Elora woke up the next morning with the letter in her hands.
She held it against her chest for a moment before carefully placing it back inside the box.
Arcane Academy was full of strange magical things.
Maybe this was some kind of orientation task for first-years.
Maybe everyone had received a quest just like hers.
That explanation wasn’t great, but it was still better than accepting she’d somehow acquired a crimson screen with a quest on it.
With that in mind, Elora climbed out of bed and started getting ready for the day.
If Lyra had the same screen, great.
If not…
She’d panic later.
Elora splashed cold water onto her face and stared at herself in the mirror.
Honestly, she was hoping last night had been some kind of stress-induced hallucination.
The Academy entrance exam had been exhausting.
The affinity evaluation had gone completely off the rails.
After all that, a weird dream and a floating crimson screen turning out to be real didn’t seem completely impossible.
Okay, maybe it was another secret exam from the Academy.
At least, that was the explanation she wanted to believe.
Then her eyes dropped to the black crystal hanging around her neck.
She sighed and rubbed her face with a towel.
The dream had felt far too real—the endless darkness, the bottomless hole, the voice, and the impossible screen that had appeared before her.
She could recall every detail with uncomfortable clarity.
Most dreams fade after a few minutes, but this one hadn’t.
“Great,” she muttered.
“I’m already dealing with magical entrance exams and mysterious artifacts.
Why not add hallucinations to the list?” The crystal offered no response.
Elora picked it up between her fingers and examined it for a moment.
“Seriously, though,” she said.
“You’ve been sitting around my neck my entire life.
Why decide to do something now?” She waited for a while, hoping the crystal might do something.
Nothing happened.
“No mysterious voice?
No cryptic prophecy?
Not even a helpful hint?” The crystal remained completely silent.
“Yeah, that’s about what I expected.” After giving up on the possibility of receiving answers from an inanimate crystal, Elora slipped the necklace back under her uniform and headed for the door.
The dormitory corridors were already busy.
Students moved between rooms, chatting about schedules, instructors, and which classes they hoped to get into.
And of course, they were still talking about the Orb incident.
She barely made it halfway down the corridor before noticing people looking at her.
Not openly, but mostly.
Every time she glanced their way, someone suddenly found the wall, ceiling, or nearest window incredibly interesting.
“…Fantastic.” A group of first-years standing near the stairwell immediately lowered their voices as she approached.
“That’s her.” “The girl from the evaluation?” “I heard the Nexus Orb almost shattered.” “Maybe she is cursed.” Elora kept walking.
Very quickly.
Unfortunately, the whispers followed her all the way to the dining hall.
By the time she stepped inside, she had learned several fascinating new rumors about herself.
According to one version, she’d broken a priceless Academy artifact.
According to another, she’d awakened some kind of legendary affinity.
One particularly creative student apparently believed she’d accidentally cursed the evaluation platform.
People really needed hobbies.
The smell of fresh bread and hot tea hit her the moment she entered the hall, instantly improving her mood.
Food.
Finally, something normal.
Soul servants floated between the tables carrying trays and refilling drinks while students chatted over breakfast.
At least someone in the Academy knew what they were doing.
Her eyes scanned the crowded room until she spotted a familiar head of blonde hair near one of the windows.
By the time Elora reached the table, Lyra was already halfway through her meal.
Lyra looked up as Elora approached.
“You look exhausted.” “I survived.” Elora dropped into the seat across from her and immediately reached for a bread roll.
For a few moments, neither of them spoke.
Elora was busy reminding herself why breakfast was worth waking up for.
Lyra was watching her with the kind of expression that suggested she was waiting for something.
Eventually, she sighed.
“Alright.
What’s wrong?” Lyra tapped the table, asking for Elora’s attention.
“You walked in looking like you haven’t slept, ignored half the dining hall staring at you, and immediately started stress-eating.” “…I’m not stress-eating.” “You grabbed three bread rolls.” Elora glanced at her tray.
“…I’m not.
I’m just hungry.” Lyra didn’t buy that.
She leaned back in her chair, still waiting for an actual answer.
Elora hesitated, because she couldn’t exactly say: Hey, Lyra.
A mysterious System appeared after I touched my necklace and now I have magical quests.
That sounded like a good way to end up in the Academy infirmary, a psychiatric evaluation, or both.
So she settled for a safer approach.
“Alright, I have a question.” She sighed before adding.
“Have you received anything from the Academy yet?” “Like what?” “I don’t know.
A notice.
A task.
Some kind of quest.” Lyra frowned.
“What do you mean, a quest?
Isn’t it too early for another exam?
We barely survived the entrance exam.” Elora stabbed her bread with unnecessary aggression.
“Just wondering if they give first-years some kind of orientation assignment.” “Not that I’ve heard of.” “Huh.” That wasn’t the answer she’d been hoping for.
Lyra continued staring at her then shook her head and returned to her breakfast.
Unfortunately, that told Elora everything she needed to know.
The quest wasn’t from the Academy, and if Lyra hadn’t received one either, then the System belonged to her alone.
A moment of silence passed before Lyra spoke again.
“By the way, I heard the professors are still trying to figure out what happened yesterday.” Elora looked up.
“They better be.” Lyra nodded.
“That’s the rumor, anyway.
Apparently, some of them went back to examine the Nexus Orb after the test ended.” Elora wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
On one hand, it was reassuring that the Academy was taking the incident seriously.
On the other hand, it meant nobody had any answers yet.
“Hopefully they figure it out soon,” she said, tearing off another piece of bread.
“I’m already getting tired of being the subject of every conversation.
It’s only been a few days.” Lyra laughed.
“Good luck with that.
Half the Academy is talking about you.” “Exactly my point.
Apparently nobody has anything better to talk about.” Elora sighed and took another bite of breakfast.
Honestly, she couldn’t even blame them.
If their positions were reversed, she’d probably be curious too.
A new student walked up to the Nexus Orb, strange black light appeared out of nowhere, and the instructors spent the rest of the day arguing about it.
That wasn’t exactly a normal entrance exam.
The problem was that she knew just as little as everyone else.
Maybe less.
Everyone kept acting as though she should know what had happened, but she didn’t.
The only thing she knew for certain was that something had changed after the evaluation.
Then another thought hit her.
How had her mother known about Arcane Academy?
The letter had been written years ago, long before Elora had ever received an acceptance letter.
Yet her mother had specifically mentioned the Silver Archive.
The more Elora thought about it, the less sense it made.
Too many things had lined up lately, and she was starting to wonder if any of it was really a coincidence.