The aftermath of the cataclysmic battle between Vasra and Tashi had left a mark not only on the dueling realm but on the very structure of Dawn Academy’s internal politics.
Though no physical damage had reached the academy grounds, the sheer magnitude of spatial and life energy that had clashed sent tremors of concern through the administration. It had not gone unnoticed.
The next morning, the skies above the academy were calm, with no trace of the storm that had once threatened to boil over.
Classes resud as usual. Students, unaware of the true depth of what had transpired, whispered about the rare magical fluctuations from the day before, blaming it on training exercises or artifact experints gone wrong.
The instructors carried on with their duties with professional ease, but behind the scenes, the academy’s top authority, the Council, was already in session.
The Council was not rely a governing body of academics. It consisted of elders, many of whom were among the oldest and most powerful humans alive.
Each bore decades of experience and influence. The academy’s very foundation was intertwined with their legacy.
The Council was the safeguard of order and the last line of balance within humanity’s stronghold.
They were not pleased.
On one of the high towers of the Dawn academy.
A vast chamber of crystalline walls, glowing with pulsing veins of runes, served as the Council’s eting room.
In the center floated a circular stone table with fifteen equidistant seats carved from deep black obsidian.
Only five seats were occupied, which was enough.
Vasra stood on one side of the platform, arms folded and posture rigid.
His face bore no emotion, though his cloak was slightly frayed from the previous battle.
Beside him, Tashi leaned on his chair like an old traveler waiting for a train, expression unreadable but eyes filled with calm.
A golden sigil hovered above them and the Councils.
An array called Soul Vow. No lies, no ntal interference.
Only the truth.
Elder Banshal, the most senior among the five, leaned forward.
His voice echoed unnaturally across the hall.
"Vasra Dallas and Tashi Suko. You both stand accused of recklessly releasing epic-tier combat within the core of Dawn Academy. Explain yourselves."
Vasra’s voice was steady. "I acted in response to unauthorized interference in my familial affairs."
Tashi chuckled. "I gave a student a class item. Not a weapon of mass destruction."
Elder Yulien, sharp-eyed and severe, cut in.
"That student was your responsibility, Vasra. Yet you didn’t supervise his class change yourself. You failed in oversight. Tashi, while your intent may not have been malicious, your actions circumvented internal protocol."
"The protocol was broken the day we started competing with each other like auctioneers," Tashi muttered.
"That boy deserved—"
"This is not about the boy," interrupted Elder Theon, a man draped in scarlet robes that shimred with dense system signatures.
"This is about you two."
Silence followed.
Elder Banshal continued.
"For unleashing unrestricted power and shattering multiple spatial seals, endangering the balance of system flow in the dueling realm, we pronounce your punishnt."
His fingers snapped.
A tablet appeared between them, listing values and formulas.
"You are to repay the academy the equivalent of one month’s worth of XP for the academy’s managent system, the sum total to be shared equally between the two of you."
Even Vasra’s eyes flickered.
That amount wasn’t rely a fine. It was equivalent to the life essence and XP needed to advance one percent in the Legendary Class domain, a mind-numbing demand.
Not impossible, but no trivial task either.
"You’ve got to be kidding," Tashi muttered. "That’s more than my own worth."
"It is proportionate to the chaos you brought," Elder Yulien snapped.
Vasra gave a slight nod. "Accepted."
Tashi sighed. "Fine. Half each."
The council wasn’t finished.
Elder Theon stood.
"Effective imdiately, no student is permitted to receive class awakening assistance from instructors outside officially sanctioned rituals. Any item, blessing, or intervention must be authorized by a Council mber and must be done officially in front of two or more council mber."
Runes lit up across the chamber, spreading across the entire academy’s array network. In real-ti, the new decree was imprinted into the system.
The announcent would soon echo across the school:
"Notice: No instructor may provide unofficial assistance in class awakening. Violations will result in suspension or demotion."
It was a severe blow to the way so instructors operated especially those who had grown fond of personally guiding select students. But it was a necessary move.
"This is to prevent favoritism," Elder Banshal explained. "We cannot afford another internal power struggle disguised as ntorship."
Vasra and Tashi gave no reply. One in solemn agreent. The other in reluctant compliance.
Outside the Chamber.
After being dismissed, the two exited the tower without a word.
They walked in silence down the long marble path flanked by floating candles and arching hallways. Instructors passed them, offering shallow bows or hurried glances.
Once they reached the south balcony, overlooking the training grounds, Tashi spoke.
"We’re being babysat now."
Vasra’s eyes were on the horizon. "No. We’re being corrected."
Tashi chuckled.
"And yet, if I hadn’t interfered, your precious plan would’ve gone just the way your family wanted.Another tool with a legend badge."
Vasra didn’t respond.
"Do you regret it?" Tashi asked.
"Regret not stopping you sooner, maybe," Vasra said flatly.
They stood like that for a while. Two titans, montarily small against the vastness of sky and duty.
Elsewhere.
In the training grounds, students practiced diligently under instructor supervision. No one spoke of the real reason behind the new rule, though rumors buzzed like gnats.
So whispered of Tashi’s duel with the Dean. Others exaggerated it into stories of sealed monsters escaping.
In the library, curious minds hunted for books explaining why runes had glowed yesterday.
A few chalked it up to a change in the system interface. The more imaginative ones believed it was a sign of incoming war.
But for most, it was just another day. Combat drills continued.
Resource managent simulations progressed. Exams were approaching, and level 20 still lood as a hard requirent.
None of them knew how close the school had co to experiencing an irreversible rift.
As night fell, and the moons aligned over Dawn Academy, Vasra returned to his office.
The scroll that once bore Jered’s class record remained unfurled on his desk. He looked at it, eyes narrowing.
Dauntless Warden. Epic Rank.
He could not deny that the class suited the boy.
Yet it still gnawed at him, the idea that his younger brother had been shaped by another’s hands.
For all his power over space and ti, Vasra had failed to shape that one mont.
In another part of the academy, Tashi lit a candle and began carving formulas on a piece of parchnt.
He knew the council’s punishnt would delay many of his plans. But it was a price worth paying.
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