Monday arrived. Cael walked through the gates of Lunaris Academy with Evan beside him. Liora was already waiting near the entrance. "Morning." "Morning," Cael replied. Evan looked at both of them. "Why are you two always here before me?" "You're late again," Cael said. "I'm not late." Liora glanced at the clock. "You are." Evan sighed. "Fine." They walked toward the classroom together. Everything felt normal. Until the announcement came. The academy's communication system suddenly activated. "Attention all students. Please remain inside the academy grounds until further notice." The hallway became quiet. Students began looking at one another. Evan frowned. "What happened?" Cael looked toward the windows. "I don't know." A second announcement followed. "There is no immediate danger. This is only a temporary safety procedure." That didn't make anyone feel better. --- Their teacher entered the classroom a few minutes later. "Everyone, remain calm." A student raised his hand. "Sir, what's happening?" The teacher hesitated. "There was an unidentified object detected in the upper atmosphere." The classroom became silent. "An unidentified object?" "Yes." Another student asked, "Is it a spacecraft?" "We don't know." Cael looked out the window again. The sky looked completely normal. Blue. Clear. Nothing unusual. Yet somewhere above them, something had been detected. The teacher continued. "The Robotics Association is investigating it." Evan whispered, "That sounds serious." Cael shook his head. "Not necessarily." "You don't sound worried." "I'm curious." Evan sighed. "Of course you are." Liora smiled slightly. --- Classes continued, but nobody was really focused. Every few minutes, students looked toward the windows. Cael tried to pay attention. He failed. Eventually, the teacher noticed. "Cael." Cael looked up. "Yes?" "If you're going to stare outside, at least tell me what you're looking for." A few students laughed. Cael smiled awkwardly. "Sorry." The teacher shook his head. "Pay attention." "Yes, sir." Cael returned to his notes. But the thought remained. An unidentified object. Above Blue Star. --- During lunch, the three of them sat together. Evan was scrolling through his tablet. "Nothing." Liora looked at him. "What are you looking for?" "News." Cael leaned closer. "Anything?" "Just rumors." Evan showed them the screen. Several posts claimed the object was an alien spacecraft. Others claimed it was a military satellite. Some claimed it was debris. Cael frowned. "None of those are confirmed." "Exactly." Liora looked toward the sky. "Then we don't know anything." Cael nodded. "Not yet." --- By the afternoon, the academy's restriction was lifted. The official explanation was simple. The object had moved beyond the monitored zone. No threat had been detected. No further information was released. Students quickly returned to their normal routines. Evan shrugged. "So that's it?" "Looks like it," Liora said. Cael looked toward the sky. He couldn't see anything. But something about the incident stayed in his mind. Not because he believed the rumors. Not because he thought aliens were coming. Simply because there was something out there... and humanity hadn't known what it was. That fact alone was enough to interest him. --- After school, the three of them went to the training field. They practiced like usual. Earth. Water. Wind. Nothing unusual happened. At sunset, Cael sat beneath the same tree they often used. He looked at the sky. A spacecraft passed overhead. Then another. Then another. Everything looked familiar. Safe. Normal. But beyond the atmosphere... there were countless things humanity had never seen. Cael smiled faintly. He didn't know what the unidentified object had been. He didn't know whether they would ever discover it. And he didn't know whether it had anything to do with The Void. For now, it was simply another unanswered question. And Cael had always liked unanswered questions. He stood up. "See you tomorrow." Evan waved. "Tomorrow." Liora smiled. "See you." Cael walked home beneath the evening sky. Above him, Blue Star continued its journey around Hellfire. And far beyond the world he knew... something remained unseen.

Chapter 15 — Something in the Sky