The silence in the chamber was broken by another low rumble. Kael remained still. Nyxara stood before him, slightly lowered, her red eyes fixed on the entrance. Darius and Ethan had their weapons drawn. Lysandra had already gathered aura around her fingers. Noah seemed caught between preparing for a fight and finding somewhere to hide. Adrian watched the corridor. Then the sound stopped. Nothing. Nyxara slowly raised her head. Her aura faded. Darius didn't lower his weapon immediately. “You sensed something?” Nyxara turned her head slightly toward him. Then she looked at Kael. Kael understood. “She doesn't sense anything anymore.” Noah exhaled. “You really understand what she's thinking?” Kael shrugged. “Not exactly.” He looked at Nyxara. “But I'm starting to understand some of her gestures.” Adrian folded his arms. “It’s probably connected to their bond with the patriarchs.” He already seemed to be thinking through several possibilities at once. “Ancient texts mention a form of communication that doesn't necessarily involve words. Nocterys are supposedly capable of perceiving certain intentions from their patriarch.” Noah looked at him. “You really have an answer for everything.” “Not everything.” Adrian paused. “But I read a lot.” “That's exactly what I just said.” Lysandra smiled. Kael, meanwhile, looked at the enormous creature. Nyxara seemed completely calm now. She had returned to the same silent, almost distant attitude she'd had when they first saw her. And yet Kael had the feeling she was waiting for something. He looked toward the exit. Then at Nyxara. A thought crossed his mind. “Can you stay like this for long?” Nyxara tilted her head slightly. Kael thought for a moment. He didn't even know if she truly understood his words. But he tried anyway. “We're going to have to leave.” She looked at him. “And…” Kael glanced at her enormous size. Then at the corridor. “You can't exactly walk around the academy like this.” Noah immediately nodded. “For once, I completely agree.” Darius slowly lowered his weapon. “The students would probably panic.” Ethan smiled. “Probably?” Darius gave him a look. “All right. They'd all panic.” Kael looked at Nyxara. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he asked: “Can you make yourself smaller?” Nyxara didn't move. Kael waited. “I don't know if you actually understand…” The aura around Nyxara changed. A faint dark light appeared around her body. Kael took half a step back. The others did the same. Her silhouette began to change. Her shoulders became smaller. Her legs shortened. Her massive body gradually contracted without losing its shape. A few seconds later, the enormous creature was gone. In her place stood a much smaller animal. Still imposing. Still larger than an ordinary wolf. But small enough to walk through the academy corridors without destroying half the building. Her red eyes remained the same. Her two small horns were still there. Her black fur reflected the light faintly. Noah stared. “…She actually did it.” Adrian had already pulled out a small notebook. “Ancient texts mentioned a form of bodily adaptation, but I thought—” Noah gently took the notebook from his hands. “No.” Adrian looked at him. “What?” “Not now.” Adrian took his notebook back. “I was simply going to check something.” “You just want to write a book about her.” “That is a possibility.” Kael looked at Nyxara. She was now almost at his height. He reached out. She immediately moved closer. Kael ran his fingers through her fur. She closed her eyes. A strange silence settled over the group. Lysandra smiled. “She’s much less intimidating like this.” Noah looked at her. “Much less intimidating?” He pointed at Nyxara. “She still has Kael's red eyes.” Lysandra looked at the two of them. Then smiled. “She does.” Darius shook his head. “What worries me most is that she actually resembles him.” Kael raised an eyebrow. “How?” “Quiet.” Darius looked at Nyxara. “Observant.” Then he looked at Kael. “And probably incapable of realizing when she's frightening everyone around her.” Kael didn't answer. Noah burst out laughing. “He's right!” Nyxara opened her eyes and looked at Noah. He immediately stopped. “…I take it back.” Kael gave a faint smile. --- They finally left the chamber. Nyxara walked beside Kael. She barely made a sound. Whenever they passed through a darker section of the corridor, her fur seemed to absorb the light. Adrian walked several steps behind them. He continued studying the inscriptions. “There's something bothering me.” Kael turned his head. “What?” “The carvings.” Adrian pointed toward the wall. “They show several patriarchs accompanied by creatures. But the last drawings are different.” Kael stopped. Adrian showed him a nearly erased carving. A man stood before an enormous creature. A Veyron symbol was beneath them. But the creature was shown in two forms. A large one. And a smaller one. “You think that's a Nocterys?” Lysandra asked. “I'm almost certain.” Adrian pointed toward