CHAPTER EIGHT – ARRIVAL OF THE ICED FLAME
The morning buzzed louder than usual.
Instructors whispered across data-slates. Students crowded near class board holograms. Even Kai, who usually tuned out the chaos, paused his mechanical drone adjustments and stared at the crowd growing in the courtyard below.
Von chewed slowly on a protein bar, resting his cheek on his knuckles. "Did someone die?" he asked, unimpressed.
Kai didn't look up. "Worse. Someone transferred."
"From hell?"
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Worse. The Middle Realm."
That got Von's attention.
The Middle Realm. A place many on Earth didn't even believe was real — where spirit beasts roamed freely and children were raised to forge contracts with dragons instead of daydreaming about them. Anyone from there… wasn't ordinary.
Down in the main courtyard, the crowd shifted as a sleek transport platform shimmered to life. The fog dispersed, revealing a tall, silver-haired figure standing calm as a statue in the glow of morning sun.
He wore robes of navy and ice-white, trimmed with chrome lines that shimmered subtly. A crest — too unfamiliar to identify — was pinned near his shoulder. No armor. No visible weapon. Just presence.
Sharp jaw. Ocean-blue eyes. Pale, flawless skin.
The whispers went from excited to breathless.
"He's like a sculpture," someone sighed.
"He's so… cool," another murmured.
"Is he single?"
Von blinked slowly, unimpressed.
The new student — name freshly updated on the digital roster as Sei Arclight — began walking forward, head tilted slightly as if listening to sounds no one else could hear.
He didn't smile. Didn't glance at the crowd. When a few students stepped too close, he sidestepped like mist, never breaking stride. Several girls still managed to shove notebooks in front of him. He signed — once, twice — then ignored the rest, eyes forward.
In that moment, Von finally spoke.
> "I don't like him."
Kai didn't look up. "You say that about anyone that steals the show better than you."
> "Nah, this one's different. Look at him. Walking like he owns the air. Why's his hair shining like—like a frozen shampoo ad?"
Von squinted, then narrowed his eyes further.
> "See his head? His face? He's not even that handsome. Like, almost. Like… if a snowflake turned into a person, but it's got an attitude."
Kai snorted quietly, trying not to laugh.
> "No offense, but why is he getting all this attention? I walked in here three weeks ago and no one even blinked."
"You tripped on the cafeteria tray."
Von threw a napkin at him. "Still. I don't like him."
But as much as he complained, Von's gaze lingered.
He couldn't help it.
There was something about Sei Arclight that felt… unshakably real. Power didn't ooze off him like some high-tier posturing. It lay beneath — submerged, sealed, maybe even suffocated.
Just like his own.
Von's smile faded slightly as Sei paused at the top of the stairs leading to the main building. For the first time, their eyes met.
It was only a second.
But in that second, both recognized something unspoken.
Power hidden.
Weights carried.
Secrets locked away.
Then Sei turned and walked inside without a word.
Von leaned back slowly in his chair, one brow raised. "...Okay. Maybe he is a little handsome."
Kai chuckled. "You're so fake."