"Darkness and light are only beautiful when they exist together."
Morning came quietly.
A thin mist covered Arcanis Tempest Academy, settling over the stone paths like a fading memory. The ground was damp, the air still.
Birds were singing.
Or at least… it felt like they were.
Kashikari stood at the edge of the northern tower, leaning slightly against the cold railing as he watched the students below.
Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
There was something wrong with the silence.
It wasn't peace.
It felt like the world was holding its breath.
Waiting.
For a year, he had suppressed Jinwi.
Forced it into silence.
But that silence wasn't calm.
It was absence.
And when Jinwi stayed quiet… his own thoughts became louder.
How quiet is peace supposed to be?
No answer came.
Only the wind.
He lowered his head slightly, listening—not to the world, but to the space between sounds.
He hadn't fought for a year.
Yet every day without battle…
something inside him grew sharper.
Colder.
Louder.
Nyari walked through the academy garden, her notebook held loosely in her hands.
Her gaze stayed low, unfocused.
She had seen a dream the night before.
White light.
A voice.
But the words were gone.
Only one thing remained—
A single echo in her chest:
Remember.
She placed her hand over her heart.
For a moment… warmth.
Then nothing.
She frowned slightly.
"…Just tired," she whispered to herself.
It was easy to lie.
Especially to yourself.
At the edge of the town, Dorum worked quietly in a small garden.
The soil was damp beneath his hands.
But the plants…
They were wrong.
They hadn't seen sunlight.
Yet all of them leaned in the same direction.
He paused, staring at them.
"…The air feels different."
A small breeze passed.
But it didn't feel natural.
Near noon—
The windows of the academy library trembled.
Not from wind.
Not from impact.
Just… a low vibration.
Short.
Almost nonexistent.
No one noticed.
A single book fell from a shelf.
Dust rose as it hit the ground.
On its cover—
A symbol.
Δ
From the tower, Kashikari's gaze shifted instantly.
Something flickered in his chest.
Just for a second.
Jinwi's voice whispered:
"Do you feel it?"
Kashikari closed his eyes.
"…Not yet."
Then, quieter—
"…But I will."
A pause.
And for the first time in a long while…
There was hesitation in his breath.
"…And this time…"
"…I'm not sure I can silence it."