Vale stared at the blindfolded man with pure disbelief.

  He didn’t speak.

  Fe had made it very clear he shouldn’t, but that did nothing to quiet the storm of questions now racing through Vale’s mind. His curiosity wasn’t merely piqued anymore; it was burning.

  After a moment, Fe spoke again, his tone suddenly casual.

  “Oh yeah.”

  He lifted his hand slightly.

  The weight vanished.

  The crushing pressure that had settled over Vale’s arm and lap evaporated in an instant, leaving the scale absurdly light, almost normal.

  Vale’s eyes widened even further.

  He froze, then exhaled slowly as understanding dawned on him.

  “…Gravity,” Vale muttered.

  Fe had manipulated it. The scale had never weighed a thousand kilograms, Fe had simply made it do so.

  Vale let out a tired sigh and looked up at the blindfolded man, unimpressed.

  “Really?”

  Fe chuckled softly and rose from his seat.

  “I apologize,” he said as he stepped closer, placing a hand on Vale’s shoulder. His grip was light, but the gesture carried weight. “I couldn’t help myself.”

  He paused, then continued, his voice low and steady.

  “We will be expecting great things from you, young brother.”

  Vale glanced sideways at him and rolled his eyes.

  “Expectations can be a curse, you know.”

  Fe stopped.

  He remained silent for a long moment, as if tasting the words. When he finally spoke again, he had already turned away, walking toward the edge of the room.

  “Truth can be…” he paused, “…as well.”

  Vale’s eyes narrowed.

  He already knew that.

  And Fe, Fe knew it better than anyone. After all, the man’s truth had cost him his vision.

  Vale exhaled deeply, staring down at the floor for a moment before lifting his head again as light flared from the teleportation chamber.

  Two figures emerged.

  Vale’s eyes widened, and this time, the disbelief turned into a smile.

  The first was a tall, muscular boy with tanned skin and short brown hair, dressed in a sharp black suit. Beside him stood a tall girl with an equally impressive build, her black hair streaked with yellow strands. She wore a crimson dress that fit her perfectly, both elegant and practical.

  “Korin.”

  “Nym.”

  They scanned the room, and when they spotted Vale, both of them smiled and headed straight toward him.

  “Hehe,” Nym said brightly as she approached, “what have you been up to?”

  Before Vale could answer, her gaze drifted, and locked onto Ember.

  Her eyes lit up.

  Without hesitation, she bolted toward the massive wyvern, hands already outstretched.

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  “Oh wow, Ember, you’re huge!”

  She pressed her palms against the wyvern’s brilliant white scales, marveling openly.

  Vale rolled his eyes and turned to Korin instead.

  “So,” he said, holding out his fist, “how’ve you guys been?”

  Korin bumped it easily.

  “We’ve been good. Mostly.” He hesitated. “Nym’s been skipping a lot of our classes lately, though. Uh… don’t tell Evelyn.”

  Vale chuckled, glancing toward Nym, who was now completely engrossed in Ember.

  “Sure,” he said dryly. “I won’t tell Evelyn about that.”

  Nym remained by Ember’s side, fascinated. Vale couldn’t blame her, Ember had grown far larger since the last time Nym had seen him, and she’d always liked the wyvern.

  They talked for several minutes.

  Then the teleportation chamber flared again.

  Vale looked past Korin,

  And froze.

  Two figures emerged.

  One was unmistakable, Monk Samuel, the Great Fire Keeper, dressed in his usual robes, his presence calm and immovable.

  But it was the boy beside him that drew Vale’s full attention.

  Crimson-red hair.

  Icy blue eyes.

  Tanned skin.

  He wore a formal suit, but unlike the others, he looked tense, uncomfortable, like he didn’t believe he belonged here.

  Eskar.

  A small grin slowly formed on Vale’s face.

  Korin and Nym did not share his reaction.

  Both of them stared at Eskar with complicated expressions, wary, uncertain, unsure how to feel about his arrival.

