The golden light of sunset bathed the grounds of Aetherial Institute.
Long shadows stretched across the stone pathways.
The last remnants of students slowly disappeared toward dormitories, libraries, guild halls, and cafeterias.
The once-noisy combat grounds gradually became quieter.
Peaceful.
Calm.
A rare sight.
Karos Thornat and Lucien Ashbourne had finally retreated.
Mostly because Valeryn looked seconds away from testing whether their skulls could survive repeated impacts against nearby walls.
The two descendants of Pillar Houses had wisely chosen survival.
An admirable decision.
Their laughter echoed faintly in the distance before disappearing completely.
Silence returned.
The wind drifted gently through the academy.
Several leaves rolled across the stone paths.
Somewhere in the distance, bells rang softly.
Signaling the end of daily classes.
Kel remained seated upon the stone bench.
His weapon rested across his lap.
The transforming bow-sword reflected the warm colors of sunset.
Across from him—
Valeryn quietly sat down again.
Closer this time.
Neither spoke immediately.
The atmosphere wasn't uncomfortable.
Just quiet.
The kind of silence that appeared after a long day.
The kind that didn't require filling.
For several minutes—
Only the sound of wind existed.
Kel continued adjusting his weapon.
Testing mechanisms.
Examining joints.
Searching for hidden functions.
Again.
Valeryn watched.
The sight somehow felt familiar already.
Eventually she sighed.
"Aedon."
"Hm?"
"You are still searching for more transformations."
Kel nodded.
"Possibly."
The noblewoman shook her head.
"I genuinely don't know whether you're a genius or insane."
Kel considered carefully.
"Those two things aren't mutually exclusive."
Valeryn laughed softly.
The answer sounded disturbingly reasonable.
Then her eyes drifted toward the weapon.
Toward the bow.
Toward the sword.
Toward the weapon that had somehow become four weapons.
The desire returned.
Immediately.
The noblewoman stared.
Then stared harder.
Then finally spoke.
"Aedon."
Kel looked up.
Without warning—
He extended the weapon toward her.
Valeryn blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The weapon rested before her.
Offered freely.
The noblewoman stared at him.
Completely confused.
"What are you doing?"
Kel tilted his head.
"Offering it."
Silence.
Valeryn stared harder.
"What?"
"The bow."
Kel casually moved it closer.
"You wanted it."
The confusion only deepened.
"Aedon."
"Yes?"
The noblewoman pointed accusingly.
"You rejected every single offer earlier."
"I did."
"You refused money."
"Correct."
"You refused trades."
"Correct."
"You refused everything."
Kel nodded.
"Also correct."
Valeryn narrowed her eyes.
"Then why are you offering it now?"
The silver-haired young man shrugged.
Simple.
Natural.
As though discussing weather.
"Earlier I needed it."
The answer surprised her.
Kel continued.
"The match wasn't finished."
"The training wasn't over."
"I still needed the weapon."
He looked toward the sunset.
The last golden rays illuminated his silver hair.
"Now the match is over."
"The class is over."
"The weapon already served its purpose."
His gaze returned toward her.
"And your sword suits you better than this weapon suits me."
Valeryn froze.
The answer felt absurd.
No.
Not absurd.
Unexpected.
Most people clung to useful things.
Especially powerful things.
Yet Aedon spoke as though giving away a tool he happened to like.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
The realization made her strangely uncomfortable.
Slowly—
She accepted the weapon.
The moment her fingers wrapped around it, she immediately examined it.
The craftsmanship.
The mechanisms.
The balance.
Everything.
A masterpiece.
An absolute masterpiece.
Eventually she spoke.
Her voice quieter.
"I'll compensate you accordingly."
The statement carried complete seriousness.
Because she fully intended to do so.
Kel immediately shook his head.
"No need."
Valeryn frowned.
"No."
Her tone became firm.
"I don't accept gifts."
"Why?"
The question escaped naturally.
Without judgment.
Without pressure.
Simple curiosity.
The noblewoman looked away briefly.
Then back toward him.
"Because debts create obligations."
The answer arrived immediately.
Too immediately.
Like something repeated many times.
Something learned painfully.
Kel observed her quietly.
Then smiled slightly.
"You already compensated me."
Valeryn blinked.
"What?"
Kel leaned back against the bench.
The sunset reflected within his eyes.
"You didn't beat me up."
Silence.
Then—
Valeryn laughed.
Actually laughed.
The sound echoed softly through the empty grounds.
"Aedon."
Her smile widened.
"You still believe those rumors?"
Kel looked toward the sky.
The first evening stars had begun appearing.
The peaceful sight contrasted strangely with the conversation.
Then he answered.
"Not entirely."
Valeryn listened.
Kel continued.
"Rumors originate from two sources."
His voice remained calm.
