Flicker

Dawn on Solaria Island painted the sky in hues of crimson and gold — an omen of the battle to come.Altamira Academy buzzed with activity. Thousands of voices merged into a vibrant hum, a symphony of anticipation heralding the most awaited event of the cycle: The Grand Stellar Tournament.

The stands were packed with students, professors, and prominent figures from across the academy. High above the arena, banners emblazoned with golden emblems fluttered in the breeze, each representing a different house and specialty among the combatants. The arena floor, a blend of polished stone and star-energy-infused alloy, gleamed under the morning light.

Jake Evernight, clad in his combat uniform, waited in the staging area. His outfit was a blend of function and flair — a fitted dark-fiber jacket with the academy crest engraved over his left chest. Fluorescent lines ran along his sleeves, pulsing in sync with his energy flow, glowing brighter with each heartbeat. His pants were durable yet flexible, designed for unrestricted movement. A pair of adaptive-soled boots completed the ensemble, built to absorb impact and enhance traction across any surface.He wore no cape; instead, his entire presence radiated power — a reflection of his relentless training and inner resolve.

Across from him, Reiss Vauren adjusted the gloves of his own combat gear. His attire contrasted sharply with Jake's: a high-performance trench coat, split at the bottom for easier movement, reinforced with polymer plates over the shoulders and chest. The deep blue coat bore silver accents — a tribute to House Vauren. His pants, crafted from the same fortified fabric, gave him the appearance of a modern warrior — one who fused tradition with cutting-edge tech.Star energy coursed through geometric patterns stitched into his uniform — markings of his bloodline and absolute control over his inner power.

Around them, the crowd roared with excitement. The atmosphere had already surpassed all expectations — and the real fight hadn't even begun.

"Jake Evernight versus Reiss Vauren."The announcer's voice thundered across the arena, triggering an eruption of cheers.

Jake narrowed his eyes and stepped onto the platform. His opponent was already in position.

Reiss was broad-shouldered, athletically built, with silver hair and the bearing of a seasoned warrior. Though a side character in the academy's broader narrative, he was anything but ordinary.The son of a family of martial artists who studied star energy through the lens of pure combat, Reiss didn't fight for vanity. He fought for a legacy. He was someone the crowd could root for — a dreamer, a fighter, someone with a life beyond the ring.

As the announcer raised his hand to signal the start, Reiss's thoughts drifted to the past.

Years earlier...

The sound of strikes echoed through the Vauren family dojo. Torches flickered, casting long shadows across stone walls. In the center, a young Reiss hit the wooden floor for what felt like the hundredth time.His grandfather — stern eyes and a body carved by discipline — stood motionless, watching.

"Get up."The old man's voice was gravelly, unwavering.

Reiss clenched his jaw and forced himself upright. His arms trembled, his energy nearly spent — but he wouldn't give in. Not in front of him.

"Throwing powerful punches isn't enough, Reiss. Real combat is an art — and art begins with complete control over your energy and your body."The elder circled him, analyzing every movement."We fight to preserve our lineage. Not for glory. Not for vengeance. Understood?"

Reiss nodded, strained but determined.His grandfather had once been among the most feared warriors in Vauren history. He had never demanded Reiss follow in his footsteps — but the expectation was etched into every fiber of his being.

Star energy wasn't just power — it was a principle. An inheritance to be protected and honored.

That night, after an exhausting training session, Reiss sat beside his mother on the dojo terrace.She, soft-featured but with eyes full of resolve, handed him a cup of steaming tea.

"You're always trying to impress him," she said gently.

Reiss took a sip and sighed. "I want to be strong. I want to be worthy of this family."

She smiled, brushing a strand of silver hair from his face."Strength isn't just in your fists, my son. It's in your conviction."

Under a starlit sky, Reiss made a silent vow:He would go further than anyone in his bloodline had ever dared.And he would do it on his own terms.

But it wasn't until his grandfather's ultimate trial that he truly understood the meaning of strength.

Three days later, his grandfather led him into the surrounding mountains. On a wind-blasted cliff, the elder challenged him to maintain a combat stance while enduring the freezing gusts of the summit.

"I don't want you to strike at the air. I don't want you to dodge shadows," he said, arms folded."Just endure."

Snow piled on Reiss's hair. His muscles screamed. Every second felt like his body might shatter.But he didn't fall.His conviction burned hotter than the cold.

When they finally descended, his grandfather placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Now I understand," he said, his stern gaze softening — pride flickering in his eyes for the first time."You're not just a Vauren. You're something more."

From that day on, Reiss never wavered again.

Reiss squinted and used his own energy flow to clear the cloud of debris—but Jake was no longer there."Above you!" someone shouted from the stands.Reiss looked up just in time to see Jake's silhouette plummeting like a meteor. His fist glowed with pure Aetherian energy, a strike meant to devastate.

But Reiss wasn't in the arena to lose."Not so fast!" he growled, channeling his own power into a shield of solid energy. The impact shook the ground, and for a moment, everything went silent.

Then the shockwave cracked the air.

The crowd roared as the battle raged on, excitement building with every move. And this was only the first match.The flame of the tournament had only just begun to burn.

Reiss landed hard, sliding his feet to regain balance. He took a deep breath, feeling the tremor in his muscles. His shield had held, but not without cost. His right arm burned, the vibration of the blow still echoing through his body.

Jake, on the other hand, landed with ease, his stance still relaxed. But in his eyes—there was recognition."Not bad," Jake said with a half-smile. "Not many take that one head-on."Reiss exhaled, a determined grin on his face. "I'm a Vauren. We don't fall that easily."

With a burst of star-born energy, both lunged back into the fight, ready to take it to the next level."Point for Jake!" the announcer thundered, his voice electrified and projected across the coliseum.

