Orin Alpheratz (15 years old) Location: Solaris Date: Year 873 / Wolf Cycle (2) / Emperor's Day (4)

  The entire class paused their training for a moment, all eyes fixed on Orin, who had managed to pierce the shield in the first class, even before Hector. A quiet awe settled over the room as Professor Schedar, visibly surprised, walked over to examine the damage.

  “Interesting... really interesting,” he muttered under his breath as he studied the hole with keen eyes. Then he turned to face Orin, a curious glint in his gaze. “Just as I suspected. You have an unusual knack for mastering techniques that fall outside the traditional scope of a knight's combat style.”

  There was something unspoken in his tone, and Orin couldn't help but sense a hidden layer to the professor's words. Had this training been more than just a new lesson? Was Schedar subtly testing him, or perhaps suggesting that his abilities might be better suited to the warrior course than the knight one?

  As these thoughts spun through his head, Schedar suddenly smiled and added, “Good work, Orin.”

  Then, raising his voice to address the rest of the class, he said, “Everyone else, resume your Solar Sword training. I want to see those blades glowing bright before the end of class!”

  Hector, who had briefly paused to watch Orin's strike with visible intrigue, returned to attacking the shield in silence. Seizing the moment, Orin stepped forward and approached the professor.

  “Professor,” he said earnestly, “do you have any advice on how I can improve my shield technique?”

  Schedar regarded him carefully for a moment, then nodded as if confirming something to himself.

  “I see. You've realized that your swordsmanship is ahead of your shield work, and now you're aiming to strike a balance,” he said thoughtfully. “Weapon affinities are usually innate, so it won't be easy to correct that overnight. But... if I recall, the only shield skill you learned at the Military Academy was Total Defense, correct?”

  Orin nodded.

  “Then I'd suggest starting with the foundational skill you're missing. Solar Shield. Mastering that will bring you one step closer to being a true knight.”

  “Solar Shield?” Orin asked. “Shouldn't it work the same way as Solar Sword?”

  Schedar gave a knowing sigh. “I see... your unfamiliarity with the shield likely stems from a lack of understanding, not just practice. This exercise might help clarify things a little.”

  He picked up a training shield and handed it to Orin. “Try activating Solar Shield the same way you activate Solar Sword, just to get a feel for it.”

  Orin nodded, taking the shield in hand. He focused, channeling his energy the same way he would into a sword. With determination, he shouted:

  “ACTIVATE KNIGHT SKILL: Solar Shield!”

  ...Nothing happened.

  No glow. No change. Not even a flicker of light.

  Orin stared down at the shield, bewildered. “Why didn't anything happen?”

  “Because it's a shield, not a sword,” Schedar replied, folding his arms. “One of the fundamentals of combat techniques is understanding how energy flows through each weapon. With a sword, energy flows in a constant stream, channeled through a single edge. That's why Solar Sword works as it does. Fast, aggressive, always moving.”

  He pointed at the shield in Orin's hand. “But shields are different. Like with Total Defense, energy must be compressed, condensed, and held steady. You don't want the energy flowing. You want it coiled tightly, acting as a barrier. The trick to Solar Shield isn't force, it's focus. Visualize a solid barrier forming over the surface, and concentrate on keeping that energy compact. No flow. Just containment.”

  Orin nodded slowly, gazing at the metal surface of the shield. He tried to picture it. Not as something to swing, but as something to contain power.

  “If I can master Solar Shield before the Hero's Trial,” he asked, “could you teach me other shield skill too?”

  Schedar gave a small, approving smile. “If you succeed, perhaps. But that depends on how far you take your affinity with the shield. Shield skills are subtle, and they demand precision.”

  Determined, Orin spent the rest of class trying to activate Solar Shield, but no matter how many times he focused or how hard he tried to compress the energy, the shield remained unchanged.

  Beside him, Hector continued striking at the wall-mounted shields with relentless focus, also failing to make progress with Piercing Sword.

  Orin cast a sideways glance at him, silently wondering: Is Hector feeling the same frustration I am? Or is this just another wall he's about to shatter through... sooner or later?

  And so, Professor Schedar's class finally came to an end.

  As Orin carefully placed the training shield back onto a nearby shelf, Sirius and a few other students approached him, smiling with genuine admiration.

  “Nice work, Orin! That Piercing Sword. Clean hit!” one of them said.

  “I didn't think you would pull it off today, let alone before Hector,” added another.

  Though Orin was glad to have his progress acknowledged, he didn't linger. There was something far more pressing on his mind. An important meeting he couldn't miss.

  Catching Sirius's eye, Orin gave him a subtle nod. His friend understood right away.

  “I think it might be interesting if we examine the shield Orin pierced,” Sirius said, quickly turning to the group.

  The others murmured in agreement, curious and eager to analyze the shield. As they clustered around it, Orin slipped quietly out of the classroom, where Eridus was already waiting in the corridor.

  “You ready? Huxley's in one of the archive rooms” Eridus confirmed. “Once you talk to him, I expect you to set your sights solely on the Hero's Trial.”

  “I will,” Orin replied firmly. “But... there are some things I need to understand before I can move forward.”

  Eridus gave a quiet sigh, then offered a faint, knowing smile.

  “All right. Let's go. Just... try to stay calm, no matter what he says. He might not know more than what Hector already told you.”

  “I'll keep that in mind,” Orin said, his tone calm but resolute, as they began walking down the hallway toward the archive rooms... toward the answers Orin hoped would finally bring clarity to everything that had been haunting him.

