The academy bell chimed softly at 10:00 AM, echoing across the entire campus like a wave of rippling silver sound. After-hours testing had ended, and the first-year students were instructed to rest, eat, or explore—but not to leave the main campus.
Kai stretched his arms.
"Brooo… I feel like my bones were used as fireworks."
"You didn't even take part in the last test," Avin deadpanned.
"Yeah, but emotionally I was there with you."
Avin sighed.
The students slowly dispersed from the arena into the wider academy grounds. Whispers trailed like shadows behind them.
"His score was low…"
"…maybe he's actually weak…"
"…rumors were exaggerated…"
"…but that weird mana reaction still scares me."
Kai glared at them. "Mind your own brains!"
One of them muttered, "Barely use them," and walked off.
Kai rolled up his sleeves.
"Bro, give me permission. I'll rearrange his teeth alphabetically."
"No," Avin said calmly.
Kai dropped his arms dramatically.
"What's the point of having fists if I can't use them in righteous fury?"
Avin didn't answer, but his mind was elsewhere.
That second heartbeat inside him…
That whisper…
"…Not yet… Heir…"
He rubbed his chest subconsciously. Kai noticed but didn't say anything.
The path leading to the East Wing Dormitory was lined with broadleaf arcane trees—white bark, sapphire veins, leaves shimmering faintly with mana like feathers dipped in moonlight.
As they walked, someone called out from behind.
"Oi! Avin! Kai!"
A short boy jogged toward them—skin tan-brown, hair messy and chestnut-colored, wearing a uniform with ink stains on the sleeves. Thick round glasses perched on his nose.
Kai brightened.
"Rei! You survived the tests!"
Rei wheezed. "Barely…"
Avin's lips twitched slightly.
Rei wasn't new—he was one of the first people Avin met on admission day. They had bumped into each other in line; Rei dropped his books; Avin helped him pick them up; Kai insulted a teacher by accident, and somehow the three ended up sharing snacks.
Simple.
But good.
Rei pushed up his glasses. "I heard about your… uh… awakened anomaly."
Avin blinked. "News travels fast."
"Actually," Rei corrected, "people talk loud."
Kai nodded aggressively.
"He means you're famous, bro. Like a kitten who accidentally blew up half the kitchen."
"…Not the metaphor I'd choose," Avin said.
Rei adjusted his backpack. "Anyway! I was heading to the Arcane Library. Wanna explore? They opened the first floor for us today."
Kai gasped.
"LIBRARY? YES! I WANT KNOWLEDGE—"
Avin stared.
"You can read?"
Kai smacked his arm.
"Bro! My brain might be messed up, but I still have one!"
Rei laughed awkwardly.
The three walked together toward the library.
The moment the building came into view, Avin slowed.
It wasn't just a building—it was a fortress of knowledge.
Tall white spires twisted upward like spirals of frozen wind. The entrance was a wide stone arch with floating glyphs drifting like feathers. Glass windows stretched from floor to ceiling, reflecting the sky like mirrors.
Students whispered:
"This is the biggest library in the eastern continent…"
"Every book is copied by magic ink…"
"The founder's soul still watches over it…"
Kai whispered, "Also haunted."
Rei elbowed him.
"That's a rumor. Probably."
Avin stepped through the arch, and the moment he crossed the threshold, a soft vibration brushed his skin—like being scanned.
Rei whispered, "Library permits activated."
Inside was breathtaking.
Rows upon rows of glowing shelves. Wooden tables arranged in perfect symmetry. A soft blue mist hovered around the ceiling, reflecting gentle rune-light. The scent of old parchment mixed with mana-rich air.
Rei narrated in an excited whisper:
"The Library has three floors."
• First Floor – Basic Arcana (Open to all first-years)
Basic spells
Theory
History of magic
Beginner techniques
No advanced combat manuals
• Second Floor – Applied Combat Arcana (Restricted to 2nd-years and elites)
Combat techniques
Elemental branch manuals
Practical spell notebooks
Hazardous scrolls sealed with alarms
• Third Floor – Forbidden & Ancient Section (Teacher access only)
Lost spells
Bloodline records
Sealed tomes
High-tier ritual instructions
Dangerous relics behind runic bars
Kai whispered with awe,
"To think this place has three floors… and we only get one."
