[INT. LIGHT SCHOOL – EARLY MORNING]
Veloria's voice opened the scene — calm, steady, and laced with memory.
> Veloria (narrating):
"Three months ago… the Headmasters of the other Divine Schools left.
They'd trained us harder than anyone ever had. Pushed us. Shaped us."
> "Before they departed… all seven of us had awakened a fragment of our divine heritage.
The powers sleeping inside our blood had finally started to stir."
> "Everyone but Lyrion."
> "He was always the strongest — the brightest.
But for weeks, he remained quiet. Unchanged.
Or so we thought."
> "Then one month ago… his second seal broke.
And the light inside him pulsed like a heartbeat."
> "It was like something ancient… had just begun to breathe."
A pause. Then she said it:
> "Today, I'm going to ask him.
About the anklet."
> "About the glow only I can see."
> "About the truth I feel… but haven't touched."
> "Now… we're in Class 7.
And next month is the Divine School Competition."
---
[INT. LIGHT SCHOOL – ANCIENT FOUNTAIN TERRACE]
Lyrion stood in silence near a white-blossomed tree.
His anklet glowed faintly — only to Veloria's eyes.
She approached quietly.
> Veloria (softly):
"You always train alone when no one's watching."
> Lyrion (without turning):
"I don't like distractions."
She stepped beside him. The glow around his ankle flared slightly — golden arcs dancing like memory.
> Veloria:
"But that light isn't a distraction.
It's part of you."
> Lyrion:
"I didn't ask for it."
> Veloria (after a pause):
"Then why does it only let me see it?"
Lyrion didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he sat — legs crossed, hands resting on his knees. The air shimmered gently.
> Lyrion:
"Because the seal… only reacts to life threads."
> "To those meant to walk beside me."
Veloria sat down across from him — the silence between them now electric, not awkward.
> Veloria (half-whisper):
"Then that means…"
Lyrion looked up, finally meeting her eyes.
> Lyrion (quietly):
"It chose you."
---
[INT. TRAINING FIELD – LATER THAT DAY]
Kairo and Syleria stood back-to-back, sparring against six illusion constructs — combining fire, wind, and precision space cuts.
> Syleria (smirking):
"Still too slow with that third strike."
> Kairo:
"Still too smug with that fourth block."
The two moved with growing synergy — more partners than rivals now.
---
Sylion and Aria were in meditation — focusing on split-reality awareness.
He could now feel Aria's energy even with his eyes closed.
She could sense his presence even through barriers.
> Sylion (calmly):
"Our paths always intersect."
> Aria (softly):
"Then let's keep walking them."
---
Auron and Cyra were in a simulated war room — commanding summoned units and refining their group tactics.
> Cyra (pointing):
"You charge in too early."
> Auron:
"Only because you stall too long."
But even through their playful bickering — they moved like twin gears in one machine.
---
Ray and Rika were partnered again.
She had finally stopped doubting every motion.
He had stopped underestimating her timing.
In a close-contact mock fight, they both stopped — palms nearly touching.
> Ray (half-grinning):
"Still afraid to go full speed?"
> Rika (faint smirk):
"Only afraid I'll win."
---
[INT. LIGHT SCHOOL – TWILIGHT – LYRION & VELORIA]
Later, as the sun lowered across the courtyard, Veloria traced her fingers near the anklet once more.
> Veloria (softly):
"Then this is a part of you.
And I won't stop until you unlock all of it."
> Lyrion:
"Then I'll keep walking.
As long as you're there to see it."
They didn't hold hands.
They didn't need to.
The light between them said more.
---
[EXT. ZYREN'S FORTRESS – NIGHT]
A cold wind swept across the obsidian arena.
Zyren stood with Silent Death, sweat coating his back.
He was faster now.
Sharper.
Still far from mastery — but awakening bit by bit.
> Silent Death:
"You hesitate when the enemy is weak."
> Zyren (gritting teeth):
"Because I used to be one of them."
> Silent Death:
"Then let that memory die.
And rise again — as heir to the abyss."
Zyren roared, pushing his shadow to strike back harder — bending into a killing arc that made even Cinderbane pause from across the fortress.
---
Meanwhile, the other generals trained legions in separate sections of the shadow realm:
Veydrin focused on formation, timing, and relentless charge tactics.
Nyxara tested minds — plunging soldiers into psychic war zones, shattering and reforging them.
Cinderbane? He just burned them.
Only those who crawled back survived his "lessons."
---
At the center of it all stood Zyren — his blade dark, his eyes burning, his emblem beginning to pulse like it heard something calling.
Not yet.
But soon.
---
TO BE CONTINUED...