another inscription. “And look here.” He indicated the writing. “The text seems to say they can alter their appearance depending on their surroundings.” Noah sighed. “So she can be huge when she wants and smaller when it's convenient.” “Apparently.” Noah looked at Nyxara. “Convenient.” Nyxara looked at him. Noah straightened. “Very convenient.” Kael continued walking. At the end of the corridor, a large door appeared. This one seemed much newer. Lucian approached. “This probably leads directly to the surface.” He placed a hand against it. The door opened. Natural light immediately flooded the passage. After the darkness of the lower levels, it was almost blinding. Kael narrowed his eyes. Nyxara stepped out behind him. For several seconds, she stood perfectly still. She looked at the sky. The gardens. The towers of Asteria. Then she turned toward Kael. He placed a hand on her head. “Welcome to Asteria.” Nyxara obviously didn't answer. But she stayed beside him. --- They didn't get far. A voice suddenly rang out across the gardens. “KAEL!” Noah turned. A group of students had just arrived. Several of them immediately stopped. They looked at Kael. Then Nyxara. Then Kael again. Then Nyxara. One student's face went completely white. “What is that?” Another stepped backward. “I don't know.” “She came with him?” “The hell is that?” Whispers spread through the garden. Noah smiled. “At least they don't know she's a legendary creature yet.” Adrian looked at him. “They probably will very soon.” Noah's smile disappeared. “Oh.” Lysandra moved closer to Kael. “Do you want to leave before everyone gets here?” Kael looked around. Too late. A dozen students were already watching Nyxara. Some were impressed. Others were clearly frightened. One boy finally whispered: “Is that his animal?” Noah answered before Kael could. “No.” He paused. “Well… technically, I don't know.” Adrian sighed. “Noah.” “What?” Kael placed a hand on Nyxara's head. She calmly sat beside him. “She’s with me.” That simple sentence was enough to silence several students. They knew Kael. They knew his position. But none of them knew this creature. One student finally asked: “Is she dangerous?” Kael looked at Nyxara. Then at the student. “Only if she considers someone a threat.” Darius muttered: “Honest answer.” Kael ignored him. Another voice spoke up. “What’s her name?” Kael hesitated. He looked at Nyxara. Then answered: “Nyxara.” Adrian immediately raised his head. “You already knew her name?” Kael shook his head. “My father gave it to me in a memory.” Adrian fell silent. That information seemed to confirm something. Kael wasn't simply discovering Nyxara. His father had prepared this meeting. --- A few minutes later, the group continued toward the main buildings. Nyxara walked beside Kael. Students naturally moved aside as she passed. Noah walked on Kael's other side. He kept glancing at her. Finally, he asked: “What does she eat?” Kael looked at him. “I don't know.” Noah looked surprised. “You never asked her?” “I just found her again after six years.” “Oh. Right. Fair point.” Adrian joined the conversation. “Nocterys were probably carnivorous.” Noah sighed. “Of course they were.” Nyxara turned her head toward him. “Don't look at me like that.” Kael raised an eyebrow. “She didn't do anything to you.” “Exactly. She’s looking at me like she already knows what I'm thinking.” Adrian smiled. “Maybe she does.” Noah fell silent. “I don't like this conversation.” Lysandra laughed softly. For the first time since returning to Asteria, the atmosphere felt almost normal. Almost. Because Kael knew that peace wouldn't last. He had just discovered a part of his childhood. A legendary creature his father had known. An ancient Veyron tradition. And above all… one question remained unanswered. Why had his father left Nyxara waiting here? And what was she actually meant to protect? Kael looked at the creature walking beside him. Nyxara turned her head slightly toward him. Their eyes met. This time, Kael didn't need a memory to understand. She hadn't simply returned to his life. She had always been connected to it. He had simply forgotten. --- When they finally reached the main building, something else caught Kael's attention. On one of the old walls, beside the entrance to the archives, stood a small metal plaque. He stopped. Nyxara stopped too. Kael studied the symbol. A V. Then, beneath it, three small lines. He had seen it before. In the Veyron archives. In V-18. And now here. Adrian noticed that he'd stopped. “That symbol again?” Kael nodded. Nyxara stared at the plaque. For the first time since leaving the upper level, she reacted. Her ears rose. Her gaze hardened. Kael noticed immediately. “You know that symbol.” Nyxara didn't move. But her aura shifted slightly. Kael understood. The symbol wasn't only connected to his father. It was connected to Nyxara too. And perhaps to something she had been waiting for sixteen years. The mystery had only just begun.

A New Presence