All Chapters of Bonds By Blades : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Something was wrong.Kael felt it with every step.It wasn’t pain—not exactly. The sharp agony from the arena had faded into something quieter, more insidious. A lingering pressure beneath his skin. A pull. Subtle, but constant.Like something was tethered to him.Watching.Waiting.He clenched his jaw as the group of survivors was led through the inner halls of Draven Academy. The stone corridors stretched endlessly, lit by dim, flickering torches that cast long, distorted shadows across the walls.No one spoke.No one dared.The silence here wasn’t peaceful—it was enforced.Kael’s gaze shifted briefly, scanning the others who had passed the trial. There were fewer than twenty of them now. Some walked with visible injuries, others barely holding themselves upright.Pathetic.If this was the best Draven Academy had to offer, then the rumors had been exaggerated.…Or the real test hadn’t begun yet.A faint flicker of awareness brushed against his senses.Not external.Internal.Kael st

The morning at Draven Academy arrived like a threat. The gray sky pressed low over the stone towers, and the corridors seemed narrower than the day before, as if the walls themselves had shifted overnight to watch, judge, and contain the students. Kael Vance moved with careful steps, his leather boots echoing lightly against the polished floors. Every pulse of the bond reminded him that he wasn’t alone—Lucien’s presence, subtle and constant, hummed just beneath his awareness, like a faint vibration that refused to be ignored.The academy was waking up, though it had never truly slept. Servants and instructors moved through the halls with silent precision, their faces expressionless, their eyes trained to notice everything. Even the shadows seemed to have a life of their own, flickering unnaturally against the walls, bending toward corners, hiding secrets Kael couldn’t yet name.Kael kept his head low. Surviving yesterday’s Trial of Blades had earned him nothing but attention, and in D

Draven Academy had started watching them.Kael didn’t need proof.He felt it.It wasn’t obvious—not at first. No one followed him openly. No instructor called him out directly. No student dared confront him after what happened in the lower chamber.But the silence had changed.It had weight now.Every corridor he walked through seemed quieter than it should be. Conversations stopped when he passed. Eyes lingered just a second too long. Even the air felt tighter, like the academy itself was holding its breath.Waiting.Kael adjusted the strap on his glove, his movements slow, controlled. He didn’t react. Didn’t acknowledge it.But he noticed everything.And so did the bond.A faint pulse stirred beneath his ribs.Lucien.Calm.Focused.Aware.Kael exhaled quietly.At least that hadn’t changed.The morning training session began in the outer combat arena—a wide, circular field surrounded by high stone walls etched with old markings Kael hadn’t noticed before. Symbols. Worn with age, but

The silence in the aftermath of the duel was heavier than the clash itself.Kael stood in the center of the training arena, chest rising and falling with controlled breaths. Around him, the air still hummed faintly with residual energy—remnants of power unleashed too quickly, too violently. His knuckles were scraped raw, his uniform torn at the sleeve, but he barely felt it.All he could feel was him.Lucien.Across the arena, Lucien Draven remained standing, though just barely. One knee touched the ground, his silver hair falling over his eyes as he steadied himself with his blade. Blood traced a thin line down his temple, yet his expression was… calm.Too calm.“You hesitated,” Lucien said quietly, not even looking up.Kael’s jaw tightened. “I didn’t.”A faint smirk touched Lucien’s lips. “You did.”The words struck harder than any blade.Kael knew exactly when it had happened—the moment when his attack should have ended the fight. He had seen the opening, felt the surge of power re

The morning at Draven Academy arrived without mercy.The training grounds buzzed with energy—steel clashing, magic flaring, instructors shouting commands. It was routine. Predictable.Normal.Kael hated how normal it all felt after last night.He stood at the edge of the arena, arms crossed, eyes scanning the field without really seeing it. His mind was elsewhere—stuck on the Archive, the book, the power that had surged between him and Lucien.That connection.It hadn’t been a fluke.And that was the problem.“You look like you didn’t sleep.”Kael didn’t turn. “You talk like I care.”Lucien stepped beside him anyway.Of course he did.“Thinking about it won’t make it go away,” Lucien said calmly.Kael let out a quiet breath. “And training will?”“It might make it controllable.”Kael finally glanced at him. “You’re assuming we can control it.”Lucien’s expression didn’t change. “We don’t have a choice.”That again.No choice.Kael pushed off the railing, stepping into the arena. “Fine.