Morning arrived far too quickly.
I barely slept after the flare of Starborn Light the night before. Every time I drifted toward sleep, I felt phantom warmth under my skin, like the magic was pacing restlessly inside me—waiting.
When Tarek shook me awake, I almost punched him out of reflex.
"Whoa! Easy, tiger," he laughed. "Breakfast hall opens soon. Then the academy tour. Hurry unless you want cold porridge."
I sat up slowly. "What time is it?"
"Too early," he said, tying his boots in a lopsided knot. "Come on."
The dorm corridors were choked with students. Some were half-asleep. Some were bright-eyed. Nobles strutted like peacocks. Commoners walked fast and quiet. Everyone buzzed with the same nervous anticipation.
Affinity tests tomorrow.
A single evaluation that could change your entire future.
Tarek nudged me as we walked. "You look like your soul left your body overnight."
"It tried," I muttered.
He laughed, unaware of how accurate that almost was.
---
The Great Hall
Breakfast was overwhelming.
The Great Hall looked like a world unto itself—vaulted ceilings carved with constellations that shimmered and shifted every few seconds. Floating trays carried steaming bowls and enchanted platters overhead. The smell of warm bread and spiced fruit wafted through the air.
Tarek inhaled dramatically. "This is heaven."
"It's… a lot," I said truthfully.
"Then embrace the lot!"
He grabbed a plate piled with so much food it groaned under its own weight. I picked something lighter—a cup of herbal brew and a slice of softbread.
We found seats at a long table near the center. The chatter filled the hall like a thousand overlapping conversations.
"Draven Valehart."
The voice was crisp.
Cold.
Familiar.
I didn't even need to turn.
Kaelen stood behind me, his posture perfect and his expression dripping amusement.
"Eating with commoners?" he asked Tarek with mock sympathy. "I commend your bravery. One might catch… something."
Tarek froze mid-bite. "Say that again. I dare you."
I put a hand on his arm. "Ignore him."
Kaelen raised a brow. "Spirited, aren't we? The academy should thank me. I prefer my future rivals to have confidence—makes their eventual defeat far more entertaining."
I met his gaze. "Funny. I don't remember agreeing to be your rival."
Kaelen leaned closer. "Oh, you don't get to choose, Valehart. Destiny already has."
The words hit me harder than they should've.
Did he mean it literally?
Or was he just being dramatic?
Before I could respond, Celene—Kaelen's silver-haired companion—approached. Unlike him, she wasn't smirking. She simply adjusted her glasses.
"Kaelen," she said calmly, "the tour begins in two minutes."
He clicked his tongue. "Very well. Try not to faint, Valehart."
They walked off.
Tarek shoved a fistful of bread into his mouth and spoke through the crumbs, "Bro… I swear on my grandmother's left sandal… I hate that guy."
"Get used to him," I sighed. "He's not going anywhere."
"Neither are we," Tarek grinned. "Remember that."
Maybe he was right.
Maybe.
---
The Tour Begins
Our group gathered outside under a massive stone archway where a tall woman wearing silver robes waited, holding a staff shaped like an unfolding lotus.
"Good morning," she said. "I am Instructor Merel. Follow closely. The academy is vast and unforgiving to the easily lost."
Tarek whispered, "That's me."
We started walking.
The first stop was the Spellforge Atrium—a vast dome lined with floating glyphs, each rotating slowly like miniature moons. Students practiced basic spells here, under invisible wards that caught misfires before they exploded.
"This," Instructor Merel said, "is where most of you will set your own eyebrows on fire."
Tarek whispered, "See? Educational."
Next came the Arcane Gardens, where glowing flowers pulsed with mana and vines whispered secrets when touched. A few students reached out; the vines recoiled instantly.
"Do not touch the flora," Merel warned. "Unless you enjoy hallucinations of your worst fears."
Tarek immediately shoved his hands into his pockets.
I lingered near a silverleaf tree whose leaves whispered like faint chimes. Something about its glow tugged at me—like it recognized something inside me.
The Starborn Light hummed faintly.
Not dangerous.
But aware.
I stepped away quickly.
We passed the Skybridge, an open-air walkway suspended between two towers. The wind carried a faint presence—magic thick enough to taste.
"This is beautiful," I muttered.
Tarek stretched his arms. "If I fall, tell my mother I died heroically."
"You tripping is not heroic."
"Let me dream."
But not everything was peaceful.
When we crossed the bridge's midpoint, Kaelen leaned casually against the railing, waiting as if he'd timed it perfectly.
"Well, well," he said, voice carrying just enough to be heard by everyone. "The means to mediocrity have arrived."
Tarek bristled. "I swear, Kaelen—"
But Kaelen's eyes weren't on him.
They were on me.
"How are you feeling, Valehart?" he asked. "Nervous? Sweating? Afraid the affinity test will expose you?"
My heart stalled.
Did he know something?
"What exactly do you think it will expose?" I asked quietly.
He paused.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"Oh… I have theories."
His gaze flicked over me—sharp, assessing—like he was trying to see beneath my skin.
The Starborn Light pulsed once.
Hard.
My vision brightened.
The wind suddenly bent around me, pulling gently—like gravity shifted for a moment.
Kaelen's eyes widened just slightly.
Then it passed.
The light retreated.
The world snapped back.
Had he felt that?
Did anyone else?
Instructor Merel's voice cut sharply through the tension.
"Kaelen Drest. Move along."
He bowed mockingly. "Of course, Instructor."
He passed me slowly, murmuring under his breath:
"You can't hide forever, Valehart."
A chill snaked down my spine.
---
The Wandering Hall
The next part of the tour was the quietest—and strangest.
The Wandering Hall stretched endlessly, its torches flickering in unnatural patterns. Portraits watched us with eyes that subtly moved. The stones whispered faintly underfoot, alive with centuries of magic.
"Stay close," Instructor Merel warned. "The hall has a personality. If it dislikes you, it may attempt to… redirect you."
"That's… comforting," I muttered.
Tarek pressed beside me. "Bro… the wall just breathed."
It really did.
But the strangest moment came when we stopped at a sealed chamber marked with ancient celestial symbols carved in spirals.
"This door," Merel said, "has not opened in nearly two hundred years. It responds only to Starborn signatures—magic so rare that many consider it myth."
My throat tightened.
Tarek looked at the door with amazement.
Kaelen looked at it with hunger.
I looked away.
I felt the symbols hum faintly at my presence.
I stepped back instinctively.
Celene—Kaelen's companion—tilted her head slightly, studying me.
Like she noticed something.
Something I didn't mean to reveal.
---
The Final Stop
By late afternoon, the tour ended at the Academy Field—an open space surrounded by crystal pylons that flickered with multi-colored light.
"This," Instructor Merel announced, "is where your affinity tests will take place."
Everyone stared.
Some with excitement.
Some with dread.
Some with arrogance (Kaelen).
My palms felt ice-cold.
Tomorrow, this place would decide everything.
Tarek slapped my shoulder.
"We got this," he said confidently.
"I hope so."
"No," he said, grinning. "Believe so."
For a moment, I almost did.
But deep inside, something whispered back—
You are not ready.
You are not safe.
And when the test begins… the light will wake.