Embers of Rivalry & Shadows

Act I — Aftermath in the Dorms

The trial left the cadets broken.
Not in flesh — healers had mended every blister and burn before nightfall.

But the smoke still clung to their uniforms, and the way they walked… twitching at every spark, staring at the floor like fire still crawled under their skin.

But the whispers didn’t stop.
They never stop.

“Prince Haise again.”
“The Prince doesn’t even chant…”
“Unnatural… but maybe that’s what makes him divine.”

Admiration and fear, tangled like rope.
Respect is easy. Fear is glue. Both can choke you.

I kept my smirk sharp, even while my chest felt heavier than the ash still clinging to the air.

Lyra found me briefly, brushing her hair back, her eyes softer than the bandages on her wrists.

Lyra: “You held back.”
Me (shrugging): “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Her lips quirked — like she wanted to believe me.

Like she wanted to believe there was a line I hadn’t crossed.

Kael avoided her gaze entirely, jaw set like stone about to crack.

That night, after wandering the courtyard until my ember pulsed too loud, I finally pushed open the dorm door.

Shock froze me mid-step.

Kael. Sitting on the opposite bed, glaring like the room itself was insult enough.

Me: “Oh. Fantastic. Rivalry with room service.”

For a heartbeat, sparks filled the silence. Then Kael snorted.

Kael: “I’ll tolerate you. Don’t expect more.”
Me: “Good. I’d hate to ruin our perfect friendship.”

We stood there, the silence thick, until—

“…Your argument lacks substance.”

We both froze. Looked up.

Hakuya Kurotsuki was hanging upside-down from the ceiling like it was the most natural thing in the world. Black robes blending with the shadows until he decided to speak. Calm. Too calm.

Kael nearly fell backward off his bed, grabbing for his sword.

Kael: “What the—?!”

I sighed, rubbing my face.

Me: “Yeah, that’s Hakuya. Don’t mind him. He thinks ceilings are beds.”

Hakuya blinked once.

Hakuya: “Observation is most effective from angles that are… overlooked.”

Kael gawked at him like he’d just seen a demon crawl out of the walls.

Kael: “You were just watching us?!”
Hakuya: “Yes. The Prince must be protected.”

I smirked.

Me: “See? My very own bat-shaped babysitter.”

Kael muttered something about “madness” and “never sleeping again,” 

while Hakuya calmly flipped down, landed without a sound, bowed once, and vanished into the shadows like he’d never been there.

Me: “Great. Roommate from hell on the left. Watchdog ninja on the ceiling. This dorm life is going to be perfect.”

We slept back-to-back. Or at least, pretended to.

Act II — Morning Tension

Dawn burned crimson over the Academy towers.
I woke before Kael, the ember already twitching inside me like it knew trouble was waiting.

I leaned over.

Me: “Rise and shine, golden boy. Don’t worry—I didn’t snore too loud, did I?”

Kael shot me a death glare sharp enough to peel bark off the Divine Tree.
Honestly, better than coffee.

Act III — Academy Class

We were herded into the lecture hall.

Polished obsidian tables curved like an arena.
Sigils glowed faintly across the walls, shifting between maps of Heaven and diagrams of mana veins.

Quills of light hovered in the air, ready to record every word.

Cadets filled the room, voices low, whispers darting like sparks:

“That’s him.”
“The miracle boy.”
“The King’s son sits here with us… why?”

I stretched into a seat like I owned it. Lyra slipped into the row ahead, smile too warm for this cold hall.

Kael walked past stiff as iron.
Itsuki slouched in the back, sparks twitching at his fingertips.

Selene glided in like silence itself.

And for a heartbeat, her eyes lingered on me.
She sat beside me.

Kaien stood at the front, voice cracking through the air like stone breaking:

Kaien: “You survived fire. Now you will learn war.”

Not a speech. A sentence.

Every cadet straightened. Even Kael. Even Itsuki.

Kaien’s lessons rolled like iron:

Heaven’s Twelve Legions, their laws, their duties. Mana flow, affinities, divine structure.

