The Academy

​The warmth of the memory shattered against the cold, amplified voice of the Headmaster.
​"Citizens of the Light! Disciples of the New Dawn!"
​The Great Hall of D’elvanilmest was a sea of white and gold. Thousands of students stood in rows so perfect they looked mechanical. Above them, the Kairn-Spires pulsed with a rhythmic, artificial glow that made the air taste like copper.
​"Five hundred years," the Headmaster boomed, his silhouette framed by the Triple-Sun sigil. "Look at the marble that does not crack. Look at the peace that does not falter. We stand at the summit of history, looking down into the fog of a past that nearly swallowed the world."
​He gestured to a massive holographic mural depicting a weeping woman turning her back on a burning city.
​"Before the Year Zero, there was only the Dissonance. A Mother Goddess, whom we cannot acknowledge, grew weary of her children and abandoned her throne to watch the stars burn."
​A collective gasp rippled through the hall like a physical wave."I cannot believe it..." someone murmured, their voice trembling with taught fear.
"The Mother herself? To just leave us?"
"Serves her right to disappear," a girl hissed, her hand over her heart in the sign of the Trio.
​On the far left side of the crowded line, Alex stood still. His piercing golden eyes didn't look at the Headmaster; they looked at the shadows beneath the pews. He felt a sharp, dissonant ringing in his ears—a frequency the Academy called 'heresy' but his blood called 'truth.'
​"Hey, Alex," his friend whispered, leaning in. "Can you believe this? The history is so... absurd, right? It feels like a stage play."
​"As if it’s the truth," Alex replied, his voice barely audible.
​"Well, I don't care if it's true or not," the boy shrugged, looking at the shimmering ceiling. "But my guts aren't lining up with that man on the stage. At least we're alive in the 'Era of Butterflies,' as they say. Better a beautiful lie than a cold grave."
​The Headmaster’s voice rose to a crescendo. "But the Light did not die! From the ashes, the Supreme Trio rose. They took the shattered fragments of chaos and forged the Stability we breathe today. They cast the butcher Hellion into the Abyss! They turned the tide of the Ghouls!"
​He raised his hands, and the Spires flared with blinding intensity.
​"Bless the Three. For the Light is the Truth, and the Truth is all."
{Headmaster Valerath, whose name means ‘Declared Truth,’ somehow speaks words that are nothing but deception, far from the truth.} Alex thought.
"Hey alex, which Class will you be in? " his friend asked. 
"I bet D'elnaki, this dude is born to slay." newcomer called out, swaggering toward them with a grin.
"Dang, it's Rune" the guy eyes widened. 
​"Good to see you, Hael," Rune said, offering a quick nod before turning his focus to Alex. "Alex."
​Alex managed a thin smile, reaching out to meet Hael’s hand in a firm shake. "Good to see you."
​"The gang’s almost complete," Hael noted, scanning the thinning crowd of students. "Just one more missing..."
​His gaze locked onto a familiar silhouette weaving through the groups of students. Without a second's hesitation, Hael cupped his hands around his mouth and roared, "Nyx! Over here!"
​The girl froze, then began a slow, deliberate march toward them. Her expression was a cryptic mask—shifting between irritation and something far more dangerous.
​"Damn, Hael," Rune joked, tapping his friend’s shoulder with mock solemnity. "I guess this is goodbye."
​Alex watched her approach, mesmerized by the sheer intensity she radiated. "It’s like her expression is something that can't even be drawn," he murmured softly. "But at least we’re all here now."
​As soon as Nyx reached them, she didn’t offer a greeting. Instead, she gave a fluid, languid wave of her hand.
​Hael’s boastful grin vanished instantly. He gasped, his hands flying to his throat as an invisible force tightened around his windpipe.
​"Ugh! Ple... please..." he wheezed, his face darkening. "She’s actually... trying to kill me..."
​The group erupted into laughter, watching the familiar spectacle of Nyx scolding him with a sharp tongue while simultaneously holding him in a magical vice. Only when she saw him truly struggling did she finally drop her hand, releasing the spell.
