The Royal Dominion Academy was a castle in the clouds, hidden high within the peaks of Zephyros. To the outside world, it was a fortress of magic and discipline. But to the students inside, it was the only world that mattered.
It was a winter evening. The fire crackled in the hearth of the Student Council Chambers - a private room reserved for the top-ranking students.
Inside, the "Five Stars" of the academy were gathered
Velanor, the boy with messy hair and a grin that spelled trouble, was leaning back in his chair, balancing a dagger on his fingertip.
Luna, the calm strategist with silver spectacles, was reading a book thick enough to kill a man.
Raksha, the gentle healer, was pouring tea, her movements soft and nervous.
And by the window, watching the snow fall, stood the couple that everyone whispered about but no one dared to challenge.
Kairos Vedaryan and Seyana Solaris.
They stood close enough that their arms brushed, but they didn't hold hands. Not here. Not where the portraits of ancient Kings could see them.
"You're staring at the snow again." Kairos whispered. His voice was low, meant only for her.
Seyana turned. Her eyes were deep blue, like the ocean at midnight. She wore the academy uniform, but on her, it looked like a royal gown.
"I'm not staring at the snow." she smiled, a small, secret thing. "I'm looking at the reflection in the glass."
Kairos looked. In the window's reflection, he saw himself standing next to her. A commoner wind mage standing beside the Princess of the South.
"It's a nice reflection." he admitted.
"It's my favorite view." she replied.
Across the room, Velanor groaned, throwing a cushion at them. "By the gods! The air in here is getting so sweet I'm going to get cavities. Can you two stop being in love for five minutes?"
Luna didn't look up from his book. "Let them be, Vel. They only have a few weeks left before graduation."
The mood in the room dipped instantly. Graduation. The word hung heavy in the air.
Seyana stiffened slightly. Kairos felt it. He moved his hand, his pinky finger brushing against hers, a silent promise of support.
"We aren't worried..." Kairos lied smoothly, turning to his friends. "We have a plan."
"A plan to fight a King?" Raksha asked worriedly, handing Seyana a cup of tea. "My father says King Raezon has a temper like a volcano."
"Volcanoes can be cooled" Seyana said softly, blowing on her tea. She looked at Kairos. "or they can be redirected by the wind."
It hadn't always been this way.
Months ago, they were strangers.
Kairos remembered the first time he saw her. It was in the library, deep in the stacks of the Mana Theory section.
He had been struggling with a wind formula, frustrated, his hair a mess. She had walked in, escaping her guards. She looked like a girl who was tired of being perfect.
She had helped him with the formula. He had made her laugh by mimicking the stiff walk of the Dean.
That laugh. It was the moment his life changed. It was a real, belly-aching laugh that made her eyes crinkle.
Heart racing. That was the only way to describe it. Every time she walked into a room, his wind magic would spike, the air pressure dropping around him. Every time he smiled at her, the water in her glass would ripple.
They were elements that shouldn't mix - Wind and Water. One was free and the other was heavy. But when they crashed together, they made a storm. A beautiful, unstoppable storm.
"Are we going to the Lantern Festival tonight?" Velanor asked, breaking the silence. "The lower town is already lighting the fires."
"We have to," Raksha said. "It's the last one of the year. We have to make our wishes."
Seyana looked at Kairos. "I can't go. My guards are doubling the patrol tonight."
"Your guards are slow.." Kairos grinned. "and I know a way out."
An hour later, they were on the roof of the bell tower, looking down at the city of Zephyros.
The festival was a sea of light. Thousands of orange paper lanterns floated into the night sky, carrying the wishes of the people to the gods.
The five friends stood at the edge.
"Okay, wish time!" Velanor shouted, releasing his lantern. "I wish for a sword that never breaks and a girl who likes bad jokes!"
Luna released his with a sigh. "I wish for silence and a library that never closes."
Raksha released hers. "I wish for us to stay safe."
Then, it was just the two of them.
Seyana held her lantern. Her hands were trembling. She had written her wish on the paper, shielding it so no one could see.
"What did you wish for?" Kairos asked softly.
"If I tell you, it won't come true," she whispered.
She lit the candle. The heat filled the paper balloon. She let go.
The wind... Kairos's wind caught it gently. It didn't fly away with the others. It danced. It spun around them, glowing warm against the cold winter night.
Kairos reached into his pocket. He pulled out his own lantern. He hadn't written a wish. He had written a promise.
He released it.
His lantern floated up and bumped against hers. They rose together, twirling around each other, higher and higher until they were just two stars among thousands.
Seyana watched them go, tears shining in her eyes.
"I wished I could stand beside you.." she confessed, her voice barely audible over the wind. "without fear. Without titles. Just... us."
Kairos took a step closer. He broke the rules. He took her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers.
"Then I will build a world where you can." he vowed. "I don't care how long it takes. I don't care who stands in my way."
The next morning was the Market Day.
It was the one day the students were allowed into the city without supervision. The five friends moved through the bustling stalls, eating roasted nuts and laughing at street performers.
But Kairos had a mission. He pulled Seyana away from a stall selling expensive silks.
"Come here." he said.
He led her to a small, quiet artisan shop at the edge of the market. The jeweler was an old man polishing stones.
"You wanted to see me, lad?" the old man asked.
"Yes..." Kairos said. He placed a heavy pouch of coins on the counter. It was everything he had saved. Every copper.
"I'll take it."
The old man nodded and handed Kairos a small wooden box.
Seyana looked confused. "Kairos? What is this?"
Kairos led her outside, into the shadow of a blooming cherry tree. He opened the box.
Inside lay a simple silver chain. Hanging from it was a single stone—a Sapphire Pendant.
It was a deep, endless blue, shining with inner light.
"It's the color of your eyes" Kairos said softly. "and the color of the ocean you love."
"Kairos..." She covered her mouth. "You spent everything on this."
"It's worth everything." he said.
He took the necklace and stepped behind her. She lifted her heavy hair, exposing her neck. He fastened the chain, his fingers lingering on her skin for a second longer than necessary.
The cool stone settled against her collarbone.
She turned around, clutching the pendant. "It's beautiful."
Kairos looked at her. He looked at the girl who carried the weight of a kingdom on her shoulders.
"Listen to me, Seyana." he said, his voice fierce and steady. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Right now, you have to wear this under your dress. You have to hide it from your father, from the guards, from the world."
Seyana nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I know."
"But one day," Kairos promised, wiping the tear away with his thumb, "you will wear it on the outside. One day, you will never need to hide anything from the world. Not this necklace. Not my name. And not our love."
Seyana gripped his shirt, pulling him down.
"I promise," she whispered against his lips. "I will never take it off. It is my heart now."
They stood there under the cherry tree, holding each other as the petals fell around them like pink snow.
For a moment, the world was perfect.
The war was far away. The King was just a bad dream.
There was only the Wind, the Water, and a Promise made in sapphire.
But time is a cruel thief.
And across the street, watching from the clock tower, a grey shadow wrote in a notebook.
The bond is sealed.
The tragedy is ready to begin.