The Anomaly's Path

The heavy doors of the training hall slid shut behind me. It was the first moment of peace I had felt in three days.

The hallway was quiet as I walked down it, my boots dragging against the floor. My body was healed, but my mind was completely drained. My head felt heavy from the constant strain of juggling lightning, space, and the flame.

I dragged myself through the Arcane Academy’s guest quarters, barely awake enough to find my room.

When I finally reached my room, the silence was beautiful.

There was no Roan.

The elven prince had spent his time out in the Magic City doing whatever advanced training his instructors had set up for him. Which meant he hadn’t been around to flood my watch with useless, mocking texts or sit nearby looking annoyingly lazy.

I didn’t even bother taking off my dirty training shirt. I just collapsed face-first onto the bed. The moment my head hit the pillow, my consciousness went entirely dark.

When I opened my eyes again, the room was filled with orange, late-afternoon light.

I lay there for a solid five minutes, staring at the ceiling, waiting for my brain to slowly start working again. The deep exhaustion had faded into a dull, manageable ache.

I rolled out of bed, my joints popping loudly.

I walked into the bathroom, turned on the cold water, and splashed it directly onto my face. I held my breath, letting the cold wake me up, before grabbing a towel and drying my skin.

As I looked up into the mirror, I stopped.

The reflection was staring back at me. My white hair, usually tied in a neat, low ponytail, had grown longer. It was now falling past my shoulders, messy and uneven from three days of being blasted by Seren’s fire and Morgana’s swings.

”Great,” I muttered, pulling at a strand that fell over my eye. ”I look like I’ve been living in a cave.”

I sighed, blowing the hair out of my face.

I really needed to cut it back down to its usual length. The problem was, I couldn’t just trust any random barber with a blade near my neck.

I will deal with it back at the academy, I thought.

I stripped off the dirty training gear, took a quick hot shower, and changed into a fresh uniform. The dark fabric felt heavy but familiar. I tied my damp hair back into its usual ponytail, though a few stubborn strands still hung over my face.

I checked the room one last time, grabbed my coat, and walked out.

_

The runway of the Magic Tower City was buzzing with activity when I arrived.

The black jet sat on the runway, its silver crest shining under the setting sun. The stairs were already down, and a few workers were doing final checks around the engines.

Most of the students were already gathered near the ramp.

”Look who finally crawled out of his hole,” a lazy, voice called out.

I didn’t need to look to know who it was. Roan was leaning against a crate, his silver hair perfect, his eyes scanning me with amusement. He looked like he had spent his time at a spa, not in combat training.

”Look at you,” Alice scoffed, leaning against a metal crate. ”Did you actually do some real work for once, or did you just let Morgana beat you into the ground?”

”Don’t ask. It was bad,” I replied flatly, walking past her.

Riven crossed his arms, looking tired. ”At least you didn’t have to deal with him,” he said, pointing at Roan. ”This bastard didn’t shut up once.”

Roan simply grinned, waving his hand dismissively. ”Ah... I was a delight, Riven. Don’t lie to Leo.”

Lyssaria stood a few paces away, her posture perfect as usual, checking over her luggage. Beside her, Caster was talking with Malva.

”Leo!”

I turned to see Iris and Ariana walking toward us. Iris looked a little sad that we were leaving, her eyes darting toward me before looking at the others.

”I can’t believe three days went by this fast,” Iris said, adjusting her ponytail. ”It feels like you guys just got here.”

”Tell me about it,” Alice snorted. ”Though I wouldn’t mind staying longer if it meant more things to break.”

”Please, no,” Caster squeaked, his voice cracking slightly. ”My heart can’t take any more of those boring lectures.”

Ariana laughed softly, her eyes warm. ”We should definitely meet up again sometime, Leo. Once things quiet down back at Aegis.”

”Sure,” I replied, nodding. ”Let’s do that.”

”You better,” Iris said with a small smile. ”Next time, I will show you the whole city.”

Before anyone could say more, Morgana’s voice cut across the runway.

”Alright, alright, enough with the emotional send-offs,” Morgana called out, clapping her hands together. ”We’ve got a schedule to keep. All students, get your asses on the jet. The pilot’s already got the engines running.”

The students started moving toward the stairs. Morgana turned and gave a nod to Vice Principal Galen, then looked at Seren with a smirk.

”Well then, old hag. We’ll meet later.”

Seren rolled her eyes. ”Don’t get yourself killed before then, tourist. I still need you to pay me back for those testing swords your student melted.”

Morgana just laughed, waving her hand over her shoulder as she walked up the boarding ramp with the rest of us following behind.

One by one, the students began climbing the stairs of the jet.

I took one last look at the Magic Tower City, its glowing blue runes lighting up against the darkening sky. The training had been brutal, but I could feel the change inside me. The foundation of my third sword form was set. I just needed some quiet time to finally break through.

I turned and walked up the stairs, entering the cool cabin.

The leather seats were as comfortable as I remembered. I walked straight to the back row and took a window seat before Roan could try anything. Roan sighed dramatically and sat across the aisle, pulling out his watch to text me from three feet away.

The doors hissed shut, sealing out the warm air. The engines hummed as the jet began to taxi down the runway.

Within minutes, we were airborne, climbing into the clouds, leaving the glowing towers behind.

The flight back took a few hours. Most of the cabin went quiet quickly. Alice was completely out, snoring softly with her head against the window. Caster was still holding his notebook, his eyes closed as he drifted off.

Even Riven had stopped looking annoyed, his head tilted back against his seat as he slept. I leaned my head against the glass, watching the white clouds pass beneath us under the moonlight, my mind drifting into a light, peaceful doze.

The change in pressure and the thud of the landing gear woke me up.

Outside, the familiar skyline of Aegis Academy City rose to meet us. The massive campus, the tall spires, and the grand buildings looked huge even from the air.

The jet descended smoothly, the tires screeching as they touched the runway. As the jet rolled to a stop and the engines wound down, students stretched, grabbed their bags, and shuffled toward the exit.

When the doors hissed open, the cool evening air rushed in.

”Man,” Roan muttered, stepping out and stretching. ”It feels good to be back.”

”That’s because you didn’t do any actual work, you lazy prince,” Alice grumbled, shoving past him.

I followed them down, my boots clicking against the steps. But as my eyes scanned the runway, I paused.

Just a few hundred yards away, on the landing pad next to ours, another sleek private jet was coming to a stop. Its engines were shutting down, and the heavy cabin doors were starting to open. It was the jet carrying the group that had gone to the Holy Kingdom.

The students of Class Veritas and Class Audax began filing out of the aircraft.

Arthur’s eyes drifted across the runway, catching mine.

We stood there for a moment, two captains of different classes, looking at each other across the runway. Both of us had spent the last three days fighting our own battles — him against the weight of a holy empire, and me against the limits of my own body.

He didn’t say anything. He just gave him a brief, silent nod. I returned it, a tired but respectful gesture, before his group started walking toward the carriages waiting to take them back to the dorms.

”Well,” Roan said, stepping up next to me and looking over at the departing Holy Kingdom group. ”Looks like they had a grand old time playing with the church folks. Glad I didn’t have to go there.”

”Let’s go,” I muttered. ”I want to get back to my room.”

The three-day exchange was officially over. As I walked toward the academy gates, feeling the quiet, waiting power of the Soul Flame resting perfectly in my core, I knew I was finally ready to take the next step.