The academy had never been this loud before.
Normally, mornings at the Royal Academy of Aether were calm and orderly. Students attended classes, instructors walked through the halls with strict expressions and the courtyards were filled with the quiet rhythm of everyday training.
But today was different.
Every hallway buzzed with whispers.
Every classroom was filled with rumors.
And every student seemed to be talking about the same thing.
"The lightning!"
"I swear it was violet!"
"No way… that was impossible magic!"
"Who even was that student?"
Groups of students gathered near the academy courtyard, excitedly discussing the events from the previous night.
At the center of every story…
Was Kai.
The shattered training arena had been sealed off by instructors early that morning, but everyone had already seen enough.
The broken pillars.
The deep cracks in the stone floor.
And the massive demon beast that had been defeated in a single strike.
The rumors only grew wilder with every retelling.
"They said the sky itself responded to his power!"
"I heard the demon beast stopped moving when he looked at it!"
"Someone told me even the instructors were shocked!"
The students whispered the same question again and again.
Who was Kai?
Inside the academy dormitory, Kai sat quietly on the edge of his bed.
He could hear the distant chatter from outside the building.
Every word made his headache worse.
He rubbed his forehead tiredly.
"I should've known this would happen…"
Last night had been chaotic.
After defeating the demon beast, the instructors had immediately escorted everyone away from the arena.
Kai had barely managed to slip away before the questioning began.
But avoiding attention was impossible now.
The entire academy knew something strange had happened.
And unfortunately…
Kai had been at the center of it.
A sudden knock echoed on his door.
KNOCK KNOCK.
Kai sighed.
"Come in."
The door opened, revealing Luna.
She stepped inside quickly before closing the door behind her.
"You're still here?" she asked.
Kai raised an eyebrow.
"Where else would I be?"
Luna crossed her arms and looked at him seriously.
"The entire academy is talking about you."
Kai groaned.
"I figured."
"You defeated a demon beast in front of half the academy."
Kai leaned back slightly.
"When you say it like that, it sounds worse."
Luna sat down on the chair across from him.
Her silver eyes studied his face carefully.
"You're surprisingly calm about this."
Kai shrugged.
"Panicking won't help."
In truth, he wasn't calm at all.
His mind kept replaying the moment in the arena.
The lightning.
The strange power.
And the terrifying voice inside his head.
Something about that voice felt ancient.
Familiar.
As if it had always been part of him.
But that didn't make sense.
Luna suddenly spoke again.
"You know the instructors will question you today."
Kai nodded slowly.
"I know."
The academy couldn't ignore what had happened.
A student suddenly displaying unknown power in the middle of campus was not something the administration would overlook.
And there was another problem.
The demon beast.
"How did that creature even get inside the academy?" Luna wondered aloud.
Kai frowned.
"That's the real question."
The academy barrier was supposed to protect the entire campus from outside threats.
If a demon beast had entered…
Something had gone terribly wrong.
Or someone had made it happen.
Before either of them could say more
A loud voice echoed through the dormitory corridor.
"Kai Valen!"
Kai immediately recognized the voice.
One of the academy instructors.
"Report to the Headmaster's office immediately!"
Kai sighed deeply.
"Well… that didn't take long."
Luna stood up.
"Good luck."
Kai stood and stretched slightly.
"I'll need it."
The academy tower stood at the highest point of the campus.
Its tall stone walls had existed for centuries, watching over generations of students.
Kai walked through the quiet corridors toward the headmaster's office.
Unlike the rest of the academy, the tower was completely silent.
No whispers.
No rumors.
Only the faint echo of his footsteps.
When he reached the large wooden doors at the top floor, he paused briefly.
Then he knocked.
"Come in."
Kai stepped inside.
Headmaster Valen sat behind a large wooden desk covered in ancient books and scrolls.
Two other instructors stood nearby.
Professor Alric.
And Professor Mira, the academy's magic theory specialist.
Their expressions were serious.
Kai suddenly felt like a criminal standing before judges.
"Sit down, Kai," the headmaster said calmly.
Kai obeyed.
For a moment, no one spoke.
The silence stretched long enough to become uncomfortable.
Finally, Professor Mira broke it.
"You displayed an unusual magical ability last night."
Kai remained quiet.
Her sharp eyes studied him carefully.
"Lightning magic itself is rare," she continued.
"But violet lightning… that is something entirely different."
Professor Alric crossed his arms.
"Tell us how you did it."
Kai took a slow breath.
"I don't know."
The instructors exchanged glances.
"That's not an acceptable answer," Alric replied.
Kai met his gaze.
"It's the only one I have."
Headmaster Valen raised a hand slightly.
"Let him speak."
Kai continued.
"When the demon beast attacked the students… something just happened."
He looked down at his hand.
"The lightning appeared on its own."
Professor Mira frowned.
"Magic does not simply appear."
Kai shrugged slightly.
"It did."
The room fell silent again.
The headmaster leaned back in his chair, observing Kai carefully.
Then he asked a different question.
"Have you experienced anything unusual recently?"
Kai hesitated.
Dreams of a battlefield.
Visions of a throne made of lightning.
And the strange voice whispering in his mind.
But he wasn't ready to share that.
"No," Kai said simply.
Valen's eyes narrowed slightly.
But he didn't press further.
Instead, he folded his hands together.
"The academy will investigate the demon beast incident."
Kai nodded.
"That's fair."
But the headmaster's next words surprised him.
"However… you are not in trouble."
Kai blinked.
"I'm not?"
Professor Alric chuckled slightly.
"You saved several students."
Professor Mira added quietly,
"And you defeated a creature that even trained instructors struggled to stop."
Kai hadn't thought about it that way.
To him, the entire event had felt chaotic and uncontrollable.
But to the academy…
It looked like an extraordinary display of power.
The headmaster stood slowly.
"For now, you will continue attending classes as normal."
Kai felt slightly relieved.
But Valen's final words carried a quiet warning.
"However…"
His blue eyes locked onto Kai's.
"If that power appears again…"
"You must report it immediately."
Kai nodded slowly.
"Understood."
But deep inside…
He wasn't sure he could control it even if he tried.
As Kai left the tower, the wind outside grew stronger.
Dark clouds slowly gathered above the distant mountains.
Far beyond the academy…
Something stirred.
And though Kai didn't know it yet
The storm surrounding his life had only just begun.