Echoes of the Lost Elf

Historias was momentarily confused. How, on Eldara, could a low-level summoning circle summon a high-level spirit like Tempest? Before using the circle, he had thoroughly examined it—there had been nothing wrong with it. Unless he had unknowingly made some changes, which he hadn't.

Then, it clicked—Ignis.

After Zephyr had successfully made a contract, the spirit glanced at Historias before abruptly returning to the spirit realm. At the time, it had seemed odd, but now it made perfect sense. Ignis must have recognized him.

It must have returned to the spirit realm and spread the news—news that Tempest had surely heard. And now, Tempest had used the summoning circle as a conduit to reach him.

After all, Historias hadn't summoned a single spirit since the Great Void War. The ones that remained at Everglen Palace were merely low-level spirits who sustained themselves on his mana and the surrounding energy. They had likely not returned to the spirit realm in ages and were still at Everglen, maintaining the palace.

Just as he was lost in thought, the professor's voice cut through his mind.

"What did you do?"

It wasn't just the professor watching him—Zephyr was eyeing him the same way. The other students were too exhausted to pay attention, but those two had seen everything.

Historias knew he couldn't tell the truth. Saying he had no idea was the best option.

He shrugged slightly. "I've always been good with spirits."

Zephyr raised an eyebrow. "Good with spirits? That looked more like they were fighting for your attention."

The professor crossed his arms. "That summoning circle shouldn't have been capable of calling Tempest."

Historias offered a polite smile. "Perhaps the spirits simply like me."

The professor gave him a long, skeptical look before sighing. "I'll deal with this later. For now, those of you who need to, head to the infirmary."

His gaze lingered on Historias for a moment longer before turning away, still deep in thought. And judging by Zephyr's amused smirk, he wasn't convinced either.

With classes over for the day, Historias decided to head back to his dorm. However, Zephyr suddenly chose to tag along.

They made their way to the cafeteria, their hunger outweighing any lingering thoughts from the summoning class. Zephyr, ranked 95th, lived in Fortis. Due to elective classes still being in session, the cafeteria was relatively empty—unsurprising, considering their class had ended early.

(He didn't need to guess why.)

As they ate, their conversation drifted from classes to their personal lives.

At one point, Zephyr leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "So… do you have some connection to Aldren Vaelthorn?"

Historias calmly took a sip of his drink before responding. "Why do you ask?"

Zephyr smirked. "Just curious. You give off the same 'I'm-too-good-for-this' energy."

Historias chuckled. "I prefer to call it 'graceful detachment.'"

Zephyr shook his head, laughing. "Right, sure. 'Graceful detachment.' I'll remember that."

Once their meal was done, they parted ways—Historias heading to Aedis and Zephyr to Fortis.

As Historias walked, a thought crossed his mind.

Wait… where was Leon?

He hadn't seen his dormmate all day. That was odd. Normally, Leon was either hovering around him, making comments about his "unfair good looks," or sulking about something dumb.

Had he overslept? Possible, but unlikely—Leon was usually too loud in the mornings to miss.

Did he lose a bet and get stuck doing some ridiculous punishment? Also possible. Knowing Leon, he'd probably agree to something without reading the details.

…Had he tried to flirt with the wrong person and gotten beaten up?

That seemed the most realistic scenario.

Historias sighed. "I should check the infirmary later."

.............

The evening air was crisp as Professor Azriel made his way through the dimly lit halls of Castellas Academy, his thoughts heavy with suspicion. The summoning class had been routine—until Historias Vaelcrest happened.

He still couldn't make sense of it. A low-tier summoning circle should never have been capable of calling forth a high-tier spirit like Tempest. Yet, it had happened right in front of his eyes.

Azriel pushed the door open and stepped inside. The office of Vice Principal Evelyn Voss was neat and orderly, with a large desk at the center and rows of bookshelves along the walls. A few enchanted crystals glowed softly, casting a gentle light over the room.

Behind the desk sat Evelyn Voss, the academy's Vice Principal and a Dark Elf of formidable presence. Her piercing amethyst eyes met his, her expression unreadable.

"This better be worth my time," she said, flipping a page.

Azriel let out a sharp exhale. "One of my students managed to summon a high-level spirit today."

That got her attention. She placed the papers down, folding her hands together. "Go on."

Azriel stepped closer, voice dropping slightly. "Historias Vaelcrest. He used a standard low-tier summoning circle… and somehow, a Tempest-class spirit came through."

Evelyn raised a brow. "And you're certain there was nothing unusual about the circle?"

"I checked it myself. There were no modifications, no external catalysts, nothing." Azriel crossed his arms. "It should've been impossible. And yet…"

Evelyn leaned back in her chair, tapping a finger against the desk. "And yet it happened."

Azriel nodded. "The spirit didn't seem… bound in the usual way. More like it had come of its own volition." He hesitated before adding, "And it looked at Historias as if it knew him."

Evelyn remained silent for a moment, her gaze unreadable. Then she sighed. "I see."

