Chapter two
709 Words
The Weight of Nothing
The Royal Awakener Academy had only one rule that every student remembered:
Power earned respect. Weakness earned pity.
Everything else was negotiable.
The massive courtyard buzzed with conversation as students gathered before the main hall. Marble statues of legendary Awakeners lined the path, each frozen in the pose that had made them famous.
Aeron slowed as he passed them.
"The First Dragon Slayer..."
"The Saint of the North..."
"The Twin Blade Sovereign..."
Each statue had a plaque beneath it, detailing great victories, impossible feats, and sacrifices that shaped the Kingdom of Astravale.
None of them had been powerless.
"You'd read every plaque if we let you," Ethan said.
"They're history."
"They're rocks."
"They're historical rocks."
Noah chuckled.
"I'll give him that one."
"You two are impossible," Ethan muttered.
Before Aeron could reply, someone tapped him lightly on the shoulder.
He turned.
A girl with long silver-blonde hair stood there, her academy jacket draped neatly over one arm. Her calm blue eyes studied him for a moment before a faint smile appeared.
"You almost forgot this."
She held out a notebook.
"My history journal," Aeron said, surprised. "I left it in the library yesterday."
"You did."
"You went back for it?"
"I was returning my own books."
Ethan leaned toward Noah and whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear,
"She definitely likes him."
"I can hear you," the girl replied without looking at him.
"I know."
"...Worth it."
Aeron accepted the notebook.
"Thank you, Lyra."
"You're welcome."
She fell into step beside them as naturally as if she'd always been there.
Unlike Ethan, Lyra rarely spoke unless she had something worth saying.
When she did...
People listened.
"Did you finish Professor Halden's assignment?" she asked.
Aeron nodded.
"This morning."
"You mean during breakfast," Noah corrected.
"Multitasking."
"You spilled tea on the last page."
"...Details."
Lyra opened the notebook.
The last page bore a large circular stain.
She looked up.
"You really did."
"I call it artistic expression."
For the first time that morning...
She laughed.
A small laugh.
Barely more than a breath.
But real.
Ethan froze dramatically.
"Noah."
"What?"
"I just witnessed history."
"What history?"
"Lyra laughed at Aeron's joke."
Lyra closed the notebook.
"I can also make people disappear."
"I suddenly remember I have somewhere else to be."
"You don't."
"I'll find somewhere."
The four friends laughed together as they entered the academy.
Around them, students watched.
Some whispered.
Others frowned.
Not because of Ethan.
Or Noah.
Or Lyra.
Because of Aeron.
"The powerless one."
"I still don't understand why the academy keeps him."
"They say even the entrance exam should've been impossible for him."
"Maybe they felt sorry for him."
Aeron heard every word.
He always did.
He simply chose not to answer.
That irritated people more than if he argued.
The academy's grand bell rang.
Students hurried toward the central arena.
Today wasn't an ordinary day.
It was the annual Practical Evaluation.
Every student would demonstrate the progress of their abilities before the faculty.
Every student...
Except one.
Professor Halden stood at the center of the arena.
His voice echoed effortlessly across the grounds.
"Take your seats."
Thousands obeyed instantly.
The professor's sharp eyes swept over the crowd before stopping, just for a heartbeat, on Aeron.
No disappointment.
No sympathy.
Just observation.
"Before the evaluations begin," Halden announced, "I have something important to say."
The murmuring stopped.
"This year, the Explorer's Association has requested permission to observe our top students."
The arena erupted.
"The Explorers?"
"They're actually coming?"
"I heard only elite academies get chosen!"
"They're the Seven Grand Explorers!"
Aeron's heart skipped a beat.
The Explorer's Association.
His dream.
Not because they were famous.
But because they searched for the truth hidden beneath Elaris.
Halden raised a hand for silence.
"They are not here to recruit."
The excitement faded.
"They are here because something has been discovered."
Silence fell over the arena.
Halden's expression grew unusually serious.
"Three days ago..."
He paused.
"...an Echo appeared less than fifty kilometers from Astravale."
Even the teachers exchanged uneasy glances.
An Echo.
A fragment of the ancient world.
Rare.
Unpredictable.
Dangerous.
No one knew why Echoes appeared.
No one knew why they disappeared.
Only one thing was certain.
Whenever an Echo emerged...
History changed.
- Writer
