The secret which is no longer a secret!

The quiet night air settled around them as Aether walked with Claire and her friends down the gently lit path, leaving the entrance of the girls' dormitory behind. Lantern-like crystals set along the walkway glowed softly, bathing the stone path in a cool silver hue. Somewhere off in the distance, faint laughter of other students drifted by, but here it felt strangely private — almost fragile.

Aether strolled alongside Claire with his hands in his pockets, trying not to look too amused. Then he suddenly smirked and cast her a sideways glance. "Hey, Claire," he said, his voice carrying that playful, testing edge that only siblings used on each other. "You told me before that you could find my dorm easily, right? So why don't you try now?"

Claire snapped her head toward him, narrowing her eyes. "113, right? Hah! Fine, watch me — I'll find it without breaking a sweat."

She puffed up her chest and marched forward with a proud stride, forcing the others to quicken their pace to keep up. Behind her, Aether let out a muffled laugh, his shoulders shaking slightly. The whole image of her trying to act like some confident guide was too much.

As they continued, the path eventually split into two main hallways — one leading to the boys' dormitory, the other to the girls'. Right at this junction, the group slowed down and then came to a complete halt. Claire stood at the front, her posture suddenly tense. The rest of the girls flanked around Aether almost instinctively, their bodies subtly shifting to block him from view.

Aether blinked, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Huh? What's going on?" he whispered. "Why'd we stop here all of a sudden?"

He tried to peek around Lena's shoulder, only for Lena and Hinata to close ranks tighter. Aether felt hands on his arms and back — gentle but firm — subtly nudging him behind them. Something in the sudden hush of their voices made his skin prickle.

Then he heard it: a smug, oily voice calling out from ahead.

"Hey, Claire. Whatcha doing here, huh?"

That tone was enough to grind on his nerves even before he knew who it belonged to. Claire didn't even bother to hide her contempt as she snapped back, "What's it to you? Get lost."

But while her words were sharp, Aether noticed the way Claire glanced quickly over her shoulder, her eyes flashing with urgency. The next heartbeat, Lena and Zheny closed in even tighter around him.

That's when it clicked. "They're hiding me…" Aether realized, feeling a cold weight settle in his stomach. Whoever was standing out there — this person must not learn about his connection to Claire.

Standing only a little ways ahead, a tall boy with slicked-back dark hair leaned lazily against one of the crystal lamp posts, a grin on his lips that was anything but friendly. He wore the academy's uniform sloppily, his jacket draped open, a gaudy ring glinting on his finger. His name, apparently, was Ryan. Just looking at him made Aether's hands itch.

"So this is the bastard…" Aether thought, teeth pressing into the inside of his cheek.

Ryan's eyes slithered over Claire and her friends with obvious entitlement. "Come on now, don't talk to me like that. I like you a lot, you know," he drawled, voice thick with mock sweetness.

Claire's lips twisted in disgust. Before she could speak again, Zheny cut in with a glare sharp enough to slice glass. "Fool. Leave right now, or we'll call security."

Ryan's jaw tightened, his teeth grinding. Clearly, he didn't appreciate being spoken to that way. His eyes darkened, and for a moment Aether almost stepped out right then and there. But Lena gripped his wrist tightly behind her back, keeping him hidden.

Inside, Lena's heart was racing. "If that idiot Ryan finds out Aether's Claire's brother… it'll be disastrous. We have to keep him out of sight."

Aether tried to stay calm, though his jaw clenched tight enough that a faint pulse jumped in his temple. He leaned closer to Hinata, tugging lightly at her sleeve. Her usually serene eyes flickered toward him. "Yes?" she mouthed.

Keeping his voice low, he asked, "Who is that guy?"

Hinata's expression darkened a fraction. "Ryan. He's a scum who's been harassing Claire for ages. Always says he's in love with her. Claire ignores him, but he doesn't get it."

Understanding sliced through Aether in an instant — and brought with it a flare of white-hot anger that nearly made him see stars. "So that's the type of trash bothering my sister. If he knew about me… he'd probably use me as leverage just to hurt her."

Something primal stirred under his ribs, his mana responding to his spike in fury. A faint glow sparked in his eyes. "You're harassing my sister when she's clearly not interested. How should I repay that kind of kindness…?"

Then he took a breath, trying to calm himself — only to lose his balance completely. "—Heh?"

Aether stumbled and tripped, pitching sideways right out from behind Hinata and Lena's careful cover.

Ryan's smug look sharpened the instant he noticed the subtle shuffle in their group. His grin turned wolfish. "Hey, what are you hiding behind you all?" he asked, jabbing a finger toward Lena.

