The Sanctum Academy stood tall, carved into the cliffs of Lumis Reach, its spires like jagged teeth biting into the clouds. Kaien gawked at it, a crude backpack slung over his shoulder and his clothes still torn from the Wretch attack.
Lyra stood beside him, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
"You're staring," she said.
"It's huge," Kaien muttered. "Like—actually huge."
Zedd, who had been walking ahead, turned around grinning. "You've seen nothing yet, Dustboy. Wait till you see the Atrium. You'll probably fall over and die from amazement."
"I'm not dying," Kaien said. "Not again."
The joke fell flat. Even Zedd's grin faded for a beat. Lyra's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Come on," she said. "Orientation starts in the Emberhall."
The Emberhall glowed with natural flame suspended in crystal braziers. Young Veylbound students stood in formation, adorned in cloaks of different colors denoting their Aspect affinities. Kaien's was plain gray—unranked, unclaimed.
Master Rhain stepped forward, his stone-colored cloak trailing behind him. His eyes were sharp, the color of old granite.
"We welcome the new," he said. "But Sanctum is not shelter. It is forge. And only those willing to burn themselves in discipline and purpose will emerge sharpened."
As Rhain spoke, a glyph circle lit beneath Kaien's feet. Unlike the others, whose Veyl Aspects glowed in blues, reds, or greens—Kaien's flickered gold, then warped to black for a second before blinking out.
Murmurs spread through the room.
"What was that?"
"Is he even Veylbound?"
Rhain's gaze stayed on Kaien.
"…Interesting."
Later, Kaien trained alone in the courtyard, punching the reinforced wooden post until his knuckles bled. He focused, gritting his teeth. "Come on. Just glow, or hum, or whatever it's supposed to do…"
"You're bleeding," came a soft voice.
He turned to see Eira, sitting on the edge of the fountain, her cloak a soft sea-blue.
"I heal, you know."
"I don't need help."
"That's not what your fists say," she replied, standing. Her hand gently hovered near his arm. "May I?"
He hesitated. Then nodded.
Warmth flowed through his skin, soothing the ache. Her eyes studied him—not like the others who judged, but as if she were reading a language only she understood.
"You're not like the rest of us," she murmured. "Your Veyl doesn't sing. It whispers."
Kaien looked at his palms. "Then I'll just have to learn to listen."