The Academy teaches spells, not truth. Power, not purpose. But the old creatures still remember why we were chosen."
Entry One: Survivors and Classes
Only a handful of us had made it this far.
The brutal trials—the maze's twisting corridors, the chamber's cold shadows—had swallowed so many before this moment. Now, the survivors gathered inside the towering walls of the academy: an ancient fortress etched with runes and humming with magic older than any living memory.
I was the only E-Class among them.
The academy was a living hierarchy, rigid and unyielding.
The First Years—like me—were raw, untrained, scrambling to control powers they barely understood.
The Second Years had begun to master their gifts, walking the fine line between novice and legend.
And the Third Years—well, they were something else entirely.
Elites, warriors of raw power, dangerously close to becoming the stuff of myth.
Each class had leaders who ruled with strength and authority.
For the Second Years, these chosen champions commanded respect, wielding magic with effortless grace.
They flaunted their powers like trophies.
Flames flickered from fingertips, light bent and warped with practiced ease, healing magic flowed so smoothly it was almost a dance.
Every display was louder, prouder than the last—an echo of the power they already held.
At the pinnacle stood Kael.
Everyone knew his name.
The academy's golden boy, the prodigy with blue flames that danced like extensions of his soul.
His mastery unmatched, his presence commanding, leaving even the professors watching him with a mix of reverence and unease.
Entry Two: Weak First Years and New Bonds
Among the sea of hesitant First Years, two girls caught my eye.
Nia and Lyra — beginners like me.
When they approached, their smiles were hesitant but warm.
"You look out of place," Lyra said, half-smiling but not unkindly.
"Maybe I am," I answered, trying to sound braver than I felt.
Nia nodded gently. "We're just starting. None of us have powers yet. But we'll get there."
There was comfort in their honesty, in the unspoken promise that none of us were truly alone.
It reminded me of the cold loneliness of the maze — but here, maybe, there was hope.
Entry Three: Classes and Leaders
Our First Year class was led by Joren.
Tall, steady, calm — a quiet confidence that didn't shout but demanded attention.
He wasn't flashy like the Second Years, no swirling flames or bending lights.
But something about the way he carried himself—reliable, a steady hand in chaos—made people listen.
I knew Joren had a crush on me, though he'd never say it aloud.
His eyes softened when they found me in the crowd.
When others sneered at my E-Class status, he was quick to step in — shielding me with words or a glare.
Joren was the captain of our fragile group, organizing training sessions, drilling us relentlessly, holding the fragile threads of our unity together.
Meanwhile, the Second Year leaders ruled their classes with ruthless precision.
Fierce, practiced, sometimes brutal — they held the academy's balance in their hands.
And then there was Kael.
The undisputed leader of the Third Years.
His mastery over fire was legendary.
Even the professors treated him with a mixture of awe and wariness.
Entry Four: Kael's Distance
Kael never approached the First Years.
He watched from afar, like a blazing king in his own kingdom.
Once, our eyes met for a fleeting moment.
Something shifted inside me — a spark of recognition, or maybe curiosity.
But then he looked away, disappearing into the crowd like a flame swallowed by shadow.
It was clear he belonged to a world far beyond mine.
A world I desperately wanted to understand.
Entry Five: The Ancient Book
Later, I slipped away from the noise into a quiet corner of the academy's vast, echoing library.
There, among dust-covered shelves, I pulled out a tattered leather-bound book I'd smuggled from the restricted section — a collection of ancient myths and forgotten stories.
My mother and sister had whispered these tales when I was small — stories no one else seemed to believe.
I traced my fingers over faded names of creatures thought extinct or mythical — monsters from old legends no one dared speak aloud.
The savage Erymanthian Boar, with its impenetrable hide.
The seductive and deadly Empusa, who lured warriors to their doom.
The colossal underground guardians called Myrmekes — creatures of earth and stone, forgotten by time but not history.
Reading the descriptions sent a shiver down my spine.
No one else at the academy cared about these legends.
The professors ignored them.
The students scoffed.
But I had grown up knowing the truth.
Entry Six: The Shadow's Whisper
Closing the book, a strange warmth pulsed beneath my skin.
The shadows in the dim light flickered and curled unnaturally around my fingers, like living things trying to reach out.
My heart raced.
I didn't understand it yet.
What I didn't know was this:
I was the only one who could truly manipulate shadows — a power so rare it was almost myth.
But it was inside me.
Waiting.
Entry Seven: New Friends and New Challenges
Back with the First Years, Lyra and Nia stuck close.
"We're weak now," Lyra admitted, "but Joren believes in us. We'll get stronger."
Nia's soft smile was full of hope.
"This is just the beginning."
Joren caught my eye across the training yard and gave a small, steady nod — a silent promise of support.
Kael, watching from the Third Years, was like a distant sun — untouchable, always burning, always out of reach.
But I felt something stirring.
Something dark and wild beneath the surface.
Entry Eight: The Stirring
As the sun set behind the academy's ancient towers, a quiet promise filled the air.
Power, classes, old myths — all stirring beneath the surface.
And I was standing at the center of it all.
The maze tested my body.
The chamber tested my soul.
Now the academy would test my mind — and the truth I was only beginning to see.