Academia - Ability Wielders

Chapter 8.1 -8.2

Chapter 8.1 - 8.2 - The Boy Who Knew Too Much

Part I – Secrets Written in Silence

The corridor became impossibly still.

Rain drummed against the ancient stone ceiling somewhere above, the distant echoes muffled by layers of rock.

No one spoke.

No one breathed.

Fin's eyes remained fixed on Zanne.

He still refused to look at her.

Professor Aldren smiled as though he had been waiting years for this exact moment.

"...Well?"

Fin's voice barely rose above a whisper.

"What does he know?"

Aldren chuckled.

"You've always been curious."

He folded his hands behind his back, almost like a teacher preparing to begin a lecture.

"Curiosity runs in your blood."

Priston stepped forward, placing himself slightly in front of Fin.

"I don't care what game you're playing."

"But if you're trying to divide us—"

"Oh, I'm not trying."

Aldren interrupted calmly.

"I'm simply telling the truth."

His gaze drifted toward Zanne.

"And truth..."

"...has a way of dividing people on its own."

Sixteen Years Earlier...

Snow covered the mountain pass.

The cries of war echoed across the valley.

A man dressed in silver armor ran through the blizzard with a small bundle wrapped tightly in his arms.

Behind him, flames devoured the royal city of Astralis.

"Hurry!"

another soldier shouted.

"They're gaining on us!"

"I know!"

The man looked down at the sleeping infant.

She was barely a year old.

Unaware that an entire kingdom was dying behind her.

He gently brushed a strand of silver hair from her tiny face.

"I'm sorry..."

he whispered.

"We couldn't protect your home."

A figure suddenly appeared in the snow.

A young boy.

No older than six.

He had messy black hair.

Gray eyes.

And a frightened expression.

The armored man knelt before him.

"Zayne."

The little boy looked up.

"Father..."

The man placed the sleeping baby into his son's arms.

"You must remember her."

The child blinked.

"I don't understand."

"You will."

"When the time comes..."

He placed a silver pendant into the boy's hand.

"...you must find Princess Fin."

"No matter how long it takes."

The little boy frowned.

"What about you?"

The man smiled sadly.

"I have another promise to keep."

The boy clutched the baby tighter.

"I don't want to leave you."

"I know."

The soldier's eyes filled with tears.

"But heroes..."

He kissed his son's forehead.

"...don't always get to come home."

The memory dissolved into darkness.

Present

Fin blinked.

The vision vanished.

She hadn't touched anyone.

She hadn't opened the journal.

Yet the memory had appeared.

"...What..."

She looked at Zanne.

"...was that?"

Zanne slowly closed his eyes.

"It wasn't your memory."

"It was mine."

Priston stared at him.

"You've been having those visions too?"

Zanne nodded once.

"I've had them since I was six."

Fin's voice trembled.

"...Who are you?"

For several seconds...

He said nothing.

Finally—

"My full name..."

He swallowed.

"...is Zanne Ashford."

Aldren laughed softly.

"No."

He took one deliberate step forward.

"Tell her your real name."

Zanne's shoulders tensed.

"Don't."

Priston warned.

"Don't listen to him."

Aldren ignored him.

"The truth has been hidden long enough."

Zanne's fingers curled into fists.

His voice came out almost painfully quiet.

"...My name..."

"...is Zanne Orion Ashford."

Everything stopped.

Fin frowned.

"...Orion?"

The name echoed in her mind.

King Orion.

Her uncle.

The man leading the army outside.

"No..."

she whispered.

"No..."

Aldren nodded.

"Yes."

He smiled.

"The famous, gentle, intelligent Zanne..."

"...is the nephew of the man trying to kill you."

Silence.

Heavy.

Unforgiving.

Fin simply stared.

Her thoughts refused to organize themselves.

Priston looked between them.

"...You're related to the Shadow King?"

Zanne nodded.

"My mother..."

"...was Orion's younger sister."

Fin slowly stepped backward.

"You knew."

"...Yes."

"You knew who I was."

"...Yes."

"You knew from the beginning."

Another nod.

"...Yes."

Her chest tightened.

"You lied to me."

"I protected you."

"I trusted you."

"I know."

"You let me tell you everything!"

"I had to."

"You had to?"

Her voice cracked.

"I didn't even know who I was!"

"I couldn't tell you."

"Why?"

"Because if anyone found out..."

His voice finally rose.

"...they would've killed you before you ever reached the academy!"

The corridor fell silent again.

Fin had never heard Zanne shout.

Not once.

Aldren watched with quiet satisfaction.

"There it is."

