Chapter 5 — Wandering
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The trial had ended.
The Furnace's heat had faded, but its memory still clung faintly to Cyrus's skin.
The academy gates had opened before him like a new world, and now—he wandered.
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He inhaled slowly.
The air here was... fresh.
Cooler than what he had expected for a place built on the ruins of a thousand dead realms.
A soft breeze brushed against his face, carrying a strange mixture of floral sweetness and faint metal.
He paused.
The ground beneath his feet shimmered faintly, reflecting thin streams of glowing mist hovering just above the surface — like tiny rivers of liquid light, moving gently as if breathing with the land itself.
Cyrus lowered his gaze, watching one of the glowing streams drift between his boots.
He crouched for a moment, fingers hovering above the mist, not touching, but observing.
> Dimensional residue... fragments left behind from minor plane breaches.
Even the ground bleeds echoes of other worlds.
His eyes rose again.
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Ahead, towers of crystal and metal reached for the sky like spears piercing the heavens.
The structures gleamed under the morning light, reflecting beams of gold and silver across polished walkways.
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Cyrus narrowed his eyes, following one beam as it danced across the surface of a nearby wall, until it vanished into the sky.
Only then did he truly look up.
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The sky... was not a single blue dome.
Three suns hovered above — one golden, one white, one faint crimson — spinning in a slow, beautiful ballet.
Their light merged and split, painting the sky in shifting patterns.
Floating through the vastness were creatures he had never seen before:
One enormous whale-like beast drifted between the clouds, its translucent fins glimmering like stained glass.
Small glowing birds darted around it, their tails leaving streaks of sparkling dust.
Further up, metallic dragonflies buzzed in synchronized patterns.
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> Magnificent... yet all of it can be destroyed in an instant,
Such is the nature of this world.
A beautiful cruelty.
He exhaled, letting the warmth of the sun kiss his skin.
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As he continued forward, the sound of life grew stronger.
Laughter.
Shouts.
Clashing steel.
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Students filled the main plaza, scattered in clusters, each group adding their own noise to the symphony.
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A trio of students dressed in black and crimson debated heatedly near a floating kiosk, their words sharp but playful.
Further ahead, a group of girls practiced spellcasting — small orbs of fire and shadow floating around them like curious pets.
One girl summoned a tiny ice dragon that danced upon her palm before dissolving into snowflakes.
Her friend giggled, reaching out to catch the falling flakes.
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Cyrus slowed his pace.
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He watched, not as a predator nor strategist.
But as a man allowing himself to simply observe.
> Even here, even among the powerful... joy survives.
For now.
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To his right, a training platform caught his attention.
Two first-years were locked in sparring:
A girl with wild red hair lunged forward, her fists igniting with molten energy.
The crimson light pulsed in waves as her boots struck the ground with each charge, small embers exploding beneath her steps.
Her opponent, a nervous boy, stumbled back — his breathing fast, his eyes wide.
A faint current of wind gathered around him as he tried to steady his stance.
> Air element. Panic weakens his focus. He's forgetting to control his breathing.
The boy sidestepped narrowly as the girl's molten punch grazed his shoulder, burning away the edge of his robe.
Sweat trickled down his brow. His footing slipped slightly.
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The girl grinned, her aggression growing sharper.
She pressed forward with a spinning hook, the air around her rippling with heat.
The boy barely managed to redirect the force with a desperate wind barrier — but the backlash knocked him backward, feet scraping across the polished stone.
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Cyrus tilted his head.
> Her strikes are wild. Strength without discipline. She's burning too much energy early.
They both rely on bloodline gifts. No true combat experience.
This academy will eat them alive...
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He watched without emotion, without judgment — simply analyzing, as was his nature.
> No one taught them what true survival demands.
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Soon, he moved on, leaving the clashing sounds behind.
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Ahead lay a different part of the academy — The Spiral Gardens.
Here, silence reigned.
The twisting stone pathways floated mid-air, suspended above a shallow abyss.
Silver-leafed trees lined the paths, their branches swaying gently in rhythm with unseen winds.
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The leaves hummed softly, resonating like distant chimes.
Tiny sparks of magic drifted from the branches, floating upwards like fireflies.
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Cyrus stepped onto the first floating stone.
As his boot made contact, the surface rippled slightly — as if the garden itself acknowledged him.
He paused again.
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One hand extended slowly.
His fingertips brushed lightly against a nearby branch.
The silver leaves felt cool, almost like silk.
The moment his skin made contact, faint ripples of pale blue light spread outward along the branch.
> Even nature here breathes with magic.
Pure. Untouched by bloodlines and ambition.
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For several moments, he stood beneath the silver canopy, simply listening.
The distant laughter of students was barely audible now, muted behind the garden's natural hum.
A soft beam of golden light filtered through the leaves as one of the suns dipped lower, painting the garden in a surreal glow.
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Cyrus closed his eyes briefly.
> I killed my family.
I've seen blood spill like rivers.
And yet... this moment is calm.
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He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs.
> To live... to simply exist for a moment, without war or manipulation...
...even for me, such moments hold value.
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For perhaps the first time in years, Cyrus Aurelius allowed himself to feel human.
Not a weapon.
Not a strategist.
Not a pawnmaster.
Just… alive.
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The moment passed.
He opened his eyes, lowering his hand, stepping forward once again.
> Tomorrow, lessons begin.
And the world will turn as it always does.
The Spiral Gardens faded behind him as he made his way toward the dormitories —
the sun sinking,
the stars of strange realms blinking into existence above.
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End of Chapter 5