Dawn's first light painted the Arcane Academy's spires in soft gold, but Ethan felt no warmth. He huddled in the storage closet he'd claimed as a hideout, the broken sword from the Whispering Woods laid out on a scrap of cloth beside him. The Cursed Blade hung at his hip, quiet now—too quiet, like it was waiting for something. Lira had left an hour earlier to scout the grounds, warning him not to move until she returned.The closet door creaked open. Ethan tensed, hand flying to his Blade, but it was only Lira. Her silver hair was messy, her robe smudged with dirt, and there was a tightness in her jaw that meant trouble."They're looking for you," she said, slipping inside and closing the door. "Kael told Headmaster Voss you stole from the forbidden library and 'tampered with dark magic' in the woods. The headmaster's called an assembly—all students, no exceptions. He wants to 'expose the traitor.'"Ethan's throat went dry. An assembly. A crowd of mages, all staring at the F-rank who'd dared to stand against Kael. "Can we hide?"Lira shook her head. "Voss has ward stones at every exit. If we don't show, he'll send patrols to search every corner of the academy. And if they find this—" she nodded at the broken sword "—it'll be worse. Treason, they'll call it. Punishable by death."Ethan picked up the broken sword. Its runes glowed faintly, matching the Cursed Blade's. "What do we do?"Lira pulled a folded uniform from her bag—deep blue, with a silver crest stitched on the chest. "It's a spare from the third-year dorms. Put it on. Blend in. When Voss calls you up, don't fight. Don't argue. Let me handle it."Ethan frowned. "Handle it how? You can't take on the headmaster.""I don't have to," she said. "My family's been part of the Academy's council for decades. Voss owes us favors. But you have to stay calm. No using the Blade. Not unless you have to."He nodded, pulling on the uniform. It was too big, the sleeves hanging past his wrists, but it would do. Lira led him out of the closet, keeping to the shadows of the corridors. The assembly hall was already packed when they arrived—students chattering, teachers standing at the front, their expressions serious. Kael stood near the headmaster's platform, his arms crossed, a smirk on his face when he spotted Ethan.Ethan's hands clenched into fists. He forced himself to look away, focusing on the back of Lira's robe as she led him to a spot near the exit.The hall went quiet as Headmaster Voss stepped onto the platform. He was a tall man with a beard streaked with gray, his eyes sharp as shards of ice. In his hand, he held a leather-bound book—The Blades of the Fallen, the one Ethan had stolen from the library."Today," Voss said, his voice booming, "we face a threat to the Academy. A student who has violated our laws, stolen sacred texts, and dabbled in magic that killed hundreds a century ago." He held up the book. "This book was found in the possession of an F-rank student—Ethan Cross."Every eye in the hall turned to Ethan. Whispers erupted. He heard someone say "traitor," another "Fallen Knight sympathizer." Kael's smirk widened.Voss gestured for silence. "Ethan Cross, step forward."Ethan hesitated. Lira squeezed his arm. "Go," she whispered. "I'm right here."He walked to the front, his boots scraping against the stone floor. The hall was silent now, save for the hum of the Cursed Blade at his hip—soft, but he knew Voss could hear it. The headmaster's eyes flicked to the Blade, then back to Ethan."Did you steal this book?" Voss asked.Ethan nodded. "Yes, sir. But—""Did you enter the Whispering Woods, a 禁地 marked as deadly for all students?""Yes. But I wasn't—""Did you wield a Cursed Blade, a weapon banned by the Arcane Order for a hundred years?"Ethan's jaw tightened. He thought of his grandfather, trapped in the Heart of the Woods. Of the Fallen Knights, betrayed by the Order they'd served. "It's not a weapon of destruction," he said. "It's a key. To set right what the Order broke."Gasps filled the hall. Kael stepped forward, his voice loud and angry. "Lies! He's a traitor, just like his grandfather! The Cursed Blades killed my father—we can't let him get away with this!"Voss held up a hand. "Silence, Kael. Let him speak."Ethan took a breath. "The Fallen Knights didn't betray the Order. The Order used them. Used the Blades to conquer villages, to steal magic. My grandfather—he tried to stop them. He hid the Blade in my world to keep it safe. But the Order trapped him in the Heart of the Woods, using the very magic he fought to protect."No one spoke. Voss's expression was unreadable. Lira stepped forward, standing beside Ethan. "It's true," she said. "My family's records—hidden from the Order—say the same. The Great Betrayal was a lie. The Order feared the Blades' power, so they destroyed the knights who wielded them."Kael laughed, bitter and loud. "Records? Lies! You're just trying to protect him because—"The hall's doors slammed open. A patrol mage stumbled in, blood dripping from a gash on his forehead. "Headmaster!" he shouted. "The Whispering Woods—something's wrong. The wards are failing. Creatures—dark ones—are escaping."Panic swept through the hall. Students stood, pushing toward the exits, but Voss shouted for calm. "Patrols! Secure the perimeter! Third-years, help the younger students to the dorms!"Ethan grabbed Lira's arm. "It's the Heart," he said. "Kael's men must have gone back. They're trying to take it."Lira nodded. "We have to stop them. If they get the Heart's power, they'll destroy everything."Voss turned to them, his eyes sharp. "You know what's happening." It wasn't a question.Ethan nodded. "The Heart holds the souls of the Fallen Knights. If Kael takes it, he'll use their magic to take over the Order. The creatures escaping—they're the Heart's guardians, waking up to stop him."Voss's jaw tightened. He looked at the book in his hand, then at Ethan. "Go," he said. "Stop Kael. And