The morning sun cut through the towering windows of Virelion Academy, casting long beams across polished marble floors and rows of new students filtering into their assigned halls. Though the academy was known for discipline and excellence, there was an unusual hush today murmurs hushed the moment Kian Balthor stepped into view.
Clad in the academy's black-and-silver uniform, modified slightly to fit his style, Kian's presence wasn't just seen it was felt. Not from ego or noise. It was the air around him charged, still, and patient.
He sat near the back of the classroom, a spot that gave him a clear view of the room and the door. Nia had taken the seat beside him, her aura calm, her new uniform trimmed with blue that reflected her recent growth. She caught his glance and smiled faintly just enough to ease the tension in his shoulders.
"First day and you're already causing a ripple," she teased under her breath.
Kian chuckled. "I didn't do anything."
"Exactly," she replied, "and that's why they're afraid."
Students still gave sideways glances, some whispering, others pretending not to notice. Some recognized the name. Others recognized the lightning or rumors of the mysterious move he used in his last fight. Either way, none of them knew the full truth. And that made them anxious.
Their instructor arrived shortly after. An older man, scarred from years of combat, with a presence that silenced the room even more effectively than Kian had. He gave no introduction just looked over the class with sharp, calculating eyes, stopping briefly on Kian… and then moving on without comment.
The lecture began, but Kian only half-listened. His focus was on *feel*. The sensation of ambient energy humming through the academy a much richer stream than the isolated training fields he'd grown used to. He could feel his veins quietly resonating again, hungry but calm. The environment here was perfect for refining what he had.
Nia nudged him halfway through class and whispered, "You spacing out?"
"Kind of," he whispered back, "but in a good way. Everything here… it's alive. Like I'm already syncing with it."
Her smile deepened. "Then this place might be good for you after all."
"For us," he corrected.