Page 139 of Court of Aether and Shadows

The crystals remained dark, no reading registering at all.

The technician frowned at her instruments.

"That's odd. The scanner isn't detecting any magical signature." She tapped the crystals, looking puzzled. "Perhaps if you could..."

"Oh well," I shrugged, moving to leave. "Guess I'm not that important after?—"

My foot landed on the central marking, and suddenly every crystal in the chamber exploded with light. The measuring devices shrieked, their needles spinning past any marked limits before breaking completely. Power surged through the chamber — shadow and starlight, void and aether, all courts' magic responding simultaneously to my presence.

The crowd gasped as the readings continued to climb, the machine's crystals vibrating at a frequency that threatened toshatter them. And there I stood, one foot still raised mid-stride, watching the chaos with mild surprise.

"Vash'nor thy'leth supreme,"an Elder's voice cut through the commotion, the ancient words carrying weight and recognition."The Convergence Walked has awakened."

The other technicians were speaking in a different tongue, yet it translated fluidly in my mind. Despite that, they were speaking far too fast — their words fumbling together in urgency as if they didn’t know what the hell they were going to do.

Lord Helios appeared in a flash of celestial light, his iridescent robes swirling as he placed his hands on the scanner's frame. Golden energy poured from him, stabilizing the wildly fluctuating readings before the entire system could collapse.

"Well," I said into the stunned silence, still balanced on one foot. I was too shocked to even blush with how embarrassing this felt. "This is awkward."

Lord Helios's iridescent eyes met mine, one perfect eyebrow arching as he took in my still-raised foot. The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

"Oops?" I offered with my best innocent smile. "Clearly I did this wrong. I should probably just..." I gestured vaguely toward the exit.

His expression shifted to something distinctly unimpressed, though I could have sworn I saw amusement dancing in those ever-changing eyes.

"We need five minutes to reset the equipment,"he announced to the gathered crowd, his harmonious voice brooking no argument."Lady Sparrow, bring your..."he paused, giving my wolves a pointed look,"...pups with you."

"Why do I need to—" I started to ask, hurrying after his retreating form. My foot caught on the scanner's platform edge, sending me pitching forward.

Without even looking back, Lord Helios's left arm shot out, catching me smoothly with a pitch of wind that left me practically levitating until I was against his side. It was as though he'd been expecting exactly this to happen.

"Still as clumsy as ever, I see," he muttered, the words not meant for public consumption.

"What did you just say?" I asked, steadying myself against his arm, noting how his iridescent robes felt like captured starlight under my fingers.

"Speak less, follow more, Lady Sparrow,"Lord Helios said, still supporting my weight as if I were light as air. His iridescent robes rippled around us both, creating auroras where they touched my skin.

"My Lord!" Aurora's voice cut through the tension, her perfect features arranged in what she clearly thought was an appealing mixture of devotion and distress. "Surely you'll want to discuss my readings first? They were quite?—"

"Not now, Lady Aurora,"he dismissed without even looking at her, continuing his stride with me still tucked against his side. The casual rejection drew several poorly concealed snickers from the gathered students.

"But my Lord!" Aurora persisted, her voice taking on a shrill edge. She stepped directly into our path, her light magic flaring with desperation. "Why would you waste time on someone who couldn't even activate the scanner properly? Surely someone with my level of power deserves?—"

The temperature in the room dropped suddenly as Lord Helios stopped moving.

His power spiked so dramatically that everyone — students, technicians, even my wolves — dropped into immediate bows. Only I remained upright —or I guess, floating —though that was largely because he was still supporting me.

Aurora fell to her knees, her perfect composure finally cracking as Lord Helios looked down at her with eyes that now blazed like trapped supernovas.

"Let us discuss what you lack, Lady Aurora, since you seem so eager to make comparisons,"Lord Helios's voice carried harmonics that made the very air vibrate with power."First and foremost, you lack the basic respect required of an academy student."

His iridescent robes had stopped their fluid movement, now crackling with barely contained energy as he continued to support me. The contrast between his gentle hold on my waist and the devastating power radiating from him was striking.

"You demonstrate a concerning deficit in observation skills, choosing instead to rely on your mouth rather than your eyes or intellect. The Lords of each court are here by choice, not obligation. Our presence is a privilege, not a right. One that can be revoked at any moment should students prove...unworthy."

Aurora's perfect face had gone pale, her own light magic dimming in response to his overwhelming presence. Around us, other students pressed themselves closer to the walls, trying to become invisible.

"Let me make something abundantly clear to everyone present,"he continued, his gaze sweeping the room."Disrespect toward any Professor or Council member will result in immediate and severe consequences. I personally will not hesitate to revoke academy acceptance should any student prove incapable of maintaining proper decorum."

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