Chapter 23: The Light That Burns
Silence that fell after the Vault shook wasn't peace—but expectation. Held breath as one. Rumor had spread its wings a long time ago and flown far across Arcanis Academy, as quick as spellfire, and there none more doubted than those that involved Elira Thorne and the forbidden room of stone.
Kael had not uttered a word since they left the chamber. Not when they stepped back over the bridging arch into the upper halls. Not when the marble stairways curved beneath their feet, guiding the way to screen out unsavory eyes. He simply walked ahead of her, his cloak rippling behind him like a banner of darkness, the Void magic inside him stretched to its limits.
It wasn't until they stood on the vacated upper spire of the Library Tower that Kael at last stopped moving.
"You saw it," he said without even glancing about.
"The symbol. The mural. The prophecy," said Elira. "I did not dream that, did I?"
The non-answer of Kael was answer enough.
Elira stepped past him, sending a mass of wild vines slithering off the shattered panes of the windows. Sunlight caught in the gold filaments of her hair, and for a moment, she was incandescent—beyond his grasp.
But inside, she was far from calm.
"I don't understand any of it," she admitted, turning to him. "The mark. The soul bond. That mural. Why would a goddess brand me?"
Kael leaned against one of the twisted columns. His eyes were unreadable.
"Because you're not just anyone, Elira. And the gods—" his voice dropped, "—the gods don't do anything by accident."
Before she could respond, a pulse of energy vibrated through the floor. They both froze.
Magic.
"Someone's scrying us," Kael hissed.
With rapid movement, he pulled Elira in tighter, cloak fluttering around them like a shield. Void magic exploded outward, consuming threads of magic from other places in the air. Her breath was stolen—not from the closeness, although that always did strange things to her heart rate—but from the raw shock of power that seemed to emanate from him.
The moment passed.
Kael let her go and stepped back. "We're not safe anymore. The chamber was sealed for a reason. And now all the Seers in the Five Kingdoms will have felt its opening."
"What do we do?"
Kael's gaze locked on hers. "We run."
---
They didn't get far.
Outside the tower, a line of silver-robed enforcers blocked their path, standing in their way. In front of them was a woman in ivory robes, her eyes shining with a soft golden light.
A Seer.
"You're not going anywhere," the woman said to them. "By order of the Magisterial Council, you are to be detained for unauthorized entry to the Sanctum Vault.".
Kael stepped forward, his face twisting into a snarl. "We did not break in. The room opened itself."
The Seer's eyebrow arched. "And the visions filling the minds of the Council were just. illusions?"
Elira's reality spun. "Visions?"
The woman's eyes returned to her, her expression pinched. "You are the one whom the bond selected. The girl with no magic. Or so they believed."
"I did not seek this."
"No," said the Seer, stepping forward. "But the gods did."
And with a sudden snap of her wrist, a circle of light enveloped Elira and Kael, trapping them in its hold.
---
They were dragged down the hallways like captives.
The Academy had never been so silent previously, Elira had ever seen. Students gazed from behind enchanted glass, whispers wafting like wind through stone. Even the Professors looked shaken, their eyes flicking from her to Kael with barely restrained terror.
At the center of the Council Hall, they were thrust into a room filled with containment wards.
"I can break this," Kael breathed, studying the shimmering runes etched into the walls.
"You could, but you'd alert half the Council doing it," Elira said.
Kael turned to her, frustrated. "You shouldn't have followed me to the Vault."
"I didn't follow you. The stone called to me."
Kael's jaw tightened.
"It's occurring sooner than it should," he grunted.
"What is?"
He stared into her eyes, truly did, and something inside of him eased.
"The bond. Your magic. You're changing—and you don't even know it. That thing on your chest? It's not just a seal. It's a beacon."
Elira's hand instinctively went out to cover the patch over her heart. The marking always flared when Kael was close by. But now it pounded with something more. Hunger. Expectation. Power.
She could not ask any more before the door to the chamber creaked open.
An older man intervened. Tall, his face the color of yellowed parchment, his robes embroidered with arcane symbols. Head Magister Calvian.
"You've caused a bit of a stir, Thorne. The gods haven't marked anyone in centuries."
"I did not request it," Elira said.
"And yet you carry it," Calvian said. "Do you know what that does to you?"
Elira said nothing and stood.
Calvian moved forward, coming closer. "It makes you dangerous."
Kael placed a hand on Calvian's chest. "She's not your test."
"No," Calvian responded slowly, "but she could be the salvation of the Academy—or its downfall."
He turned away. "You will remain here until the Council meets. There are questions that must be answered."
---
That night, when the torches had burned low, Elira dreamed.
Not of Kael's memories, as sometimes she did—but of light.
A throne of flame. A woman enshrouded in robes of gold, her eyes endless stars. The goddess.
"You are my vessel," the beast spoke. "You possess both ruin and renewal. Be wise in your choice."
Elira's arms extended, but the vision was shattered.
She sat up in a gasp. Kael was already standing, his hand clenched around his sword.
You sensed it too," he said.
"She spoke to me," Elira gasped.
And in the other room, the seals were unraveling.
Not broken.
Unraveling.
"She's arriving," Kael declared, his eyes wide. "The goddess awakens.".
The end