Chapter 20: Chapter 20: The Aftermath of Victory
The cheers in the arena continued long after the match had ended.
Many students were still trying to process what they had just witnessed. So were replaying the battle in their minds, analyzing every move Aether had made, while others were simply amazed by the unexpected result.
Defeating Darek and the Stonebreaker Rhino was not sothing an ordinary student could accomplish.
And the way Aether had done it — calmly, strategically, and with almost perfect control — made the victory even more shocking.
Aether, however, didn’t react much to the applause.
He stood quietly on the battlefield for a mont, letting the noise fade into the background.
The Fire Pup sat beside him, flas slowly calming down after the intense fight.
The instructor walked onto the platform and nodded in approval.
"That was a well-executed battle," he said.
Aether nodded politely.
"Thank you."
The instructor looked at the Fire Pup carefully.
"Your beast has excellent control for its level."
The Fire Pup lifted its head proudly.
Aether replied calmly.
"We’re still learning."
The instructor smiled faintly, then turned to address the audience.
"Students, take note. This battle was not decided by raw power alone, but by observation, adaptability, and battlefield control."
Several students nodded thoughtfully.
But not everyone was impressed.
Across the stands, a few individuals were watching Aether with narrowed eyes.
They were not students from Skygate’s regular classes.
Their uniforms carried different insignias.
Factions.
The kind that observed academy tournants to recruit or monitor potential talents.
And today, Aether had beco soone worth watching.
---
anwhile, Liora made her way down toward the battlefield as the crowd slowly began to disperse.
When she reached Aether, she crossed her arms and gave him a long look.
"That was ridiculous."
Aether glanced at her.
"Which part?"
"All of it."
She pointed toward the broken arena.
"You turned the entire battlefield into a trap."
Aether shrugged slightly.
"It worked."
Liora sighed.
"Yes. It worked a little too well."
The Fire Pup barked happily.
Liora looked down at it.
"You’re getting stronger too."
The small beast wagged its tail proudly.
But Aether noticed sothing else.
The Fire Pup’s flas had changed slightly.
There was a deeper glow hidden inside them now.
It was subtle.
Most people wouldn’t notice it.
But Aether could.
"That attack pushed it further," he thought.
His beast was evolving again.
Not fully.
But gradually.
Exactly as expected.
---
A few minutes later, Aether and Liora left the arena together and returned toward the academy’s central pathways.
Students passed by them, whispering.
"That’s him."
"The one who beat Darek."
"I heard he’s only been here for a short ti."
Rumors were already spreading.
Liora smirked.
"Congratulations. You’re famous now."
Aether didn’t seem concerned.
"Fa attracts attention."
"Yes," Liora replied. "And attention attracts trouble."
Aether glanced at her.
"You sound like you’re speaking from experience."
Liora smiled slightly but didn’t answer.
Instead, she changed the topic.
"By the way, that wasn’t your full strength, was it?"
Aether thought for a mont.
"No."
She laughed quietly.
"I knew it."
---
As they continued walking, Aether suddenly stopped.
That strange pulse inside him returned.
The red-gold energy stirred again.
This ti, it was clearer.
A direction.
A distant signal.
Sothing in the academy.
Or perhaps near it.
The Fire Pup looked up at him.
"You felt it too?" Aether asked quietly.
The small beast nodded.
Liora noticed the change in his expression.
"What is it?"
Aether looked toward the distant training grounds beyond the academy’s main buildings.
"Sothing interesting."
She raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds dangerous."
"Probably."
Liora sighed.
"Of course it is."
---
Later that evening, inside one of the academy’s study halls, Aether sat alone reviewing information on a large projection screen.
He had not co here to celebrate.
He had co to learn.
The academy’s archives contained valuable knowledge about beasts, evolution paths, and ancient records.
And Aether intended to understand everything he could.
The Fire Pup slept beside him on the table, its flas flickering softly like a warm lantern.
Aether scrolled through several docunts.
Beast evolution theories.
World energy structures.
Historical records of ascension gates.
Then he opened another file.
"Unknown Resonance Phenona."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
This topic was rare.
Very few people had studied it.
But the mont he started reading, sothing caught his attention.
A diagram appeared on the screen.
It showed a unique energy signature.
Red.
Gold.
Exactly like his.
Aether leaned forward slightly.
"This... shouldn’t be here," he thought.
Because according to the file, this resonance had only appeared a few tis in recorded history.
And every ti it did...
Major events followed.
So involved wars.
Others involved the collapse of powerful factions.
But what caught Aether’s attention the most was the final note in the file.
It ntioned a location.
A region outside the academy.
Known as the Ashen Wildlands.
The Fire Pup suddenly woke up and looked at the screen.
Its flas flared slightly.
Aether noticed imdiately.
"You feel it too."
The small beast nodded.
Liora’s voice suddenly ca from behind him.
"I was wondering where you disappeared to."
Aether turned slightly.
"I was studying."
She looked at the screen and frowned.
"That file is restricted."
Aether shrugged.
"It was available."
Liora sighed.
"Technically, yes. But most students don’t even know it exists."
She read the location ntioned in the file.
"Ashen Wildlands... why are you looking at that place?"
Aether answered honestly.
"Because sothing there is reacting to ."
Liora stared at him.
"You’re serious."
"Yes."
She looked at the Fire Pup.
The beast’s flas were brighter now.
Which confird sothing important.
Whatever Aether was sensing...
It was real.
Liora crossed her arms and thought for a mont.
"Alright," she said finally.
"If you’re planning to go there, you’re not going alone."
Aether raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because that place is dangerous. And also..."
She smirked slightly.
"I want to see what you’re hiding."
Aether considered that for a mont.
Then nodded.
"Fair."
---
But unknown to them, soone else had also noticed Aether’s performance earlier that day.
Inside one of the academy’s observation towers, Riven stood silently while watching a projection replay of the battle.
Behind him, another student spoke.
"You’re interested in him?"
Riven didn’t answer imdiately.
Then he said,
"He’s not normal."
The other student smirked.
"You want to fight him."
Riven’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yes."
But then he added sothing unexpected.
"Not yet."
The other student looked surprised.
"Why?"
Riven turned off the projection.
"Because he’s still hiding sothing."
He walked toward the exit of the tower.
"And I want to see how far he goes."
---
anwhile, outside the academy walls, far beyond the safe training zones...
Sothing deep within the Ashen Wildlands moved.
A strange energy ripple spread through the forest.
Ancient.
Hidden.
Waiting.
And slowly...
Sothing began to awaken.
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