The morning bell echoed throughout Astryx Academy, pulling students from their dormitories and sending them rushing toward their first classes.
Aren woke earlier than most.
The strange events of yesterday still lingered in his mind.
The broken registration badge.
The malfunctioning assessment crystal.
And most importantly, the mysterious artifact that had cracked when he walked past the Hall of Relics.
None of it made sense.
He had barely slept.
Every time he closed his eyes, he remembered the frightened expressions of the professors near the artifact chamber.
Something significant had happened.
Something that wasn’t supposed to happen.
Yet nobody had come looking for him.
At least not yet.
Aren sighed and got out of bed.
“Maybe I’m overthinking things.”
After washing up and changing into his academy uniform, he left the dormitory.
The campus was already alive with activity.
Students filled the pathways.
Some hurried toward classrooms.
Others gathered in groups, discussing yesterday’s assessments.
Aren noticed many of them looked confident.
Some even boasted openly about their magical talents.
“My affinity score was among the highest in my region.”
“My family expected nothing less.”
“I’ll probably be placed in the elite combat division.”
Aren quietly walked past them.
He had no desire to join such conversations.
His own assessment hadn’t even produced a proper result.
Thinking about it only gave him a headache.
The Academy’s First-Year Building stood near the center of the campus.
It was a massive structure with five floors and dozens of classrooms.
Students crowded around large notice boards searching for their assigned classes.
Aren eventually found his name.
Class One-A
He quickly located the classroom and entered.
Rows of desks filled the room.
Large windows overlooked the academy gardens.
Several students had already arrived.
Some chatted with friends.
Others sat alone.
Aren chose a seat near the back.
From there, he could observe everyone without attracting attention.
One by one, more students entered.
The classroom gradually filled.
Aren couldn’t help studying his future classmates.
Many appeared talented.
A few looked exceptionally powerful.
One tall boy carried himself with the confidence of a noble.
Another student wore expensive enchanted jewelry worth more than Aren could probably earn in years.
Then there were others who seemed ordinary.
Students like him.
Or at least, that was what he hoped.
As the final bell rang, the classroom door opened.
A woman entered.
Instant silence followed.
She looked young, perhaps in her late twenties.
Long silver hair flowed behind her.
Sharp blue eyes surveyed the room.
The magical pressure surrounding her was overwhelming.
Even without introducing herself, everyone immediately understood.
This woman was powerful.
Very powerful.
She walked to the front of the classroom.
“My name is Professor Selene.”
Her voice was calm yet commanding.
“I will be your primary instructor this year.”
No one dared interrupt.
Professor Selene continued.
“Before we begin, each of you will introduce yourselves.”
Several students groaned internally.
The professor ignored them.
“We will start from the front row.”
The introductions began.
One student after another stood and spoke.
“My name is Victor Ravencrest.”
A confident-looking boy rose from his seat.
“My family serves the royal court.
I specialize in elemental fire magic.”
Several students looked impressed.
Another student stood.
“Elara Moonveil.
Water affinity.”
Then another.
And another.
The process continued.
Eventually it reached Aren.
He slowly stood.
Dozens of eyes turned toward him.
“My name is Aren.”
Silence.
Professor Selene raised an eyebrow.
“Anything else?”
Aren hesitated.
“There isn’t much else to say.”
Several students laughed.
The professor sighed.
“Very well.
Sit down.”
Aren immediately obeyed.
The introductions continued until every student had spoken.
Finally, only one student remained.
A girl seated near the window.
She stood gracefully.
“My name is Mira.”
Her voice was soft but confident.
Aren looked up.
For the first time, he truly noticed her.
She had dark blue hair that reached her shoulders.
Silver eyes.
An expression that suggested she constantly observed everything around her.
Unlike many students, she hadn’t spent her introduction boasting about her talents.
Simple.
Direct.
Yet somehow memorable.
Professor Selene nodded.
“Thank you.”
Mira sat down.
As she did, her eyes briefly met Aren’s.
For a moment, she seemed unusually focused on him.
Then she looked away.
Aren thought nothing of it.
The first lesson focused on magical theory.
Professor Selene began drawing glowing symbols across the classroom board.
“Magic is not simply power.”
The symbols floated through the air.
“It is understanding.”
Students watched attentively.
“Without knowledge, strength becomes dangerous.”
She gestured toward a rune.
The symbol immediately transformed into a miniature fireball.
Several students gasped.
Professor Selene extinguished it with a wave.
“Control is everything.”
The lesson continued.
Aren listened carefully.
Unlike some students, he genuinely enjoyed learning.
The theories fascinated him.
Magical energy.
Elemental interactions.
