The doors to the Arcanum Depth hissed open with a deep sigh of stone and magic.
Karl stepped out.
His breath steamed in the cold corridor, but his eyes were calm—sharp, even. The weight in his chest hadn't lessened. If anything, the dragon had coiled tighter, as if content with its temporary retreat.
The hallway ahead was quiet. No instructors. No guards.
Only Raiven's presence stirred beside him in the form of a flickering shadow. His eyes shimmered in the corner of Karl's vision, ever watchful.
"You survived."
"Barely."
"Then you're stronger than most."
Karl gave a short nod.
But inside, he knew better.
This wasn't strength.
This was survival.
He returned to the main campus through the eastern gate. A few instructors glanced his way but said nothing.
By the time he reached the upper dorms, whispers were already stirring.
"He returned from the Depth."
"I heard his Soul Trial was unstable."
"They say a dragon flared through his mark. A real one."
He didn't stop to correct anyone.
He didn't need to.
He made his way straight to the rooftop of the dorm tower, where Kael and Nyra had already claimed a wide ledge with their food trays and a full view of the sunrise over Veyhelm.
Kael looked up. "Well, well. The man of the hour lives."
Nyra tilted her head, inspecting him. "You're not scorched. I owe Kael three silver."
Karl gave them a dry look. "Appreciate the support."
"Always," Nyra said with a smirk. "We gamble out of love."
He sat beside them in silence, letting their chatter wash over him like static. The air was sharp with altitude, and the city lights glittered far below.
Kael passed him a flask of chilled fruitwater. Karl took a slow sip.
"So… how bad was it?" Kael asked eventually.
Karl thought for a moment.
"The dragon spoke to me."
That silenced both of them.
Even Nyra's usual sass faded.
"What did it say?"
"That it chose me."
"Chose?"
Karl nodded.
"I didn't summon it. It found me. And now… I carry it."
Nyra leaned back with a low whistle. "Sounds like you're going to need thicker armor."
The rooftop gate creaked.
All three turned.
A figure stepped through, calm and composed.
Aeris Valea.
She wore her academy coat slightly loosened at the collar, her silver-blonde hair tied in a braid that swung gently at her back. Her gold-flecked eyes scanned the group, then settled on Karl.
"May I?" she asked softly, gesturing to the ledge.
Kael and Nyra exchanged a quick glance and stood.
"We were just leaving," Kael said.
"Urgent… uh, nap business," Nyra added.
They vanished like smoke.
Aeris sat beside Karl, her posture as poised as always, but something in her tone had changed.
Less formal.
More… quiet.
"You were in the Arcanum Depth."
Karl didn't answer right away.
Then: "Yes."
"And?"
"I passed."
She studied him for a moment. Her golden eyes flickered as the sun hit them.
"That trial wasn't about passing. It was about surviving."
"Isn't that what life is?"
A faint smile touched her lips, but it didn't stay long.
"Your dragon… it tried to consume you?"
Karl didn't look at her. He stared straight ahead.
"It tested me. Wanted to see what I would break to protect control."
"And did you?"
"Almost."
She was quiet after that.
Below them, the academy grounds bustled with movement. Students darted between training halls and enchantment towers. Birds of mana circling above cast long shadows.
"When I was eight," Aeris said suddenly, "I bonded with Thalorien."
Karl turned slightly, surprised.
"You were that young?"
"My family line… our bond manifests early. The Veil recognizes us."
"That's rare."
"Yes. But it's not always a blessing."
Karl waited, letting her speak at her own pace.
"He showed me a memory. One where my ancestor fell… consumed by the very magic he tried to master. I've been carrying that fear ever since."
"That you'd end up like him?"
"That I already was."
Their eyes met.
Karl's expression didn't shift, but his voice softened.
"You're not."
Aeris blinked.
"You don't even know me."
"Maybe not," Karl said, "but I've met people who carry power to hurt everyone around them. And the ones who fear it most are always the least likely to abuse it."
For the first time, her face cracked—not into a smile, but into something real.
A flicker of vulnerability behind her polished calm.
"You're not what I expected, Karl."
"I get that a lot."
Raiven's voice flickered in his mind, amused.
"She's watching you carefully now."
Karl sighed internally.
"She has good reason."
"Not because of the dragon. Because of you."
Karl stood slowly, brushing off the dust from his sleeve.
"Thanks for checking on me."
Aeris rose as well. "Don't thank me yet. You've only passed the first trial."
"There'll be more?"
"There always are."
Then, just before turning to leave, she added softly:
"Next time… don't fight it alone."
And with that, she vanished down the stairs, leaving Karl alone with the morning breeze and the soft pulse of the mark on his chest.
It glowed once—like a heartbeat not his own.