**Chapter 127 – The Mark**
They returned to the academy at the end of the afternoon.
The main gate was still open, and the movement of students in the courtyards had already decreased. No one paid much attention to the group entering. To the rest of the academy, it was just another 1st Year group coming back from some random outing.
Inside, however, the atmosphere between them was different.
As soon as they moved far enough away from the busier areas, Joker stopped in a quieter side corridor and looked at Elowen.
— Now.
She understood immediately.
Astrid looked around.
— Here?
— No — Joker answered. — Away from windows and curious people.
The entire group followed in silence to one of the smaller internal courtyards, far from the main windows and the flow of students. The place was simple: a few trees, stone benches and enough shade not to draw attention.
Harley sat on the arm of one of the benches, swinging one leg.
— Last chance to back out.
— I'm not backing out — Elowen answered.
— Are you sure? — Marina asked. — It doesn't have to be today just because we asked today.
— I know — Elowen said. — But I want it.
Rina crossed her arms.
— The way you talk, it sounds like you decided a long time ago.
— I decided in the forest — she admitted. — When I reached the limit.
Sylvara looked at her carefully.
— And you're not afraid?
— I am. But not enough to stop.
Harley smiled sideways.
— I liked the answer.
Joker stopped in front of her.
— Then listen carefully. The mark awakens what already exists in you. It doesn't create power from nothing. In your case, the Veil of the Silent Goddess is the core. That won't disappear. It will get stronger… and harder to control at the beginning.
Elowen nodded, serious.
— And the madness?
— Everyone receives their own — he answered. — It's not losing your mind. It's the bottom of you rising to the surface. Some become more impulsive. Others colder. Others… strange in a specific way.
— And me? — she asked again.
— We'll only know afterward.
Lirien, who until then had only been observing, spoke low:
— In my case it came different from Rina's. In Astrid's different from Marina's. There's no fixed pattern.
— Exactly — Joker confirmed. — Each one ended up with their own version.
He raised his right hand. At the tip of his fingers, a small dark mark formed — not exactly shadow, not exactly light. Something in between.
— Last confirmation. Do you want it?
Elowen took a deep breath.
— I want it.
He touched her forehead with his fingers.
The reaction was immediate.
A shiver ran through Elowen's entire body. The Veil, which before only appeared when she summoned it, formed on its own for an instant around her — thin, unstable, trembling as if it had been forced to open too wide. The silver lance almost materialized in her hand before dissolving into particles.
Elowen fell to her knees, holding her own head.
— …This…
— Hold on — Joker said calmly. — Don't fight it.
— Does it hurt? — Astrid asked, tense.
— It hurts — Elowen answered through her teeth. — But it's not just pain.
— Don't interrupt — Kuroe warned, quiet. — Let her go through it.
The group stayed around, observing. Kuroe took a step forward, but didn't touch her. Harley simply followed with interest. Marina and Sylvara were visibly tense. Lirien observed the energy flow carefully.
The mark settled.
Not on the forehead.
On the chest, just below the left collarbone, a dark and elegant mark formed — thin lines that resembled both runes and interwoven veil threads. Unlike the others, hers seemed to move slightly under the skin, as if it were still settling.
At the same time, Elowen's appearance changed.
Before, she had silver hair in a medium and simple cut, always arranged in a practical way, without drawing attention. Her eyes were a calm, almost faded light gray, and her presence was discreet enough to blend into any group without effort.
Now, the hair had gained length and a stronger metallic shine, falling a little past the shoulders in heavier strands. The eyes became a deep gray, with a slight silver reflection in the depths, as if they held their own light. Even the way she occupied space changed — quieter, more defined, harder to ignore even without doing anything.
Elowen was breathing hard, but little by little the trembling decreased.
When she finally raised her face, something had changed inside and outside.
— …I can feel it — she murmured.
— The Veil? — Kuroe asked.
— More than the Veil — Elowen answered. — As if… there was space left over now.
Harley tilted her head, observing the change in appearance.
— And the look came along with it, huh.
Rina whistled low.
— It changed a lot.
— It did — Elowen confirmed, looking at a strand of her own hair and then at the blurred reflection on the surface of a stone bench.
— The mark sometimes pulls the appearance along with the rest — Joker explained. — If you want, you can go back to the form from before. Or you can stay like this. Either way is fine.
Elowen stayed silent for a few seconds, evaluating her own sensation. Then she simply shook her head.
— I'll stay like this for now.
— Deal — Harley said. — It suits you, by the way.
— I think so too — Marina commented. — It looks… more like you. Weird to say that, but it does.
Joker crouched in front of her, observing the mark.
— And the madness?
Elowen paid attention to herself for a moment before answering.
— I… don't feel anger. Or euphoria.
— And what do you feel? — he asked.
— Clarity. As if the noise had decreased. And… a desire not to let this group fall apart.
Astrid raised an eyebrow.
— That's already the madness?
— It might be — Joker answered. — In her case, it seems to have come as focus. Internal silence. And quiet attachment.
Harley laughed low.
— So we gained a silent bodyguard. Fits.
— I don't mind — Elowen said simply.
— Even better — Harley answered.
Elowen looked at her own hand, closed and opened her fingers, feeling the difference in the energy flow. The Veil now responded faster. Heavier. More dangerous if she lost control.
— It's going to take a little while to get used to it — Joker said, standing up. — Don't force it today.
— I know.
— If it starts getting too strange, say something — Kuroe completed.
— I will.
Kuroe extended her hand to her. Elowen hesitated only a second before accepting and standing up for real.
The group stayed there for a few more moments, in the quiet courtyard, while the sun finished falling behind the academy buildings.
— So… is it official? — Rina asked.
— It is — Joker answered.
— Welcome for real, then — Astrid said, lightly tapping Elowen's shoulder.
Elowen didn't smile openly. But she also didn't pull away.
— …Thank you.
The mission had ended.
The mark had been placed.
And from that moment on, Elowen was no longer just walking along.
She was part of it.
**End of Chapter 127**