She rested her chin on her hand. "Tell me, how did Historias react when the spirit appeared?"

Azriel hesitated, thinking back. "He looked… surprised at first. Confused. Then it was like something clicked." He frowned. "And he wasn't tired. At all. No signs of mana exhaustion."

Azriel frowned. "That's it? 'I see'? That's all you have to say?"

Evelyn exhaled slowly, resting her chin on one hand. "What do you expect me to say, Azriel? That I'm shocked? That this is some grand mystery? It isn't."

The professor's scowl deepened. "Then explain it to me, because from where I'm standing, this is far from normal."

Evelyn studied him for a moment before shaking her head. "No. I don't think I will."

Azriel threw up his hands. "I'm quitting this job!!."

She smirked. "And yet, here you are, reporting to me."

Azriel took a deep breath, calming himself. "So you do know something."

Evelyn gave a slow nod. "I have a theory."

"Care to share it?"

"Not particularly."

Azriel ground his teeth together. "Evelyn—"

"Listen." She straightened, her expression turning serious. "You are a talented professor, Azriel, but sometimes, it's best to let certain matters be. If we push too hard, we might not like what we uncover."

Azriel narrowed his eyes. "And that means what, exactly?"

Evelyn sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "It means that for now, we let it be. No inquiries. No extra reports. Dismiss your suspicions."

"You're asking me to ignore a blatant anomaly," Azriel said, unimpressed.

"I am," she confirmed.

He studied her carefully. "You wouldn't be this relaxed if this was actually dangerous."

"Correct."

Azriel exhaled sharply. "You're impossible."

She smirked. "So I've been told."

Shaking his head, he turned for the door. "Fine. But if something like this happens again, you owe me answers."

"Duly noted."

Azriel walked out, muttering under his breath, "I am absolutely not getting paid enough for this."

Evelyn waited until the door shut behind him before leaning back with a sigh. A high-ranking spirit responding to him so quickly… as if they knew about him.

She glanced out the window. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

With a shake of her head, she returned to her work.

..............

Before returning to his room, Historias decided to visit Leon. His room was on the seventh floor, so he took his time climbing the stairs, enjoying the quiet of the academy halls at night. When he finally reached Leon's door, he knocked twice.

Silence.

He knocked again. Nothing.

With a small chuckle, Historias crossed his arms. Well, that confirms my theory.

If Leon wasn't in his room, then there was only one place he could be.

Sure enough, when Historias arrived at the infirmary, he spotted Leon lying on a bed, his face wrapped in bandages like a poorly wrapped gift. The moment was so absurd that he had to take a second to process it.

Grabbing a nearby stool, Historias sat down beside him and leaned in slightly.

"So," he drawled, amusement dancing in his voice, "did you flirt with the wrong person and get beaten to a pulp? Or is this something else?"

Leon let out an exaggerated sigh. "No, bro. I had a bad dream, woke up abruptly in the middle of the night, and ran straight into a wall." He pointed at his nose. "Broke this in the process."

For a second, Historias just stared at him. Then—

Laughter erupted from him, a genuine, uncontrollable laugh that echoed through the infirmary.

"Silence!" the nurse's sharp voice rang out from across the room.

Leon groaned. "Come on, man…"

Still snickering, Historias wiped a stray tear from the corner of his eye. "You… you actually ran into a wall?"

Leon huffed. "Yes, and now I have to stay here overnight because the nurse doesn't trust me not to run into another one."

Historias shook his head, suppressing another laugh. "That does seem likely."

"How long until you're back to normal?"

"By tomorrow morning, I should be fully healed," Leon muttered. "But until then, I'm stuck here."

They talked for a while, the conversation shifting from lighthearted teasing to their classes and upcoming academy events. Eventually, Historias stood up, stretching slightly.

"Well, try not to fight any more walls in your sleep," he teased.

Leon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Get out of here already."

With a smirk, Historias left the infirmary, still amused by the ridiculousness of it all.

Leon's POV

As he lay there, staring at the ceiling, Leon's thoughts drifted back to his dream from the night before.

It had felt too real. Too vivid.

And yet, no matter how much he tried to shake it off… he couldn't.

Something about it felt important. And unbelievable.

He closed his eyes, letting out a slow breath.

What the hell was that dream?

...........

Here are the names for each rank category in Castellas Academy's dorm system:

Ranks 500-350: Novis – Shared rooms (4 students) and basic facilities

Ranks 350-250: Prudentia – Shared rooms (2 students), access to improved training grounds.

Ranks 250-150: Sapiens – Private rooms with personal study spaces.

Ranks 150-90: Fortis – Private rooms with enhanced magical training equipment.

Ranks 90-50: Excelsis – Luxury rooms, combat simulators, and alchemy labs.

Ranks 50-20: Magnus – Elite training halls, priority access to rare artifacts for training.

Ranks 20-1: Aedis (Sanctuary of Legends) – Penthouse-style suites, personal enchanted rooms, and private combat arenas.

..........