Chapter 16: The Sorting of Souls (Part 1)
Location: The Hall of Mirrors, Royal Academy.
Time: 5:00 PM (Post-Exam).
The Hall of Mirrors was a waiting room designed to induce anxiety. The walls were lined with enchanted silver glass that didn't show reflections; instead, they showed "Potential Futures."
Some students looked in the mirrors and saw themselves as powerful Archmages wearing the robes of the Royal Court. Others saw themselves dead in a ditch.
Ren stood in the corner, staring at his reflection.
The mirror showed nothing. Just a grey, swirling void where his body should be.
Null Fate, Ren reminded himself. Even the mirrors can't read me.
The room was buzzing with whispers.
"That's him," a noble girl whispered, pointing a fan at Ren. "The servant. Did you see the feed? He ate a Firestorm."
"Impossible," her companion scoffed. "He probably used a forbidden artifact. A one-time consumable. That's cheating."
Caelum stood beside Ren, looking pale. He was vibrating with nervous energy.
"They're talking about you," Caelum hissed. "Draven is telling everyone you used a Dark Artifact. If the faculty believes him, they'll strip search you."
"Let them," Ren said calmly. "The Gauntlets are invisible to casual inspection. And the Grimoire is in my head. They won't find anything except a stable boy with a high tolerance for heat."
"Ren, you absorbed a Rank B spell with your bare hand. Stable boys don't do that."
"This one does."
Suddenly, the massive double doors swung open.
A voice, amplified by magic, boomed through the hall.
"The deliberation is complete. Enter."
Location: The Grand Assembly Hall.
Time: 5:15 PM.
The hall was vast, lit by thousands of floating candles. At the front sat the Council of Seven—the Department Heads of the Academy.
In the center sat the Headmaster.
[ NPC: Archmage Solon ]
[ Level: 70 ]
[ Class: Chronomancer (Time Mage) ]
[ Danger Level: Unsurvivable ]
Ren lowered his gaze instantly. Level 70. He could rewrite my timeline if I blink wrong.
Solon stood up. He was a small man with wild white hair and spectacles that magnified his eyes to disturbing proportions.
"We have assessed the candidates," Solon said. His voice sounded like it was coming from everywhere at once. "This year, the crop is... volatile."
He waved his hand. A holographic list appeared in the air.
"When I call your name, step forward to receive your Dormitory Assignment."
The Academy was divided into four Houses:
Solaris (Gold): Combat Mages & High Nobles.
Lunaris (Silver): Researchers, Alchemists & Support.
Terran (Green): Knights, Beast Tamers & Commoners.
Umbra (Black): The "Special" Division. (Misfits, penal cases, and unique talents).
"Draven Thorne," Solon called.
Draven walked up, smirking. He shot a glare at Ren.
"Solaris House. Rank 3."
The crowd cheered. Solaris was the prestige house.
"Lyra Arken."
"Solaris House. Rank 5."
"Caelum Arken."
Caelum stiffened. He walked up.
Solon looked at the boy. "You have decent wind affinity. But your combat instincts are... unorthodox. You fight like a street brawler, not a noble."
Caelum stood tall. "Survival is ugly, Headmaster."
Solon smiled. "Solaris House. Rank 40."
Caelum let out a breath. He made it. He was in the elite dorm.
The list went on. Commoners went to Terran. Smart kids went to Lunaris.
Finally, the list ended.
Ren's name was not called.
The students murmured.
"He failed," someone laughed. "The cheater got caught."
Solon cleared his throat.
"There remains one applicant," Solon said. He looked directly at Ren. "Ren Arken. Retainer."
Ren stepped forward. He felt the weight of a thousand eyes.
"You are a Null," Solon stated. "You have zero mana capacity. You broke the testing stone six months ago."
"Yes, Headmaster."
"And yet," Solon tapped the air, replaying a magical recording. It showed Ren catching the Firestorm in the arena. "You nullified a Rank B spell. Explain."