  Vale understood.

  They didn’t know Eskar. Not really.

  They didn’t know the person beneath the reputation.

  And because of that, he made a decision.

  Not tonight.

  For the sake of the gala, and Eskar himself, it would be better to keep his distance.

  Vale exhaled, a hint of regret in the sound, and slipped the black scale Fe had given him into his pocket.

  Then he stood and walked toward Ember and Nym, intending to finally start a proper conversation with her.

  But when he stopped about a meter away, he noticed something.

  Nym’s gaze wasn’t on Ember anymore.

  It was fixed on Eskar.

  Her green eyes had narrowed, her expression cautious, guarded.

  Vale paused, allowing a few seconds to pass before clearing his throat.

  Nym snapped her attention back to him, eyes widening slightly.

  “Uh, sorry about that,” she said, straightening.

  She stepped closer, too close almost.

  The distance between them became almost irrelevant as she studied him intently, her expression thoughtful, searching.

  Vale stood still.

  'This brings back memories,' he thought.

  This was the third time she’d done this.

  Maybe it was a habit.

  That would at least explain it.

  After a few seconds of silence, Nym nodded, a proud grin spreading across her face.

  “You seem to be taking this event somewhat seriously,” she said, placing one hand on her hip.

  Vale tilted his head, studying her with a faintly puzzled expression before replying,

  “Thanks. You too.”

  Nym stared at him.

  Her grin faded into a disappointed, almost offended look.

  Behind them, Ember cracked one eye open, watching the exchange. The wyvern’s lips curled into a slow, mischievous smirk. With deliberate subtlety, he flicked his tail, aiming to knock Nym forward, ideally straight into Vale.

  The tail struck.

  Nym didn’t move an inch.

  The impact echoed softly through the room.

  Vale blinked.

  Slowly, Nym turned around.

  A very bad feeling crept over Ember.

  “…So,” Nym said calmly, her voice edged with something savage, “you were awake.”

  Ember’s eyes widened.

  Panic set in.

  The wyvern scrambled to his feet and lunged forward, clearly intending to flee. But before he could take more than a step, Nym leapt upward with frightening ease, landing squarely atop his back.

  Ember froze.

  Just as he tried to bolt again, Callum appeared in front of him as if from nowhere, planting a hand firmly against Ember’s snout and stopping the massive creature in his tracks.

  “Now, now,” Callum said soothingly, patting Ember on the head. “We don’t want this room turning into chaos, do we?”

  Ember let out a low, defeated huff.

  Callum looked up at Nym, smiling warmly.

  “Nym, would you mind leaving this poor soul alone?”

  She narrowed her eyes at the Shining Knight, still armorless, yet no less imposing.

  Several long seconds passed.

  Then she shrugged.

  “Fine.”

  She hopped off Ember’s back with ease.

  Vale shook his head, chuckling quietly to himself. As he turned away, his gaze drifted across the room and stopped.

  Eskar was looking directly at him.

  The two locked eyes from opposite sides of the hall.

  An awkward tension settled between them, thick and unmistakable.

  'Should I wave?' Vale wondered.

  Eskar answered the question for him.

  The red-haired boy lifted his hand and gave a small, hesitant wave, an awkward smile tugging at his lips.

  Vale smiled back and returned the gesture.

  Just like that, the tension broke.

  They both turned away, continuing on their respective paths.

  Then a clear, feminine voice cut through the hum of conversation.

  “Alright, everyone.”

  Vale looked toward the sound.

  Rose stood before a pair of enormous wooden doors, their surface carved with intricate patterns and reinforced with dark metal. She smiled at the gathered guests.

  “As you all know,” she continued, “the gala has already begun. I think it’s about time we all join properly.”

  She turned and pushed the doors open.

  Light spilled through the opening, warm and brilliant, carrying with it the sound of music, laughter, and countless voices intermingling.

  Vale stepped forward.

  The gala had truly begun.