The next morning, the academy felt colder than usual.
Not because of the weather — but because of the silence that followed Elian wherever he went.
Every glance was a reminder.
Every whisper, a wound that wouldn't heal.
Even Kael, who usually joked about everything, was quieter.
And Lyra… hadn't spoken to him since the tournament.
After classes, Elian found her alone in the training courtyard, the same place where she had once praised his magic.
Lyra stood beneath a cherry tree, her staff resting against the wall, the pink petals falling around her like snow.
He took a breath and stepped forward.
"Why are you avoiding me?"
Lyra didn't turn. "I'm not."
"You are." His voice was calm but cracked slightly. "You didn't even look at me today."
Finally, she turned to face him — her violet eyes soft, but uncertain.
"Elian… after what happened in the tournament, everyone is scared. Even the instructors."
"And you?" he asked.
"Are you scared of me too?"
Lyra's lips parted, but no answer came.
That silence said everything.
He looked down, a small laugh escaping — but it wasn't joy. It was hollow.
"I thought you were different."
"Elian, it's not that simple—"
"Then tell me what's simple!" he snapped, stepping closer. "That I'm some cursed child who doesn't belong here? That maybe they were right to call me a monster?"
Lyra's eyes widened, pain flashing in them. "Stop it. You're not a monster."
"Then what am I?" he whispered.
The wind blew between them, scattering the petals.
She reached out as if to touch his shoulder — but before she could, the air shimmered.
A faint symbol glowed beneath Elian's shirt again — bright, unstable.
Lyra stepped back, startled.
"Elian— your chest—"
He clutched it in pain. "It's… reacting again."
The seal pulsed violently, energy rippling outward. A few petals in the air turned black and disintegrated.
Lyra's voice shook. "That's not magic I've ever seen… it's—"
Before she could finish, the seal suddenly stopped glowing.
Elian dropped to one knee, panting heavily.
And then — a flash.
For a heartbeat, he saw a burning sky, a woman standing before a collapsing gate of light, holding a baby in her arms — whispering words he couldn't fully hear.
"Run… before they find you."
Elian gasped and clutched his head. "Who… who are you?"
Lyra knelt beside him, gripping his arm. "Elian! Hey! What did you see?"
But the vision was already fading.
He finally steadied his breathing. "I saw… her. My mother. I think she sealed me herself."
Lyra looked shaken. "Then it's true… you're—"
She stopped herself.
"I'm what?" he pressed.
Lyra closed her eyes, guilt weighing her words. "The headmaster called me to his office yesterday. He said your seal… matches one recorded in the ancient demon war archives. The Eclipsera Mark."
Elian froze.
"The… what?"
"The mark of balance," she whispered. "A seal that can either destroy light or purify darkness. Depending on who breaks it."
Night fell. Elian walked alone again, the revelation echoing in his mind.
He didn't notice the small crow perched on the academy gate — its eyes glowing faintly red.
It spoke in a voice not its own.
> "The mark has awakened… and soon, so shall the truth."
Far away, in the obsidian palace of the demon realm, a pair of crimson eyes opened slowly — smiling.