Orin Alpheratz (15 years old) Location: Solaris Date: Year 873 / Crow Cycle (3) / Hunter's Day (7)

  Orin fell silent.

  Wind's voice echoed faintly in his mind. A war is coming... Could it really be? Was everything just beginning now, exactly as he had warned?

  Ari must have noticed the shift in his expression, because she gave his shoulder a light pat.

  “Don't worry,” she said with a reassuring smile. “There's a full regiment stationed at the West Gate. No one's getting anywhere near the academy.”

  She cast a glance over her shoulder at the crowd of students still pressing the teachers for permission to fight.

  “But you know how the knight class boys are, right? The moment something happens, they all want a taste of the glory.”

  Orin looked on as more students tried to persuade the instructors, insisting they at least be allowed to patrol between the academy and the West Gate. The tension in the air was undeniable.

  “So there's really no danger?” He asked, unable to keep the doubt from his voice. “What if this attack isn't just some isolated skirmish? What if it's the start of something... bigger?”

  Ari tilted her head, her eyes narrowing slightly in thought. For a brief moment, the cheerful mask slipped. But then she simply shrugged.

  “I don't think so,” she said. “The Star Children don't have the organization for something like that. Sure, they're dangerous in small raids, but they've never posed a real threat to the Empire. I wouldn't lose sleep over it.”

  She paused, studying him more closely.

  “Anyway, didn't you say you were headed to the training grounds? I imagine you've got more important things to worry about than vague rumors and panicked upperclassmen.”

  Orin hesitated, but then gave a small nod.

  “You're right,” he said, though the uncertainty still lingered in his chest. “My friends are probably waiting for me.”

  “Then don't keep them waiting,” Ari said with a small wave, turning back toward the crowd.

  Orin returned the gesture and left, heading toward the training grounds and leaving the commotion behind. But even as the voices of arguing students faded into the distance, the unease inside him didn’t.

  The timing was too perfect, too strange to ignore. A dream of war... and now, an unprovoked attack on one of the Empire's gates?

  Coincidence or not, something was beginning. And Orin had the unsettling feeling that he was already caught in the middle of it.

  By the time Orin reached the training grounds, he found his two friends already suited up and ready for sparring. Sirius greeted him with his usual easygoing smile, while Eridus crossed his arms with a frown, clearly less amused.

  “Took you long enough,” Eridus said, tapping his foot impatiently. “Weren't you the one who said you'd be early today?”

  “Yeah... sorry about that,” Orin replied, rubbing the back of his neck as he walked over to the equipment rack. “I got a little sidetracked on the way.”

  “No worries!” Sirius chimed in with a grin. “Like I told Eridus, if you were late, it was probably because you stopped to check out the commotion about the West Gate.”

  Orin paused, pulling a practice sword from the shelf. “So you guys heard about that too?”

  “Please,” Sirius said with a shrug. “Everyone's talking about it.”

  “Word is, the instructors will probably call us in later for a proper briefing,” Eridus added. “Something about coordinating with the West Gate's response units, just in case.”

  Orin nodded slowly as he finished strapping on his shield. “Makes sense... I'm sure the troops stationed near the gate already handled it.”

  “Maybe,” Eridus said with a glance toward the city walls. “But we'll see how true that is once we hear it from the top.”

  “Anyway,” Sirius said, spinning his sword once and taking up a stance, “we've got our own battle to worry about right now. We came up with a few new tricks while waiting for you.”

  “Oh?” Orin raised an eyebrow, stepping onto the sparring field with a hint of a grin. “Trying to catch me off guard this time?”

  “Exactly,” Sirius replied. “Don't expect this match to go like last time. We're not holding back.”

  Without warning, Sirius lunged at Orin, his blade already glowing with the familiar radiance of Solar Sword. Orin responded instinctively, raising his shield just in time, Solar Shield flared to life, catching the blow with ease.

  But before Orin could push back, a sphere of water came hurtling toward him from the side.

  "Nice try," he muttered, slicing through it with a swift, radiant arc of his Solar Sword. As the water made contact with the searing heat of his blade, a sudden hiss echoed across the field. A cloud of steam erupted, momentarily veiling the three combatants.

  It had been a full cycle since his sparring match with Hector and the intense session in Professor Schedar's class, where he'd first learned Piercing Sword. Since then, Orin had made incredible strides in mastering dual skills. But even so, he knew that wouldn't be enough. If he wanted to stand a chance in the upcoming Hero's Trial, he'd need something even more powerful.

  A true Combo Skill, like the one Hector had used.

