The Great Hall of Aurelius Academy was grand enough to swallow a cathedral whole. Floating chandeliers cast soft, shifting lights over the hundreds of new students gathered inside. Long banners of House Crests lined the walls, each shimmering with subtle enchantments.
Silvia walked beside Mira, steps steady, expression unreadable as always. Nyx perched on her shoulder with the confidence of someone who owned the building.
But the whispers began as soon as she crossed the threshold.
"There she is…"
"The ordinary mage."
"Is she seriously not embarrassed?"
"Commoner and magic-less… what a joke."
Mira glared at them one by one. "Unbelievable. They don't even try to hide it."
"…It's fine," Silvia said softly.
"Is it? Because your cat looks one hiss away from attacking everyone."
Nyx did indeed look murderous.
Silvia lifted a hand and gently scratched under the cat's chin. Nyx calmed, though its tail still flicked with agitation.
They found a spot near the center as the hall fell into a hush.
A tall man entered—robes of silver and ivory swirling behind him as though he walked through water instead of air. His presence alone steadied the room, silencing even the most arrogant Fire students.
His voice carried effortlessly.
"I am Professor Arceus, your instructor for Practical Magic and Combat Studies," he announced. "From this moment on, I will be the one guiding you… or reminding you of the consequences of laziness."
A few students gulped.
Professor Arceus raised a hand.
The air shimmered—
and glowing dummies materialized in hovering rings around the hall.
Some tall, some small, some carrying illusory weapons, others shaped like beasts. Their surfaces pulsed with golden runes.
"These," Arceus said, "are your targets."
One by one, they began rotating in the air, shifting positions, sizes, forms.
"But do not mistake them for harmless dolls. Once the first spell strikes, they will attack. Your performance will determine your initial evaluation—what you lack, and whether you have the potential to rise beyond your ranking."
A ripple of anxiety shot through the crowd.
Silvia watched silently as the dummies rotated, her golden eyes reflecting their glow.
"Now," Arceus said, crossing his arms, "who will step forward first?"
He didn't need to wait.
A boy with fiery red hair swaggered out of the crowd, smirking. His robe sleeves were rolled up, proudly displaying the flame-shaped crest of a Fire-Affinity mage.
"Hah! This is gonna be easy," he said loudly.
Mira groaned. "Oh great. A show-off."
Silvia blinked. "He seems confident."
"He seems annoying," Mira corrected.
The boy took his stance, cracking his knuckles as heat shimmered around him.
"Name," Arceus said.
"Riven Heatflare, future top Fire Mage of this academy."
The professor did not react. "Begin."
Riven grinned and thrust his palm forward.
A bright flame burst to life—
spiraling, twisting, condensing—
before launching toward the nearest dummy like a flaming spear.
The second it struck—
Everything exploded into motion.
The dummies snapped to life with inhuman speed.
The injured one lunged first, swinging an ethereal blade.
Two others flanked Riven from the sides.
"Whoa—! Hey! Not at once!"
Riven leaped back, fire gathering around his fists. He hurled blast after blast, meeting the dummies' attacks with explosive bursts. The air filled with sparks. Students cheered.
Mira whistled softly. "Okay, he's better than I expected."
Silvia nodded once. "His aim is good."
"You're so calm it's terrifying."
Riven finished with a final sweeping arc of flame, burning the last dummy to ash-like fragments before the spell reassembled it to float harmlessly back into place.
The hall burst into applause. Riven bowed dramatically.
"Piece of cake!"
Professor Arceus scribbled something on a hovering scroll.
"Acceptable control. Excessive showmanship. Reckless footwork. Next."
Riven's smile flickered.
"E–eh? Only acceptable?"
"Next," Arceus repeated firmly.
The crowd laughed. The next students stepped forward—Air users sending slicing gusts, Water users shaping streams and shields, even a Shapeshift student who transformed into a wolf mid-battle.
One by one, their scores were given.
One by one, the dummies adapted to their magic.
But every few minutes…
Silvia felt eyes drifting to her.
Some mocking.
Some curious.
Some waiting to see a failure.
Mira noticed too. She nudged Silvia gently.
"They expect you to mess up."
"…I know," Silvia replied simply.
"You'll prove them wrong."
Silvia didn't respond. She only watched the glowing dummies swirl above, unable to shake the faint hum of her grandmother's staff, warm against her palm.
