By morning, Aarav had learned two important facts about palace life.
First: nothing in this place was simple.
Second: everyone took everything far too seriously.
It started with breakfast.
He walked into the dining chamber to find a table long enough to host a small army, covered in silver dishes, steaming breads, jewel-toned fruits, and what looked suspiciously like roasted dragon meat.
He froze in the doorway.
"…You're feeding me like I'm about to fight a war."
Kaelith looked up from his seat. "You nearly did last night."
"I punched three people," Aarav said. "That's not a war. That's cardio."
The servants bowed in unison.
"Please be seated, honored Sage."
Aarav winced. "If you keep calling me that in public, I'm going to start answering to 'hey you.'"
Kaelith's lips curved faintly. "They will not stop."
"I figured."
He sat across from Kaelith, eyeing the spread. "Do you have… normal food?"
One of the servants looked offended. "This is normal food."
Aarav pointed at a bowl of glowing blue paste. "That looks like something you use to clean wounds."
Kaelith leaned forward slightly. "That is fermented moonroot. It strengthens Alpha constitution."
"…Does it taste like antiseptic?"
"Yes."
"I'll pass."
The servants whispered among themselves, scandalized.
Kaelith raised a hand. "Bring him bread and fruit. Do not attempt to fortify him before he finishes waking up."
Aarav gave him a grateful look. "See? You're learning patient care."
"Do not compare me to your hospital staff."
"Too late."
After breakfast, Liora arrived with a stack of glowing crystal tablets.
"Training begins today," she announced. "Aura control. Sensory dampening. Basic mana theory."
Aarav eyed the stack. "You're giving me homework."
"Yes."
"I've crossed worlds and I still can't escape studying."
Kaelith hid a smile behind his cup.
They moved to the training courtyard. Alphas sparred in controlled rings, Omegas practiced healing sigils, and Betas organized supply lines with quiet efficiency.
Aarav watched it all with professional interest. "Your society is… very structured."
"And you dislike that," Kaelith noted.
"I dislike when structure becomes a cage," Aarav replied. "You've got Omegas who look like they could lead armies, and Alphas who look like they'd rather study."
Kaelith followed his gaze. "Our world assigns paths early."
"On my world," Aarav said, "we try not to. We fail a lot. But we try."
Liora cleared her throat. "Focus, Sage. Aura control."
She guided Aarav through basic breathing techniques meant to contain Alpha pressure. The first attempt nearly shattered a nearby practice crystal.
Liora jumped back. "Too much force!"
Aarav winced. "Sorry. My 'gentle' setting might be broken."
Kaelith stepped closer. "Breathe with me."
Aarav glanced at him. "You're not my meditation app."
Kaelith ignored that. "Inhale. Count to four. Exhale slowly."
Against his better judgment, Aarav mirrored him.
The wild surge inside his chest settled, condensing into something manageable. The pressure around them eased.
Liora blinked. "That was… fast."
Aarav frowned. "Why did that work?"
Kaelith's gaze held his. "Our auras synchronize easily."
Aarav looked away. "That's still inconvenient."
Training ended with Aarav accidentally overpowering a reinforced training dummy and sending it skidding across the courtyard.
The Alphas stared at him.
One muttered, "That thing survived Commander Thorne."
Aarav raised his hands. "In my defense, it started it."
By midday, rumors had spread through the palace.
The summoned Sage doesn't bow.
The summoned Sage argues with the prince.
The summoned Sage broke a royal training construct.
Servants peeked at him from behind pillars. Guards whispered.
Kaelith walked beside him through the halls. "You are becoming… a topic."
"Great," Aarav said. "I've always wanted to be gossip."
Kaelith's voice lowered. "Your behavior is unsettling the court."
Aarav stopped walking. "Good."
Kaelith turned to face him. "Good?"
"Yes," Aarav said calmly. "Your court is used to power being quiet and untouchable. I'm neither. They'll have to adjust."
Kaelith studied him for a long moment.
"You are changing the palace," he said slowly.
Aarav shrugged. "Hospitals change when someone challenges bad habits. Kingdoms aren't that different."
A beat.
Then Kaelith smiled—small, genuine.
"Be careful," he said. "If you keep this up, they may start respecting you."
Aarav smirked. "That's a dangerous precedent."
They walked on together, the palace buzzing quietly around them.
And for the first time, Aarav didn't feel like an outsider being observed.
He felt like a disturbance.
The kind that made stagnant systems shift.