Aiden Voss.
That name echoed in Kaelen's mind as he walked past ivy-covered buildings and buzzing students.
He didn't feel like Aiden.
And he certainly didn't look like any of the others around him.
Everywhere he walked, heads turned. Girls whispered. Some smiled shyly. A few boys looked away, annoyed.
> So this body… is admired here?
He didn't care. He had no use for admiration — not now.
Not while his father's last words still echoed like a bleeding wound in his chest.
> "Find them. Rebuild the crown."
But how?
---
08:27 AM — Department of Political Studies
Room B-214
The classroom was bright, lined with rows of old wooden desks and a digital board humming in the front.
Kaelen stepped inside.
He could sense it instantly:
A presence. Cold. Watching. Familiar.
Not magical… but not entirely human.
A shadow passed behind him — just a student, probably.
But his instincts sharpened like a blade.
Years of royal training don't vanish overnight.
He quietly took a seat at the back.
One by one, students filled the room. Laughter. Shuffling of books. Buzzing phones. Noisy energy.
> This world is loud, he thought. And lonely.
---
Then she entered.
Not loud. Not flashy. Not like the others.
She wore a deep green jacket over a black t-shirt. Hair tied in a loose ponytail. Eyes focused, quiet, smart — but carrying something heavy behind them.
Kaelen felt it immediately:
Not magic.
But pain.
Buried. Unspoken.
She took a seat near the window. Didn't look at him. Didn't talk to anyone.
> She doesn't belong either, he realized.
Like me.
But he turned his eyes away. No use making friends in a world he planned to leave — once the mission was over.
---
08:30 AM
A tall man entered the room, long coat swaying behind him.
Professor Whitlock. The name echoed in Aiden's schedule.
He didn't speak for a moment. Just stared at the class.
His eyes swept over the students like he was reading their secrets.
And then — Kaelen felt it again.
Cold. Darkness. Hunger.
Just for a moment, behind the professor's eyes…
A flicker. Something inhuman.
> No… It's not a man. It's wearing his skin.
Kaelen straightened.
Whitlock smiled.
"Good morning, class," the professor said smoothly. "I expect silence. Obedience. And effort. Or you will regret attending my lectures."
Students chuckled nervously. Some whispered, "He's weird," but no one objected.
Kaelen's hand was already clenched under the desk.
> This man is not of Earth. But why hide here?
---
Suddenly, a voice beside him. Soft but annoyed.
"You're staring."
Kaelen turned.
It was the girl — Aria.
She didn't smile. Her eyes were sharp.
"I've seen you before," she said. "You sit in the back every class. Never talk. People say you're arrogant or messed up. I think you're just weird."
Kaelen blinked, surprised. "You're… direct."
"I don't like games," she said. Then turned back to the front.
For a strange moment, he felt something…
Not irritation.
Not curiosity.
Something quieter.
> She's real.
Not pretending. Not chasing me. Just honest.
The professor began writing on the board.
Kaelen sat back, silently watching — not the lesson, but Whitlock.
Something was wrong here.
---
That night, long after class ended…
Kaelen stood near the university's courtyard, staring at the sky.
The stars were different.
The moon — smaller, colder.
He felt the Soul Crystal pulse in his chest. Softly. Warning.
Then—
A scream. Distant.
He turned. Running footsteps.
Then silence.
He rushed toward the sound.
Behind the sports hall, in the shadows, he saw it.
A creature — black-skinned, eyes glowing red, hunched over a shivering student.
Kaelen didn't think.
He moved.
Faster than thought.
He grabbed a metal rod from the ground and slammed it into the creature's head.
It shrieked — a sound not of this world — and vanished into smoke.
The student fainted.
Kaelen knelt down, breathing hard.
The rod burned in his hand.
His pulse was racing.
> They're already here…
Something has crossed over from Valdara.
And it's hiding among humans.
---
Meanwhile…
In her dorm room, Aria Venn sat alone.
A silver pendant lay in her hand — old, cracked, glowing faintly.
She hadn't told anyone about the dreams.
The voice whispering her name.
The feeling that something inside her was… waking up.
She looked out the window.
Toward the boy with golden eyes.