The sun was rising over Valthera.
Before the three children stood an enormous building.
White towers stretched into the sky, while massive walls surrounded the academy grounds.
Hundreds of students were entering through the enormous gates.
Above the entrance, engraved into the stone, were the words: CENTRAL ACADEMY OF ÉTHERIA Raizen stared at the academy for a moment.
“So this is it…” Kaira looked up at the towering building, one hand resting on the handle of her axe.
“It’s huge.” Zayden grinned.
“I can already hear hundreds of people inside.” Raizen turned toward his two companions.
“Whatever happens, we stay together.” Kaira nodded.
“Of course.” Zayden smiled.
“Together.” The three of them walked through the massive gates.
None of them knew it yet, but the moment they entered the academy, their lives would begin to change.
The Entrance Exam The new students were led into a gigantic examination hall.
Hundreds of young candidates stood inside, waiting nervously.
At the front of the room stood a middle-aged professor dressed in the academy’s traditional black robes.
He raised a hand.
“Welcome to the Central Academy of Étheria.” The room gradually fell quiet.
The professor pointed toward a large magical sphere resting on a pedestal.
“Every candidate must demonstrate their magical affinity.” He placed his hand against the sphere, and it began to glow.
“Fire.” A small flame appeared above his palm.
“Each of you will step forward and place your hand on the sphere.” One by one, the students were called forward.
The results varied.
Some produced flames, while others displayed ice, wind, lightning, or water.
A few revealed rarer affinities.
Then— “Kaira.” She stepped forward and placed her hand against the sphere.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then— BOOM!
A powerful physical aura erupted from her body, and the sphere glowed intensely.
Several students stared at her in surprise.
The professor raised an eyebrow as he examined the readings.
“Interesting.
You possess remarkable physical strength.
Your body is particularly well suited for close combat.” Kaira smiled proudly.
“Thank you.” She stepped aside.
“Zayden.” He walked toward the sphere and placed one hand against it.
The moment he touched it, the room grew still.
The sphere began to tremble.
The professor’s expression changed.
“Strange…” Zayden tilted his head.
“Is something wrong?” The professor stared at the sphere.
“I…
can’t properly identify your magical affinity.” Zayden frowned.
“Is that bad?” “Not necessarily.” The professor made a note on his clipboard.
“Your magic is simply…
unusual.” Zayden removed his hand.
Then the professor called the final name.
“Raizen.” Raizen walked forward slowly, hundreds of eyes following him.
He placed his hand against the sphere.
One second passed.
Nothing happened.
Two seconds.
Still nothing.
Five seconds.
Nothing.
Whispers spread throughout the room.
Some students began to laugh.
“He doesn’t have any magic!” “What is he even doing here?” “Maybe he got in by mistake!” Raizen said nothing.
His expression remained unchanged.
Then— Crack.
A small fracture appeared across the surface of the sphere.
The laughter stopped.
The professor’s eyes widened.
“What…?” Crack.
Another fracture spread across the sphere.
Darkness began to creep through the cracks.
A shadow burst from Raizen’s hand and swept across the hall.
Several students stumbled backward.
The professor stepped away from the pedestal.
“Impossible…” Raizen immediately pulled his hand away.
The darkness vanished.
He stared at the cracked sphere.
“What just happened?” The professor approached the damaged object and examined it carefully.
“I don’t know.” He turned toward Raizen.
“But whatever your power is…” His eyes moved over the cracks.
“…it’s far from ordinary.” He wrote something on Raizen’s file.
Raizen said nothing.
Inside, however, he could feel the strange energy within his body growing stronger.
The Top Three Students After the examination, the new students were led into the academy courtyard.
Raizen, Kaira, and Zayden moved through the crowd until Raizen noticed a group of students gathered around three figures.
Everyone seemed to know them.
Kaira looked toward the group.
“Who are they?” A nearby student turned toward her, surprised.
“You don’t know?” Kaira shook her head.
He pointed toward the three figures.
“They’re the three strongest students in the academy.” Raizen studied them carefully.
The first was a tall boy surrounded by crackling blue lightning.
Sparks danced around him with every movement.
“The first one is the Lightning Prodigy,” the student explained.
The second was a girl with long silver hair.
A thin layer of frost spread across the ground beneath her feet.
“She’s mastered extremely powerful ice magic.” The third stood perfectly still.
Yet the stones around him slowly drifted through the air.
The student’s voice lowered.
“And that one…
can manipulate gravity.” Raizen watched the three of them for a long moment.
“They’re strong,” Zayden said quietly.
“Yes.” Kaira smiled mischievously.
“Do you want to fight them?” Raizen shook his head.
“Not yet.” Kaira raised an eyebrow.
“Not yet?” Raizen continued walking.
“We still have a lot to learn.” An Unexpected Encounter Later that day, the three of them walked through one of the academy’s corridors.
The enormous halls were lined with paintings of legendary mages and statues of former students.
“You three.” They stopped.
A professor stood behind them—the same professor who had examined Raizen during the entrance exam.
“Are you the new students?” Kaira nodded.
“Yes.” The professor studied them carefully.
His eyes moved from Kaira to Zayden before finally settling on Raizen.
For a brief moment, his expression changed.
His eyes narrowed.
“Your magical energy…” Raizen met his gaze.
“What about it?” The professor hesitated before offering a faint smile.
“Nothing.” He turned and walked away.
Raizen watched him disappear around the corner.
Zayden slowly turned toward him.
“Did you notice?” “Yes.” Kaira frowned.
“He’s hiding something.” Raizen didn’t answer.
But deep down, he felt it too.
Ever since they had entered the academy, something had felt wrong.
Something was watching him.
And it had already taken an interest in his power.
The Director High above the academy, in a room overlooking the entire campus, a man sat behind a large wooden desk.
Three files lay in front of him.
He opened the first.
RAIZEN Then the second.
KAIRA And finally, the third.
ZAYDEN The director leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on Raizen’s file.
For several seconds, he studied it in silence.
Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
“These three children…” He closed the files.
“Their future will certainly be interesting.” Outside the window, the sun slowly sank below the horizon.
And somewhere within the academy, something had already begun to move.
The story of the three abandoned children had entered a new chapter.
To Be Continued…
— Kurotsuki