  “Let's see how you react to this,” Sirius said, spinning into a tight pirouette, aiming to catch Orin's unguarded flank.

  Orin pivoted smoothly, intercepting the strike with his shield. Agility had always been his forte. He wasn't easy to catch off guard with speed-based attacks.

  “You'll need more than footwork to surprise me,” Orin replied with a confident smirk.

  But then, just at the edge of his vision, he caught it: a faint halo of crimson light streaking toward him.

  He knew what that meant.

  Thanks to his one cycle-long training with Eridus, Orin had sharpened his ocular magic detection to a new level. Even subtle magical ambushes no longer slipped past him.

  “Spell: Water Cannon!” Eridus shouted from across the field.

  But Orin was already moving, twisting his body with practiced ease to dodge the blast before it even left the staff. The powerful torrent of water whooshed past where he had just been standing.

  “Tch!” Eridus clicked his tongue in frustration. “With those eyes of yours, pulling off a sneak spell is basically impossible now.”

  Sirius, already deep in the fray, continued his assault, but every strike was expertly deflected by Orin's sturdy shield. All the while, Orin danced between the streams of water magic Eridus sent from afar, never letting his guard down.

  “Time to try this!” Orin declared, his eyes narrowing with determination as he activated his Solar Sword skill.

  In an instant, his blade was bathed in a radiant golden glow.

  He shifted into a counterattack stance and called out in a commanding voice:

  “ACTIVATE KNIGHT SKILL: Piercing Sword!”

  With a burst of speed, he lunged forward. His blade shimmered, taking on a brilliant violet hue, an energy that flared with promise... but then, it began to flicker. The light faltered, blinking rapidly before vanishing altogether.

  What should have been a devastating strike ended in a simple thrust, easily blocked by Sirius's shield.

  “Tch...” Orin clicked his tongue in frustration.

  He'd been trying to merge his Solar Sword and Piercing Sword techniques for weeks now, hoping to unleash a stronger, combined skill. But something was missing. He knew it deep down, he needed a third ability, one that could serve as the key to stabilize both energies at once.

  But before he could give it more thought, Sirius spotted the opportunity.

  “Now's my chance!” he shouted, swinging his blade in a fast horizontal arc toward Orin's side.

  Orin's eyes widened. Not because of Sirius's attack, but because he sensed another threat. Just as Sirius's blade came in, a powerful jet of water surged in from the opposite direction.

  Without hesitation, Orin twisted his body to narrowly evade the sword and raised his shield. With precise timing, he angled it just right, deflecting the water spell, straight into Sirius.

  “Wha—?!”

  The blast hit Sirius squarely, knocking him off balance and sending him crashing to the ground. His sword flew from his hand and clattered across the stone tiles.

  “Ugh... Not again...” Sirius groaned, drenched and stunned.

  But Orin couldn't afford to relax. Another wave of water magic surged toward him, this time splitting into several smaller, spiraling jets that surrounded him from multiple angles.

  “ACTIVATE KNIGHT SKILL: Total Defense!”

  A ring of shimmering ethereal shields materialized around him, intercepting each stream of water mid-flight with a satisfying hum of magical resistance.

  As the final droplets fell harmlessly to the ground, Orin straightened and gave a playful smile.

  “I see you've been working on some new tricks, Eridus.”

  Eridus, standing at a distance with his staff lowered, let out a faint chuckle and shrugged.

  “Maybe... But with a defense like that, I don't stand a chance unless I'm allowed to cast some heavy-duty area magic.” He sighed and raised both hands in surrender. “So yeah... I give up.”

  With the fight finally over, Orin let himself fall to the ground, catching his breath as fatigue slowly crept in. Across from him, Sirius stood up again, wincing as he rubbed the spot where the water blast had struck him.

  “There really is no way to win against you, huh?” Sirius muttered as he walked over. “No matter what tactics I try, nothing seems to break through.”

  Orin gave a tired shrug. “I still haven't mastered Combo Skills. Until I do, I'll always be one step behind Hector... and that wall feels impossible to climb right now.”

  “You've improved though. Not just your agility,” Eridus added, joining the two. “Your defense is solid now. It's approaching the level of a true knight.”

  He gave Orin a small, approving nod.

  “Honestly, no matter how the Hero's Trial turns out, I think this is the right path for you.”

  “Maybe...” Orin murmured, uncertainty still lingering in his voice. He lowered his gaze, trying to suppress the doubt that always seemed to surface at times like this.

  But before he could say anything more, a deep, resounding clang echoed from above.