"Either they are completely fabricated."
A brief pause followed.
"Or they originate from a true event."
The noblewoman's smile slowly disappeared.
Kel turned toward her.
Their eyes met.
"After today's battle..."
He smiled faintly.
"...I can confidently say your rumors originate from a true event."
Valeryn blinked.
The silver-haired young man continued.
"Perhaps the original story was reasonable."
"Perhaps the original story made sense."
His smile widened slightly.
"But after enough people repeat it..."
The amusement entered his voice.
"...it evolves into something absurd."
"Then more absurd."
"Then completely ridiculous."
The noblewoman covered her mouth.
Trying not to laugh.
Because unfortunately—
He was correct.
Painfully correct.
The stories surrounding her had become ridiculous.
At this point some students genuinely believed she slept with a sword.
Others believed she challenged professors for fun.
One particularly creative rumor claimed she once punched a dragon.
The dragon rumor annoyed her.
Because it was obviously false.
The dragon had been much larger.
Eventually—
Valeryn's smile faded.
A shadow entered her expression.
Something darker.
Something older.
The atmosphere changed.
Kel noticed immediately.
The playful mood disappeared.
The sunset suddenly felt colder.
The wind quieter.
The noblewoman lowered her gaze.
For several moments she said nothing.
Then—
She finally spoke.
"You are right."
Her voice became quieter.
The words carried weight.
"Heavier than most rumors deserve."
Kel remained silent.
Listening.
Valeryn stared toward the distant horizon.
Watching the fading sunlight.
Then she continued.
"There was an incident."
The smile vanished completely.
The silence surrounding them deepened.
Even the wind seemed reluctant to interrupt.
The crimson-haired girl folded her hands together.
Her knuckles whitened slightly.
Not from fear.
From memory.
"A noble targeted me."
Her voice remained calm.
Too calm.
The kind of calm born from old anger.
Not forgotten anger.
Old anger.
The dangerous kind.
Kel listened quietly.
Valeryn continued.
"He wanted influence."
"He wanted power."
"He wanted status."
A bitter smile appeared.
"And apparently he decided marriage was the easiest route."
The noblewoman's crimson eyes darkened.
"He couldn't defeat me."
"He couldn't impress me."
"He couldn't earn my trust."
Her fingers tightened.
"So he chose another path."
The air grew colder.
"My personal maid."
Silence.
Kel's expression remained unchanged.
Yet something in his gaze sharpened slightly.
Valeryn continued.
"She served me for years."
The words came slower now.
"She knew my habits."
"My schedule."
"My food."
"My medicines."
A brief pause followed.
Then—
"She was my friend."
The sentence carried far more emotion than everything before it.
The betrayal still hurt.
Even now.
Years later.
The wound remained.
Valeryn looked away.
Toward the horizon.
Toward memories she preferred forgotten.
"She started placing memory-loss compounds inside my medicine."
The evening breeze moved through her crimson hair.
"I noticed eventually."
Her voice became colder.
"When I confronted her..."
A dangerous silence followed.
"...she confessed."
The anger returned.
Ancient.
Controlled.
Terrifying.
"The noble had ordered everything."
"He intended to gradually destroy my memories."
The words carried disgust.
Then came the final revelation.
"When I became dependent enough..."
Her eyes narrowed.
"...he would conveniently appear as my savior."
The bench beneath her hand cracked slightly.
Not intentionally.
The pressure simply escaped.
"He intended to become my husband through manufactured dependency."
Silence followed.
Long.
Heavy.
Dark.
Kel understood.
Unfortunately—
He understood perfectly.
The worst betrayals rarely came from enemies.
They came from trusted people.
Then—
Valeryn finally continued.
Her voice became frighteningly calm.
The calm before execution.
"So I broke her arms."
The statement arrived plainly.
Without pride.
Without shame.
Simply fact.
"Then her legs."
The wind stopped.
The atmosphere froze.
"I extracted every name."
"Every detail."
"Every order."
Then her crimson eyes became terrifying.
The eyes from the rumors.
The eyes people feared.
"When I finished..."
A brief pause followed.
"I found the noble responsible."
The sunset reflected within her gaze.
Blood-red.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
"I destroyed his mansion."
No hesitation.
No regret.
"I removed his head."
The silence deepened.
Then—
"I fed it to his hunting beasts."
The words echoed quietly across the empty grounds.
No laughter followed.
No jokes.
No humor.
Only truth.
A terrible truth.
For several moments neither spoke.
Then—
Valeryn looked toward Kel.
Waiting.
Watching.
Expecting judgment.
Expecting fear.
Expecting disgust.
The reactions most people eventually showed.
Instead—
Kel simply nodded.
Once.
Slowly.
Understandingly.
And for some reason—
That reaction unsettled her far more than any other would have.