"What's it to you?" Lena shot back coldly.

Ryan's expression curdled. "Tch. Don't test me. I'll force my way through if I have to."

"You dare?" Zheny hissed. Her voice crackled with contained power — a warning that if Ryan so much as tried, he'd regret it.

For the first time, Ryan seemed to hesitate. His eyes darted quickly to Hinata and back. Even he wasn't stupid enough to miss the fact that there were two Childs of Lights standing right here — Claire and Hinata. Picking a fight would be suicide.

Still, something cruel sparked in his gaze. A faint current of wind began to stir around his fingers, swirling dangerously. Just enough for a cheap trick.

And at that exact unlucky moment, Aether, already off balance, felt a sharp gust sweep at his legs. He fell forward, crashing clumsily to the ground — completely exposed.

"Aether! Are you alright?" Claire's alarmed voice sliced through the stunned silence. She rushed to his side, grabbing his shoulders and helping him up.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Aether muttered, brushing dust off his uniform. He steadied himself with a hand on Claire's arm, then glared across at Ryan. "That bastard… used magic to trip me while I was distracted. Ugh, how careless."

When he finally met Ryan's eyes, Ryan only smirked, spreading his hands in a false apology that practically screamed oops, my fault, totally an accident. Aether gave him a flat, unimpressed stare.

"Oh? There's a boy with you all," Ryan said with fake innocence, cocking his head. "Who's this, hmm?"

"Not your problem, is it?" Hinata responded icily.

"Fine, I'll just ask him myself—" Wind picked up again around Ryan's hand, faint whirls tightening into sharper spirals.

Claire's breath hitched. Her instincts screamed how easily that wind could cut skin if Ryan chose. Her panic broke past caution. "Stop! He's my brother. Don't lay a hand on him!"

For a split second everything froze. Even the breeze seemed to hush.

Ryan blinked, then let out a bark of laughter. He dropped his hand and the wind collapsed around him. "Wait… this boy? This non-gifter is your brother? This failure is little Claire's brother? A Child of Lights' precious sibling? Hahaha!"

Aether felt nothing at those words. No sting, no crack. Just a hollow, tired disgust. Lena, on the other hand, visibly trembled with rage.

"Get lost before I lose my patience and beat you into the ground," she snapped.

Ryan sneered, taking a cautious step back. "Huh! Fine, I'll go… but the real fun starts now. Hahaha!" With that ominous cackle echoing behind him, he finally turned and sauntered off.

The silence that followed was suffocating. No one moved or spoke until Aether dusted off his palms and said with deliberate lightness, "So… shall we keep going?"

Claire and her friends looked stricken. Zheny bit her lip. "We're so sorry, Aether. We shouldn't have come with you — now that idiot knows. Exactly what you didn't want."

Their guilt was heavy, written plainly across their faces. Aether scratched the back of his head and forced a small chuckle. "Eh, well, this was bound to come out sooner or later. I'd just hoped for a bit more time. Honestly… what a pain in the ass."

Inside, however, his thoughts were anything but casual. "Ryan… you crossed a line today. Now I'll have to do something about it, even though I didn't want to make waves."

Zheny's eyes glistened as she said quietly, "Your days at this academy could get really hard now, you know."

Aether turned to her with a grin that somehow still sparkled, despite everything. "Well, I've got you all here to defend me, right? So I'm not worried. Hehe."

The simple, earnest trust in his smile hit all of them like a gentle punch to the heart. One by one they nodded, promising silently they'd stand by him no matter what.

He then glanced at Claire, who was staring down, her shoulders hunched with shame. Gently, he reached out and took her hand. "Come on, let's go. Didn't you say you'd find my dorm?"

Claire blinked up at him, eyes shiny. "I'm sorry, Aether…" she mouthed, voice nearly breaking.

"Hey, I told you already — it's not a problem," he said, squeezing her fingers. Then he grinned wider, determined to snap them all out of the gloom. "Besides, if you fail to find it, you'll have to treat me to food next time."

"Ehh? I didn't promise that!" Claire protested, startled — but it broke her sorrow enough to make her puff her cheeks.

"Well, I just made it up. Haha," Aether laughed, tugging her forward.

Their small group began to walk again, the heavy mood easing just slightly. But under it all, each girl carried a mix of anger and sorrow — furious at Ryan, crushed by guilt that they couldn't stop those words from reaching Aether. Even though they didn't know it, those insults were meaningless to Aether. Anyone else in his place might have crumbled — yet he kept smiling, holding up his little world by sheer stubborn force of will.

✦ To Be Continued [Jojo'z Theme] ✦