Reiss growled, stepping back, his arm numb from the blow. Jake barely let his guard down. He was breathing heavily, the stellar energy around him sparking in a deepening blue. One second more, and Reiss might've countered. Tension hung in the air like a storm.

…Except for Sophia.She wasn't watching the fight anymore.

Something cold had traced the back of her neck, like an invisible whisper. A twinge—a feeling. Her eyes scanned the judges' platform, and that's when she saw him.

Zephyr.He was rising to his feet.

His hands lifted from his lap in a motion so smooth it seemed to float. His robe rippled with elegance—black, with purple hues so deep they seemed to swallow the light. He passed the other judges without a word. No nod. No glance back. He took a side corridor, barely visible to the spectators… and vanished into the shadows.

"What...?" Sophia murmured, brow furrowed.

No one else seemed to notice.

The roar of the match surrounded her—but she no longer heard it. All she felt was the spiral chill crawling down her spine.

And a memory.The last time she had spoken to Raven.

"See this?" he'd said in the library weeks ago, showing her a black-covered notebook with worn edges. "It's not a grimoire… not yet. It's blank. Jake has to fill it. With what he discovers. With what he feels.""You gave him a diary?" she'd laughed."I gave him a seed. What it grows into… is up to him."

She hadn't seen Raven since.And now Zephyr was leaving… as if something in the dark had called him.

Without another thought, Sophia slipped through the crowd. She jumped the stands, snuck behind the backstage corridors, avoiding energy technicians and supervisors. No one noticed her.Everyone's eyes were on the battle.

Except hers.Except Zephyr's.

The corridor he'd entered was old, nearly forgotten. No automatic lights. The floor tiles were dusty—though now they bore fresh footprints.His.Hers.

Sophia swallowed hard and stepped in.

The sounds of the arena faded behind her.

All that remained was the echo of her steps and the quickening beat of her own heart. The walls were lined with ancient stained glass, but the light that once passed through them was long gone. Everything was submerged in a kind of eternal twilight. As if this place didn't belong to the same time as the rest of the academy.

Where are you going, Zephyr...?What's here that can't wait until the fight is over...?

She stopped. A sound.Like something dragging across stone ahead.

Sophia pressed her back to the wall. She hadn't summoned her aura. She was completely vulnerable.

"Raven… if you were right about him…" she whispered, her voice trembling, "...why is no one else seeing this?"

She rounded the next corridor. And saw him.

Zephyr stood with his back to her, before a massive door sealed with forgotten runes—symbols that appeared in no modern tome.He didn't move.He simply… watched.

The dimness thickened around him, swirling like living mist. And for a second, Sophia saw a shadow unfurl from his feet—like a second layer of his body.Something formless… nameless.

A hum struck her. A subtle pain behind her eyes.As if the air itself was trying to invade her mind.

No… don't get closer…Don't look directly at him…

But she couldn't look away.She couldn't move.

Then—he spoke.He didn't turn around.He simply said, in a voice that wasn't a voice at all—impossible, distant, like an echo from another reality:

"I see… you walk unseen as well."

Sophia took a step back.But there was no floor.She fell.

She was falling.

The echo of her footsteps screamed across the polished halls of the academy.There was no one.No one.

The tournament roared far away, star energy exploding like fireworks.And yet… Sophia felt that the real danger wasn't in the arena.It was behind her.

How did I get here…?Why him…?

"Zephyr…" she whispered under her breath. Her voice felt foreign, weak—as if it weren't her own.

This wasn't a chase. Not a physical one.Zephyr didn't run.Zephyr didn't need to run.He only walked.

But that slow, steady, unseen step was enough to break her soul.

Where are you?What are you...?

She remembered Raven's calm voice, days before he vanished:"There are presences you can't analyze… only feel.Like when something inside you says: this place is no longer safe."

And the worst part, Sophia thought with a tight throat, was that she hadn't understood those words——until now.

A turn.A side hallway.And at the end… a frosted glass door.

The Science, Health, and Technology Club's lab.Lit. Accessible. Normal.Too normal.

She didn't think twice. With a swift motion, she channeled energy into her fingertips and released a flurry of sparks—tiny points of stellar light that scattered in different directions down the hallway. Visual traps. False echoes. Almost imperceptible beneath the distant roar of battle from the arena.

Then, she veered off course.

She yanked the lab door open and slipped inside like a shadow.Click. Closed it.

The lights shut off automatically, sensing no movement. Perfect.

She held her breath, crouching behind a shelf stacked with chemicals and thermal containers. Everything was in place. Everything gleamed. And yet…

Why does this place feel so... filthy?

The silence was absolute, broken only by the faint hum of machines in standby.

Sophia held back tears. Not from sorrow. From rage. From helplessness.

"That book… it had no letters. It was like it was telling me: 'You write what should exist.'""Sophia, sometimes the strongest spell is the one you choose to write down."

Raven had said that. No jokes in his eyes. No lightness.Did he know something? Was he trying to warn us… without really saying it?

Was that why Zephyr went after him…?

She hugged her knees, swallowing hard. Her mind was beginning to crack, but her spirit still held.

Zephyr didn't come in.Seconds passed. Minutes. She couldn't tell.

Maybe… she'd bought herself some time.Maybe… he believed the decoys were real.Or maybe… he simply isn't interested in killing me yet.

"Jake…" she whispered. Her voice made no echo. "If you're feeling anything… please, wake up."

It hurt to admit, but she was alone.And even though she had escaped for now, she hadn't lost him.

Zephyr was no longer just a suspicion. He was a latent threat. A predator dressed in authority.

And she…She was just a girl, breathing on the edge of panic, in a lab where everything seemed normal—everything except her shadow.