Rei grinned.
"If we reach Top 20, we get 2nd-floor access."
Kai dramatically grabbed Avin's shoulders.
"BRO! FOR KNOWLEDGE AND GLORY, WE MUST ENTER TOP 20!"
Avin blinked.
"You barely passed."
Kai clutched his chest.
"I can dream!"
Students around them snickered.
"Look at those idiots."
"They think they'll reach the top floors?"
"Haha, impossible."
Kai glared. "Want to fight in the library?!"
"NO FIGHTING!" a holographic librarian shouted, floating in front of them.
Kai froze.
"Okay… so it IS haunted."
Avin shook his head.
Avin, Kai, and Rei found a table near a large crystal window. A few unfamiliar students sat nearby—two boys and one girl.
The girl had dark curls tied high, scribbling fast in a notebook. She kept glancing at Avin, blushing every time he looked up.
Kai whispered, "Bro… she likes you."
"She doesn't."
"She does. Look—she's drawing your face—holy—SHE'S ACTUALLY DRAWING YOUR FACE."
Avin coughed.
A thin boy next to them leaned over.
"Are the rumors true? Did you really cause the mana pillar to go black?"
Avin frowned. "It wasn't intentional."
The boy nodded. "It was cool."
Another boy chimed in, "I thought you'd be arrogant. Turns out you're just tired."
"…Thanks?" Avin said.
The girl scribbled, "mysterious eyes…" and nearly fainted.
Kai whispered, "Fan club member 001 acquired."
Avin sighed.
"Stop naming people."
As they settled at the table, Rei excitedly opened a thick book titled—
[Mana Branching: A Beginner's Guide]
Kai groaned. "My brain hurts."
Rei adjusted his glasses. "Because you never use it."
But Avin wasn't reading.
He placed a hand over his chest.
That heartbeat.
That second pulse.
Why does it feel like something else breathes inside me?
When he'd touched the mana pillar earlier, the black-silver surge he felt…
wasn't normal.
Wasn't his mana.
He shut his eyes.
Inside the darkness of his mind—
a swirling sphere of grey-silver light flickered faintly.
And behind it…
a second light.
Darker.
Heavier.
Beating like a restrained creature.
Two powers. But why?
What am I?
A faint whisper brushed his consciousness again:
"…Your chains are not broken… yet…"
Avin's eyes snapped open.
Kai and Rei looked at him.
"You okay?" Rei asked.
"Yeah," Avin lied.
Kai narrowed his eyes.
"You're thinking something weird again, aren't you?
Don't think. Thinking is dangerous."
Rei smacked Kai.
"Existing is dangerous for you."
The library students around them laughed quietly.
But Avin wasn't laughing.
He felt chills.
Not fear.
Something else.
A calling
A floating hologram flashed overhead.
ATTENTION ALL FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
PHASE TWO RESULTS TOMORROW MORNING
PHASE THREE BEGINS AFTERNOON — LOCATION TO BE ANNOUNCED
PREPARE ACCORDINGLY
Students gasped.
"Phase Three already?"
"Tomorrow?"
"I thought we'd get rest!"
"This academy wants us dead!"
Kai groaned.
"I want to drop out and become a carrot farmer."
Rei shook his head.
"No you don't."
"You're right," Kai mumbled. "Too much soil. Worms scare me."
Avin exhaled slowly.
Phase Three…
He had a feeling the next test might push his second power harder.
And he didn't know if he could control it.
Or even stop it.
Just as they were closing their books, Sarene appeared at the library entrance.
Her moon-blue uniform glowed faintly under the runes, her peach-blonde hair brushing her shoulders as she walked with a soft, cooling aura.
Students immediately whispered.
"She's so beautiful…"
"Frostvale princess…"
"Why is she here?"
"Is she looking for someone?"
Her eyes scanned the hall.
Then landed on Avin.
And she walked toward him.
Kai squeaked.
"Bro… brobrobrobro—SHE'S COMING—ACT NATURAL—NO! NOT LIKE THAT!"
Rei hid behind a book.
Avin sat still.
Sarena stopped in front of him.
Her expression calm.
Her voice soft.
"Can I talk to you… alone?"
The entire library fell silent.