Celestara Spire drifted above the world like a crown carved from dawn itself. Its floating towers reflected sunrise into a thousand colors, casting brilliant ribbons of gold and rose across the clouds beneath it. New students flooded the sky-bridges, some arriving on griffons, others on shimmering levitation platforms.
Caelum Vale walked.
He preferred it that way.
Wind curled around him in small, playful spirals, tugging at his silver hair. The currents always behaved strangely near him; the instructors called it "ambient Starfire resonance," though Caelum suspected it was simply the world reacting to his nerves.
Today mattered.
Today was the Ascension Exam.
He paused at the edge of the arrival bridge. From here, he could see nearly the entire academy: glass dueling rings hanging like lanterns, coliseums shaped from arcane metal, lecture halls anchored by runes the size of carriages. The place radiated prestige and pressure.
"I suppose this is where legends are made," he murmured.
A voice answered him—sharp, heated, unmistakably annoyed.
"Legends are made in duels, not dramatic staring."
Caelum turned.
Lyra Ignis marched toward him, cloak blazing with embers that never burned her. Her fiery red hair crackled faintly, and her amber eyes narrowed with the focus of someone who had spent the entire morning rehearsing victory speeches.
"Caelum Vale," she said, arms crossing. "I told myself I wouldn't acknowledge you on day one, but the universe seems intent on ruining my plans."
He smiled slightly. "Good morning to you too, Lyra."
"You're late. The dueling roster goes live in two minutes. And when they see your ridiculous scores from the written exam, guess who they'll match you with?"
"Someone talented, I hope."
Her flames flared for a heartbeat. "Try not to act charming. It's infuriating."
"I'm not acting."
She made a strangled sound and stalked off toward the arena platforms. Caelum followed, genuinely amused. Lyra had been his fiercest rival in the entrance trials—talented, proud, and utterly unwilling to admit she respected him.
The academy's central plaza was alive with noise. Scores of students clustered around hovering crystal screens displaying pairs of names.
Then a cold presence brushed Caelum's shoulder.
"Statistically speaking," said a soft, cool voice, "your probability of being matched with Lyra Ignis is twenty-seven percent. A predictable outcome, yet still suboptimal if your goal is to avoid early injuries."
Caelum didn't need to look to know who it was.
Seraphine Frostveil stood beside him like a sculpture carved from moonlight and snow. Pale hair fell down her back in straight, perfect lines. Her ice-blue eyes flicked rapidly from one name to another, calculating.
"Hello, Seraphine," Caelum greeted. "You're analyzing the list already?"
"I analyzed it before it appeared."
Of course she had.
Seraphine tilted her head. "Your heartbeat is elevated. Anticipation?"
"Excitement," he said. "I want to see what this place can push out of me."
"That," she murmured, "could be interesting to observe."
A fox yawned at Caelum's feet. He glanced down.
Elowen Thorne approached with silent steps, emerald hair framing a gentle face. Moss-like patterns glowed faintly along her arms—the mark of a nature-soul contractor. Her fox familiar, Virren, circled Caelum once before curling lazily at his boots.
"Elowen," Caelum said, chuckling. "Your fox is more affectionate than you."
"He likes people with calm mana," she replied softly. "It reminds him of forest rivers."
"Do I remind you of forest rivers?"
She blinked, cheeks tinting greenish-gold. "I… don't dislike rivers."
Caelum laughed.
Around them, names flickered across the crystal screens. Students shouted, groaned, celebrated.
Then Lyra's voice cut through everything.
"Oh you have got to be joking."
Caelum looked up at the list.
MATCH 3: LYRA IGNIS vs CAELUM VALE.
He exhaled. "Well. Could be worse."
Lightning cracked above him.
A tall figure landed on the plaza floor, thunder rolling behind her. Astra Voltaris pushed back her storm-blue hair and grinned like someone always seconds away from a duel.
"Caelum," she said. "If you lose before I get to challenge you, I'm going to be very disappointed."
Lyra threw her hands up. "Why does everyone talk like he's already some legendary emperor?"
Astra shrugged. "Because he fights like one."
Seraphine nodded. "Evidence supports the statement."
Elowen whispered, "His mana feels… ancient."
Caelum raised both hands. "Please don't canonize me before breakfast."
But the truth was—he felt the shift in the air too.
The Starfire Arcana pulsed within him, soft gold ripples flowing beneath his skin. The gravity around him thinned slightly, and stray motes of starlight sparked between his fingers.
Seraphine noticed. "You're resonating early. Is that intentional?"
"No."
"Concerning," she said calmly.
Lyra glared. "Save the theatrics. Our match is soon."
The dueling platforms activated—wide circular arenas drifting outward from the plaza. Caelum stepped onto Match Platform 3. Lyra leapt onto the opposite side, fire trailing behind her like a comet.
A barrier dome formed.
The crowd hushed.
Lyra ignited instantly. Flames spiraled around her arms, and heat warped the air.
"You will not win easily," she warned.
Caelum summoned a single Etherblade—starlight condensing into a sharp, elegant curve of light.
"I never want easy."
She charged.
Flame met starlight.
Her fire roared toward him in a sweeping arc. Caelum pivoted, gravity bending to lighten the step. His blade cut through the flame, splitting it into harmless sparks.
Lyra grinned—she loved this.
She launched three blazing projectiles. He redirected gravity again, sliding between them with improbable luck.
"Stop dodging like physics is optional!" she shouted.
He gave her a cheerful nod. "It often is."
Lyra planted her feet. Mana flared. The ground beneath her glowed red-hot.
She unleashed her signature move: Ignis Bloom.
A fiery explosion blossomed outward like a burning flower.
Students gasped.
Caelum raised his free hand. Starfire swirled, threads of light weaving into a shield. The explosion washed over it, scattering into glitter.
When the flames cleared, Lyra panted—but her eyes gleamed.
"You're insufferable," she breathed.
Caelum stepped forward, tapped her staff with his blade, and gently lowered it.
"Yield."
Lyra hesitated.
Then she exhaled and nodded.
The barrier dropped.
Astra whistled. "You didn't humiliate her. Nice."
Seraphine wrote something in her notebook. "Interesting restraint."
Elowen smiled faintly. "You fight kindly."
Caelum looked across the crowd—faces staring at him with curiosity, awe, challenge.
And he thought:
A throne isn't something to sit on.
It's something to build.
He stepped off the platform, wind swirling around him.
The path to becoming Harem King had begun.