The Quiet Before the Storm

Chapter 10 – The Quiet Before the Storm

The weeks that followed were a whirlwind of routine and revelation.

Kael's name began to buzz through the academy halls—not as the prodigy with monstrous power, but as the clever blink mage who could outmaneuver nearly anyone. Professors called him "tactically gifted." Students whispered about him after duels. The Arcane Department even requested one of his personal spell logs for academic review.

Still, Kael remained focused. He knew recognition was fleeting. Power—real, undeniable power—was earned in sweat and study.

Each night, long after curfew, he practiced his blink spell behind the dorms, a lone figure vanishing and reappearing in calculated rhythm. One blink forward. Two sideways. Three back. It was like a dance—one only he knew the steps to.

One morning, inside Professor Helven's chamber:

"Your blink has stabilized," Helven said, flipping through Kael's spell notes. "But you're still limited by range and repetition. How are you addressing that?"

Kael's answer was immediate. "By reshaping the mana stream to fragment the delay between castings."

Helven raised an eyebrow. "You're experimenting with mana splitting?"

Kael nodded. "Low-scale. Controlled. I'm not trying to break myself—just bend the limits."

Helven chuckled, clearly impressed. "Careful. That kind of thinking either gets you killed… or written into history books."

Kael smiled faintly. "I'll aim for the latter."

Meanwhile, the Academy began preparing for the Yearly Inter-Academy Exchange—an event where elite students from neighboring kingdoms would visit for joint training, spell contests, and magical duels. It was the first step toward global recognition for any aspiring mage.

Kael didn't care about the prestige.

He cared about the dungeons that came after.

Once the exchange ended, selected students would be granted access to the outer layers of the Trial Dungeons, under the supervision of licensed Guildmasters.

That was Kael's goal.

Not the crowd. Not the spotlight. The experience.

In the dorms, Juno flopped onto his bed and groaned.

"I just want one day," he muttered into his pillow. "One peaceful, stress-free day."

Kael tossed a towel at him. "You had one yesterday."

"No, that was me pretending I was dead. Very different."

From the side, Elith—quiet as always—watched with a flicker of amusement in her gray eyes.

"You boys are loud," she said flatly, then returned to her notebook.

Juno propped himself up on one elbow. "You love it."

She didn't reply, but Kael caught the faintest smile as she turned away.

Lyra knocked gently before entering.

"Kael, Professor Myleth wants to see you. Alone."

Kael blinked. "Myleth? The arcane historian?"

Lyra nodded. "Didn't say why."

Later, in Professor Myleth's private study:

The room smelled of old tomes, dried ink, and faint stardust. Myleth, an old mage with a beard braided in runes, studied Kael over his moon-shaped glasses.

"You're the blink boy," he said.

"Yes, sir," Kael replied, standing straight.

Myleth motioned to a stack of dusty books. "Read these."

Kael stepped forward, scanning the spines. "Dimensional War Theory? Temporal Weave Structures? These are high-level texts."

"Blink is not a movement spell," Myleth said softly. "It's a tear. A minor one. But a tear nonetheless. Between here and there."

Kael's eyes widened.

"You're not teleporting, son. You're skipping a fraction of space. You're stepping into something older."

Kael swallowed.

"Study," Myleth said, voice turning serious. "Before it starts studying you back."

That night, Kael couldn't sleep.

He stood outside, looking up at the twin moons overhead. Lyra found him there.

"You alright?" she asked gently.

"Just thinking," he murmured.

"About what?"

"…If I'm really ready to become the strongest."

She stepped beside him, hugging her arms against the cool breeze.

"I don't think anyone's ever ready," she said. "We just… try anyway."

He glanced at her. "You're not as normal as you say you are."

She grinned. "Don't tell anyone."

The following day, the Academy buzzed with activity. Exchange students from the Kingdom of Solmere arrived, clad in gold-trimmed uniforms, their banners bearing sun crests.

Among them was Prince Rydel Solmere, renowned for wielding crystal magic.

He was tall, graceful, and smiled like he was always being watched.

And the moment he spotted Princess Selene in the courtyard, he walked over and kissed her hand.

Kael, walking nearby with Juno and Lyra, didn't react.

But Lyra slowed slightly beside him.

Selene, poised as ever, nodded. "Prince Rydel. Welcome."

