The Sky Academy's upper training grounds were normally quiet in the early morning, but today a small crowd had already gathered—students whispering, instructors pretending not to stare, and even a few senior cadets leaning over railings with barely disguised curiosity.
Because everyone had heard.
Lyria Spark and Kairos Veylan were now an official dual-spark unit.
A historic first.
And today was their first public joint training session.
Lyria stepped onto the wide floating platform at the center of the arena, trying to appear calm as the cool wind whipped her hair around her face. Her Link Spark hummed under her skin, reacting to the dozens of eyes on her.
Kairos joined her a second later, landing with easy grace. His expression was controlled—too controlled. He wasn't exactly a fan of attention either, though he hid it better.
"You okay?" he asked quietly, just for her.
"Yes," she lied.
Kairos raised a brow. "You're glowing a little."
She blushed. "Link Sparks glow when nervous."
"And you're very nervous," he said, lips twitching.
Lyria swatted his arm. "Not helping."
Before he could reply, Instructor Veila's voice boomed over the arena.
"Silence! Today's session will evaluate the coordinated capability of Cadets Lyria Spark and Kairos Veylan—Sky Academy's first sanctioned dual-spark pair. You will observe, but not interfere."
The platform dimmed as containment shields activated around them.
"Begin Phase One," Veila commanded.
Phase One: Movement Synchronization
The moment the signal flared, Kairos moved.
Blade-light erupted from his hands as he launched into the air in a sweeping arc. Lyria reacted instantly, her Link Spark surging to predict his next motion, threading subtle reinforcement into his steps.
To her surprise, she anticipated him perfectly.
Kairos veered left—she was already redirecting energy there.
He spun into a vertical slicing motion—she bolstered the angle before he committed to it.
It felt natural. Like dancing with someone who somehow always knew the next beat.
Kairos noticed it too.
His voice carried across the bond, not spoken but felt: You're faster today.
Lyria steadied her breathing. So are you.
Veila scribbled furiously on her datapad outside the barrier.
"Observe how their sparks communicate," she announced. "No verbal cues. No signals. Their instincts are aligning."
Lyria ignored the watching crowd and focused on the rhythm she shared with Kairos.
It wasn't easy.
It wasn't simple.
But it was real.
Phase Two: Energy Flow Integration
The lights above shifted from blue to orange.
"Phase Two," Veila ordered.
Kairos dropped back to the platform beside Lyria. "Ready?"
Lyria nodded. "Linking."
When she touched his hand, the bond activated instantly—warm, sharp, alive.
A pulse of combined energy shot through them.
Kairos summoned his Sky Blade aura.
Lyria stabilized it, expanding its range.
Gasps rippled through the arena.
The aura grew bigger.
Then clearer.
Then denser than any Sky Blade field of a cadet level could ever be.
Kairos' eyes widened. "Lyria… this is—"
"I know." Her voice trembled. "But we can handle it. We just have to stay balanced."
He gave a small nod, trusting her completely.
And that trust steadied her spark.
Together, they unleashed the full combined aura.
The shield shimmered in brilliant, layered patterns—feathers of sky-blue light interlaced with silver arcs shaped like constellations. The crowd fell utterly silent.
Veila's voice carried over the hush:
"This… this is unprecedented."
Lyria felt the weight of every stare but refused to break focus.
Kairos adjusted his breathing. "Let's push it further."
Lyria shot him a look. "You want to break the academy today?"
A hint of a smile slipped onto his face. "Just a corner of it."
She sighed but tightened her grip. "Fine. On three."
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
Their combined field flared outward with a sound like rushing wind, expanding beyond the limits of a normal shield—and then stabilizing into a dome of brilliant energy.
The barrier plates around the arena glowed in response, absorbing the force without straining.
But outside the barrier?
The cadets watching stepped backward instinctively, awed.
One whispered, "Are they even first-years…?"
Another muttered, "That's Sky Division level…"
And someone else said what everyone was thinking:
"They're a perfect match."
Lyria's heart jumped. She quickly focused on her spark to keep it from flickering.
Kairos stiffened slightly beside her, and she could tell he'd heard it too.
But neither said anything.
Not yet.
Phase Three: Dual Combat Simulation
The arena shifted again as training drones materialized from holographic projectors—swift, sharp, and aggressive.
Veila pointed her staff. "Phase Three: Combat."
The drones launched.
Kairos reacted instantly, leaping forward with glowing blade arcs. Lyria followed, supporting and amplifying each movement.
A drone aimed at Lyria's blind spot.
Before she could even warn him, Kairos' spark surged through the bond—he twisted midair and sliced the drone cleanly apart.
Another aimed at Kairos.
Lyria intercepted it with a burst of Link Spark compression, stunning it long enough for Kairos to finish it.
Ten drones.
Twenty.
Thirty.
They moved perfectly—not mirroring but complementing.
Not assisting but interweaving.
The crowd held their breath.
Kairos moved like wind.
Lyria moved like starlight.
And together they moved like something new entirely.
The Unexpected Surge
When the last drone exploded into shards of light, the bond pulsed—stronger than ever before.
Kairos staggered slightly. "Lyria—did you feel—"
"Yes." Her spark trembled under the pressure. "Something's happening."
Their sparks began rising in synchronization, feeding into each other in a loop.
Not dangerous.
But intense.
Powerful.
The kind of moment where if either of them faltered, the energy could spin out of control.
The kind where emotional imbalance could lead to spark instability.
Lyria tried to slow her breathing.
Kairos stood close, his voice low. "Hey. Look at me."
She did.
And the bond steadied instantly.
Like her spark recognized him.
Like his spark anchored hers.
Instructor Veila's eyes widened.
They weren't just compatible.
They were reactive.
Mutually stabilizing.
A dual-spark phenomenon that hadn't existed in centuries—if it had ever existed at all.
Aftermath: New Expectations
When the containment shields dropped, the arena erupted with noise—applause, murmurs, disbelief.
Lyria felt her face heat, but Kairos stood tall, calm, quietly proud.
Veila approached them. "That performance was beyond expectations. And beyond known records."
Lyria swallowed. "Is that… good?"
Veila's expression softened. "Good? It's revolutionary."
Kairos tilted his head. "So… what happens now?"
Veila clasped her hands behind her back.
"From today onward, you two will no longer train in standard cadet courses."
Lyria blinked. "Wait—what?"
Kairos stiffened. "You're saying—"
"I'm saying," Veila cut in, "that starting tomorrow, you will train under the Advanced Combat Division."
The highest-level unit in the entire Academy.
Even upper years rarely entered.
Lyria's heart pounded.
Kairos exhaled slowly, processing it.
Veila added, "Your bond has changed the academy's expectations. This is bigger than you two alone. And you two must rise to meet it."
Lyria looked up at Kairo.
He met her eyes, calm and steady.
"We'll handle it," he said.
Lyria nodded, feeling the bond pulse warmly between them.
"Together," she added.
And for the first time, she realized that…
Being paired with Kairos wasn't just destiny.
It was possibility.
A spark waiting to ignite the world