  They walked in silence for several minutes until they reached a large room nestled in one of the academy's quieter wings. It was lined with towering shelves, each one crammed with folders, scrolls, and dust-covered tomes.

  Inside, Professor Huxley stood at a desk, poring over a thick stack of documents. His expression was unreadable—calm, meticulous, like someone deciphering ancient codes rather than reorganizing files.

  Sensing their presence, Huxley looked up without surprise.

  “You must be the new student who wanted to see me,” he said, placing the papers aside with slow, deliberate care. “We haven't been formally introduced. My name is Sergin Huxley. As you may know, I am the instructor for first-year students.”

  He glanced toward Orin, then nodded at Eridus. “That would make you Orin, son of Captain Alpheratz, accompanied by Mr. Achernar of the wizarding class. A curious combination.”

  “That's right,” Orin said, his tone sharper than usual. “And if you already know who I am, then you probably understand why I'm here.”

  Huxley gave a subtle sigh and leaned slightly against the desk, folding his arms.

  “I can guess,” he said. “Though I doubt I can offer you more than what you've already heard from Hector.”

  Orin stepped closer, gaze sharp and searching. “Then let me ask you directly... do you remember anything... anything at all, about me and Princess Andromeda?”

  For a long second, the room was filled only with the faint rustling of parchment and the distant ticking of magical devices. Huxley met his gaze squarely.

  “No,” he answered calmly. “I don't know anyone named Princess Andromeda. And according to the kingdom's records, such a person never existed.”

  He paused before adding, “But you already knew that, didn't you? I suspect you didn't come all this way just to have your suspicions confirmed.”

  Orin's fingers curled around his arm, his body tense. That was true, he had expected more. Even the faintest spark of recognition. A sign. Anything. But Huxley... he was unreadable, almost more so than Hector.

  Still, Orin wasn't ready to give up.

  “Is it true that you and Hector didn't meet until he entered the academy?” Orin asked, watching Huxley closely for even the slightest hesitation.

  “Indeed,” Huxley replied without pause. “I never met him in person until he enrolled here. I'd seen him once or twice during my time serving as a palace guard, just as I'd occasionally seen you. But that's to be expected, considering both of your parents hold high ranks in the League of Knights.”

  He paused, then added, “So you could say I first learned of Hector's existence through someone we both had in common...”

  “The Oracle!” Orin cut in, his eyes narrowing. “The former Oracle of Solaris, Nicola Papin!”

  Huxley gave a faint nod.

  “I see Hector's already told you that much,” he said, exhaling as if the conversation was unfolding more quickly than he'd anticipated. “I didn't expect him to share even that part with you... but I suppose it doesn't matter anymore.”

  He straightened the stack of papers in front of him, then continued, his tone more reflective now.

  “As far as I understand, everything began with your search for the so-called Princess Andromeda. That search eventually led you to dig into my background... a difficult task, I imagine. After leaving my post at the Imperial Palace, I was transferred to the western garrison, and eventually appointed as an instructor here at the academy.”

  Orin clenched his fists slightly at the memory. He remembered it well. How every supposed lead had turned out to be a dead end, a trail that evaporated just when it seemed solid.

  “Hector, for his part,” Huxley went on, “began his own investigation. But unlike you, he didn't chase shadows of the past. He went directly to the Oracle, hoping to understand what truth lay beneath it all. And that's where my involvement with you truly began.”

  Orin blinked. “What do you mean?”

  “The Oracle summoned me,” Huxley explained, his voice lowering slightly. “After hearing what Hector had uncovered, he wanted to hear my version of events... though, as it turned out, my story wasn't much different from his. We each met with him separately after that, in a series of private audiences.”

  He looked directly at Orin now, his gaze steady.

  “Until the day he revealed to us the truth he had long kept hidden: the existence of the decoy system. And the possibility that the one known as Princess Andromeda... may have never existed at all.”

  Orin stared at the floor, his hands clenched tightly at his sides as he tried to contain his frustration. Deep down, he'd expected Huxley's story to match Hector's. But still, he had clung to a sliver of hope that he might uncover something more... a missing piece. But there was none.

  Lifting his gaze, he met Huxley's eyes once more.

  "How can I speak to the Oracle directly?" Orin asked at last, his voice steady. "Do you know where I can find Papin?"

  Eridus, startled, grabbed his arm. “What are you talking about? You promised this would end once you spoke with Professor Huxley!”

  But Orin didn't respond. He kept his gaze locked with Huxley's, refusing to look away. For a long moment, the professor said nothing, simply studying him in silence. Then, with a quiet sigh, he finally answered.

  "I don't know where he is right now... but—" Huxley paused, then continued, “I've heard he'll be part of the council presiding over the Hero's Trial. If that's true, you can count on him being there in person to witness the event.”

  Orin's eyes lit up with a spark of determination. If the Oracle would be at the Trial... then that would be his chance. His only chance to confront him and demand the truth directly.

  "Thank you," Orin said, his voice low but resolute. "That's all the information I needed."

  Without waiting for another word, he turned and walked out of the archive room, Eridus trailing behind him in silence. Orin's thoughts burned with renewed resolve. From that moment on, he would dedicate every breath, every moment, to preparing for the Hero's Trial.

  Because now he had one more reason to win, not just to prove himself, but to claim the answers he deserved.

  What Orin didn’t know... what he couldn't yet imagine... was that no matter how hard he trained, he would never compete in the Hero's Trial.

  And more than that. He had no idea that the world as he knew it was already beginning to change in ways no one could have foreseen.

  ...And so, in the blink of an eye, an entire cycle passed.