  The bell tower.

  “Bells?” Orin looked up.

  “They're summoning us,” Eridus said, his expression turning serious. “It's probably related to the attack this morning.”

  “Then we should head to the main hall,” Sirius added, already moving.

  Orin nodded. The three of them moved quickly now, storing their weapons on the nearby rack before hurrying out of the training grounds, their steps echoing in sync as they made their way toward the heart of the academy.

  It didn't take them long to reach the main hall, though by the time they arrived, the place was already crowded with students. Orin immediately noticed something that made his stomach tighten.

  Lining the walls of the hall, fully armed soldiers stood at attention, weapons in hand and eyes sharp with vigilance.

  “Soldiers of Solaris?” Sirius asked in a low voice, clearly unsettled. “Something serious must've happened...”

  “No, look closer,” Orin muttered, narrowing his eyes. “They're not from the League of Knights.”

  He was right. Their armor bore different emblems, and the style of their gear didn't match the usual League-issued equipment. The golden sun emblazoned on their chests was unfamiliar, and ominous.

  The atmosphere in the hall was thick with tension. Most of the students were murmuring in confusion, clearly unaware of what was happening. As Orin and the others pushed their way through the sea of worried faces, a familiar presence stepped into view.

  “Orin, we meet again,” said Ari, appearing at his side with a soft smile, though it quickly faded. “It seems this is more serious than we thought. I have no idea who these knights are or why they're here…”

  “Same here,” Orin said, glancing around. “That armor... with the golden sun. It's not from the League. And it's not the Imperial Army either.”

  Ari bit her lip, her expression tightening. She had clearly noticed the same thing, and it didn't sit right with her either.

  Before anyone could speak further, Professor Schedar appeared on a small, makeshift stage at the front of the hall, flanked by two men clad in the same unfamiliar armor. One was tall and bald, with a stern face like carved stone. The other was pale, thin, and unkempt, with sunken eyes and a vaguely twitchy demeanor.

  Schedar raised his hand to quiet the room. “I have an important announcement to make,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “The West Gate was attacked this morning by what we believe to be agents of the Minoris Empire.”

  A gasp rippled through the hall.

  Minoris...?

  Orin exchanged stunned glances with his friends. Even Ari's usual composure faltered for a moment.

  “Weren't they the Star Children...?” she muttered under her breath, her brows furrowed. The words lingered in her mind, clouded with disbelief.

  "I understand your concern," Professor Schedar continued, his voice solemn yet unnervingly calm. "No one wishes to relive the scars left by the Alchemical Wars. But precisely because of that... in these uncertain times, decisive action is required. Measures that will prevent the ghosts of the past from rising again."

  He paused for effect, letting the tension thicken like smoke in the air.

  "That is why, from this moment forward... the academy will be placed under the direct control of the Church of Luminia."

  What...?!

  Orin's breath caught in his throat. The words echoed in his head like a bell tolling doom. Judging by the shocked gasps and rising murmurs around him, he wasn't the only one stunned into disbelief. A cold shiver crept down his spine.

  "And as the first step in securing this new order," Schedar continued, a crooked smile tugging at the corner of his lips, "we have received orders to detain all sorcerers and individuals displaying unnatural powers."

  Then, he raised one hand and gave a nod. "Guards, if you would."

  In an instant, chaos erupted.

  The soldiers who had lined the walls now moved in unison, surrounding the crowd like a trap springing shut. Screams rang out as they began seizing students in sorcerer uniforms. Many too stunned to resist.

  "What are they doing?! This is madness!" Sirius's voice had rung out above the chaos, his figure swaying as waves of panicked students surged around him. He was trying to stay on his feet, fighting against the human tide that flooded the main hall.

  Orin had reached out instinctively, arm extended toward his friend, he had to pull him out, to anchor him, but then—

  “Eridus...?” Orin's breath caught.

  Just off to the side, he saw Eridus, locked in a desperate struggle. Two armored guards had him pinned, their movements rough and merciless as they tried to drag him away. Eridus fought back, but he was overwhelmed.

  “No!” Orin shouted, breaking away from Sirius and rushing toward him.

  But he never made it.

  Before he could reach them, iron hands seized his arms from behind, yanking him back with brutal force.

  “Leave him alone! Orin!” Ari's voice pierced the air. She pushed through the crowd, her eyes wide with fear. “ Orin! Behind you!”

  But Orin didn't turn in time.

  A sudden, heavy blow struck the back of his head.

  His vision warped. His legs buckled.

  And then, darkness.

  Complete and absolute darkness.