There were whispers—rumors of a prodigy.
A mage so sublime, none in the realm could match him.
His name was Vaelric Rex—
and Kai was about to meet him.
A young man sat alone on the academy steps, just outside the entrance to the examination hall.
'Man, this is boring.'
Kai lazily chucked pebbles off the ledge, listening to the faint clack of stone on stone as they bounced into the void. That was until someone else appeared.
His hair was jet black, shining like onyx, with blue streaks threading through it.
The space around him crackled subtly, like static clinging to his skin– distorting the air in his wake.
His face was partially shadowed, but that did little to hide the sharp, handsome features—much less those piercing silver eyes.
Nor did it conceal the pale scars trailing down his neck.
He wore mage's robes.
'A caster, then.'
But something else stood out.
A fan—about a foot long—hung from his waist. Gunmetal grey, veined with blood-red streaks.
'A magical artifact.'
Only someone from an elite family could afford a weapon like that.
Unlike Keldreth—Kai's own weapon, subtle and refined—this one radiated menace.
It didn't whisper power. It boasted it before the heavens.
A consumption-type weapon. The crimson veins gave that much away.
'This thing feeds on blood. Grows stronger with every kill.'
Beasts, monsters... maybe even people.
And as long as it wasn't destroyed, that weapon would follow its master all the way to the end.
Kai realized he had been staring for far too long at this point, especially when those piercing eyes turned and gazed directly into his own.
Intimidating, like a creature at the top of the food chain, Apex, that much was clear.
When had Kai backed down in front of a greater power? Never.
That was what gave him the power to stand up and approach the man, even if every step felt like he was betraying his own instincts.
"Name's Kai. You looked like you could use company."
The student's cold gaze washed over his body, before he smiled, surprising Kai.
"Vaelric–Vaelric Rex, that's mine."
He tilted his head.
"Mana-Neglection, huh– seems like Uncle finally took a student."
Kai blinked. Not only had he recognized the art—he'd called Arthur -Uncle-.
Only a few people in the entire kingdom knew the name Mana-Neglection, at least that is what Kai assumed due to the general lack of extremely powerful augmenters.
With Casters unfortunately, Occam's Razor didn't apply.
"You're familiar with it? No one else has recognized it."
The man nodded, his blue streaked hair brushing against the sides of his face from the movement.
"Arthur Garrun, progenitor of the art, Kingdom Record, edition 843, chapter 47, article 33, Mana-Neglection; No information on the art itself, only its outside characteristics."
Kai nodded, but inside he was panicking.
'Wait—was it really that big of a secret? Oh no. I should've just played along. It's fine. Those stuck-up mages will probably just write me off as clueless… I hope.'
"Alright, well-read, huh?" Kai scratched the back of his neck. Something about this guy just felt… off.
He couldn't quite place it—but every mage he'd encountered before had felt like they fit in the world.
However this man felt off, like the world was rejecting him, but couldn't outright erase him.
If Vaelric knew what Kai had figured out about him with just one glance, his recognition of Mana-Neglection would pale in comparison.
Both of these boys were monsters in their own right.
One cold and methodical. The other intuitive, almost clairvoyant.
As for Elytrior…
Time would tell if it was ready for either.
-Ahem-
The two mages turned their attention to the stairs, where a burly professor stood looking down at them.
"Boys, I see you've met already."
The man tossed a scroll at Kai's feet.
"You'd better start praying to whichever god you follow, kid. With a written score like that, you'll need to ace the practical just to exist at this academy."
Kai's eyes bulged as he stared at the scroll—
He'd scored in the negatives.
'Okay, that's just insulting.'
Vaelric looked at him weirdly…
"That's… certainly new. You didn't seem like an idiot."
"I'm not!"
"How does a mind mage even get a score like that on a test…"
Whispers rushed through the crowd—
'These bigots! Wait– mind mage? No no no… did he just—'
"A mind mage?"
The professor looked at him.
"You weren't a mind mage…"
Kai deadpanned, "I'm wearing a tunic and pants. Do I look like a caster?"
The man chuckled awkwardly. "Hey, we're progressive here. Wouldn't want to assume your… magi-path."
Kai stared. The silence dragged.
"…Right," he muttered. "Thanks for the inclusivity."
'Didn't they do just that though— assume his magic path based on his mentor's?'
'Hypocrites… the likes of 'em.'
"Well then it seems like the administration made a mistake, the person in charge of your test clearly assumed that Sylvia Nyssus' student would have surely been a caster…Don't blame them too hard. Honestly, I'd have made the same mistake."
'So… it wasn't just bigotry– I took the wrong test!'
Kai ruffled his hair in frustration, his anger only building as the teacher changed the score on his test, -50%-
That was better right? Wrong! He couldn't even retake the stupid thing.
'I'm so done for…'
The burly teacher smiled, dusting his hands off on eachother.
"That's that! All's fair, no hard feelings right…"
"Yea… no hard feelings"
'Except for the soul-crushing weight of my own stupidity!'
Vaelric's silver eyes lingered on him.
The boy had never met someone who interested him before but now…
'Well. This'll be entertaining.'
-
"Cassandra Ebbenfrothe, I'm a first circle mage with an affinity to water, pleased… to meet you."
Raising his eyebrows Kai looked at her incredulously.
'Sharing your name is one thing… but your method and affinity is entirely different— is she stupid?'
No as a mind mage she definitely was not stupid, she was trying to be nice.
But our poor main character had no reference for this sort of courtesy.
'Maybe casters just like talking about themselves—'
Seeing that the boy in front didn't talk back to her she grew frustrated.
"How could you just ignore a lady like that!"
'Talk about entitled, I was getting to it…'
"All you augmenters are the same!" -hmph-
She folded her arms.
Kai's eyes narrowed.
'Oh- now it's personal.'