Chapter 35 – Three Weeks Until the End of Term
The Academy was alive again.
The sound of quills echoed through the halls, and the smell of ink hung heavy in the air.
A new notice had been posted on the main board.
> "End-of-Term Exams — Three Weeks Left."
Students crowded around it.
Some read quietly, others muttered, and a few looked pale.
The exams meant more than grades — they shaped the next six months of every student's life.
Seryn stood at the back of the crowd, hands in his pockets.
Kai walked over, tapping his shoulder.
"Three weeks," he said. "Think we'll survive?"
Seryn tilted his head. "Depends on how much you talk during the tests."
Kai laughed. "Still using insults for motivation, huh?"
"I call it honesty."
Kai chuckled. "Honesty hurts, you know."
People nearby glanced at them, but no one stared the way they used to.
Six months had passed. Curiosity had faded.
---
When Instructor Calden Mire entered the room, the noise stopped instantly.
His red robe and silver beard made him look strict, but his eyes were sharp and calm.
"In three weeks," he said, "you'll face three trials — theory, control, and field."
He drew three lines on the board.
"Theory tests your mind. Control tests your balance. The field test measures survival."
No one spoke.
Seryn quietly took notes.
The rule was simple: fail two, and you're suspended until next term.
---
After class, everyone left.
Seryn stayed, checking his notes again.
He could now use wind and lightning more smoothly; mana flowed easier, less violently.
Still, sometimes a faint gray shimmer moved under his skin.
He avoided touching that power.
Calden stopped at the door. "You're always the last to leave."
Seryn looked up. "It's easier to work in silence."
Calden nodded once. "Keep working."
He left without another word.
---
Outside, the yard was crowded.
Kai and Rien were waiting near the training field.
Students practiced spells and weapons all around them.
Kai said, "Look at this. Everyone's desperate for the ranking."
Rien slung his bow over his shoulder. "It matters. Top ten get privileges. The rest pay."
Seryn's face didn't change. "I already owe enough."
Kai smirked. "Then you're used to it."
"It still matters," Seryn said. "No one pays my debts but me."
---
The dining hall was full as always.
Kai stirred his soup. "What's your plan? Study till your eyes fall out?"
"Yes," Seryn said.
Kai sighed. "Talking to you is like talking to a wall."
Rien finally spoke. "At least walls are useful."
Kai frowned. "You two should start a club."
Seryn gave a short, quiet laugh. It was real, not forced.
---
That night, glowing runes appeared on every door in the Academy.
Seraphine's voice filled the halls.
> "All students.
End-of-term exams begin in three weeks.
Theory, control, and field — three stages.
Fail two, and you're suspended.
Top ten students receive Imperial-approved privileges."
Her tone was clear, emotionless.
> "Remember: power without discipline is danger."
When the light faded, silence returned.
Kai broke it. "Her voice alone could stop a war."
Rien said, "That's why she's in charge."
Seryn simply nodded.
---
The next day, the training fields were packed.
Mages, aura users, and ritualists worked under their colored banners —
blue for mages, green for aura, black for ritual.
Seryn trained with all three groups.
In the mage division he practiced wind shaping and short lightning bursts.
In the ritual field he carved runes into stones and tested mana flow stability.
In strategy class he analyzed battle plans over glowing maps.
Kai was fast but careless.
Rien was slow but precise.
Together they balanced each other.
For the first time, Seryn felt like he belonged somewhere.
---
At night, the Academy grew quiet.
Seryn sat in his room, candlelight flickering across his notes.
A worn parchment lay to the side — his debt list.
Snake skin, ink, sealing stones, mana crystals.
He stared at the numbers without expression.
He placed a hand on his chest. The gray glow pulsed faintly.
"Not yet," he whispered.
Then he picked up his pen again.
---
In another tower, Valen's study lights were still on.
Seraphine stood by the window, watching the students below.
"They're improving fast," she said.
Valen's tone was flat. "Too fast."
"His control is impressive."
Valen turned to the window. "He's not just a ritualist."
Seraphine frowned. "What do you mean?"
"They'll test him again," Valen said. "And they'll fail again."
Thunder rolled outside.
Below, the fields went dark — except for one lit window in the northern tower.
---
Seryn sat by that window, surrounded by books and half-empty ink bottles.
He was exhausted.
"Three weeks," he muttered. "Just three weeks."
He blew out the candle.
Darkness returned.
---
💬 Author's Note:
The end of term draws
near.
Seryn's progress comes with pressure, debt, and unseen eyes.
Three weeks remain — and these exams will test not only his skill, but who he really is. ⚔️