Astraedus Academy – North Practice Courtyard (Morning)

  The sun had barely risen, yet the academy grounds felt unusually tense. Aeon stood in the center of the courtyard, his thoughts a million miles away. His friends, Lysira, Myris, and Darian, stood close by, their eyes scanning him with a mixture of concern and worry. They had all noticed the changes in him, but none of them fully understood the extent.

  Lysira was the first to speak, her voice soft but firm. “Aeon, you’ve been distant lately. This… thing with the Eye, it’s wearing on you, isn’t it?”

  Aeon’s eyes were unfocused, as though he were staring into a different reality altogether. His body stood in the courtyard, but his mind was elsewhere, struggling to hold together the shards of his existence. “It’s not just the Eye,” he murmured, his voice heavy with the weight of unspoken truths. “There’s something... something awakening inside of me. Something that doesn’t belong.”

  Myris frowned, her delicate brow furrowed in concern as she took a cautious step toward him. “Aeon, if something’s wrong, you know we’re here for you. We’ve been through everything together, remember?”

  Darian, who had been silent up until this point, finally spoke up. His voice was gruff but sincere. “She’s right. We’re a team. Whatever this is, we’ll figure it out—together.”

  Aeon’s gaze flickered over his friends, each of them willing to stand by him despite the growing uncertainty in the air. But Aeon felt a coldness creeping into his heart, a distance that even they couldn’t bridge. There was so much they didn’t know. And the more he tried to push it away, the more it came rushing in.

  “Thanks,” he said quietly, offering them a faint smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “But there’s something I need to do. Alone.”

  Lysira’s eyes narrowed, her concern deepening. “What do you mean?”

  Before Aeon could respond, the ground beneath them shook violently. The air turned cold, and the clouds above the academy seemed to pulse with unnatural energy. The peaceful surroundings of the academy now felt more like the edge of a storm.

  “I don’t know how long I can keep it together,” Aeon muttered, his voice barely audible over the rumble of the ground.

  But his words were drowned out by the chaos unfolding before them. Something was wrong—something was stirring.

  Astraedus Academy – West Wing (Minutes Later)

  The walls of the academy trembled as another blast of magical energy shook the ground. Aeon, Lysira, Myris, and Darian arrived at the scene just in time to witness a strange figure emerging from the shadows. A man clad in dark robes, his eyes glowing with malevolent intent. The air around him crackled with forbidden magic.

  “Another pawn of Vael,” Lysira hissed under her breath, her hand instinctively reaching for her dagger.

  “Who are you?” Darian demanded, stepping forward, his muscles tense and ready for a fight.

  The figure smirked, his eyes gleaming darkly. “You may call me Teroth. I’ve been sent by Lord Vael to deal with the interference caused by the Eyes.”

  With a flick of his wrist, Teroth raised his hand and summoned a wave of dark energy that slammed into the group, sending them flying back.

  Aeon’s body hit the ground hard, but he was up in an instant. His mind was already calculating the best way to counter Teroth’s attack, but his body wasn’t responding as quickly as it used to. It felt like there was a barrier inside of him—something trying to hold him back.

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  “You’ll regret that,” Aeon muttered, his voice cold and detached.

  Teroth’s eyes gleamed with amusement as he conjured more dark magic. “I’ve heard that before.”

  But before Aeon could react, Lysira, Darian, and Myris moved in unison, their magical powers swirling together. Lysira conjured a shield of light, blocking Teroth’s next attack, while Darian used his immense strength to charge forward, his powerful punch sending shockwaves through the air.

  Aeon, still struggling with the weight of the power within him, hesitated. He could feel it—the energy rising inside him, threatening to break free. He didn’t want to unleash it. Not yet. Not like this.

  “Stay back,” Aeon ordered, his voice steady but filled with a hidden intensity. “I’ll handle this.”

  He didn’t wait for a response. Instead, he focused, drawing from the depths of his being. His aura flared to life, a swirling storm of power and rage. The world around him seemed to blur as time itself slowed in response to the energy emanating from him.

  With a roar, Aeon slammed his fist into the ground, sending a shockwave of energy toward Teroth. The earth cracked beneath them as the blast of power surged forward, engulfing the dark figure in a blinding light.

  For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then, the dust began to settle.

  Teroth lay motionless, his body scorched and crumpled on the ground.

  “Is it over?” Darian asked, awe and fear mixing in his voice.

  Aeon stood, panting, his body trembling from the effort. His heart raced as his mind tried to process the aftermath. The power was still there—coiling, waiting. It was too much to contain.

  “For now,” Aeon replied, his voice distant, as though he were no longer fully present. “But there will be more. Vael’s pawns are everywhere.”

  Lysira stepped closer, her eyes narrowed in concern. “Aeon, you’re not okay. You’re pushing yourself too hard. What’s happening to you?”

  “I don’t know,” Aeon admitted quietly, his voice barely a whisper. “But I can feel it—whatever’s inside me... it’s not something I can control.”

  Astraedus Academy – Faculty Restricted Level (Later That Day)

  Professor Varnet Kaelos slammed the door open, his face pale with dread. Madame Caltrae stood at the far end of the room, her blindfolded gaze fixed on him. There was a heavy silence between them, one that spoke of long-hidden truths now coming to light.

  “What’s going on?” Madame Caltrae asked, her voice calm but laced with urgency.

  “Vael has made his move,” Varnet said, his voice trembling with barely contained fear. “The disturbances we’ve been sensing... they’re not just anomalies. They’re deliberate. Someone has been manipulating the fabric of time itself. The Eye is connected to it.”

  Madame Caltrae’s fingers twitched, but she didn’t speak. Her mind was racing, calculating the potential consequences of this revelation. “And Aeon?”

  Varnet clenched his fists. “He’s at the center of it all. Whatever is awakening inside of him... it’s connected to this disturbance. He doesn’t even know the extent of it yet.”

  Madame Caltrae turned toward the darkening sky, her sightless gaze seeing more than anyone could imagine. “Then we must prepare,” she said, her voice steady. “The Eye is only the beginning.”

  Astraedus Academy – Outer Grounds (Twilight)

  As night began to fall, a new figure emerged from the shadows. She was a woman, draped in dark robes, her eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. She was different from Teroth—a higher-level agent of Vael’s influence, someone who understood the hidden forces at play.

  She stepped toward the academy gates, her voice low and dangerous. “The Eye watches. And so do I.”

  With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a barrier of dark energy that rippled across the air, distorting the reality around her. “Vael is watching, but I answer to a higher power.”

  Back at the Academy – Aeon’s Room (Night)

  Aeon sat alone in his room, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. The encounter with Teroth had been just a taste of what was to come. The Eye. The pawns. Vael. All of it felt like a storm gathering around him, threatening to consume everything.

  He couldn’t trust anyone—not completely. Not even his closest friends. They had no idea what was truly happening to him, and he didn’t know if he could share it with them. The more he learned, the more distant he became from them. The secrets were too heavy. Too dangerous.

  A soft knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

  Lysira entered, her eyes filled with concern. “Aeon, we need to talk. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard, and—”

  Before she could finish, Aeon stood abruptly, his eyes cold. “I know what I’m becoming, Lysira. And I need to do this on my own.”

  Lysira hesitated, hurt flashing in her eyes. “What do you mean? We’re in this together. We’ve always been a team.”

  Aeon’s gaze softened, but he couldn’t find the words to explain. “I don’t know who I am anymore. I’m not sure I ever did.”

  Lysira’s hand hovered for a moment before she finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. “Don’t push us away, Aeon. We need you. I need you.”

  But Aeon couldn’t answer. The weight of his secrets was too heavy to bear.