Under the shade of one of the academy’s oldest oak trees, he spotted Veyla. She was seated gracefully on a low stone bench, a book resting open in her lap.
Sunlight stread through the leaves above, scattering dappled patterns across her face and the pale pages she was reading.
Kael ca to a stop in front of her. "Veyla."
She looked up, a calm, knowing expression in her eyes. "Kael. Survived the mob"
"Barely," he replied with a faint smirk, though his voice softened a mont later. "I wanted to thank you. For the elixir you gave last night."
Her lips curved into a subtle smile. "The Elixir of Body Control isn’t sothing I give to just anyone. I trust you’ll use it well?"
"I will," Kael said without hesitation. "It ans a lot that you’d give it to ."
Veyla closed her book gently, her gaze warm but steady. "Then don’t waste the break. Twenty-nine days can slip away before you realize it."
"I know," he said quietly.
They shared a brief, comfortable silence, neither feeling the need to fill it with unnecessary words. Eventually, Kael straightened, giving her a small nod. "Anyway... I’ll let you get back to your book."
She returned the gesture with a slight inclination of her head.
"Enjoy your break, Kael."
Veyla’s voice was calm, but there was a quiet sincerity in it.
Kael gave her a small nod, turning to head toward the dormitories. The sunlight filtering through the leaves seed just a little warr on his back.
For the first ti in weeks, the heavy weight pressing against his mind felt as though it had eased—if only slightly.
He had only taken a few steps when Veyla spoke again.
"If you ever feel you need a friend," she said, her tone softer now, "I stay at the White River Valley, north of Elaris State."
Kael paused and looked over his shoulder. "White River Valley?"
She smiled faintly, a rare gentleness in her expression. "Just say my na when you arrive, and
you will be welcod. No questions asked."
There was a brief silence between them, the kind that carried unspoken aning.
Kael gave a quiet chuckle. "Sounds like an invitation I’ll have to rember."
"See that you do," Veyla replied, returning her gaze to her book but with a hint of amusent in her eyes.
Kael turned fully this ti, continuing toward the dorms. But the thought of White River Valley, and the strange comfort in Veyla’s words, stayed with him long after.
By the ti Kael reached the shaded stone corridor that wound toward the dormitories, most of the crowd had already thinned.
Only a few small groups of students lingered here and there, their conversations echoing softly off the tall, arched walls.
The cool shade was a welco change from the bright training grounds, and Kael let his thoughts drift as he walked.
He didn’t pay much attention—until a pair of second-years ca striding toward him from the opposite direction.
"...heard from a friend in the instructors’ office," one of them was saying, their voice pitched low but carrying a sharp edge.
"Soone’s midterm report had... unusual details."
"Unusual how?" the other asked, curiosity flickering in their tone.
The first student glanced over their shoulder, scanning the corridor before leaning in closer.
"Apparently, there was a first-year who ended up deep in the relic zone. Alone. Ca back without a scratch—well, mostly. No relic core, but sohow carrying rare beast materials. Doesn’t that sound strange to you?"
Kael kept walking, not breaking stride, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward faintly.
"Could just be luck," the second student said with a shrug.
"Or maybe," the first replied, lowering their voice until it was barely audible, "he might’ve been cheating."
There was a pause, and then the second-year added with a sly grin, "Either way, I think I should go and test his strength for myself."
Their footsteps carried on past him, the sound fading toward the training fields until only the quiet hum of the corridor remained.
Kael turned the corner, his face unreadable. He wasn’t sure whether to find the rumor amusing or irritating. And if there was one thing he disliked, it was being watched too closely.
The dormitory building was quieter than usual, the kind of quiet that ca when a place was slowly emptying out.
The usual footsteps and laughter in the halls had faded to a distant murmur. Many students were already busy packing for trips—so heading into the city to celebrate, others returning to their family hos for the break.
As Kael walked down the corridor, the faint scents of polished wood and old paper hung in the air. A trace of ink from recently used study scrolls still lingered, mixing with the clean sll of floor polish the custodians had applied earlier in the day.
He reached his room and pushed the door open.
Inside, everything was exactly as he had left it—neat, organized, but sparse. The desk held only a few essential items, the bed neatly made, and the shelves bare except for a single folded cloak and a few books.
Kael crossed the room and set his satchel down on the desk. The faint clink of the carefully wrapped beast materials inside broke the stillness, the sound sharp against the otherwise hushed room.
For a while, he stood by the window, one hand resting on the sill. Through the glass, the courtyard spread out below, dotted with a few lingering groups of students.
They laughed and talked in clusters, their voices carrying upward in soft bursts before fading again.
His gaze drifted without focus, his thoughts pulling elsewhere.
(Tomorrow, Cecelia will be at the east gate.
Twenty-nine days until classes resud.)
And sowhere in that ti... maybe he could figure out why certain people seed to be watching him more closely than they should.
The sunlight slanted lower, brushing his face in warm gold before he reached up and drew the curtains shut.
Crossing back to the bed, Kael sat down slowly, the mattress dipping beneath his weight. The quiet pressed in—not heavy, but steady, like the calm after a long march.
For now, he would follow the principal’s advice: rest, but never completely. A part of him would remain alert, ready, even in stillness.
(the ancient coin and lost land), his thought lingered.
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