The hallway was quieter than usual.
Lyra walked back to her dorm slowly, her mind still stuck on the formation class.
The glowing symbols.
The pressure in the air.
And the strange feeling in her chest.
Why did it feel so familiar…?
She reached her door and paused for a moment before opening it.
The moment she stepped inside.
A small figure jumped out.
"Lyra!"
Elyx landed lightly on her shoulder.
Lyra sighed.
"You're going to give me a heart attack one day."
Elyx grinned.
"You're back early!"
Lyra closed the door quickly and leaned against it.
Her expression turned serious.
"Elyx… we need to talk."
Elyx tilted his head.
"What is it?"
Lyra walked further into the room.
"In class today… when the teacher used a formation…"
She hesitated.
"…I felt something."
Elyx's expression changed instantly.
"What kind of feeling?"
Lyra frowned.
"It's hard to explain."
She held her chest lightly.
"It was like… I understood it."
"Like I had seen it before."
Elyx's ears slowly lowered.
"That's not normal…"
Lyra crossed her arms.
"I figured that much."
She looked directly at him.
"You said formations can only be sensed by certain people."
Elyx nodded slowly.
"Yes…"
Lyra's voice lowered.
"Then why can I feel them?"
Elyx jumped down from her shoulder and began pacing.
His tiny face was unusually serious.
"There are only a few reasons…"
Lyra waited.
Elyx stopped and looked up at her.
"Either you were trained in formations before…"
Lyra shook her head immediately.
"I wasn't."
"Or…"
He hesitated.
Lyra narrowed her eyes.
"Or what?"
Elyx swallowed.
"Your bloodline is connected to them."
Silence filled the room.
Suddenly.
A sharp pain shot through Lyra's arm.
"Ah!"
She grabbed her wrist tightly.
Elyx rushed closer.
"Lyra?!"
A faint glow began to appear on her skin.
Right below her wrist.
A symbol.
A mark.
It slowly formed like burning lines carving themselves into her skin.
Lyra's breathing became uneven.
"What… is this…?"
The mark pulsed faintly.
Glowing.
Alive.
Elyx's eyes widened in shock.
"That's…!"
He stepped back slightly.
"It's a formation mark…"
Lyra stared at it.
The symbol looked similar to what Professor Mire had drawn in class.
But more complex.
More ancient
The mark suddenly pulsed again.
A wave of energy spread from her arm.
Lyra gasped.
Images flashed in her mind.
Glowing circles.
Chains of light.
A massive structure beneath the ground.
Something… sealed.
Her eyes widened.
"What… was that…?"
Elyx stared at her in disbelief.
"You saw something, didn't you?"
Lyra nodded slowly.
"I saw… a formation."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"A huge one."
She looked at him.
"It felt like it was… under the academy."
Elyx's face turned pale.
"That's impossible…"
Lyra looked back at the glowing mark.
"Elyx… what does this mean?"
Elyx hesitated.
Then spoke carefully.
"If you can see or feel the sealing formation…"
He swallowed.
"Then your power is somehow connected to it."
Lyra's heart skipped a beat.
"Connected… how?"
Elyx shook his head.
"I don't know yet."
"But this isn't normal, Lyra."
He looked serious.
"This is dangerous."
Suddenly.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Both of them froze.
"Someone's coming!" Elyx whispered.
Lyra quickly pulled down her sleeve to hide the glowing mark.
"Hide!"
Elyx darted behind the bookshelf instantly.
Knock. Knock.
Lyra's heart pounded.
She walked to the door and opened it.
Standing outside was.
Professor Elowen Mire.
Lyra's breath caught slightly.
"P-Professor…"
The teacher's sharp eyes studied her carefully.
"I noticed something unusual during class today," she said calmly.
Lyra forced herself to stay composed.
"I don't understand…"
Professor Mire stepped closer.
Her gaze didn't waver.
"You reacted to the formation."
Silence.
Lyra's fingers tightened slightly.
"I… don't think I did."
The professor watched her for a few seconds.
Then smiled faintly.
"Perhaps."
But her eyes said otherwise.
"If anything strange happens," she added, "you will report it."
Lyra nodded.
"Yes, Professor."
After a moment, the teacher turned and walked away.
Lyra closed the door slowly.
Her heart was still racing.
Elyx peeked out from behind the shelf.
"That was close…"
Lyra leaned against the door.
"She knows something…"
Elyx nodded.
"And if she finds out about me…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Lyra looked at her wrist again.
The mark had faded.
But the feeling remained.
Something had changed.
Lyra walked to the window.
Her gaze drifted toward the academy grounds.
Somewhere beneath it…
Was a sealed power.
And somehow.
She was connected to it.
Her voice was quiet.
"What am I… really?"
Elyx stood beside her.
For once, he had no answer.