The academy clocktower stood tall against the velvet sky, its shadow spilling across the northern field like a dark omen. Midnight drew near, and the moon floated high above, casting pale light through the shifting clouds. Most of the students were asleep, unaware that the air was thick with ancient magic tonight.
Airi moved swiftly, her steps silent on the dew-slicked grass. Her cloak billowed behind her, charmed with a minor wind-silencing enchantment. Every instinct screamed that this was a trap—but her curiosity had long since devoured her fear.
She reached the tower door. Locked, of course. But it was child's play.
Airi placed a hand on the brass handle and whispered, "Aperire."
The enchantment on the lock melted away, and the door creaked open slowly. Dust swirled in the air, disturbed by her presence. The inside was darker than she expected. No torches. No light crystals. Just a narrow spiral staircase leading up into the belly of the tower.
As she ascended, the temperature dropped. Every step echoed louder than the last, and by the time she reached the top, the chill in the air felt unnatural—like walking into a memory of winter.
There, in the center of the ancient room, stood a cloaked figure.
"You came," the voice said. Male. Calm. Familiar.
Airi's eyes narrowed. "You're not the raven."
"No," the figure said, removing his hood. Silver eyes. Midnight hair. Tsukishiro Ren.
"You sent the familiar."
He nodded. "It was the only way to get you here without raising suspicion."
Airi stepped closer. "Why the secrecy?"
Ren's expression turned grim. "Because we're being watched. Not just by the professors or the student council—something darker. Something ancient."
He gestured to the floor. A circle of glowing runes pulsed faintly in the stone. "This is a binding ward. Silent. Sealed. No one can hear us here. Not even the Headmaster."
Airi crossed her arms. "So talk."
Ren hesitated. "You aren't like the others. I felt it the moment you walked into the academy. Your mana... it's old. Refined. Not something someone in Class F should have."
Airi remained still.
He continued, "I've been researching the history of this academy. There are… rumors. That every hundred years, the academy selects a Catalyst—someone powerful enough to awaken the sealed magic beneath the island."
Airi tilted her head. "And you think that's me?"
"I know it is," he replied.
"And what if you're wrong?" she asked.
"Then we both die when the seal breaks. Because it's already cracking."
He waved his hand, and a small illusion appeared: a glowing rift beneath the academy, pulsing with dark energy. "This is under the western wing. I found it last month. There are whispers down there. Something is trying to escape."
Airi studied the image, her brow furrowing. The energy looked… familiar. Very familiar.
"I've seen this magic before," she whispered. "In another life."
Ren looked up sharply. "Another life?"
Airi's heart skipped. She had let that slip.
"Never mind," she said quickly. "What do you want from me?"
"I want an alliance," Ren said. "I want to help you uncover the truth—about this academy, about the seal, and about your power. I can't do it alone."
Airi looked at him, weighing his words. He wasn't lying. His mana was steady. His expression sincere.
But trust was a currency she had long stopped spending freely.
Still…
If what he said was true, then something dangerous was brewing beneath their feet. And she couldn't let another world fall to ruin. Not again.
"Fine," she said. "We work together. But if you betray me—"
"You'll erase me from existence," he said with a faint smile. "Got it."
The next few days passed in a blur of routine and secrecy. By day, Airi sat through classes, faking struggle through basic spell formations and potion brewing. By night, she and Ren met in hidden corners of the academy—abandoned classrooms, enchanted corridors, even beneath the courtyard fountain, where a forgotten chamber lay in ruins.
They pieced together fragments of forgotten history, pulling old scrolls from the Grand Archive and mapping the ley lines beneath the school. Every clue pointed to one thing:
The Heart of Oblivion.
A sealed relic hidden beneath the academy. A source of chaotic magic sealed away by the Founders after the Arcane War. And now, it was awakening.
One night, while sneaking through the potions lab, they were ambushed.
It happened fast.
The air went still.
A shadow slithered across the ceiling like smoke.
Airi reacted first.
"Ignis Gladius!"
A sword of fire burst into her hand, slicing through the darkness—but it wasn't enough. The shadow lashed out, and she was thrown into the wall. Ren leaped forward, casting a barrier just in time.
"Who are you?!" he shouted.
The shadow formed a vague humanoid shape, eyes like burning coals.
"You meddle where you shouldn't," it hissed. "The seal must not be broken."
Airi stood, wiping blood from her lip. "Then why is it breaking on its own?"
The shadow screamed, and the walls trembled.
Ren raised his hands. "Tectum Lux!"
Light exploded outward, burning away the shadow's form. The creature shrieked and vanished in a burst of black mist.
Airi gasped for breath.
Ren looked at her. "You okay?"
She nodded. "That wasn't just a creature. That was a fragment of the seal's guardian."
He frowned. "They're active now?"
Airi's eyes darkened. "Which means we're running out of time."
Later that night, in her dorm room, Airi sat by the window, staring out at the glowing city beyond the academy walls. The stars were faint, hidden behind clouds, but she didn't need to see them. She felt the change in the air. The threads of fate pulling tighter.
The seal… the guardians… the Heart of Oblivion...
And in the mirror, her reflection shimmered—not as Hoshizora Airi, the weak transfer student—but as Aurelia, the strongest mage of her past life.
"I won't fail again," she whispered. "Even if I have to burn this academy to the ground."