The sunrise spilled over the freshly painted gates of Aethelgard Academy.
Kaelan stood there, Rustbucket towering behind him with its new, sleeker frame. The spiral scar on his hand pulsed faintly with warmth.
"Feels weird coming back here," he muttered. "Last time, I ran away from this place."
Lena, standing at his side, smiled softly. "But this time's different. We're coming back as equals."
Dr. Aris greeted them at the gate with a relieved grin. "Finally! You've decided to return."
The hum of engines echoed above. A sleek, crimson Artifact descended gracefully, landing with precision. The cockpit hissed open, revealing a short-haired girl with sharp black eyes full of curiosity.
"Dr. Aris?" she asked, scanning Kaelan and Rustbucket. "Who are they?"
Turning, Dr. Aris gestured. "Sofia, this is Kaelan. He's rejoining the academy."
Sofia leapt down from her Artifact, her eyes flicking over Kaelan from head to toe.
"So you're Kaelan? The so-called 'legendary' male pilot?" Her tone carried more doubt than awe. "For us, you've only been a ghost—just a name, never a face."
Kaelan answered coolly. "Klaus made sure nobody ever got close to me."
From behind a pillar, a girl with twin braids popped out, clutching a tablet. "No way! You're real! I'm Riko, a tech assistant! We've only ever heard rumors about the guy who could sync with an Artifact!"
She dashed up to Kaelan, nearly crashing into him. "Can I see Rustbucket? I've read every single maintenance report! But we weren't even allowed near your hangar before!"
Dr. Aris sighed. "There used to be an unspoken rule keeping everyone from interacting with Kaelan. But that's over now."
Sofia narrowed her eyes. "So the stories about you beating the Prototype… they're true?"
"Not entirely," Kaelan replied. "I wasn't alone."
Lena patted his shoulder. "Now you can finally meet everyone properly. No more walls between us."
As they walked toward the main building, Kaelan felt dozens of curious eyes on him. Some students whispered, others looked away quickly the moment he passed.
"They only knew my name," he murmured to Lena. "But never really saw me."
"That's going to change," she replied.
Inside the main hall, Dr. Aris addressed the gathered students. "We're forming a special team to face the threat of the First Artifact! And for the first time, everyone will stand on equal ground!"
After the briefing, Sofia approached Kaelan. "Look… I don't know what really went down between you and Klaus. But if Dr. Aris trusts you, then I'll give you a chance."
"You don't have to force yourself," Kaelan said flatly. "I'm used to working alone."
"That's not the point," she shot back. "We're all in the same danger. Better to fight together than die alone."
From the sidelines, Riko scribbled furiously on her tablet. "First Kaelan–Sofia interaction: cooperation level… 45%! Needs improvement!"
Kaelan made his way to the hangar. Rustbucket was waiting, and Scrap Queen was already elbow-deep in its frame.
"Kid! About damn time you showed up!" she barked. "I've been itching to get my hands on Rustbucket for real! Now I can actually fix it properly!"
"Sorry to trouble you, ma'am," Kaelan replied.
Inside, Kaelan felt a strange warmth.
> So much has changed since Dr. Aris replaced Klaus… even Scrap Queen turned soft, and some of the old villains too. Maybe they were never truly evil—just misunderstood.
For the first time, he felt like part of something bigger.
Dr. Aris approached, his expression firm. "Tomorrow we start training with the new team. Most of them don't know you, Kaelan. This is your chance to earn their trust."
Kaelan nodded, clenching his fist as the spiral scar glowed faintly. "Understood."
From a distance, Sofia watched, conflicted. She'd heard all the stories about him—the good, the bad, the impossible.
Now she wanted to know which ones were true.
For the students of Aethelgard, Kaelan had always been a legend.
But for Sofia, he was something else entirely: a man with too many secrets.
And secrets… always beg to be uncovered.