Ethan—"Ethan paused."The Order has made mistakes," Voss said, his voice softer. "Don't let Kael make more." He handed Ethan the book. "It has maps. To the Heart's chambers. Go."Ethan took the book, nodding. He and Lira ran for the doors, pushing past panicking students. The Cursed Blade's hum grew louder, eager now, and the broken sword in his bag thrummed in response.Outside, the sky was darkening, even though it was only morning. The Whispering Woods loomed in the distance, black smoke curling above the trees. Ethan could hear screams—faint, but getting closer."We're running out of time," Lira said, pulling a small vial from her robe and handing it to him. "It's a strength potion. For the Blade's backlash. Drink it if you have to."Ethan slipped the vial into his pocket. They ran toward the woods, the Cursed Blade glowing brighter with each step. When they reached the edge, they froze. The thorny vines from before were gone, replaced by a path of broken trees and dead grass. Dark figures—shadowy, with glowing red eyes—lurked in the underbrush, growling."Guardians," Lira whispered. "They won't let anyone pass."Ethan gripped the Cursed Blade. Its runes flared. The guardians stepped back, hissing, as if the Blade's light burned them. "They're afraid of it," he said.He stepped forward. The guardians retreated, clearing a path. Lira followed, her hand on the rune at her chest. They ran into the woods, the path leading them straight to the clearing where the pedestal had been.The pedestal was gone. In its place was a huge hole, the ground split open to reveal the staircase Ethan had descended before. And at the top of the stairs, standing over the hole with a fireball in his hand, was Kael."You're too late," Kael said, grinning. "The Heart's power is mine. Soon, the Order will be mine too."Behind him, Ethan saw the scarred mage and the feather-cloaked woman, standing guard at the staircase. And below—faint, but visible—was the stone Heart, its black light flickering as Kael's magic wrapped around it.Ethan pulled the broken sword from his bag. It glowed, matching the Cursed Blade's light. "Let it go, Kael. The Heart's power will destroy you. Just like it destroyed the Order a century ago."Kael laughed. "Fool. I'm not like them. I'm stronger." He hurled the fireball at Ethan.Ethan dodged, swinging the Cursed Blade. A black arc of light sliced through the fireball, hitting Kael's shoulder. Kael screamed, clutching the wound, but he didn't fall. He summoned another fireball, bigger this time.Lira jumped in front of Ethan, her robe glowing blue. A shield of ice formed in front of her, blocking the fireball. "Go!" she shouted. "Get to the Heart! I'll hold them off!"Ethan nodded. He ran past Kael, who was too busy fighting Lira to stop him, and descended the staircase. The cave was chaos—shadowy guardians fought the feather-cloaked mage, their claws tearing at her cloak. The scarred mage was at the Heart, his hands pressed against it, draining its magic.The Cursed Blade roared. Ethan swung it, cutting through the scarred mage's wind whip. The mage spun around, his eyes filled with rage. "You again," he snarled. He summoned a tornado, swirling it toward Ethan.Ethan didn't run. He closed his eyes, focusing on the Cursed Blade and the broken sword. Their runes merged, and power surged through him—hot, but controlled. He swung both Blades at once. A wave of black light burst from them, shattering the tornado.The scarred mage stumbled back. Ethan ran forward, driving the Cursed Blade into the ground at the Heart's base. The stone Heart pulsed, and the black light faded. The scarred mage screamed as the magic he'd stolen was torn from him, vanishing into the Blade.Ethan pulled the Blade from the ground. The Heart went dark, its veins of magic fading. The guardians stopped fighting, dissolving into shadows. The cave shook, and Ethan knew they had to leave—fast.He ran back up the staircase. Lira was still fighting Kael, her ice shield cracking. Ethan jumped in, swinging the broken sword at Kael's legs. Kael fell, and Ethan pressed the Cursed Blade's edge to his throat."Yield," he said.Kael spat. "Never."The cave rumbled again. Rocks fell from the ceiling. Lira grabbed Ethan's arm. "We have to go! The cave's collapsing!"Ethan hesitated, then pulled the Blade away. He and Lira ran up the staircase, leaving Kael behind, screaming in rage. When they reached the top, the woods were clearing—the dark figures were gone, the sky brightening.Voss stood at the edge of the woods, surrounded by patrol mages. When he saw Ethan and Lira, he nodded. "It's over?"Ethan held up the Cursed Blade. Its light was faint now, quiet. "For now. But Kael's still out there. And the Heart—""Is safe," Voss said. "The Order will guard it. And Ethan—" He paused, looking at the Blade. "You're not an F-rank anymore. You're a protector. The Academy needs you."Ethan looked at Lira. She smiled, soft and genuine. He looked at the Cursed Blade, then at the broken sword in his other hand. The weight of it—of the truth, of his grandfather's past—didn't feel like a burden anymore. It felt like a purpose.The bell rang, faint but clear, from the Academy. Students were returning to their dorms, the panic fading. Ethan took a breath, letting the Blade's hum calm him.His journey wasn't over. Kael would be back, and there were still secrets to uncover—about his grandfather, about the Blades, about the Order's past. But for the first time since he'd fallen into this world, he didn't feel lost.He felt home.Lira nudged him. "Come on. Voss is waiting. And I think you deserve a real dorm room. Not a closet."Ethan laughed. He followed her toward the Academy, the Cursed Blade at his hip, the broken sword in his hand, and a future that, for the first time, looked bright.
Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: The Weight of the Order
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