Ancient rune systems.
The academy’s resources far exceeded anything available in his hometown.
For the first time since arriving, he felt excited.
Maybe this place really could change his future.
After the lecture came practical exercises.
Students were instructed to channel mana into enchanted spheres placed on their desks.
The spheres would glow according to magical compatibility.
Most students succeeded immediately.
Blue.
Green.
Red.
Various colors appeared throughout the room.
Aren picked up his sphere.
“Please don’t explode.”
Unfortunately, the sphere apparently disagreed.
The moment his mana touched it—
Crack.
The sphere shattered.
Pieces scattered across the desk.
The entire classroom froze.
Professor Selene stared.
Students stared.
Aren stared.
“…Sorry.”
The professor walked over.
Examined the broken sphere.
Then handed him another.
“Try again.”
Aren reluctantly accepted it.
This time the sphere glowed brilliantly for a few seconds.
Then all color vanished.
The sphere became completely transparent.
No reaction.
No reading.
Nothing.
Professor Selene frowned.
Several students whispered among themselves.
“Again?”
“Didn’t something similar happen yesterday?”
“What’s wrong with him?”
Aren wished the floor would swallow him.
Eventually the professor moved on.
But not before giving him a thoughtful look.
Lunch arrived shortly afterward.
Students flooded into the academy cafeteria.
The enormous dining hall buzzed with conversation.
Aren grabbed a tray and searched for an empty table.
Most seats were already occupied.
Just as he found one, a voice interrupted him.
“Mind if I sit here?”
Aren looked up.
It was Mira.
The silver-eyed girl from earlier.
“Oh.
Sure.”
She sat across from him.
For several moments, neither spoke.
Finally, Mira broke the silence.
“You’ve been attracting attention.”
Aren nearly choked on his drink.
“That’s not intentional.”
“I know.”
Her expression remained calm.
“Which makes it stranger.”
Aren laughed awkwardly.
“Trust me, I’d rather avoid attention.”
“I believe that.”
Mira studied him carefully.
Not in a rude way.
More like she was trying to solve a puzzle.
Aren shifted uncomfortably.
“Is something wrong?”
“No.”
She paused.
“You’re unusual.”
There it was.
The statement he had secretly feared.
Aren forced a smile.
“Because I keep breaking things?”
“Partly.”
“Great.”
A hint of amusement appeared in Mira’s eyes.
“The academy’s artifacts rarely malfunction.”
Aren looked away.
“I don’t know why it happens.”
The surprising thing was that he wasn’t lying.
He genuinely had no explanation.
Mira seemed to sense that.
After a moment, she nodded.
“I see.”
The conversation shifted toward ordinary topics.
Classes.
Academy life.
Future goals.
Gradually, the awkwardness faded.
To Aren’s surprise, talking with Mira felt easy.
She was intelligent but not arrogant.
Observant but not judgmental.
By the end of lunch, he found himself enjoying the conversation.
The afternoon passed quickly.
Students attended additional lectures and introductory training sessions.
Nothing exploded.
Nothing shattered.
Nothing cracked.
Aren considered that a major victory.
As classes ended, students began returning to their dormitories.
The sun slowly disappeared behind the mountains surrounding the academy.
Aren walked through the campus pathways.
For the first time all day, things felt normal.
Then he noticed someone watching him.
Standing near a nearby garden.
Mira.
Again.
Their eyes met briefly.
Instead of looking away, she continued observing him.
Not suspiciously.
Curiously.
As though she had discovered a mystery she intended to solve.
Aren felt a strange chill.
For reasons he couldn’t explain, he sensed this wasn’t the last time she would pay attention to him.
Not even close.
Meanwhile, hidden within one of the academy’s highest towers, several professors gathered around a circular table.
The topic of discussion was not grades.
Or classes.
Or academy finances.
A single name rested at the center of their report.
Aren.
“The relic chamber incident occurred immediately after his appearance.”
“The assessment crystal failed during contact.”
“Multiple enchanted tools have malfunctioned near him.”
The room fell silent.
One elderly professor spoke.
“Coincidence?”
“No.”
Another professor shook his head.
“There have been too many incidents.”
The academy headmaster gazed out the window toward the distant dormitories.
His expression remained unreadable.
“Continue observing him.”
“And if the prophecy is true?”
The headmaster remained silent for several moments.
Finally, he answered.
“Then Astryx Academy has just welcomed the most important student in centuries.”
Far below, completely unaware of the attention surrounding him, Aren walked back toward his dormitory.
The peaceful evening breeze carried through the academy grounds.
For now, he remained ignorant of the secrets beginning to awaken around him.
But that ignorance would not last forever.