"Potential is the seed. Understanding is the soil. Only effort allows either to bloom."— The Law of Growth
The enormous bronze doors of the Mana Evaluation Hall slowly opened.
Students filed inside in complete silence.
Alen stopped in his tracks.
The room was breathtaking.
Hundreds of glowing crystals floated through the air like stars.
Massive magic circles covered the marble floor.
At the center of the hall stood a crystal nearly three stories tall.
Its surface shimmered with every color imaginable.
Professor Rowan stepped forward.
"Welcome."
"This is the Grand Affinity Crystal."
"It has served the Royal Academy for over one thousand years."
"It has never been wrong."
A quiet murmur spread through the students.
Professor Rowan raised his hand.
"The Grand Affinity Crystal does not measure strength."
"It measures potential."
"If you possess an affinity for Fire..."
"The crystal will reveal it."
"If you possess two..."
"It will reveal both."
"If you possess none..."
"It will remain silent."
He looked around the room.
"Do not be discouraged."
"Affinity opens a door."
"It does not determine how far you walk."
The evaluations began.
One by one...
Students stepped forward.
A boy placed his hand on the crystal.
Red light filled the room.
"Fire Affinity."
Polite applause followed.
A girl approached.
Blue and white light swirled together.
"Water and Ice."
The professors nodded approvingly.
Another student.
Green.
"Wind."
Another.
Gold.
"Lightning."
The process continued.
Nothing unexpected.
Until...
"Alen Beta."
The room grew quiet.
Alen swallowed.
"This is it..."
He slowly approached the crystal.
The System appeared.
[Warning.]
[Unknown interaction detected.]
[Recommendation: Remain calm.]
"Easy for you to say," Alen muttered.
"What?"
Lyria whispered.
"Nothing."
He reached out.
His fingertips touched the crystal.
Nothing happened.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Several students began whispering.
"Does he have no affinity?"
"Maybe."
Then...
A single pulse echoed through the hall.
THOOM.
The crystal glowed brown.
"Earth."
Rowan smiled.
"Very respectable."
Before he finished speaking—
The brown light shifted.
Blue.
"Water?"
Then red.
"Fire."
Green.
"Wind."
Gold.
"Lightning."
White.
"Light."
Black.
"Darkness."
Silver.
"Metal."
Emerald.
"Nature."
Purple.
"Space."
Deep blue.
"Time."
The colors refused to stop.
More appeared.
Life.
Death.
Sound.
Gravity.
Mist.
Ice.
Poison.
Healing.
Dream.
Spirit.
Chaos.
Order.
Every professor stood.
"No..."
Professor Rowan whispered.
"Impossible..."
The crystal began vibrating violently.
Cracks spread across its surface.
One.
Then dozens.
The room shook.
Mana flooded the hall.
Students stumbled backward.
The System suddenly flashed before Alen.
[Emergency.]
[Mana Overload Detected.]
[Concealment Protocol Activating.]
The crystal erupted with blinding white light.
BOOM!
A wave of mana burst through the academy.
Windows rattled.
Magic lamps flickered.
Far across the capital...
People looked toward the academy.
Silence followed.
As the light faded...
The crystal still stood.
But dozens of new cracks covered its surface.
Professor Rowan stared in disbelief.
"I..."
"I've never..."
One of the older professors slowly approached.
"What was the final reading?"
The crystal pulsed once.
Words appeared across its surface.
Affinity Detected
The room held its breath.
The words continued.
Classification...
Then...
Every rune on the crystal shattered.
The message vanished.
Silence.
The professors looked at one another.
"What did it say?"
"No one knows."
"It disappeared."
Professor Rowan turned toward Alen.
His expression was unreadable.
"Mr. Beta..."
"I believe..."
"...we need to have a conversation."
Later that evening...
Hidden beneath the academy...
Deep within a chamber no student knew existed...
An ancient stone altar glowed.
Dust that had rested undisturbed for thousands of years drifted into the air.
Runes carved into the floor began shining.
One after another.
Until every rune in the chamber burned with golden light.
A voice echoed through the darkness.
Soft.
Ancient.
Filled with endless patience.
"At last..."
"The one who carries every possibility has arrived."
The light faded.
The chamber returned to silence.
Above...
Alen Beta stared out the academy dormitory window.
"What... am I?"
The System answered only with a single line.
[World Law Host Candidate.]
[Status: Undisclosed.]
Alen sighed.
"...You're really bad at answering questions."
For the first time...
The System replied with something unexpected.
[Some answers must be earned.]
The screen disappeared.
Alen looked toward the three moons.
Somewhere...
Deep beneath the earth...
He thought he felt a heartbeat.
End of Chapter 7