"You look as radiant as always, Your Highness."

Lyra rolled her eyes. "Ugh."

Kael smiled faintly.

He didn't notice that Selene's gaze flickered toward him briefly—even as she stood beside royalty.

Later, in the practice arena:

A spell duel was arranged between the Solmere students and the top Arcane Academy candidates.

Kael stood across from one of them—a water mage named Vensh.

"You're the blink one, yeah?" Vensh smirked. "Bet I can keep you cornered."

Kael didn't answer.

The match began.

Vensh sent spirals of pressurized water surging toward him.

Kael blinked once.

Twice.

Then he did something new.

He paused mid-blink.

And for a flicker of a moment, his body shimmered—glitched—half-visible in two places at once.

Then he reappeared behind Vensh and tapped his neck.

"Out," the referee called.

Vensh gaped. "What was that?!"

Kael blinked at him. "An experiment."

From the royal box, Archmagus Velian stood up slowly.

Selene watched Kael with a soft, unplaceable look.

Lyra watched Selene.

And somewhere, in the shadowed corners of the world, the tear Kael had made in space began to ripple.

She stepped beside him, hugging her arms against the chilly breeze. "You always seem ready."

Kael shook his head. "People think strength is about power. But the more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. Blink… it's not what I thought it was. And I don't know where it'll take me."

Lyra tilted her head. "You'll figure it out. You always do. And you're not alone."

He turned to look at her. Her red hair glowed faintly under the moonlight, and for the first time, he saw not just his sparring partner or rival—but someone who truly believed in him.

"Thanks," he said, quietly.

She smiled. "Next time you start spacing out, I'm just going to blink-punch you."

He chuckled. "That's not even a real technique."

"Yet," she said, then added with a wink, "I've been taking notes."

The next morning, Princess Selene made a rare appearance in their training class.

Wrapped in pristine white-and-silver Academy robes, her long black hair swayed with elegance. Her presence was cold yet commanding, and even the instructors seemed cautious when addressing her.

Kael wasn't expecting her to approach him—but she did, right after the session ended.

"You've grown stronger," she said, crossing her arms.

Kael nodded. "So have you."

"I saw your duel with Alrick last week."

Kael's brow raised. "You were watching?"

"I happened to be near the tower window," she said quickly, a faint pink touching her cheeks before she masked it again.

Silence stretched between them before she added, "Your blink patterns… you've modified the angles. They're cleaner."

Kael blinked. "You noticed that?"

"I notice a lot," she said, then turned away quickly, muttering something under her breath as she walked off.

Across the room, Lyra was watching. She didn't look upset—just thoughtful.

Juno elbowed Kael from behind. "Dude. Are you building a reverse harem and forgetting to tell me?"

Kael gave him a deadpan stare. "I literally sleep next to you. You'd know."

Juno grinned. "Exactly. I know nothing."

That evening, Kael returned to his personal notes.

He had started creating his own theory: Micro-Tier Teleportation Layers.

If blink wasn't traditional teleportation, then perhaps he could fold space in smaller increments. Blink through objects. Bend direction mid-cast. Eventually—maybe even manipulate time between each blink.

But to do that, he'd need more than theory. He'd need mana reserves ten times stronger. Physical resilience. And mental focus bordering on obsession.

And, most of all, a purpose.

He thought back to the memory of his village. To the nameless man in black robes who left the square in flames.

Kael clenched his fists.

That man had vanished. No leads. No motive. Just death and silence.

But Kael would be ready when they met again.

Two weeks later – Academy Main Hall

The Inter-Academy Exchange had begun.

The once-quiet halls were alive with colorful uniforms, languages, and battle chants. Students from across the continent had arrived—some with beasts, some with glowing spellcrafts, others with weapons Kael had only read about.

Kael, Juno, Lyra, and Elith had been assigned to represent their class in the Tactical Combat Exhibition.

Their first opponents: Stormvale Institute, famed for its aggressive elemental sorcery.

Juno cracked his knuckles. "Time to show them what dirt armor can do."

Lyra twirled her training staff. "Let's make sure they remember the name 'Class Zero.'"

Elith simply adjusted her gloves. "Wind cuts deeper when it's silent."

Kael stepped forward, eyes focused, body calm.

"Stick to the plan," he said.

"Plan?" Juno asked.

