Kael allowed the silence to linger for another moment before speaking again.
"You carry yourself differently than most Academy cadets."
David looked at him.
"I've met many talented young people over the years," Kael continued. "Talent often brings confidence."
His eyes remained on David.
"Sometimes arrogance."
A faint smile touched the corner of his mouth.
"You possess neither."
David wasn't sure whether that was a compliment.
"My father believed arrogance got people killed."
Kael gave a slow nod.
"A wise man."
David found himself smiling again.
"He usually was."
Kael noticed it immediately.
Not the smile itself.
The way it appeared.
Brief.
Unforced.
Almost identical...
No.
He dismissed the thought before it fully formed.
Coincidence.
Nothing more.
He leaned back slightly.
"Have you ever received formal military instruction?"
David shook his head.
"No, sir."
"No instructors outside your father?"
David hesitated.
I AM:
Answer carefully.
"I've learned from people I've met."
"Observed them."
"Adapted."
"But my father built the foundation."
Kael studied him for several seconds.
"The foundation is everything."
David nodded.
"He believed that too."
Again...
Those words.
Those ideas.
Each answer seemed to echo something Kael had heard decades ago.
Not enough to mean anything.
Enough to be noticed.
Kael rose from his chair and walked toward one of the crystal windows overlooking the Academy.
"The strongest people I've known all shared one quality."
David stood as well, though he remained where he was.
"They never stopped learning."
Kael looked out across the Academy grounds.
"Power alone has never protected humanity."
He turned slightly.
"Character has."
David quietly considered those words.
"My father said something similar."
"I'm beginning to think I would have liked your father."
A warmth settled over David that surprised him.
"I think he would've respected you."
Kael smiled faintly.
"I appreciate that."
He walked back toward the desk.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Kael reached into the inside pocket of his formal coat.
He withdrew a small silver card.
It was surprisingly plain.
The Starwyn crest had been engraved into one corner with remarkable precision.
Beneath it appeared a single communication frequency.
Nothing else.
He offered it to David.
David accepted it carefully.
"What is this?"
"My personal contact."
David looked up in surprise.
"Sir?"
Kael folded his hands behind his back once more.
"I've watched thousands of young men and women pass through this Academy."
"Very few leave an impression."
"You have."
David wasn't sure what to say.
"I don't intend to recruit you."
The statement caught David completely off guard.
Kael seemed to notice.
"By the end of this week, you'll receive offers."
"From the military."
"From expedition companies."
"Perhaps even from other Great Families."
"Those decisions belong to you."
He paused before continuing.
"Whatever path you choose..."
"...it should be because it is your path."
Not someone else's.
David slowly nodded.
"I understand."
Kael gestured toward the silver card still resting in David's hand.
"If, at any point in the future, you find yourself needing guidance..."
"...or wish to continue your training..."
"...contact me."
David blinked.
"You would train me?"
"I would."
"Even if I never joined House Starwyn?"
A faint smile returned to Kael's face.
"Especially then."
David looked down at the card again.
He had expected politics.
Negotiation.
Perhaps even pressure.
Instead...
He had been offered something else entirely.
Respect.
He carefully slipped the card into his pocket.
"Thank you, Lord Starwyn."
Kael inclined his head.
"I believe you have an extraordinary future ahead of you, David."
His expression grew more thoughtful.
"My hope is simply that, whatever that future becomes..."
"...you'll be prepared for it."
David stood quietly for a moment before bowing respectfully.
"I won't waste the opportunity."
"I don't believe you will."
The great silver doors behind David opened soundlessly.
He turned toward them before looking back one final time.
"Thank you for seeing me."
"The pleasure was mine."
David stepped through the doorway.
The doors closed slowly behind him.
Silence returned to the audience chamber.
For several moments, Kael remained exactly where he stood.
Then another door opened quietly behind him.
The Starwyn messenger entered and bowed.
"My Lord."
Kael acknowledged him with a slight nod.
After a brief pause, the messenger spoke.
"Shall I prepare a formal invitation for David Wyn to join House Starwyn?"
Kael's answer came without hesitation.
"No."
The messenger looked up.
"My Lord?"
"Give him time."
Kael walked back toward the crystal windows overlooking the Academy.
"He has only just become Tournament Champion."
"By tomorrow..."
"The military will seek him."
"Expedition companies will seek him."
"The other Great Families will seek him."
"If we approach him now..."
"...our invitation becomes no different than anyone else's."
The messenger nodded.
"I understand."
Kael remained silent for another moment.
Then his voice became quieter.
"There is something else."
"My Lord?"
"I want everything."
The messenger frowned slightly.
"Sir?"
"Everything."
"His Academy records."
"Admissions file."
"Combat evaluations."
"Instructor reports."
"Medical records."
"His hometown."
"His parents."
"His family."
"Every verified record that exists."
The messenger's expression became serious.
"I'll have our Intelligence Division begin immediately."
Kael finally turned to face him.
"This is to be treated as a Priority One investigation."
"Yes, my Lord."
"And..."
The messenger stopped.
"If anyone asks why House Starwyn is investigating David Wyn..."
Kael's gaze drifted back toward the Academy below.
"...tell them I wish to better understand this year's Tournament Champion."
"Nothing more."
The messenger bowed deeply.
"As you wish, my Lord."
He quietly left the chamber.
Once again...
Kael stood alone.
His thoughts drifted back to the young man who had just walked through those doors.
The discipline.
The composure.
The way he answered every question.
Even the way he carried himself.
None of it proved anything.
Yet something about David stirred memories Kael had not thought of in many years.
He frowned.
"...Impossible."
The word escaped almost as a whisper.
After another long silence, his gaze settled once more on the closed audience chamber doors.
"...Who are you, David Wyn?"