The next morning felt unnatural.
The Academy was functioning as always.
Students filled the halls.
Instructors moved between classrooms.
The distant sound of training clashes echoed through the grounds.
Everything looked normal.
And somehow— that made it worse.
Liebe walked beside Sia toward the Magic Division lecture hall.
His eyes kept drifting to every reflective surface they passed.
Windows.
Armor displays.
Polished floor tiles.
Nothing.
No silhouette.
No whisper.
But the memory of her voice remained.
What was always mine.
“You look awful.”
Sia’s voice snapped him back.
He glanced at her.
She frowned.
“You haven’t slept.”
“I’m fine.”
“Terrible lie.”
She pushed open the classroom doors.
The lecture hall was already half full.
Rows of elevated desks surrounded a circular platform in the center.
Today’s instructor wasn’t Aurelion.
It was Master Celest.
An older mage with silver hair and sharp blue eyes.
The kind of person who looked like they noticed everything.
The room quieted as he entered.
“Today’s lesson concerns magical structure.”
His voice was calm.
Measured.
“Raw power is meaningless without form.”
With a flick of his hand, a sphere of light appeared above the platform.
One became flame.
One wind.
One earth.
One pure radiant light.
“All magic follows the same principle.”
He gestured.
The elements rotated slowly.
“Intent shapes energy.”
“Control stabilizes it.”
“And identity determines its expression.”
Liebe frowned slightly.
Identity.
The word lingered.
Master Celest’s eyes swept across the class.
“Which is why copied magic always fails.”
His gaze landed on Liebe for half a second.
Too brief to be certain.
Then moved on.
“Now.
Practice.”
Students rose.
Magic filled the room.
Flames.
Wind currents.
Shimmering support sigils.
Light constructs.
Liebe raised his hand.
Focused.
Breathed.
Warmth answered.
A thin strand of light formed above his palm.
Stable.
Controlled.
Better than before.
For a moment, pride flickered in his chest.
the strand darkened.
Only for an instant.
A faint black thread twisted through it.
Gone so fast he almost thought he imagined it.
But across the room—
Aurelion had appeared in the doorway.
And he had seen it.
Their eyes met.
Aurelion’s expression didn’t change.
But his hand tightened at his side.
Class continued.
No one else seemed to notice.
When the bell rang, students began filing out.
Sia turned toward him.
“Want to grab lunch?”
Before he could answer—
“Liebe.”
Aurelion’s voice.
Sharp.
Final.
The room stilled for half a second.
Liebe glanced at Sia.
She raised an eyebrow.
“Well…”
She gave him a small shrug.
“Guess your scary mentor wins.”
Once the room emptied, Aurelion stepped inside.
Closed the door.
And spoke quietly.
“Show me.”
Liebe’s chest tightened.
“Show you what?”
“The darkness in your light.”
Silence.
The air suddenly felt much colder.
And Liebe understood.
Whatever had happened—
Aurelion had seen enough.