The next morning, Elora woke up to sunlight streaming through the window.
For a few seconds, she stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above her and wondered where she was.
Then yesterday came rushing back—Arcane Academy, the long train ride, the enormous campus, and her new dorm room.
She smiled brightly.
She pushed herself upright and glanced around the room.
Everything was exactly where she’d left it.
Her half-unpacked suitcase sat beside the wardrobe, a few books rested on the desk, and the folded schedule she’d read before going to sleep was still lying near the window.
The schedule.
Seeing it, Elora suddenly remembered what day it was.
Affinity Evaluation.
She climbed out of bed and stretched, trying to shake off the last traces of sleep.
Outside the window, the academy was already awake.
After getting dressed, Elora took one last look at herself in the mirror.
“You got into Arcane Academy,” she reminded her reflection.
It stared back at her with the same nervous expression.
“Very encouraging.” Grabbing her academy badge, she headed for the door.
Whatever happened today, there was no point worrying about it now.
The evaluation wasn’t going to wait for her.
The moment Elora stepped outside, she was greeted by a sea of first-year students.
Groups of students moved along the pathways in the same direction, all carrying schedules, maps, or expressions that ranged from excited to completely terrified.
Elora joined the flow of students heading across campus.
The closer she got to the evaluation grounds, the more conversations she overheard.
“I hope I get fire affinity.” “Why fire?” “Because fire is cool.” “That’s literally your entire reason?” The boy didn’t even look embarrassed.
“Yes.” A girl walking nearby rolled her eyes.
“My entire family has wind affinity.
If I end up with something else, my grandfather is going to lose his mind.” “You make that sound like a bad thing.” “You’ve never met my grandfather.” That immediately ended the discussion.
Elora hid a smile as she continued walking.
Everyone seemed to have expectations.
The thought made Elora wonder what her parents would have said if they were here.
“Elora!” A familiar voice called out from behind her.
She turned to see Lyra jogging through the crowd.
Her hair was slightly messy, and she looked like she’d left her dorm in a hurry.
“Jeez, I overslept.
I really thought I wasn’t going to make it in time.” She ran a hand through her messy hair.
Elora glanced toward the massive clock tower rising above the academy.
“Relax.
You’re not even close to being late.” Together, they continued toward the evaluation grounds.
As they approached, the crowd became larger.
Students filled the wide stone plaza ahead, gathering around a massive circular arena built into the center of the campus.
The moment Elora stepped through the entrance, she looked up.
A giant crystal sphere floated above the center of the arena—easily three times taller than a person.
Ancient runes drifted across its surface in slow, glowing patterns, appearing and disappearing beneath layers of crystal-clear light.
The sphere rotated in the air, suspended without chains, pillars, or any visible support.
Even from a distance, it felt important.
“That’s the Nexus Orb?” Elora asked.
Lyra nodded beside her.
“Yeah.” Her eyes remained fixed on the orb.
For a few seconds, neither of them looked away.
The artifact dominated the entire arena.
Everywhere Elora looked, students entering the grounds seemed to be staring at it just as intently.
The Nexus Orb wasn’t flashy, but it didn’t need to be.
One look was enough to tell her this wasn’t some ordinary magical artifact.
Eventually, an instructor stepped onto the central platform beneath the orb.
The conversations throughout the arena gradually quieted.
“First-year students,” the instructor announced.
His voice carried effortlessly across the crowd.
“Welcome to your Affinity Evaluation.” The instructor gestured toward the floating crystal sphere above him.
“The Nexus Orb will identify your natural magical affinity.
When your name is called, step forward and stand beneath the artifact.
Just stay there and wait for it to scan your mana.” Simple enough.
A few minutes later, the evaluations began.
A student was called forward and nearly stumbled as he stepped onto the platform.
The moment he stopped in the center, the runes drifting across the crystal sphere began to move.
A soft glow spread through the orb.
For a few seconds, nothing happened—like the Nexus Orb was testing whether the student would break first.
Then a warm brown light appeared inside the crystal.
“Earth Affinity.” One of the instructors recorded the result while the student walked away, looking relieved.
The next student was called.
This time, a bright red light filled the orb.
“Fire Affinity.” A small cheer erupted from a group of friends near the back of the crowd.
The student walked away looking far too pleased with himself.
The evaluations continued.
“Water Affinity.” “Wind Affinity.” “Earth Affinity.” One after another, students stepped forward, received their results, and returned to the crowd.
It was moving much faster than Elora had expected.
Each affinity produced a different color inside the orb.
Water appeared blue, fire glowed red, wind shone green, and earth carried a deep brown light.
It was simple and easy to understand.
Then the crowd suddenly got louder.
A girl stood beneath the Nexus Orb, and for the first time, the orb didn’t settle on a single color.
Blue and green lights swirled together inside the crystal sphere like they were competing for space.
The runes on the Nexus Orb shifted rapidly, brighter than before.
Instructors leaned forward to watch.
“Dual Affinity,” one of them announced.
The plaza erupted in whispers.
“Oh wow.” “That’s rare.” The girl looked stunned for a second—then her expression lit up.
Elora couldn’t blame her.
Dual affinity wasn’t a miracle story, but it wasn’t something you ignored either.
After that, the crowd’s anxiety seemed to spike even harder.
Lyra stood beside Elora, shoulders tense and eyes sharp.
“Still confident?” Elora asked quietly.
Lyra gave a small laugh that didn’t sound fully real.
“I’m trying.” A moment later, Lyra’s name flashed across the floating display.
An instructor immediately called her forward.
Lyra straightened instantly, stepped forward, and stood beneath the Nexus Orb.
The runes began to glow.
The artifact’s light spread through the crystal sphere.
For a brief moment, the arena felt too quiet—like the air was waiting for the result.
Then a bright blue light appeared.
The instructor nodded and announced, “Water Affinity.” A murmur of approval spread through the crowd, and Lyra blinked twice like she couldn’t believe it.
Then her face broke into a grin so fast it was basically instant transformation magic.
She practically skipped back to Elora.
“Water!” Lyra announced, voice full of triumph.
“I was right!” “Congratulations.
Looks like all that worrying was pointless.” “Thanks.
I am so happy,” Lyra said, folding her arms like the result was proof of her superiority over the universe.
“I was worried for nothing.” Elora raised an eyebrow.
“You weren’t even sure you wanted fire ten minutes ago.” Lyra scoffed.
“That’s because I was panicking.” Her grin faded just slightly, though the energy stayed.
“But panicking doesn’t change what the Nexus Orb decides.” Elora nodded slowly, understanding that more than she wanted to.
Some people got exactly what they expected, while others ended up with something completely different.
Judging by the reactions around her, the Nexus Orb still had a few surprises left.
Then the floating display shifted, and a new name appeared.
Elora’s stomach dropped.
My turn.
Her name.
Already?
Lyra noticed the change.
She leaned closer and gave Elora a look that clearly said, don’t fall apart yet.
The instructor read the name clearly, letting it carry across the plaza.
“ELORA VEYNE.” For a second, Elora just stood there.
Then the runes on the Nexus Orb seemed to brighten, like the artifact had been waiting for her too.
This was it—the moment she’d been imagining ever since the acceptance letter arrived.
Let me know your guesses!