"The beginning."

Priston glared at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Doubt."

He smiled.

"It starts small."

"A question."

"A secret."

"A lie."

He looked directly at Fin.

"And before long..."

"...you no longer know who deserves your trust."

Fin looked away from everyone.

Her heart ached.

She remembered every conversation.

Every answer Zanne had avoided.

Every time he'd said—

"Not yet."

"I'll tell you later."

"You aren't ready."

How much had been the truth?

How much had been another lie?

Suddenly—

The academy shook violently.

A deafening explosion echoed overhead.

Chunks of stone crashed from the ceiling.

The battle outside had reached the castle.

Professor Seraphine's voice rang through enchanted communication crystals embedded in the walls.

"All available combat-capable students report to the western defenses immediately!"

Another explosion.

Closer.

The lights flickered.

Priston looked upward.

"They're inside."

A loud crack echoed from the Star Vault.

Everyone turned.

The silver runes covering the door began disappearing.

One by one.

The ancient seal...

...was breaking.

Aldren smiled.

"Perfect timing."

He stepped backward into the shadows.

"You've served your purpose."

Priston lunged.

"You aren't going anywhere!"

He swung his sword.

But Aldren simply dissolved into black mist.

The blade cut through empty air.

"He escaped!"

Priston growled.

"No..."

Zanne whispered.

"He completed his mission."

Another crack split across the vault doors.

This time...

Something reached through.

Not a hand.

Not a weapon.

A single silver vine.

It glowed softly, wrapping itself around the ancient stone without damaging it.

Instead of spreading darkness...

It brought life.

Tiny flowers bloomed wherever it touched.

Fin stared.

"...It's beautiful."

Then...

A second vine emerged.

And a third.

The entire corridor began filling with glowing silver blossoms.

The whispers returned.

Not frightening.

Not threatening.

But sorrowful.

As though the very heart beneath the academy had been waiting...

...for its princess to come home.

.

The Boy Who Knew Too Much

Part II – The Promise of Two Kingdoms

The silver vines continued to grow.

Not wildly.

Not violently.

They climbed the ancient stone walls with graceful precision, weaving between the faded runes that had remained untouched for centuries. Tiny silver blossoms bloomed where each vine settled, releasing glowing particles that drifted through the underground corridor like fireflies.

No one moved.

Even Priston lowered his sword.

"...I've never seen anything like this," he murmured.

Neither had Zanne.

He stepped closer, careful not to touch the vines.

"They're responding..."

"To Fin."

Fin couldn't explain what she was feeling.

The whispers that had once frightened her were becoming clearer.

They weren't random voices anymore.

They sounded like...

A choir.

Soft voices overlapping in a language she had never learned, yet somehow understood.

Welcome home.

The words echoed gently inside her mind.

Not through her ears.

Through her heart.

She slowly reached toward one of the silver flowers.

This time, no one stopped her.

The petals folded around her fingertips.

Warm.

Comforting.

Like the touch of a mother's hand.

Suddenly—

A pulse of silver light surged through the vines.

The entire corridor illuminated.

Ancient murals hidden beneath centuries of dust revealed themselves across the walls.

Fin gasped.

"Those weren't there before..."

"No," Zanne whispered.

"They've always been there."

"They were simply waiting."

The murals stretched farther than any of them could see.

Each depicted scenes from the forgotten Starborn Kingdom.

A city floating among the clouds.

Children laughing beneath trees made of crystal.

Ability Wielders from every element training together.

No war.

No fear.

Just peace.

Mira would've loved this place, Fin thought.

The realization stung.

She hoped her friends were safe.

Priston walked beside one mural, tracing the air near it without making contact.

"Is that..."

A knight in silver armor knelt before Queen Elara.

His sword rested at her feet.

"The Royal Guardians," Zanne answered.

"They protected the Starborn family."

"There were twelve of them."

Priston studied the mural.

"They look... familiar."

Fin followed his gaze.

One of the knights had dark hair.

Amber eyes.

A sword nearly identical to the one Priston carried.

Her heart skipped.

"...Priston."

He looked at her.

"Does your family..."

She hesitated.

"...have a crest?"

He frowned.

"Yeah."

"Every family does."

"What does yours look like?"

He hesitated before unclasping the leather cord around his neck.

A small pendant fell into his hand.

A silver wolf.

Its eyes crafted from tiny amber gemstones.

Zanne's expression changed instantly.

"...No way."

"What?"

Priston looked between them.

"You..."

Zanne's voice was almost inaudible.

"...You're a descendant of House Fenrir."

Priston blinked.

"House what?"

