Minerva sighed, the sound soft yet weary, echoing gently across the throne room's marble and gold. Seated on the Queen's secondary throne—placed to the right of the empty one meant for her son—she looked over the room, her eyes a blend of grace and exhaustion.
"I understand..." Her voice carried the authority of a mother, a queen, and a survivor all at once. "The grievances between us are deep. Some of them... unforgettable."
Her gaze drifted—briefly—to Highfall, and for a moment, a flicker of restrained rage passed across her usually composed expression.
"I can't forgive what you did to my son..." Her words hung heavy. Highfall stiffened. Even the air paused.
"But," she continued, softer now, "I also understand we were all walking blind. None of us truly knew better—not then."
She leaned forward, fingers clasped, as though holding the throne room together with sheer will.
"So let's take it slow. Speak before we strike. Let's communicate. Understand each other better. Solve the misunderstandings, instead of sharpening them."
Her voice dimmed into the silence that followed, the kind of silence that stretches just long enough to stir guilt in the guilty, and clarity in the proud.
Yandelf sheathed her spear without a sound.
Neuvillette finally looked away from Raimei.
Even Highfall sat down—arms crossed, jaw clenched—but seated nonetheless.
Minerva breathed out, her relief subtle but real, like a winter gust escaping a cracked window.
---
♦Outside, in the Knights Academy Training Grounds♦
The clouds parted gently as Noctharn—the colossal Frost Dragon—descended from the skies, his wings causing a low tremor across the sprawling academy courtyard. Snowflakes scattered from his scales like glittering dust, and steam hissed from the ground where his claws met the stone.
Students—training, sparring, even napping—halted everything and turned their eyes upward in awe.
From the dragon's back, a lone figure dropped down with practiced ease.
Orion.
His silver-blue cloak flowed behind him as he landed. His face calm, yet carved with grief and purpose—a man shaped by war and yet still standing. The courtyard hushed at once, as though even the wind knew who had arrived.
"ORION!!"
A small blur with white hair and violet eyes came sprinting first—Merry, practically bouncing on her feet.
Behind her, Tera, taller and sharper-eyed, slowed his pace but couldn't hide the smile breaking across his face.
And stumbling out last, barely tying her boots, was Elynas—messy brown hair, eyes wide with joy and something deeper. Something that whispered, You're home.
Orion smiled, a rare one, reserved for family.
"I remember you, You were In Roselight Hollow, messing with Grandmother Suri when I last visited her..." he said, ruffling Merry's hair and placing a hand on Tera's shoulder. Then he knelt slightly, eye level with Elynas.
"And you…" His voice softened as he chuckled. "You've become a little taller since yesterday ."
Elynas blinked fast, holding back emotions too complex for words. "Dont joke, how can I grow taller in one day.."
"I know," Orion replied, standing up and turning to face the rest of the academy students now crowding in awe. His voice rose—not with force, but with weight.
"I'm here now on official buisness. And we have work to do."
The wind howled once behind him, almost like Noctharn growling approval.
Noctharn, the Frost Dragon, gave one final low rumble before lifting off.
His wings unfurled wide, blotting out a slice of the sky as he ascended. Snow cascaded from his glittering scales, falling like silver rain over the courtyard. Each flake shimmered with magic, dancing briefly in the sunlight before melting on the cobblestone below.
Dozens of students stared in frozen awe, eyes wide and mouths open—until the inevitable snap of fury broke the moment.
SMACK.
SMACK. SMACK. SMACK.
"Do you brainless glacier-melted brats think History Class is optional now?!"
Qinyue stormed into the courtyard, sleeves rolled up, his eyes glowing with that specific teacher rage reserved for kids who'd rather admire dragons than learn how their ancestors died on ice-covered battlefields.
"You aren't allowed to leave the class like that!" His voice cracked like thunder across the stone floor as he swatted the last student on the back of the head.
"Awwww—c'mon, Teacher Qinyue!" One boy whined, rubbing his scalp like it personally betrayed him. "You're teaching History, not Combat! Why're you built like that?!"
Qinyue narrowed his eyes and grabbed the boy's ear with surgical precision.
"I'll have you know I was a Knight and a Doctor before I ended up babysitting history-ignorant pigeons in uniform."
"You're twisting my soul—owowow—!"
"Good! Maybe I'll twist it into someone literate!" Qinyue bellowed, dragging the group back toward the class doors like a furious shepherd with a flock of mildly enchanted potatoes.
---
Inside, the corridors of the academy calmed as Orion stepped in, hand in hand with Elynas. His presence washed over the halls like a winter breeze, steady and composed.
He passed by students still peeking out of classrooms, their heads bobbing in and out like curious Paimon-shaped puppets. Elynas stuck close, her grip firm, as if she was still afraid he might disappear again.
Just around the hall corner, Merry stepped forward, hands clasped nervously in front of her. Her white hair bounced as she bowed slightly, cheeks flushed.
"Umm… Your Majesty…"
Orion gave her a gentle smile, the kind that took the cold out of the air.
"Just call me Orion."
"But I don't want to get a reputation for being disrespectful," she said quickly, looking like she was trying very hard not to shrink into the wall. "I wanted to ask... I mean… if it's okay…"
He tilted his head, waiting patiently.
She glanced around, then leaned in just a little closer.
"I wanted to ask… can you tell us what happened last night? There was this… this beacon. A surge of Cryo energy—it lit up the whole sky over the Aethercastle. It was beautiful but… scary too."
Even Elynas blinked up at him, clearly listening now too.
Orion's smile faded just a little—not entirely, but like a curtain being gently drawn halfway. His expression turned thoughtful, lips parting but no words coming just yet.
For a moment, all the voices in the hallway seemed to hush.
"That was me," Orion said flatly, without a hint of dramatics.
Merry's brain short-circuited.
"…Huh?"
Elynas blinked up at him, eyes widening. "Huh?!"
Before either could question further, the double doors to the hall creaked open, pushed from the inside as more students poured out, peeking and whispering. Then someone at the back echoed softly—
"…Huh?"
A third wave of confused huhs washed over the hallway like ripples in still water.
Orion didn't pause.
"It was me," he repeated. Calm. Blunt. Zero flair.
"I became one with my sword. That… caused the ruckus."
It should've been impossible to say something that wild in such a deadpan tone, but somehow, he made it sound like he was explaining a weather report.
Somewhere at the back, one student gasped.
"Wait, isn't that breaking news material9—?"
He ignored it.
"I'm planning to give everyone a little lesson today before the representatives of the other Sovereigns arrive," he said, walking steadily down the hall, still holding Elynas's hand. Snowflakes clung to his cape, his presence like a glacier slicing through soft fog.
Kids moved aside on instinct. Even Qinyue, who was halfway through chewing out another group, paused to squint down the corridor like "did he just say what I think he said?"
Elynas tugged at his arm gently.
"So… does that mean we're attending too?"
He glanced sideways at her, lips barely twitching into something like a smirk—except more tired.
Orion nodded once.
"You're part of the realm now. Sovereign or not… everyone learns."