Chapter 18.Sweet Tounge, Silent Blade

The whirring of sterile fans filled the chamber as Ethan sat alone under a dim, flickering light. No restraints, no doctors hovering over him—just silence. But the calm was a lie. The room was part of the Concord's psychological stress wing, designed to simulate past trauma and measure mental resilience.

"Simulation begins in five seconds," a voice echoed from unseen speakers.

Ethan's breath stilled.

The walls shimmered.

And then he was back—in the ruins of Abhokai. Screams, flames, and the sound of that monstrous blade splitting stone and flesh. He stood frozen as the memory of his father's last battle replayed, brutal and unforgiving. The Riftlord's whisper came again, crawling up his spine: "Ethan."

He clenched his fists. "No no nooo!... not again."

Suddenly, the vision cracked and disintegrated like glass.

The simulation ended.

Back in reality, Warden Caelis watched from a control room. Her fingers drummed the console. Ethan had passed—barely. His heartbeat had spiked during the sequence but not just from fear. From rage.

"That boy is going to be a problem," muttered a silver-haired man beside her—Grall.

Caelis folded her arms. "He already is."

---

Later that day, the Council Chamber in the upper levels of the Concord buzzed with tension. Holographic figures shimmered above circular pedestals, each one a representative of the Ashen Accord.

"We demand access now," one of them barked. "You are hiding a potential Rift catalyst within your walls."

"He's one of my students, not a fucking weapon," Caelis replied coolly.

"That's precisely the problem."

Another figure leaned forward. "A Riftlord has manifested for the first time in two centuries. It appeared and disappeared just as fast days after that boy arrived. You think that's coincidence?"

Caelis remained stone-faced.

Then the lead Accord representative spoke "If you won't cooperate, we'll send someone who will.Kaelith Dorne is en route."

---

Kaelith arrived by nightfall.

Only 20, yet her presence demanded the room. She stepped off the Accord shuttle in a sleek black coat, white and crimson hair falling like silk against her pale skin. A single, crimson eye scanned the hangar while the other was hidden behind bangs—an old scar slashing through the bridge of her jaw.

She moved with the grace of a killer.

"Warden Caelis," she greeted smoothly.

Caelis did not offer her hand. "I hope you understand the gravity of your presence here,do not cause trouble here have I made myself clear."

Kaelith smiled faintly. "Of course. I'm simply here to observe."

"And?"

"To get close to the boy. Study him. Determine if he's our problem... or our salvation.And if he poses to be a threat,I'll eliminate him without a second thought."She answered coldly clearly making her intentions clear to Caelis.

---

The next morning, Ethan sat under a tree near the outer wall, flipping a training knife through his fingers, lost in thought. Raiden was off sparring again. Liora was tinkering with another drone. Zira was doing her regular training as well—.

That's when she arrived.

Kaelith's boots crunched softly over the gravel. "Mind if I join you?"

Ethan blinked. She was stunning—beauty that can't easily be outmatched, but there was something unusual about her aura—an almost practiced nonchalance.

"Uh, sure," he said. "You're new?"

"Just arrived. Transfered from an Accord facility."

"I'm Ethan."

"I know,I've kinda already heard alot about you" she said with a small smile. "I'm Kaelith."

She sat beside him, back straight, hands folded. For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Kaelith looked sideways at him. "You've look like you've been through a lot shit."

He gave a dry laugh. "You don't know the half of it."

"I might." Her gaze lingered, analytical yet warm. "People here don't get normal lives after all."

Ethan looked away. "So what's your story?"

"let's just say I've seen more rifts exhibitions than being in an actual classroom.Shit is crazy out there."

He smirked."Your damn right."

She leaned back on her palms. "You ever wonder if we're just being groomed for something worse?"

"Every day."

They sat in silence again, and for once, Ethan didn't feel like the outsider with her. Kaelith's presence was oddly calming.

"You fight?" he asked.

"Pretty much," she said. "I'm pretty good at it." She then let out a slight giggle.

Their eyes met. For a moment, something passed between them—mutual understanding,like they've known each other for a long time.

"I should get back to training," Ethan said, rising.

Kaelith stood too. "I'll see you around."

"It was nice meeting you."

---

From a distance, Caelis watched them through surveillance glass, lips tight.

"She's already embedded herself," said Grall, stepping beside her.

"Too fast."

"Damn she's good."

"She's dangerous."Caelis exclaimed.

"But she could be useful down the line."

---

Later that night, Ethan returned to his room.

Something about Kaelith lingered. Her words, her eyes. He just couldn't place it.

He sat on his bed, staring at his hand. The fingers that once trembled in fear now held weight. Control. But at what cost?

He was in a world he knew almost nothing about without any idea if his family was still alive or no.

In the mirror, he saw the white strands of hair again. And behind his reflection... just for a blink… he saw a shadow.

He spun around quickly.

Nothing.There wasn't anything there.

"Get it together,man." he muttered.

Shrugging off whatever he thought he saw behind him.Was there actually something watching him or was it just his paranoid imagination at work?