"The First Royal Guard."

Silence.

"What?"

"The knight."

Zanne pointed toward the mural.

"...That's your ancestor."

Priston laughed.

"Nice joke."

"I'm not joking."

"My family runs a training dojo."

"Exactly."

"They've been protecting Starborn descendants in secret for generations."

Priston's smile slowly faded.

"...You're serious."

"I wish I wasn't."

For the first time in years...

Priston questioned everything he'd ever known.

His grandfather had always insisted on impossible training.

"Protect before you strike."

"Strength exists to shield others."

"One day, you'll understand why."

He had thought they were simply old sayings.

Now...

Maybe they had been instructions.

A violent tremor interrupted the silence.

The ceiling cracked.

A chunk of stone crashed onto the floor between them.

Boom!

Another explosion echoed from above.

The battle had reached the academy's inner walls.

"They're breaking through," Priston said.

"We have to get back."

Fin looked toward the Star Vault.

"What about this?"

Before anyone answered—

The silver vines suddenly parted.

The ancient doors groaned.

Not opening completely.

Just enough for a narrow beam of silver light to spill into the corridor.

A single object slowly floated through the opening.

It hovered in the air before Fin.

Everyone stared.

It was a sword.

No...

It was unlike any sword they had ever seen.

Its blade appeared forged from living starlight.

Silver veins pulsed beneath the transparent crystal edge.

The crossguard resembled outstretched wings.

At the center rested a glowing sapphire shaped like a star.

It rotated gently in midair.

Waiting.

Priston unconsciously took a step back.

"...That's impossible."

"What is it?" Fin whispered.

Zanne looked as though he'd forgotten how to breathe.

"The Crownblade..."

"The legendary weapon of the Starborn Monarchs."

"It's real."

The sword drifted closer.

Closer.

Until it stopped directly in front of Fin.

The whispers returned.

Take it...

She hesitated.

"I don't know how to use a sword."

Priston snorted.

"That's the first smart thing you've said all week."

She shot him a glare.

"I'm trying to have a moment."

"I'm just being honest."

Despite herself...

She smiled.

Then slowly wrapped her fingers around the hilt.

The instant she touched it—

A blinding pillar of silver light erupted from the blade.

The force threw Priston and Zanne backward.

The vines burst into bloom.

The murals glowed.

Far above...

Every bell in Academia rang at once.

The Battlefield

Headmaster Caelum looked toward the western wing.

He felt it immediately.

"...The Crownblade..."

Professor Seraphine stared.

"It answered someone."

"It answered its queen."

The Headmaster smiled sadly.

"Then history..."

"...has begun moving again."

Outside the barrier...

King Orion's horse suddenly reared onto its hind legs.

The crimson spear in his hand vibrated violently.

He closed his eyes.

"...So."

"It chose her."

His general looked confused.

"My king?"

Orion slowly smiled.

"She's finally worthy."

There was no anger in his expression.

Only satisfaction.

As though this had always been part of the plan.

"Advance."

His voice remained calm.

"But leave the princess alive."

"No matter the cost."

Underground

The light slowly faded.

Fin found herself standing exactly where she had been moments before.

The Crownblade rested comfortably in her hand.

It felt...

Light.

As though it belonged there.

No.

As though it had always belonged there.

She stared at the weapon.

"I..."

Before she could finish—

A soft clap echoed through the corridor.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Someone stepped from the shadows.

Not Aldren.

Not a soldier.

A young woman.

Long crimson hair framed a striking face, and a black cloak embroidered with silver ravens draped over elegant armor.

She looked barely older than Lyra.

Yet the confidence in her eyes spoke of countless battles.

She smiled politely.

"So..."

Her crimson eyes settled on Fin.

"The stories were true."

Priston immediately placed himself between the stranger and Fin.

"Identify yourself."

The woman gave a graceful bow.

"My apologies."

"I should introduce myself."

She straightened.

"My name..."

Her smile widened.

"...is Selene Orion."

Fin's blood ran cold.

"Orion..."

The woman nodded.

"Yes."

She looked directly at Fin.

"I suppose that makes us cousins."

Silence swallowed the corridor.

Selene tilted her head with genuine curiosity.

"I've wanted to meet you for a very long time, Princess."

Then her smile slowly disappeared.

"And unfortunately..."

She drew twin silver daggers from beneath her cloak.

"...Father wants you brought home."

The daggers ignited with crimson flames.

Priston tightened his grip on his sword.

Zanne's gray eyes narrowed.

Fin instinctively raised the Crownblade.

The underground corridor exploded with silver and crimson light.