Endless darkness stretched like a sea without a shore, a strange calm.
No voice.
No pain. Just soothing silence.
Just an echoing rhythm of thump... thump, the beat of a heart that might've been his.
A faint light brushed on his face—warm. Sei's consciousness trickled back, and he realized he was lying on cold stone beneath him. The sharp smell of iron and damp earth filled his nose.
Sei blinked open his eyes. His body felt lighter, relaxed. He touched his chest. His ribs hurt a little, but they no longer screamed in agony.
The world came into focus—the silver haze of dawn creeping along the walls. The moon was sinking behind the rooftops, pale and weary, as if even the sky had grown tired of the night.
He tried to move. His limbs responded, stiff but functional.
Then he saw her.
Fari lay curled up beside him, barely breathing. Her fur glowing faintly, her tail twitching weakly in her sleep. Dried leaves clung to her like makeshift bandages.
A lump caught in his throat.
"…Fari."
She didn't stir.
She'd used everything she had—every ounce of energy—to heal him. A tiny herbal spirit, giving until she had nothing left.
Sei's hand reached out to her, his fingers trembling. Guilt twisted inside his stomach. She shouldn't have had to suffer for his sake.
Not like this.
Carefully, he picked her up, hiding her small form in his arms. She was warm, but barely. Too quiet.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
And then, with staggering steps, he began the long walk back to the dorms. Through the uneven surface of the tunnel, he crossed back into the academy grounds.
He walked slowly, quietly through the grass, not sparing even a movement to his hands.
The academy hall was quiet—it was not completely morning, and everyone was asleep. No voice. No footsteps. Sei continued towards his room.
His whole body ached with an unseen pain, his clothes tattered, bloodstains dried on his shirt. His pristine hair rested tangled on his sides. But it didn't matter, since no one saw him.
When he reached the dorm room, he stood there for a moment. Navi woke up early—even before the bell rang. Sei slowly slid the door open, making sure the hinges wouldn't squeal.
Inside, Navi was still asleep, sprawled diagonally across her bed with a book resting on her chest. A sense of relief washed over him.
Sei slid in, lowered Fari onto his bed, and wrapped her in the corner of his blanket.
Then he grabbed his clean school uniform from the wall hook and slipped into the bathroom.
The bathroom light flickered as it buzzed on, casting a pale glow across the mirror.
Sei stared at his reflection.
It didn't look like him.
Dirt smeared across his cheeks. Blood crusted at the corner of his mouth. Purple bruises were forming beneath the skin—on his neck, his collarbone. His lips were dry, split. His left eye slightly swollen.
I look so pathetic, don't I, he thought. I was saved by him—that bastard. Why? Why did it have to be him?
He gripped the edge of the sink. His fingers shook. His shoulders trembled.
The storm inside him raged, howling against the walls he'd built to keep it in.
Tears filled his eyes, but he didn't let them fall.
He peeled off his ruined shirt, wiped the blood from his face, and cleaned his wounds in silence, hiding them the best he could. The water was cold, yet it didn't bother him.
Sei couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt and anger. And it was not directed at anyone else—it was directed at himself for being so weak.
Then he dressed, buttoned his uniform, and looked at the mirror once more. Now he didn't look like someone who had just died.
But something caught his attention—something he hadn't noticed before. His damp navy-blue hair clung to his face and fell down straight on his back.
It had once been jet black. A memory surfaced, blurry. His younger self running barefoot through muddy fields, short black hair moving in the wind, laughter rising into the sky.
Now, it was deep navy blue. In the dim light, it looked almost like ink swirling underwater.
When had it changed? Since when did my hair look like this? he wondered. He never really noticed after his father died. He was too busy training.
He came out of the bathroom looking perfectly fine, a fake smile tugging at his lips. Without even looking at Navi, he left quietly for class.
The class buzzed with low chatter as students filled in. Desks scraped. Pens clicked. The usual routine.
Sei sat in his seat at the back, perfectly upright, staring forward, his hair hiding his left eye.
Instructor Shin lectured at the front—something theoretical about elemental energy resonance with the core. But the words echoed faintly to Sei; his mind wandered off to the events of the night.
The tunnel… Who was the masked man? What order was he talking about? There were a lot of questions. But then he stumbled upon the thought that made his teeth click under his breath:
Gillian Fredrik.
Why did he save him? And why was he in the capital in the first place?
Sei's chest tightened, fear taking over. Even now, after hours, he could feel it in his bones. He could feel the pressure of Gillian's presence—the suffocating aura, those dead crimson eyes, the way the air seemed to retreat from him. That man had saved him… but not out of kindness.
Sei knew that much.
No, Gillian hadn't even looked at him. It was like Sei wasn't even there, like he didn't exist, or was a fly not worth looking at.
Sei bit his lip in sheer anger, the taste of blood melting on his tongue.
I want to get stronger. That man—if he wants, he can kill me in an instant. There's no way I can stand against someone like him.
Sei's eyes flickered to the spot on the wall where the tunnel was. The wall looked normal, yet it hid secrets. And the academy… even more.
It had only been two weeks since he came to the academy, and it already started feeling foreign. He could feel eyes on him every now and then. It was because of the yellow badge he wore—like some kind of mark.
Shin raised his volume, sweeping Sei back to reality. He looked attentively now, listening.
"Listen, everyone. In two weeks, your first month in Luminar Academy will be completed." He paused for a moment, then spoke again, slower this time. "Get ready for your first exam. Those who fail will be expelled."