A soft, golden light filtered through his eyelids, but it carried no warmth. He tried to move, to breathe, to open his eyes, but his body felt something very strange.
Thrum.
A low, distant heartbeat echoed in the void.
Kael's eyes snapped open.
He stood on the edge of Arcadia Academy's grand courtyard. But something was wrong. The courtyard was not the one he knew from the first year.
Students moved past him in small groups, their uniforms bearing the crest of a higher rank.
Their faces were both familiar and strange. Taller. More mature. Scarred from training and battles.
"This is… the second year," Kael whispered.
He looked down at himself. His own body had changed, broader shoulders, longer hair tied back, a faint callus along his palms where sword hilt met skin.
He touched his chest and felt the faint thrum of mana coursing through him.
The Ashen Core inside him pulsed stronger than he remembered.
He staggered forward.
