The murmurs in the Grand Celestial Academy's inner coliseum settled as the elders descended into their seats. A faint tension still lingered in the air, like an invisible veil draped across the open sky above. The duels had ended, but something else had begun—unspoken, rising, watching.
Nocth stood beside Imius, who had just casually beaten two senior disciples while barely stepping beyond the strength of a high-tier Celestial Spark. He wore a lazy grin, one foot kicked onto the stone bench as he leaned back, teasing the wind with threads of invisible pressure.
From a distance, Ezrel stood amid the watching crowd—silent, eyes thoughtful. He seemed unremarkable for now, just another senior disciple from one of the lesser estates beneath the House of Valshura.
Nocth looked toward the elevated audience balcony, where Shae' of the Saevareth Third Branch Estate leaned on the rail, veil fluttering, posture unreadable. His gaze lingered a little too long.
Imius chuckled under his breath. "You've been staring, little brother."
Nocth snapped his attention back. "Was I?"
"She's not ordinary," Imius mused, stretching lazily. "But don't worry. You're not the only one she's watching."
At that, Ezrel—standing not too far—glanced toward Nocth. He smiled faintly, kindly, though his eyes held a distance. He had noticed. Yet there was no confrontation, no spark of rivalry. Just a shadow of understanding that passed and faded.
An elder's voice boomed.
"Now that the Veil of Power's session has concluded, let it be known—a few students have shown unique promise, though many of you remain like frogs at the bottom of a well!"
A few elders grunted their approval. Others smirked.
Then came a light laugh from Shae'.
Not loud. Just enough to be heard by the nearby inner court elders and high-ranked spectators.
Several elders turned sharply toward her, frowns forming. Her amusement was obvious, but unreadable. To them, she had always been odd—a ghost of noble lineage with few words and many secrets.
She tilted her head, gaze far away, and whispered something that carried faintly through the observing silence:
> "Even the frogs can sometimes leap into the sky."
The elders stiffened. A few glared. But none spoke.
Shae' turned away, her veil catching the light.
Behind her, one elder muttered, "She mocks us again…"
Another exhaled with annoyance. "That child... she's always been a mystery."
—
Elsewhere, in a quiet training hall, Nocth walked alongside Imius.
"Imius," he asked, "what comes after Celestial Spark and Veinkind Initiate?"
Imius looked up at the banners etched into the marble.
"You're still in Spark. Me? Second-level Initiate. But there's a world above us. Three known levels."
He raised three fingers.
"First: Celestial Spark. Awakening the Veins. You begin to channel celestial energy—raw and difficult.
Second: Veinkind Initiate. Your veins begin to harmonize, allowing power to flow naturally.
Third: Vein Ascendant which many title it veinforged intiate. Rare. Those are leaders and top elders. Few even speak of the fourth."
Nocth's brow furrowed. "And the fourth?"
Imius chuckled. "No one in Thaleon continent has reached it. No name. No understanding. Just silence."
He stopped and pointed at a scroll engraved with bloodline charts.
"Classes, too. Each level has classes. Based on how many veins are awakened and what affinity you hold."
He listed casually:
"Class1 titled forgotten roots with 1 to 44veins
Class 2 titled bare veins with 45 to 79 veins
Class 3 titled rising strand with 80 to 129 veins
Class 4 titled woven core with 130 to 199 veins
Class 5 titled noble threads as meanly prodigy nobles are in this category as they have 200 to 299 veins
Class 6 titled celestial blood with high ranking nobles here with 300 to 499 veins
Class7 titled starforged have 500 to 699 veins and entire history of zyreon celestial kingdom with it's entire million year history only about 7 have ever being recorded having this number of veins
Class8 to class 9 have 700 to 999 veins and online zyreon celestial kingdom's founder was ever to be recorded to have 840 veins in distance million year past
Nocth absorbed every word.
"And you?" he asked.
Imius grinned. "Mid-tier Veinkind Initiate. But I enjoy dropping down to play among Celestial Sparks like you. It's fun."
"You... lower your level?"
Imius winked. "You'd be surprised how easy it is. Some of the other seniors do it too. But Shae' already warned me not to keep messing around."
"She did?"
"Called me a 'rogue wind messing the garden.' Told me to either teach properly or spar quietly."
Nocth laughed, unsure if she was serious.
---
Thus, the curtain closed on the Veil of Power.
Tensions brewed unseen. Families watched. Shadows of noble lines began to stir, from forgotten branches and distant provinces.
And among them, frogs at the bottom began to stretch their legs.