The marble corridors of the Imperial House stretched, gold-trimmed banners hanging from the high ceilings, their shadows pooling across the floor in long dark strips.

Cedric was halfway down the hall when a voice shattered the silence.

"Oh, there you are! Cedric! Hey — over here!"

He didn’t need to turn to know who it was. He turned anyway.

Alaric was striding toward him from the far end of the corridor, waving with the unrestrained energy. His grin arrived before the rest of him.

"It’s been a while! How have you—"

Cedric’s arm hooked around his neck before the sentence finished.

"Yeah," Cedric said pleasantly, pulling him into a chokehold. "How have I been. How have I been, Alaric. That’s what you’re asking me."

"Ugh—hey—" Alaric grabbed at the arm locked around his throat. "After all this time — you finally see me — and this is what you — I cannot breathe—"

"You assigned me a mission the moment we were in the same room," Cedric said. "With a smile on your face."

"That’s called efficiency—"

"I have students that I have been travelling with them on the road for weeks—"

"Cedric—"

"From Molgrith to Kaelenor to Ashton. And now to Xylaris—"

"CEDRIC—"

They stayed locked like that for one long, stubborn moment.

Both completely serious. Both refusing to be the first to move.

Then Cedric released him.

Then both of them started laughing at the same time, the kind that only exists between people who have known each other long enough that dignity is optional.

Alaric straightened his collar, still catching his breath. "You absolute menace."

"Then what about you who assigned me to Xylaris?"

"I assigned you nearby. Not halfway across the continent." Alaric brushed invisible dust off his shoulder. "You’re welcome."

"I didn’t thank you."

They fell into step together down the corridor, and for a while neither of them said anything.

Alaric glanced sideways. "How are Eren, Valea, and Nico? I hope the break from the Academy is doing them good."

"They’re fine," Cedric said. "Enjoying what peace looks like while it lasts." A pause. "Though I picked someone up recently. A kid of thirteen I guess."

"Oh.."

"Fire affinity," Cedric continued. "Same as mine. And he’s truly awakened."

Alaric stopped walking, completely.

Cedric kept moving two more paces before stopping himself and looking back.

"Wait." Alaric’s golden eyes had gone wide. "What?"

"You heard me."

"A thirteen-year-old boy—"

"Roughly, yes."

"Truly awakened? Did I hear you right? Can you repeat—?"

"Yes, he’s awakened."

"Who is he? Where did you find him? I want to—"

"Alaric." Cedric started walking again. "You don’t need to look like that. You have your own prodigy."

Alaric fell back into step, shaking his head. "That is completely different and you know it. A truly awakened at that age. Cedric, when was the last time—"

"You can meet him."

That stopped the speech.

"Good," he said simply. And then, quieter: "Very good."

_____

On the other side of the estate, Aries was lying flat on the grass with his arms spread wide, staring at the sky, breathing like he’d recently survived something.

’That,’ he thought, ’hurt. That hurt a lot.’

Beside him, Nico sat cross-legged with his elbows on his knees, equally winded, hair sticking in every direction.

Breathing loudly as he started. "Gotta admit." Another breath. "You’re tough."

"That was incredible!" Valea’s voice came from somewhere above both of them. "Aries was actually pushing Nico back! Did you see that?!"

Eren let out a low whistle from where he’d been watching. "Yeah. Genuinely didn’t see that coming."

"Awesome," Adrian said from beside Eren.

Nico pushed himself upright slowly, brushing dirt off his sleeve. He walked over and held a hand down.

Aries looked at it. Then took it.

Got hauled to his feet, face smudged with dirt and grass.

"Still lost though," Nico said.

"He pushed you back," Eren said immediately. "You’re literally comparing yourself to someone younger than you, you absolute scum."

Nico’s eye twitched. "What did you just say to me."

"I said what I said."

"Are you picking a fight? Wanna go for a round?"

"Anytime, sucker."

"Enough."

Every voice cut off at exactly the same moment.

Cedric stood at the entrance to the training ground with his arms folded.

Valea groaned. "Oh great. He’s back."

Eren muttered something under his breath "He’s gonna punish us again for skipping Arcane training... Mann what a pain in the ass" and was clearly not intended to be heard but very much was.

"Is that," Cedric said, with pointed quiet, "how you greet your master after he’s been gone all morning?"

A beat of silence.

Then behind Cedric, a second figure stepped through the entrance — broader posture, golden eyes tracking everything in the yard.

Nico straightened slightly. "Is that Professor Alaric?"

Before another word landed, both Valea and Eren were already moving.

"Professor Alaric!" Both of them at the same time, walked to him.

Alaric caught them both laughing, patting their heads with the ease of someone who had done this exact thing before. "Good to see you. Both of you. All of you." His eyes swept across the group. "You look like you’ve been keeping busy."

"Always," Eren said.

Then Valea’s gaze moved past Alaric’s shoulder, and a slow, recognizing smile formed on her face. "Well, well." She crossed her arms. "Is that Julian? You’ve grown a little."

Julian — standing behind Alaric with his arms crossed, turned his head away. "Yeah. Royalties tend to."

The twitch that appeared on Valea’s forehead was immediate and visible. ’Same as ever,’ she thought. ’Not one thing about this kid has changed.’

Alaric laughed, patting Eren’s shoulder once. "It really is good to see all of you. That’s genuinely one of the reasons I came." He paused, a small bead of sweat at his temple. "One of them."

"Sure," Eren said looking unconvinced.

Aries watched all of this from a few steps back, standing beside Adrian. He studied Alaric.

’Professor Alaric. The one Cedric mentions occasionally.’ He revised his first assessment. ’Less chaotic than he looks. Probably more dangerous too.’

Then those golden eyes landed on him.

Alaric didn’t say anything for a moment. His gaze moved across Aries.

Aries felt his spine straighten on instinct.

’What is with that look.’

"Is it him, Cedric?" Alaric asked, not looking away. "The truly awakened child you mentioned?"

Cedric nodded once. "Aries, come here."

Aries crossed the grass and stopped in front of them.

"This is Knight Alaric Fenlor," Cedric said simply. "An old friend."

Alaric extended his hand. His grip when Aries took it was firm. "Nice to meet you, Aries. Cedric told me a little about you. I’ll admit — I came to see for myself."

"You came here for Aries," Eren said, immediately suspicious, arms crossing.

"Ahaha." Alaric scratched the back of his head.

"I knew it," Eren said flatly.

"He never changes," Nico muttered. "Just chases whatever catches his attention."

"I really did miss all of you," Alaric said. "That part was true."

"What was your name again?" Julian said from behind him, eyes moving to Aries with a sideways look.

"Aries," Aries said.

"Julian," Alaric said, without turning. "Introduce yourself properly."

"Tch." Julian looked away. "Julian. Alaric’s student. Try not to be too impressed."

"He means hello," Alaric said pleasantly, with the practiced tone of someone who had been translating this particular student’s manners for a long time. "He’s working on it."

Aries looked at Julian. Julian looked at Aries. Neither of them said anything, but there was a clear, immediate, wordless communication of mutual sizing-up happening.

’He’s strong,’ Aries thought. He could feel the mana pressure underneath the casual posture. Dense and controlled in a way that suggested Julian had been at this considerably longer than Aries had.

Alaric’s eyes moved between the two of them slowly. He rubbed his chin once, something working behind his gaze.

Then he smiled, Cedric clearly recognized. He turned to Aries.

"So," Alaric said. "You and Julian have just met." A short, casual pause. "Why don’t the two of you have a small, friendly duel?"