinking, Kael had to admit. But the idea of Seraphina walking free, teaching classes, interacting with students while knowing what she was it made his skin crawl.
"There's another option," Kael said quietly, and everyone turned to look at him. "Use me as bait."
"Absolutely not," Thorne and Lyrian said simultaneously.
"She wants me for something," Kael continued, ignoring their objections. "You all said the attacks are designed to isolate me, to make me desperate enough to surrender or accept 'help' from someone claiming to offer protection. What if we let her think it's working? What if I approach her, ask for the guidance she offered, and see what she reveals?"
"That's suicide," Marina said flatly. "She's a Magistrix with advanced Obsidian abilities. She could manipulate your perceptions, implant false memories, extract information you don't even know you have"
"Not if I have protection." Kael looked at Theron. "You're the greatest Obsidian master alive. Could you shield my mind well enough that she couldn't manipulate me without knowing I was protected?"
Theron was quiet for a long moment, shadows gathering around him in contemplative patterns. "Theoretically, yes. I could weave mental protections so subtle that even another Obsidian expert wouldn't detect them unless they were specifically looking. But Kael, if she realizes you're playing her, if she suspects for even a moment that you're working against her"
"Then I'll be in the same danger I'm already in," Kael interrupted. "At least this way, I'm taking active steps instead of just waiting for the next attack."
"The boy has a point," Aldric said reluctantly. "Passive defense hasn't been working. Maybe it's time to go on the offensive."
"He's thirteen years old!" Thorne exploded, finally losing his composure. "I'm not using a child as bait to catch a terrorist, no matter how sound the tactical reasoning!"
"I'm not a child," Kael said firmly. "I'm a Prismatic Resonator who's already survived multiple assassination attempts and learned to manifest all seven frequencies in two days. I'm either an asset who can help stop the people trying to destroy the Academy, or I'm a victim who sits in protected quarters while my friends get hurt trying to defend me. I choose to be useful."
The silence that followed was heavy with conflicting emotions. Pride and fear, respect and horror, acknowledgment that Kael was right and desperate desire for him to be wrong.
"Three days," Lyrian said finally. "We continue investigating Seraphina for three more days while setting up proper protections. If we haven't found actionable evidence by then, we consider the bait approach. But only with full mental shielding, physical backup within seconds of response time, and Kael having a resonance dampener that actually works."
"The last dampener shattered before I could even use it," Kael pointed out.
"Because it wasn't designed for Prismatic manifestation," Zara interjected, her mind already racing ahead. "But I've been studying the fractured crystal from that device, analyzing the failure patterns. I think I can build something better, a dampener that doesn't try to suppress all seven frequencies simultaneously but instead creates harmonic interference that makes manifestation difficult without being catastrophically unstable."
"How long would that take?" Thorne asked.
"Two days if I work around the clock and Kael helps with the theoretical calculations." She looked at him. "You up for another late-night engineering session?"
"Absolutely."
"Then it's settled," Aldric said with princely authority. "We have a plan. Three days of investigation and preparation, then we move to active countermeasures if necessary. In the meantime, Kael continues his training, we all maintain normal appearances, and we watch Seraphina like hawks."
"I don't like this," Thorne said, but his voice lacked conviction. "Too many things could go wrong."
"Too many things have already gone wrong," Lyrian replied gently. "At some point, we have to stop reacting and start acting. I'd rather do it with preparation than out of desperation."
As the meeting broke up and people began filing out to return to their duties, Kael found himself standing alone with his six friends, seven, counting himself. The people who'd chosen to stand beside him despite knowing exactly how dangerous that choice might be.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "For everything. For defending me against the Magistrate, for believing I can do this, for"
"Oh, shut up," Zara interrupted, but she was smiling. "We're not noble martyrs making sacrifices. We're your friends. This is what friends do."
"She's right," Finn added. "Though I would appreciate it if future friendship activities involved slightly less terrorism and existential threats to reality."
"I'll see what I can do," Kael replied with a laugh that felt desperately needed.
Luna squeezed his hand gently. "Whatever happens in the next few days, we face it together. That's non-negotiable."
"Agreed," Gareth rumbled, his usual stoicism softened by something that might have been affection.
Aldric clapped Kael on the shoulder. "Besides, I just publicly claimed you as under royal protection. Do you have any idea how awkward it would be for me politically if you died now? My father would be insufferable about it."
"Heaven forbid I die and cause you political awkwardness," Kael said dryly.
"Exactly. So try to stay alive out of consideration for my reputation."
As they left the security chamber and made their way back to more public areas of the Academy, Kael felt the seven frequencies inside him settling into something that almost resembled stability. Not control, he was years away from true control, if such a thing was even possible for a Prismatic Resonator. But awareness. Understanding. The ability to sense which frequency was trying to manifest and direct it toward something constructive rather than letting them all explode simultaneously.
It wasn't much. But it was progress.
And in three days, he might need every scrap of that progress to survive a conversation with someone who wanted to steal his power, use it for purposes he couldn't even imagine, and eliminate him as a threat to magical purity.
No pressure.
The seven frequencies hummed their agreement, a chorus of power and potential that was slowly, painfully, learning to harmonize instead of destroy.
Kael just hoped that harmony would be enough when the shadows finally made their move.