Ashenwell Medical Wing – Three Days Later
Grim stirred.
The world came back in fragments—light too bright, air too clean, skin too cold. Every breath felt like pulling fire through glass.
"Sparks?"
Silence.
No whisper. No hum. No sass.
Just… nothing.
Grim's eyes opened fully. The ceiling above him shimmered with diagnostic glyphs. His hands—bandaged, glowing faintly violet at the fingertips.
A familiar voice broke the silence:
"You were out for three days."
Kaia.
She sat beside his bed, coat wrinkled, eyes red.
"Don't speak," she added. "You burned through your entire nervous channel. Your system's still stabilizing."
Grim sat up anyway. Slow. Sharp.
"Where is he."
Kaia looked down. "We don't know. Whatever he did to protect you—it overloaded both of you. Sparks was last detected in your Lume core… then nothing."
Grim's fists clenched beneath the sheet.
"Get out," he said.
Kaia hesitated. But left.
🧍♂️ Later – Grim Walks Again
By evening, Grim stood on the eastern balcony overlooking the cracked walls of Ashenwell. Rebuilding efforts echoed below.
Lys found him there. Quiet.
"Didn't think you'd wake up so soon."
"Didn't think I'd wake up at all."
"You missed tier classification week."
She said it like a joke. It didn't land.
Grim stared into the horizon. "They all saw, didn't they?"
Lys nodded. "Yeah. Everyone. You're officially a Tier 1. Not even Aerun could spin it down."
"And Sparks?"
"Gone?"
Grim: "…Hiding."
She didn't press it.
🧑🏫 Next Day – Back to Class
Grim returned to class under silent stares and open whispers. Even the nobles looked unsure.
Professor Aerun cleared his throat. "Today begins official Power Theory: Tier Differentiation."
He didn't look at Grim when he said it.
But everyone else did.
📘 Power Scale Lesson – Refresher
The board flickered with runes as Aerun spoke:
• Tier 5 – Basic elementals. Minor mages.
• Tier 4 – Elemental dual wielders. Enhancement users.
• Tier 3 – Spatial casters. Emotional projectors. Rare.
• Tier 2 – Soul-bound, Echo-linked, AI-synced. Illegal to mass-create.
• Tier 1 – Unmeasured. Singularities. Often unstable. Dangerous.
(THIS POWER SCALE IS ONLY MEANT FOR THE ACADEMY)
"Tier 1 is not a merit badge," Aerun said. "It is a warning. And a responsibility."
He paused—then turned.
"Grim of Ashen, do you feel responsible for what happened last week?"
Every eye turned to him.
Grim stood. Quiet. Composed. Alone.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I didn't start it."
"And if it happens again?"
Grim's eyes glinted violet.
"Then I finish it faster."
A few students flinched. Lys smirked.
Kerren clapped—slow and deliberate.
Aerun said nothing. Just moved on.
🧊 After Class – New Instructor Arrival
A carriage pulled up by the southern gate.
Out stepped a tall figure in Ashen robes, but different—lined with ashensteel threads and ancient runes from the old Avara code.
They walked straight to the headmaster's tower.
"Who's that?" Grim asked.
Lys frowned. "Looks like an external."
"From where?"
"Ashen proper," she muttered. "Your homeland."
Grim's jaw tensed.
"Why now?"
"Maybe they think you need… guidance."
"Or control."
A Glitch
That night, as Grim closed his eyes, a single whisper echoed in the back of his mind—
"Hey, flamebrain…"
Grim sat bolt upright.
"Sparks?"
Static. Flicker.
Then quiet.
But he smiled. Just a little.
No worries at all—glad you're back and set! 💀⚡