She didn't know what her magic truly was.
The crystal didn't know.
Not even the examiner knew.
But something inside her… pulsed.
Slow.
Steady.
As if awakening.
"Next," Professor Arceus called.
A shadow fell over Silvia. Students began whispering again.
"Oh? Is she finally going?"
"She has no magic—this'll be good."
"Might as well get it over with."
Mira squeezed her arm. "Silvia… you don't have to—"
Silvia stepped forward before she finished.
Nyx leaped down from her shoulder and sat gracefully at the edge of the arena, tail curling elegantly, golden eyes glowing.
Silvia faced the swirling dummies, staff in hand, her expression—
calm, unreadable, unwavering.
"Name?" Arceus asked.
Silvia met his eyes.
"Silvia Soren."
A hush fell.
Everyone leaned in.
Arceus slightly narrowed his eyes.
As if sensing something he did not yet understand.
"Begin," he said.
Silvia lifted her staff.
The room held its breath.
Silvia lifted her staff, letting her fingers settle into their familiar grip.
The hall faded from her mind.
Instead, she saw her grandmother's cottage—the shelves overflowing with ancient books, the soft crackling of the fireplace, and her grandmother's gentle voice:
"Magic does not always roar, little one. Sometimes it whispers."
Silvia had spent countless nights reading the old grimoirs her grandmother left behind.
Most of the spells inside were forgotten by modern mages—too old, too strange, too… unclassified.
One page resurfaced in her memory now, written in curling, archaic script.
A small, quiet spell.
A spell no student here had ever heard.
Silvia inhaled softly.
"Vātarūṣa," she whispered.
The word barely left her lips, but her staff responded instantly.
The compass-like core at its top glowed—
not with flame, or water, or any recognizable element—
but with a sharp, focused vibration that hummed like the stirring of the wind before a storm.
A ripple of energy shot through the air.
The dummies stilled.
Students leaned forward.
Professor Arceus's eyes narrowed.
Silvia's expression remained calm, almost serene.
Then—
BZZT—!
Her staff released a burst of small, concentrated mana spheres—
rapid-fire, precise, silent.
Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.
The orbs shot forward like invisible bullets, each one hitting a different dummy with pinpoint accuracy.
And the dummies—
shattered.
Not dramatically.
Not loudly.
But cleanly—
as if cut or broken by a force too swift for the eye to follow.
Fragments scattered across the arena floor before evaporating into golden dust.
The hall went dead silent.
Not a whisper.
Not a breath.
Just stunned stares.
Even Mira's jaw dropped. "S–Silvia… what was that?"
Silvia lowered her staff gently, her amber eyes steady.
Nyx purred proudly from the sidelines, tail swaying like a satisfied judge.
Students began murmuring at last—confused, irritated, defensive.
"What kind of magic was that?"
"That wasn't elemental…"
"She destroyed them too easily."
"No, that can't be true—she's ordinary!"
"Did she cheat? The crystal said she's nothing special!"
Professor Arceus stepped forward.
His expression was unreadable, but his gaze lingered on Silvia with unmistakable curiosity.
"That spell…" he said slowly, "did not register as any recognized elemental magic."
Whispers surged again—this time more heated.
"See?! She used forbidden techniques—"
"No normal mage can do that—"
"Maybe ordinary means defective—"
Arceus lifted a hand and the room fell silent at once.
"Silvia Soren," he said, his tone completely neutral, "step back. I will evaluate your performance privately later."
Silvia nodded, unfazed, and walked back to Mira's side.
Students parted instinctively, wary of the girl who supposedly had ordinary magic—
yet shattered the test dummies like they were paper.
Mira leaned close. "Silvia… that spell. Where did you learn it?"
Silvia simply blinked.
"…A book."
"A book?! What kind of book has spells like that?"
Silvia didn't answer.
Her gaze drifted to the staff in her hand.
The core glowed faintly, as if pleased.
She thought she heard her grandmother's voice again.
"Whispers, little one… whispers can be stronger than storms."
Silvia exhaled and lifted her head as the next student was called.
The hall had changed.
The air felt heavier.
Eyes lingered on her longer.
And though many still whispered with contempt, there was a new layer beneath it—
Fear.
And confusion.
But Silvia remained calm and expressionless as always.
She had no intention of revealing anything more today..