The room was heavy with pressure.
Students stood silent around the glowing Awakening Circle. Teachers and overseers watched from a raised platform. Isaac adjusted his collar, trying to calm his breath, but his hands were sweating.
He didn't feel ready.
He'd spent years imagining this moment—awakening his core magic, unlocking a path forward. But now that it was here, all he could think about was his brother.
The mysterious warnings. The disappearing. The message: "Don't follow my name."
And lately… the dreams. Blurred visions of frost, of chains in the sky, of a girl trapped in light.
"Isaac Eliron," Miss Nye called. Her voice echoed across the chamber. "Your turn."
Isaac stepped forward.
He passed Siya Firebone, who was surrounded by students congratulating her on her S-Rank talent. She didn't look at him—most never did. Isaac was a shadow at best.
He entered the circle.
The runes ignited, forming concentric rings of energy around him. The central pillar hummed, casting strands of silver and blue light across his chest and forehead. The ground trembled faintly.
A sharp pain jolted his skull.
Then silence.
Nothing happened.
The crowd began murmuring. Whispers filled the room. Even the teachers looked confused.
Miss Nye squinted at the glowing crystal orb beside her. "...That's strange. No reading?"
Isaac blinked. His vision had turned black and white. Everyone looked... frozen. He moved his hand—and time itself seemed to ripple slightly.
"What… is this?" he whispered.
And then—
A second pulse shot through the circle.
The pillar flared to black and gold. The ground cracked beneath him. The runes turned into ancient glyphs no one recognized. Isaac's eyes widened as a deep voice echoed—not from outside, but inside him.
> "Soulline recognized. Temporal anchor unlocked. Inheritor confirmed."
The crowd screamed. The teachers tried to pull him out—but a transparent cube of energy surrounded him now. Inside it, time moved differently. He could see their mouths moving slowly, as if underwater.
Memories poured into him.
Chains of stars.
Fragments of a shattered seal.
The image of a girl with silver hair standing in a mirror, whispering his name—Isaac...
Then it was over.
The barrier shattered. Isaac fell to his knees, gasping. The orb beside Miss Nye exploded into dust.
The hall was silent.
A new sigil had formed on Isaac's back—unseen by anyone. A glyph of three interlocked rings—Time, Soul, and Mirror.
Miss Nye dropped her chalk.
"Confirmed Talent: Unknown. Classification: Forbidden Tier."
She had never seen that reading before.
The Head Overseer stepped forward, his eyes sharp. "Get that boy into containment. Now."
Isaac didn't resist. He couldn't even speak. Something inside him had broken—and awakened.
Far away, inside the high sanctum tower, Aethra sat up in her bed, gasping.
Her heart was beating fast. Tears leaked from her glowing eyes.
> "He's… awake."
The stars above the sanctum flickered unnaturally.
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