—Between Blades and Hearts
Crownshade Academy – Division C, Day Four After the Incident
The days after Renholt’s outburst passed without another confrontation — but not without movement.
For Aeron, time was a resource, and he had no intention of wasting it.
Morning began before the sun fully crested over the spire-topped walls of Crownshade.
He would be up at the first faint light, the faint blue hue of dawn spilling into his room.
A set of push-ups, then mana-circulation, then short bursts of sprints down the length of the Division C training ground.
He treated each day as a step toward something larger.
Toward the quest that still lingered in his mind.
[Quest Active: Unmask the True Identity of Professor Synthia Moonlight]
Reward: ???
(System classified)
The words had etched themselves in his memory from the moment that translucent blue panel had flared in front of him.
The lack of specifics only made him more wary — and more interested.
But this wasn’t all, there’s one more.
DING!]
[QUEST – Emberwood Anomaly] Objective: Investigate the magical disturbance reported within the Emberwood Groves.
Time Limit: 48 Days.
Conditions: Prepare sufficiently.
Ensure survivability.
Reward: 4,500 EXP, 50 stats points, ???
(Hidden) Risk: HIGH
Apart from these.
There were changes in his surroundings too.
If someone had told Lyra Dakes that she would be walking side by side with Aeron Blackthorn less than a week after their awkward first meeting, she would have laughed.
Or avoided the conversation entirely.
But now…
Now it was almost natural.
The first days, she had walked slightly behind him, unsure if she was welcome at his side.
His silence had made her cautious — but it wasn’t the kind of silence that pushed her away.
It was… neutral.
Unbothered.
Most importantly, he never once looked at her ears or tail with the eyes of a man judging a half-blood.
He never stumbled over his words.
He never tried to make her feel “less.”
When they talked, it was as if she was just another student.
A person.
And though Aeron’s words were often curt, there was a hidden warmth — something in the way he would slow his pace if she lagged behind, or the way he’d subtly shift to the outside of a corridor so she walked on the safer side.
One afternoon, after a particularly draining practical class, she had shown up at the training ground with a small bottle of fruit nectar.
“You looked like you could use this,” she had said.
He had taken it with a simple, “Thank you,” his voice even.
Lyra had carried that image with her for the rest of the day.
And as for why Aeron is this hard and guarded… well it’s obviously because of his past two lives experiences…
But she wasn’t the only one…
His childhood best friend.
Aira Everdawn was not subtle.
She arrived like sunlight breaking through clouds — unapologetically bright, her brown hair catching the light, red blazer crisp and immaculate.
Sometimes Aeron would see her in the cafeteria, sometimes between classes, sometimes by sheer coincidence on the path to the Division C building.
And always, she found a reason to talk.
“You look tired, Aeron.
Been training?”
“What do you think of Professor Reiner’s lecture?
I nearly fell asleep.”
“You really should eat more, you know.
You’ll fade into the wind.”
Aeron’s answers were usually short.
“Yes.”
“Passable.”
“I’m fine.”
But it didn’t deter her.
If anything, it made her try harder.
She noticed Lyra early on.
Quiet, polite, always near Aeron.
At first, Aira saw her as a rival.
Pretty in a soft way, with that distinct beastfolk charm that drew the eye.
But the more she thought on it, the more she acknowledged something she had been raised to understand: powerful men — truly powerful men — rarely walked alone.
Perhaps the question wasn’t whether she could “win,” but whether she could secure her own place in his orbit.
Still… she wasn’t about to make it easy.
I know!
He will keep his words… and if he doesn’t… hmph!
Aira thought.
Unaware of all the changes in his surroundings…
On the fourth evening, Aeron sat cross-legged on his bed, the familiar blue light of the system shimmering into existence before him.
[Status Window]
[SYSTEM STATUS – USER: AERON BLACKTHORN]
Class: Unknown (System Class: VOIDBOUND)
Affiliation: Crownshade Academy – Dorm C
Element: [Void – Suppressed], [Fire]
Magic Circle: Second Circle
Combat Rank: C+
Level: 4
EXP: 820 / 2000 (400 EXP gained from training)
CORE ATTRIBUTES
Name: Aeron Blackthorn
Level: 6
Race: Human
Magic circle: Second circle
Elements: Void, Fire.
Strength: 42 → 69
Flexibility: 50 → 72
Defense: 35 → 63
Stamina: 57 → 73
Mana Control: 54 → 62
Mental Fortitude: 53 → 55
Titles:
– Voidbound
– Heir of the Fallen House
Active Quests:
– Unmask the True Identity of Professor Synthia Moonlight, Time left – 6 days.
– [New] Emberwood Groves Exploration (Optional: Beast Core Retrieval)
The numbers were higher than when he’d first arrived — and by now means they were small.
With his system’s bonus he earned much more stats points then he should by this simple training.
Aeron’s eyes stopped on the screen… “Hmm… it’s almost time.” He spoke as he read the quests latest details.
Late Afternoon Training
The training ground was mostly empty by the time Aeron arrived.
The sky had shifted to a warm amber, clouds tinged in gold.
His movements flowed in repetition — push-ups reinforced with mana in the arms, sprints that left faint gusts of displaced air behind him, pull-ups until his muscles burned, then mana circulation exercises to hone precision.
By the time he stopped, his shirt clung to him, hair damp with sweat, chest rising steadily. New chapters come out on g.com first.
He didn’t notice her at first — not until the cold kiss of a bottle pressed to his cheek.
A soft laugh followed.
“Didn’t think you had this side to you, Blackthorn.”
Aeron glanced up.
Kaelin Draes.
Division A class president.
The same girl who had apologized on Renholt’s behalf days ago.
Her black hair was tied in a high ponytail, eyes dark and bright at once, her Division A training uniform fitted to her like a second skin.
He took the bottle without hesitation, unscrewed it, and drank.
Droplets slid from his jawline down to his neck, catching the fading light.
Kaelin’s gaze lingered a moment too long before she caught herself and looked away.
“You okay?” Aeron asked, noticing the odd shift in her expression.
“I’m fine,” she replied quickly, voice a touch too fast.
He handed back the bottle.
“You sure you’re fine with drinking after me, again?”
Because this wasn’t his first time, but it’s as if she copying the first time she gave him the bottle days ago.
Kaelin again tilted her head, not catching the implication at first.
“It’s fine.”
A distant sound interrupted them — low, guttural, almost like a beast’s growl.
Aeron looked towards the direction… The Emberwood groves…
Kaelin tilted her head.
“What are you staring at?”
“Nothing,” Aeron said, dismissing the blue screen with a thought.
She offered, “You can keep training here if you want.”
“I’ve trained enough for today,” he replied.
“Maybe another time.”
Evening Quiet
Dinner arrived at his room — a benefit granted to all divisions — and Aeron ate without fuss.
The room was still, save for the faint hum of mana from the academy wards.
He summoned the system once more, pulling up the Emberwood Groves quest details for the last time.
Good rewards.
Dangerous, yes, but worth it.
It would take plan.
Supplies.
The right timing.
That are mostly ready after his days of preparations.
Aeron leaned back against the wall, ey
es half-lidded.
For the first time in a while, he felt a twinge of anticipation.
Outside, unseen, a shadow slipped away from the Division C building — the same presence that had watched from the cafeteria days earlier.