Chapter 20: The price of power
Four days had passed since Kael Ashford entered Arcadia Academy.
Four days of relentless running, bruising sparring sessions, and sleepless nights weighed down by exhaustion.
Now, it was finally the weekend—his first breath of freedom since stepping through the academy gates.
And he wasn’t going to waste it.
In the early morning, when fog still clung to the stone paths, Kael walked silently through the dormitory halls.
His hood was pulled up, casting shadows over tired eyes that burned with determination.
"I can’t keep doing nothing," he muttered. "I need to grow stronger... I don’t have time for rest."
Most students were still in bed, recovering—especially those like him, constantly punished and underestimated.
But Kael’s thoughts were elsewhere.
In his hand, he clutched a worn, creased slip of parchment.
On it were ancient runes—a specific sequence he remembered clearly from the novel he had read back in his original world.