Kael smirked. "We make one on the way."

They all laughed—but it was true. Kael fought best when adapting mid-combat. His strategies were flexible, reactive, precise.

And the moment they stepped into the arena, something shifted in him.

This wasn't about proving himself to others.

It was the next step toward becoming the BlinkWalker the world would remember.

Chapter 10 – The Quiet Before the Storm (Part 2) (continued)

Kael stood at the edge of the dueling arena, the world narrowing into instinct and observation. The crowd faded. The lights above shimmered like distant stars, but his gaze was fixed on the four opponents across from him—Stormvale's elite.

Their lead was a tall boy with silver hair and crackling lightning encircling both arms. His mana pressure was heavy, thunderous even without casting.

"Stormvale's got some serious magic bruisers," Lyra muttered under her breath, glancing sideways at Kael.

"Then let's not take them head-on," Kael replied. "We work around them."

Juno pounded his gauntlets together, causing bits of gravel to float off his armor. "I like smashing things, but I'll try subtle."

Elith simply nodded, wind already curling around her hands like invisible threads.

A bell chimed. The match began.

Stormvale opened with a storm barrage—sheets of lightning lancing toward them, sparks crashing into the ground like explosive hail.

Kael blinked sideways, appearing behind a raised earth pillar just in time. Juno slammed the ground, raising a stone shield to protect Lyra and Elith.

"Flank them!" Kael shouted, already moving.

Lyra sprinted with agility, casting flame arcs in a sweeping motion to mask Elith's approach. The wind user disappeared into the haze like a ghost.

Kael waited. Blink's range—three meters max. But three meters was enough.

He blinked once—then again. The second opponent turned at the sound—but too late.

Kael appeared above him, flipped mid-air, and struck with a reinforced mana pulse to the shoulder, knocking the boy down before blinking away again.

Cheers erupted from the Academy stands.

"He's too fast!" one Stormvale student yelled.

"Where is he?!" another barked.

They regrouped defensively, shields up, electricity dancing along their skin.

But the formation was shaky now. Rushed.

Kael signaled once with his fingers—then vanished again.

Lyra launched fire from the left. Juno charged straight ahead, absorbing bolts with his stone armor. And then—Elith struck.

Wind blades burst from the smoke, precise and fast, cutting across their opponents' legs and arms, knocking them off-balance.

Kael appeared behind the last one and whispered, "Gotcha."

A single mana-infused strike to the core—and the final opponent fell.

The arena roared with applause.

Victory: Ardentis Academy – Class Zero.

After the match, Kael slumped on a bench outside the arena, sipping water and catching his breath. Sweat dripped from his hairline, but there was a light in his eyes—he was improving.

Lyra sat beside him, legs stretched out in front of her.

"You're moving faster," she said. "Almost like the Blink doesn't even need prep time now."

Kael nodded. "I'm learning to connect the movement with instinct. Less hesitation, more intention."

Juno plopped down on the ground, groaning. "My back is made of rocks, but I still feel pain."

"You did good," Kael said.

Juno grinned. "I know I did."

Elith remained quiet, standing in the shade nearby, but her gaze lingered on Kael for a moment longer than usual. There was something in her expression—respect, maybe even curiosity.

From a distance, Princess Selene watched the team.

She hadn't participated, but she had observed every move Kael made. Every blink. Every feint. Every calculated risk.

One of her guards approached. "Shall we return, Your Highness?"

"…Not yet," she replied, voice calm but eyes sharp.

When Kael glanced in her direction, she turned away instantly. Her ears tinged with red. She would never admit it—but watching him fight stirred something strange. A kind of admiration… and an unspoken fear that someone like Lyra might already be closer to him.

Selene clutched her sleeve. "Stupid commoner girl."

That night, Kael stood in the Academy's Grand Library, surrounded by floating tomes and candlelight.

He wasn't reading casually anymore—he was researching the ancient theory of Dimensional Skip Points.

According to a lost manuscript, certain mages in the Old War era were capable of shifting not just space—but orientation, perception, and even time through small-scale teleportation layers.

"Micro folds," he whispered. "Maybe… maybe Blink isn't a step. Maybe it's a cut through dimensions."

His mind raced.

If he could fold those three meters—bend them around barriers, slice through space like a blade—he wouldn't just be the fastest. He'd be unstoppable.