The afternoon sun streamed through the academy's courtyard, casting long shadows across the stone pavement. Kalem, Jhaeros, and Lyra sat around a wooden bench, the air between them thick with disbelief.
Lyra was the first to break the silence.
"You refused!!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing slightly.
Kalem leaned back against the bench, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. "Yeah."
Jhaeros, who had been calmly chewing on a piece of dried meat, stopped mid-bite. "Wait, you're serious?"
Lyra's frustration boiled over as she gestured wildly. "You were already low on finances, and now that the academy is offering you full support, you just—what? Decide you don't need it anymore?"
Kalem gave a small, knowing smirk. "Because now, I am."
Jhaeros furrowed his brows. "You are what?"
Kalem glanced at them both before leaning forward, lowering his voice slightly. "Let's just say... I have something."
His words were vague, but the confidence behind them was undeniable.
Lyra narrowed her eyes. "You're being suspiciously cryptic."
Jhaeros crossed his arms. "That usually means trouble."
Kalem only shrugged. "You'll see soon enough."
But Lyra wasn't done. "You can't just drop something like that and expect us to let it go! What do you mean you 'have something'?"
Kalem exhaled, tapping his fingers against the wood of the bench. "Let's just say I've secured an investment."
Jhaeros tilted his head. "From who?"
Kalem smirked. "From myself."
Lyra groaned. "That tells us nothing!"
Jhaeros, however, seemed more thoughtful. "If you're this confident, it must mean you have some kind of resource, something you can leverage. So, what is it?"
Kalem merely stretched his arms. "Just wait. You'll know soon."
Lyra folded her arms. "Fine. But if you start regretting this, I'm going to say 'I told you so' until you admit I was right."
Kalem chuckled. "Noted."
Jhaeros shook his head, still somewhat skeptical. "You always have a plan, but I hope this one doesn't bite you in the back."
Kalem gave him a lopsided grin. "Trust me."
Even though neither of them were fully convinced, they could tell—Kalem wasn't worried at all.
Lyra exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples. "You're impossible, you know that?"
Kalem chuckled. "I've heard that before."
Jhaeros studied him for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. We'll wait and see. But if this turns into another one of your absurd overworking schemes, don't expect me to pull you out of it."
Kalem smirked but said nothing.
Just then, the forge door swung open, revealing Nara, who strode in with her usual carefree energy. "What's with the serious faces? Someone die?"
Lyra rolled her eyes. "No, but Kalem apparently lost his mind."
Nara grinned. "That's not news. What did he do now?"
Jhaeros leaned against the workbench. "He refused financial support from the academy."
Nara blinked. "Oh. Wait, isn't he broke?"
Lyra threw up her hands. "Exactly!"
Kalem finally stood, stretching his arms as he walked over to his forge, adjusting the tools hanging on the wall. "I'm not broke."
Nara crossed her arms. "Then where's the money coming from?"
Kalem paused, then smirked. "Let's just say I've been preparing for this moment."
Lyra scoffed. "That's not an answer, Kalem!"
Nara squinted at him before snapping her fingers. "Oh! Wait, does this have something to do with that weird request you made for the tournament prize?"
Jhaeros' ears twitched. "What request?"
Lyra turned to Kalem, her eyes narrowing. "Right. You still haven't told us what you actually asked for."
Kalem smirked but didn't respond.
Jhaeros groaned. "Why do we even bother?"
Before they could press him further, a knock came at the door.
Everyone turned.
Kalem frowned slightly. "Another visitor?"
Lyra glanced at the others. "Who could that be?"
Kalem moved toward the door, opening it to reveal a familiar figure.
Standing there was Professor Alaric Vermund, the Head of Material Studies, flanked by a student carrying a large wooden crate.
Alaric adjusted his spectacles, then gave Kalem a knowing smile. "I see you're enjoying the suspense."
Kalem chuckled. "A little."
Lyra, growing impatient, stepped forward. "Alright, enough with the games. What did he ask for?"
Alaric gestured to the student, who carefully set the crate down and removed the lid. Inside was an unassuming, solid block of metal—dull gray, with faint traces of blue veins running through it.
Lyra blinked. "That's it? That's what you asked for?"
Jhaeros leaned in, frowning. "What is that?"
Alaric adjusted his glasses. "An alloy infused with resonance crystal dust. A rare but hardly extravagant material, at least compared to what he could have asked for."
Nara scratched her head. "So… not gold? Not enchanted weapons? Not a mythical beast?"
Alaric shook his head. "No. Just this."
Lyra gaped at Kalem. "You gave up free funding… for a block of metal?"
Kalem grinned. "Not just any metal."
Jhaeros sighed. "Here we go."
Kalem ran his fingers over the alloy's surface, his eyes gleaming. "This is going to be the foundation of something greater."
Alaric chuckled. "I thought as much. And I assume you already have plans for it?"
Kalem nodded. "I do. But first… I need to test a few things."
Lyra groaned. "You never stop, do you?"
Kalem smirked. "Not when there's work to be done."
Jhaeros crossed his arms. "I just hope this doesn't turn into another one of your borderline-insane projects."
Kalem laughed. "Oh, it absolutely will."