​Hael doubled over, gasping for air and gingerly caressing his neck. "Damn, woman! Are you trying to snap my spine?"
​Nyx adjusted her sleeve, "You should be thankful your neck is still in one piece."
"Ahh? Thank you?" Hael replied teasingly. He leaned back against one of the massive stone pillars of the Ground Hall, looking entirely too relaxed for a man surrounded by hundreds of anxious freshmen.
​Nyx stepped closer, her voice a low hiss that barely cut through the ambient roar of the gathering. "Stop drawing attention, you idiot," she scolded, though her eyes darted toward the shifting sea of students.
​Nearby, a group of upperclassmen paused their conversation, their eyes tracking the group with a mixture of awe and suspicion. The murmurs began to ripple outward like a stone dropped in a pond.
​"It's them, isn't it?"
​“That’s Alex… from the House of Vael’Tharion.”
​“Yeah. I’ve heard their bloodline is the last of the Seven.”
​Hael’s playful smirk didn't leave his face, but he shifted his weight, his boots scuffing the polished marble floor. Beside him, Alex stood like a statue, his gaze fixed on the orientation stage, though his jaw remained tight.
​“Same here… and House Ael’Solaryn...they’re said to be the greatest healers. Though I also heard one of the former masters of the Holy Tower went berserk… from having too much healing power.”
​“Yeah… at least they have power to begin with. Wait...aren’t those two Rune from House Elvan’Korith and Nyx from House Sha’Virelith?”
​The air around Nyx seemed to grow heavy. She stopped scolding Hael and went perfectly still, her hands curling into fists at her sides.
​“Yeah… my father told me about them," another student added, their voice rising just enough to be heard over the orientation hubbub. "House Sha’Virelith… they were assassins long before they ever rose to power. And House Elvan’Korith… the keepers of forbidden knowledge.”
​Rune, standing in the shadow of the pillar, pulled his hood lower.
​“Keep your voice down…” a cautious voice whispered from the crowd. “The Lady of the House Sha’Virelith doesn’t like being talked about.”
​Nyx didn't look back. She simply turned and began to walk through the crowd, her path clearing naturally as students instinctively stepped out of her way. The "assassin" reputation, however unfair, served as an effective.... lonely....shield.
​"Come on," Alex muttered to the rest, his voice commanding. "Let's go straight to the Pillar of Trine, besideswell be all going there."
Hael's playful expression didn't vanish...it sharpened. He locked eyes with the student who had mentioned the forbidden knowledge of House Elvan’Korith. He didn't say a word, but he tapped a single finger against his temple and winked.
​The student turned a ghostly shade of pale, their orientation pamphlet slipping from trembling fingers and hitting the marble floor with a sharp slap that echoed in the sudden quiet.
​"That’s enough, Hael," Alex said softly. His voice was the anchor, steady and devoid of the heat radiating from Nyx. He straightened his posture, his cloak settling around his shoulders with the practiced grace of the Vael’Tharion line. "We’re done here."
​Rune stood next, moving like a shadow detached from the masonry. He didn't look at anyone. He didn't need to. The mere rustle of his heavy robes as he stepped into the light was enough to send the neighboring clusters of students into a frantic, hushed silence.
​Nyx was the last to move. She slowly released her grip on the iron railing she had been leaning against, the metal groaning slightly from the pressure. She turned her head just enough to catch the eye of the girl who had told everyone to keep their voice down.
​"You're right," Nyx said, her voice carrying clearly through the now-silent hall, cutting through the distant drone of the faculty preparations. "We don't like being talked about. So, if you're going to tell stories about my House... at least make sure you get the body count right next time."
​She didn't wait for a reaction. She turned on her heel and strode toward the towering doors of the Grand Hall. The group followed her, their footsteps echoing in perfect, intimidating unison against the polished stone.
​Behind them, the hundreds of gathered students remained silent for a full minute before anyone dared to breathe.