Chapter 5: A Dangerous Alliance

The silence in the lab was deafening, a vacuum where the cold, calculating logic of the Skyborn had once resided. Kael felt like a fool. He had spent weeks analyzing Elara, not as a person, but as a problem to be solved, a curious anomaly with a unique magical signature. He had believed his pursuit was intellectual, a quest for knowledge, but his father’s words had ripped that illusion away.

He had been a tool, a scout for his father’s ambition. He replayed Valerius’s words in his mind. “We had one once, but she was a failed experiment. We lost her.” The chilling implication was clear. They had done this before. They had found someone with Aetherium, tried to control it, and failed. Elara wasn’t the first, and if Kael didn’t act fast, she would be the next victim.

His gaze fell to the terminal, to the faded image of the young girl. Her face was obscured, but the symbol on the stone was clear. It was the same one on Elara’s back, a testament to a shared, terrifying history. Kael’s initial fascination with Elara had been driven by her power, but now it was driven by something else entirely—a desperate need to protect her. He had to warn her. He had to find out what his father’s plans were and stop them.

He exited his lab, the sleek, sterile hallways of the Skyborn wing feeling like the corridors of a prison. He knew his every move was being monitored. The academy was a beautiful gilded cage, and his father was its keeper. To approach Elara directly now would be to signal his intentions and put her in even greater danger. He had to be subtle.

He found Lyraen in the central library, surrounded by ancient tomes and scrolls. Her hair was a shock of fiery red against the pale parchment, a vibrant spark of the Earthbound in the cold Skyborn domain. She looked up as he approached, her expression a mixture of surprise and suspicion.

“Kael,” she said, her tone wary. “Did you come here to gloat about your victory in class?”

“This isn’t about that,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “We need to talk about Elara.”

Lyraen’s eyebrows shot up. “I have nothing to say to you. Your family has been harassing her since she arrived.”

“I know,” he admitted, the words a bitter taste on his tongue. “And that’s why I’m here. My father… he’s not just curious about her power. He wants to control it. And he's done this before.

”Lyraen’s face hardened, her hand instinctively going to a small amulet hidden beneath her robes. “What are you talking about?”

Kael quickly explained what he had found in his lab, the data from the Arachne Protocol, the reference to Aetherium, and the chilling conversation with his father. Lyraen listened intently, her skepticism giving way to a dawning horror.

“An experiment…” she whispered, the word laced with dread. “We've always known the Skyborn would do anything for power, but this… this is a new low.”

“We have to help her,” Kael said, his desperation palpable. “We have to work together. We’re the only ones who can.”

Lyraen stared at him, her gaze searching, weighing his words. The rivalry between their factions was a deep, ingrained chasm. Trusting a Skyborn, especially the son of Lord Valerius, was an act of treason. But the look in Kael’s eyes was genuine, a reflection of the same fear and urgency she felt. He was offering a dangerous alliance, a fragile truce in a war that had been raging for centuries.

“What’s your plan?” she asked, her voice quiet but firm. “What do we do now?”

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***