Even the Mortals of Earth — why Heaven must guard them.

I scribbled nothing. My memory was sharp and my sarcasm sharper.

Me (inner): “Twelve? Cute. Guess we’re pretending the missing one doesn’t exist. Sure, erase a whole Legion and hope no one notices. Totally convincing.”

Fantastic. Magic 101 with Death’s favorite uncle.

Act V — Sparks and Rivalries

Selene’s POV — Flashback

The flame wolf lunged.
And then… gone.

One stroke. Fire and wind fused down steel with no wasted motion.

Everyone else gasped at the strength.
But I saw the truth.

That wasn’t recklessness. That was control.
Restraint sharpened into elegance.

He hides it. Smirks, yawns, pretends at carelessness… but beneath that mask is something terrifyingly rare.

Not force. Artistry.

For the first time, the fire didn’t frighten me.
He did.

Elegant. And maybe, just maybe… beautiful.

Back to me (Haise’s POV)

Selene leaned slightly closer, her ice aura softened.

Selene: “Your control was… elegant. Not force. Artistry.”

Me: “Elegant? No one’s called me that before. Usually it’s more like ‘sarcastic menace.’”

Her lips curved. The faintest smile.

Lyra glanced back. Fingers tightened on her quill. Smile too steady, too forced.

Kael noticed too. His voice cut sharp:

Kael: “She should know better than to waste respect on a mask.”

Me: “Careful, Kael. You sound jealous. Not my fault ice princess has taste.”

Selene tilted her chin.

Selene: “If I wanted warmth, I’d stand by a fire. But cold steel is sharper.”

The class held its breath.

And then Lyra blurted louder than she meant:

Lyra: “Sharp isn’t everything!”

Silence. Dozens of eyes swung toward her.

Her smile stayed, but her hands trembled. Not just jealousy. Fear. Fear that I’d drift toward Selene’s frost and leave her behind.

I grinned.

Me: “Noted. Sharp isn’t everything. Sometimes sarcasm does the job.”

Laughter cracked the tension.
Lyra flushed scarlet.
Kael muttered curses.
Selene remained serene.

Itsuki leaned in, lightning flickering at his fingertips.

Itsuki: “Forget Kael. I want to fight you, Haise. A real rival.”

Wonderful. Rivals forming a queue. Romance sprouting a war.
And me? Smiling like this was all part of the plan.

Act VI — Night Walk

That night, after classes, I walked the courtyard alone.

The towers rose jagged against the moon, their shadows stretching like claws across the stone.

The ember pulsed harder than usual — violet-gold veins threading faintly under my skin.

And then I felt it.

A presence.

Not Kael’s simmering rage.
Not Lyra’s watchful calm.
Not even Hakuya’s shadowy patience.

This was different. Farther away. Wrong.

At the far edge of the courtyard, a figure stood — cloaked in shadow, still as stone.

Too far for detail, too sharp to be mistake.

I blinked— and it rippled.

The figure blurred, like heat mirage over stone.
Like an illusion pretending to be real.

I froze, breath caught, ember flaring wild in my chest.

The moonlight shifted. The figure was gone.

No whisper. No sound. Just silence — heavier than any battlefield.

My chest heaved, the ember pulsing wild, rattling my ribs like it wanted out.

Panic clawed at me — sharp, cold, real.
But tangled in it, shamefully, was something else.

Excitement.

I pressed a trembling hand to my chest, half-laughing, half-gasping:

Me: “…What the hell was that?”

The ember flared once more, like it knew. Like it wanted more.

And I realized — I wasn’t just afraid.
I was thrilled.

The ember burned violet-gold, shadows curling higher.

For the first time since I’d entered the Academy, the mask slipped.

Alone, I admitted it: Kael’s rage. Lyra’s gaze. Selene’s interest.
Everything made the ember react violently.

And I didn’t know whether it was pulling me closer to them…
or warning me to run.

End of Chapter 23 — Embers in the Shadows