Ren raised his left hand. He had deactivated the False Null Ring's stealth on the Gauntlet just enough to make the leather visible.
"It is an heirloom, Headmaster," Ren lied smoothly. "A glove treated with Salamander Oil and inscribed with a dissipation rune. It absorbs heat. It only works once a day."
Solon narrowed his eyes behind the thick lenses.
"Salamander Oil? Clever lie. But that glove is Cursed, isn't it? I can smell the hunger on it."
Ren froze.
"I have seen many things, boy," Solon whispered, his voice reaching only Ren. "I know a Life-Steal Artifact when I see one. You are feeding it, aren't you?"
Ren didn't deny it. Denying the truth to a Chronomancer was stupid.
"It keeps me alive," Ren whispered back.
Solon leaned back. He addressed the hall.
"Ren Arken possesses no magic. But he possesses... utility. He is too dangerous for Terran. Too stupid for Lunaris. And too poor for Solaris."
Solon grinned.
"Umbra House."
The hall went silent.
Umbra. The "Shadow Dorm." It was where they put the necromancers, the half-breeds, and the students who were likely to blow themselves up. It was the dumping ground.
"Furthermore," Solon added, "Since you are a Retainer, you will work for your tuition. You are assigned to the Great Library as a Night Sorter."
Ren's heart skipped a beat.
The Library.
He had just been given the keys to the kingdom.
"Thank you, Headmaster," Ren bowed deeply.
Draven laughed from the Solaris benches. "Umbra? He's garbage! Have fun sleeping in the dungeon, rat!"
Ren walked back to Caelum.
"I'm in," Ren whispered. "And I got the Library job."
Caelum looked worried. "Ren, Umbra House is... it's a ruin. It's located in the old crypts beneath the East Wing. And the students there are monsters."
"I like monsters," Ren said. "They make sense."
Location: Umbra House (The Crypts).
Time: 8:00 PM.
Caelum was right. It was a ruin.
While Solaris Dorm was a golden palace, Umbra House was a sprawling, gothic stone structure built into the side of a cliff, half-submerged in the academy's moat. It smelled of damp stone and ozone.
Ren walked down the spiral stairs into the common room.
It was dark, lit by floating green skulls.
There were only ten students in the entire house.
Ren scanned the room.
Sitting by the fire was a girl stitching a severed arm back onto a zombie. (Necromancer).
In the corner, a boy was arguing with a floating sword. (Cursed Weapon User).
Playing chess against himself was a boy with six eyes. (Mutant).
And sitting on a high-backed chair in the center was...
Kaelith.
She waved. She was wearing the Umbra uniform (black robes with grey trim).
"You?" Ren blinked. "How?"
"Special Admission," Kaelith grinned. "My clan sent a letter. The Academy needs 'Ranger Diversity'. Since I'm a Half-Elf, they dumped me in the freak house."
She kicked the chair next to her.
"Welcome home, Boss."
Ren looked around the room of misfits, outcasts, and dangerous variables.
He smiled.
"This," Ren said, dropping his bag, "Is going to be fun."
[ System Alert ]
[ New Base Established: Umbra House. ]
[ Quest Updated: The Tower of Lies. ]
[ Objective: Reach Level 20. ]
[ Objective: Explore the 'Great Library' Forbidden Section. ]
Ren sat down.
The Academy Arc had begun.
End of Chapter 16 - Part 1
Summary:
The Fallout: The students gossip about Ren's feat. Draven accuses him of cheating.
The Sorting: Headmaster Solon (Level 70 Chronomancer) interrogates Ren. He sees through the "Salamander Oil" lie and identifies the Cursed Artifact.
The Placement: Solon places Ren in Umbra House (The Misfit Dorm) and assigns him a job at the Great Library.
The Reunion: Ren arrives at Umbra House to find Kaelith is also a student there (Diversity quota/Half-Elf).
The Setting: Umbra is full of dangerous oddballs. It's the perfect cover for Ren.