(Kael, Age 13 — Return to the Village)
⸻
I. The Homecoming
The road into the village was exactly as Kael remembered it—dusty, sun-warm, lined with cedar trees that whispered with every breath of wind.
This time, though… he didn't walk it alone.
Beside him padded a small dragon, barely the size of a large dog. Sleek silver-blue scales shimmered with every step, golden eyes bright with mischief. Lightning flickered lazily along the ridges of his spine.
Valdyros, Storm Sovereign—currently wearing his "compact travel form."
Behind them, Eiran walked with arms crossed, trying very hard not to look proud.
He failed.
As they approached the first houses, the village bell rang out in a frantic rhythm.
"Kael's back!""Look—look, it's him!""Is that a DRAGON?!"
Then she was there.
Mira Varos tore through the crowd like a hurricane made of tears and joy.
"MY BABY!"
"Mom—!" Kael braced—too late.
She crashed into him full-force, arms locking around his neck with enough strength to jolt Valdyros back a step. Kael's ribs protested.
"Can't… breathe…" he wheezed.
"I'll heal you afterward," Mira sniffed, tightening her hold.
Valdyros snorted.Eiran sighed.The villagers laughed.
Taren strode forward next—older now, a bit more scruff on his chin, leaning fully into the retired-warrior aesthetic.
He looked Kael up and down.
"You got taller," he said with a grin.
"You got older," Kael shot back.
Silence.
Then, perfectly synchronized, they raised their hands—
SLAP.
Their palms met in a firm clasp. Muscles flexed. Auras flared. Biceps bulged in exaggerated anime fashion.
"You been training?" Taren asked with a smirk.
"You been slacking?" Kael countered.
"Wanna test that in the back?"
"Let's go."
They squared off—
WHACK.
Eiran smacked both of them on the head.
They dropped to their knees, clutching their skulls.
"Focus," Eiran growled. "Idiots."
The crowd roared with laughter.
⸻
II. The Gathering of the Youth
The square buzzed with life.
Today was the National Source Exam—the day every thirteen-year-old in this region of Elyndria was tested and assigned to an academy sect.
Kael's heart beat a steady battle rhythm.
Years of training.Years of storm-forged discipline.Years under Valdyros and Eiran, all leading to this.
Valdyros's voice crackled through his mind like distant thunder:
« Do not reveal everything, child. Show only Body and Mind. Let your Soul Gate sleep—for now. »
For now, Kael answered silently.
They reached the front of the crowd. Mira fussed with his collar, Taren cracked his knuckles, and Eiran gave a single, approving nod.
And then—
He saw her.
⸻
III. Lyria Saren — Blossomed Like Spring
Lyria stood across the square, surrounded by friends. Older now. Dark hair longer, tied back loosely. Eyes brighter. Smile just as radiant.
She turned.
She froze.
"Kael…?"
His chest tightened. "Lyria."
He took a step.
She ran.
They collided in a hug that knocked the air out of both of them.
Then the realization hit:
Arms around each other.Bodies close.Faces inches apart.
They sprang back, cheeks blazing.
"I—uh—you're taller," Lyria stammered.
"So are you," Kael said, trying very hard not to stare.
"And your hair… it got long," she added.
Kael brushed his dark-blue hair behind his ear. "I'm going to cut it soon."
"No!" she blurted.
He blinked.
She coughed, softer. "I mean… I like it."
Heat crept up his ears.
Before he could answer—
A small dragon chirped behind him.
Lyria's eyes went wide. "Oh my goodness—look at you!"
She knelt and scratched Valdyros under the chin.
The Storm Sovereign, ancient terror of the skies, closed his eyes and purred.
Kael stared.
Lyria giggled. "You're such a cutie."
Valdyros's voice rumbled privately in Kael's mind:
« She is perceptive. I approve of her. »
Kael almost choked.
"What did he say?" Lyria asked, eyes shining.
Kael smirked. "He said he thinks you're loud."
Valdyros's eyes bulged.« I SAID NO SUCH— »
Kael stuck out his tongue.
Valdyros stuck his out right back.
They bonked foreheads in a tiny, ridiculous clash.
Lyria bent over laughing. "You two must really be close."
Kael rubbed his forehead. "…Yeah. We are."
Their smiles lingered a heartbeat too long.
A shadow fell across them.
⸻
IV. The Return of Rellen
"KAEL!"
Kael turned.
A boy—almost a young man now—ran toward him, broad-shouldered, a little taller, with the same familiar face.
Rellen.
The former bully.
But there was no sneer now. Only an enormous, stupidly sincere grin.
Before Kael could react, Rellen grabbed him in a rough hug.
"Brother, you're back! I—I never got to apologize properly!"
Kael went rigid.
Rellen pulled back, eyes suspiciously shiny. "That day with the… uh… pants… I was humbled by the heavens."
Lyria slapped a hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking.
Rellen lifted a hand in a half-wave. "Hi, Lyria."
"Hi, Rellen," she managed.
He jogged back toward the other village youths.
Kael stared after him. "…What happened to him?"
Lyria wiped her eyes. "After the pants incident, he was never the same."
They both dissolved into laughter.
⸻
V. The Two Sects
A herald stepped forward to address the gathered crowd, voice amplified by a subtle Source technique.
"People of Elyndria! Today's examinees will be tested for placement in one of the two Academy Sects!"
He gestured grandly at two banners fluttering above the square:
1. The Arclight Sect — Body & Mind
Physical combat
Strategy and tactics
Weapon mastery
Battlefield leadership
Martial Source refinement
2. The Eclipsal Sect — Soul & Mind
Elemental Source arts
Spellcraft and sigils
Source harmonics
Ritual and spirit work
High-order attunement
Murmurs rippled through the gathered youth.
Kael already knew his path.
Valdyros's voice settled like static in his thoughts:
« Choose Arclight. Hide what you are. »
Kael's fingers flexed.
Body and Mind, he thought.Soul stays locked—for now.
⸻
VI. It Is Time
Eiran, Mira, and Taren stepped up to him.
Eiran placed a steady hand on his shoulder. "It's time."
Mira hugged him again—gentler, but no less fierce.Taren clapped him once on the back, pride shining in his eyes.Valdyros climbed up onto Kael's forearm and draped himself there like a smug, living gauntlet.
Lyria moved to his side, her smile softer now.
"Ready?" she asked.
Kael drew in a slow breath.
"Yes."
Eiran nodded toward the center of the square.
"The Source Exam for Elyndrian youth begins now."
Kael Varos stepped forward—
A boy forged by storms.A prodigy hiding in plain sight.A chosen vessel walking toward the first public trial of his destiny.