Consequences

By mid morning, the arena had been cordoned off.

Gilded Academy Sentinels swept across the broken dueling ground, inspecting scorch marks, stabilizing rune fractures, and muttering beneath their breath as they exchanged anxious glances.

Someone had reawakened the oldest magic on campus.

Someone had used blue fire.

Headmaster Velora stood at the edge of the cracked floor, arms folded behind her back. Her violet robes drifted slightly as if caught in an invisible current. The silver robed woman from the transport—a high ranking faculty observer—stood beside her, lips drawn thin.

"There hasn't been a student capable of awakening this arena in twenty years," the woman said.

"Correction," Velora replied. "There haven't been two."

The observer blinked. "Lucien?"

Velora nodded. "The heir of the Vermire Flame, and now—Wade Theron. A commoner and dual elemental....but i doubt that's all there is."

"Is this going to be a problem?"

Velora didn't answer right away. Her gaze lifted toward the upper towers, as if already seeing what the rest of the academy hadn't yet noticed.

"No," she said eventually. "This is going to be very interesting."

Wade returned to class that morning with a fresh burn under his collar. Juno met him at the door, eyes wide.

"Did you explode something again?"

"No," Wade said. "Technically, Lucien did half the damage."

"Why do I feel like that doesn't make it better?"

They slipped inside just as the bell rang. Rae waved them over.

"You're trending again," she whispered as they sat.

Professor Elmond tapped his staff at the front of the room.

"There was an unsanctioned magical discharge reported this morning," he said, gaze sweeping the rows. "If the responsible parties do not come forward, consequences will follow."

Lucien didn't speak. He sat across the room, face unreadable, hands clasped in front of him like nothing had happened.

Wade didn't speak either.

The princess, sitting three rows ahead, glanced back only once.

Her expression was the same as ever, composed and calculating.

But her eyes stayed on Wade a heartbeat longer than necessary.

The day trudged on with more stares than questions. During break, a few upper year students lingered outside the lecture hall, eyeing Wade with mixed amusement and unease. One of them, tall with earth toned robes and a scar across his brow, stepped into Wade's path.

"You're the Theron kid, right?" the older student asked. "The one with the blue fire?"

Wade kept his hands at his sides. "That's me."

The upperclassman studied him a moment, then smirked. "Nice work. The arena hasn't come alive like that since Headmaster Velora was a student."

"Didn't she almost burn it down too?" Juno added from behind Wade.

The older student laughed and stepped aside. "You seem like a bright kid Theron. These walls have memories, youl'll get that sooner or later."

Wade walked on without replying, though the words hung with him long after.

Later that evening, as dusk settled over the academy and the sky turned a deep plum shade, Wade sat alone on the stone balcony outside the dorm commons. His fingers rested on the cracked ring Lucien had handed him. He turned it over slowly, watching the way the final rays of light played against its fractured surface.

He didn't hear the footsteps until Kaela spoke.

"You shouldn't keep it," she said.

Wade didn't look at her. "Why not?"

"Because it's symbolic. You break something, you own it."

"You don't mean this do you?" He said holding the ring in his hand.

"Of course not, i meant Lucien."

He spun his head and looked at her with a shocked look on his face. "Wait, you think I broke him?"

Kaela leaned against the railing, arms folded. "I think Lucien's been broken since birth. Rigid. All you did was show him."

Silence stretched.

Finally, she turned her gaze to the horizon. "The royal court's watching you, you know. So are the Houses and other kingdoms i hear. You're among the few dual magicians in the world, and being able to combine the elements makes you an even greater asset. They'll offer you gold, glory and power. And if you say no? They'll try to buy your enemies instead."

Wade tilted his head. "Is that a warning?"

Kaela didn't blink. "It's a courtesy."

Then she was gone again, like mist burning away at dawn.

Back in the dorm, Wade sat cross-legged on his bed. The system lit up.

[Passive Trait Awakened: Strategic Threat Assessment]

Your awareness of magical power, political danger, and combat potential has increased.

+10% resistance to psychological manipulation.

[New Tag Earned: "The Unseen Spark"]

Wade exhaled. The air felt different now. It felt like he wasn't just a student anymore. Like he was just a piece on a board.

And every move he made would be watched.

Later that night, Wade slipped into the library's lower wing, a narrow corridor that rarely saw use after sunset. The enchantments here were older and less refined—books hummed with old energy, and dust clung like wards gone stale.

He found an empty alcove behind the scrying shelves and sat cross-legged, unfolding a page of notes he'd stolen glances at during class. Glyph theory, wind compression, and something scribbled in the corner by a student from years ago: "Don't fight the flame. Make it spiral."

His fingers traced the ink.

He understood now.

Not because of the books, but because of the fight. Fire wasn't just a weapon—it was a force. And wind wasn't just a tool to carry it, it was the rhythm that let it dance.

[System Notice: You have gained Understanding – Unlocking Flame Spiral lvl I]

Skill Gained: Controlled Spiral Jet

Status: Unstable at High Mana Levels

Wade blinked. "You're listening even when I'm not casting, aren't you?"

[Correct. You think too loud.]

Footsteps echoed behind him. Not heavy. Not rushed.

He turned.

The silver robed woman from the entrance trials—Instructor Caleen—stood at the end of the aisle, her gaze unreadable.

"I thought I might find you here," she said.

Wade rose. "Am i in trouble?"

"No." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "But you're being watched."

"You mean more than usual?"

Caleen ignored the humor. "There's talk of a recommendation. A potential candidacy for the Arcanum Trials. You're all everyone talks about these days."

"I didn't ask them to."

"No. But neither did most that brought change."

She stepped forward, handed him a scroll sealed with wax bearing the academy's sun sigil.

"Read it. Memorize it. And burn it."

He took it. "What is it?"

"Your first invitation."

Then she vanished into the shadows between the shelves.