The amphitheater of the Grand Tribunal loomed high above the academy, a ring of floating platforms suspended in a storm-wreathed sky. Lightning cracked silently behind the veils of cloud, casting eerie light across the ancient stone.
It was not a place of education.
It was a place of judgment.
Airi stood at the center of the main platform, her hands bound by silver arcane cuffs. Around her, twelve mages in ceremonial robes sat in thrones of stone and light. Each represented a faction of power across the continent—fire, void, celestial, earth, time, wind, and more.
At the head sat the Archon of Magic, a blindfolded woman known only as The Oracle. Her voice was soft, but every syllable thundered in the mind like law.
"You are Hoshizora Airi," she said. "Student of Astraea Academy. Survivor of the Wyrmshade attack. Suspected wielder of Forbidden Class magic—Void tier."
Airi said nothing. Her shoulders were square. Her chin was lifted.
"You are summoned here not to be punished," the Oracle continued, "but to determine if you are a threat."
A pause.
"If you are… you will be erased."
From the audience gallery—hidden behind protective wards—Ryouma watched with clenched fists. Kael stood beside him, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
"She shouldn't be up there alone," Ryouma muttered.
"She chose it," Kael replied. "Refused an advocate."
"But she's—"
"Strong enough to stand without one. Maybe stronger than all of us."
The Oracle raised her staff.
"Begin the test."
The silver cuffs vanished.
The moment they did, Airi's body was slammed backward by a fire spear from the Pyroclast Faction's master.
She slid across the stone—but caught herself on one knee, flames licking her sleeves.
Another attack—wind blades from the Aeris Circle. Then earth spikes, then a gravity well that tried to crush her flat.
Twelve mages. Twelve factions. Each testing her limits.
She blocked what she could, evaded what she couldn't. But she didn't fight back.
She wouldn't give them a reason to call her a monster.
Not yet.
"She's holding back," Ryouma whispered.
Kael nodded slowly. "They'll take that as weakness."
Below, a black-and-gold spell came flying toward her—a curse hex meant to paralyze. Airi rolled aside, breathing heavy now.
The Oracle lifted a hand.
"Enough. She has survived the Trial Phase. Now comes the final test: the Mirror."
Gasps echoed in the amphitheater.
A gate of silver mist opened beside Airi.
The Oracle's voice rang again."This is the True Self Mirror. Enter, and show us your soul. Only then can we know if you are cursed."
Inside the mirror, there was no floor. No walls. Just endless space and a reflection.
Airi faced herself.
But it was not the Airi she knew.
This reflection was older. Her hair flowed like stardust. Her eyes glowed purple. Her skin was etched with runes of power — Void Glyphs of a forgotten tongue. She looked like a queen of a fallen world.
"You are me," Airi said quietly.
"I am what you become," the reflection whispered. "If you stop pretending."
"I don't want to hurt anyone."
"You already have. You just don't see it yet."
Airi trembled. "What if I lose control?"
"Then learn to rule it. Or it will rule you."
Suddenly, the mirror darkened—and shadows began to surge from its edges, swirling around her like claws.
The Void screamed.
And Airi… screamed back.
Outside, the tribunal mages gasped as the Mirror cracked.Then shattered.
From the fragments emerged Airi—hovering above the stone. Her eyes were lit with cosmic fire. Her voice echoed through every mind:
"I am not your enemy."
"I am not your weapon."
"I am the one who chooses."
With a wave of her hand, the broken pieces reformed—not into a mirror, but into a blade of violet crystal, humming with restrained power.
The Oracle rose from her throne, blindfold slipping slightly to reveal glowing, white eyes.
And she smiled.
"The Council will not harm you," she said. "But they will fear you."
That night, the academy returned to uneasy calm.
But in the shadows of the library tower, a figure dressed in obsidian armor slipped through the wards.
The assassin moved like liquid darkness, each step cloaked by spells older than language.
He held a single order:Kill the girl before she becomes the Queen of Void.