The bells of Imperial Avalar Academy rang like bright silver.
The entrance ceremony had begun. Students had come here from across the kingdom; every first-year was attending. Their voices rose to answer the bells—cheers, murmurs, anticipation.
But someone wasn't there.
He stood outside the old headmaster's office in a quiet corridor. Somewhere below, the choir raised the anthem every first-year was supposed to hear.
He waited for the door to open. The secretary had already left for the ceremony. No guards, no attendants—just him.
Then a slow voice slipped into his head: "ENTER."
Arius knocked and pushed the door open.
The headmaster's office was large, yet not designed to impress. Shelves sagged under the weight of books and ledgers. A map of the Mastis Empire stretched across the far wall.
Behind the desk stood Headmaster Cassian Velyan—a tall, yellow-haired old man. The moment Arius entered, an immense pressure bore down on him. His body stiffened; he couldn't move, couldn't even see clearly—just the crushing force of Cassian's presence.
After a few seconds, the weight vanished.
"Arius von Korvis," the headmaster said, as if reading a line from an old record. "Thank you for coming."
Arius inclined his head. "You asked me to miss the ceremony."
"I did," Cassian replied calmly. "The ceremony is for those who merely qualified for Avalar Academy." His words were slow and cutting, edged with quiet disdain.
Cassian gestured toward a chair. "Please."
Arius sat quietly, resisting the instinct to remain standing. Somewhere beneath the floor, the anthem reached its final, lifted note. When it ended, the room seemed louder for a heartbeat—pen scratching, wood settling, a faint whisper at the edge of hearing.
"Do you hear it?" Cassian asked.
Arius blinked. "Hear what?"
"The building," the headmaster said. "It talks to those who listen. Most call it draft, echo, superstition. Avalar is old—places like this collect… residue." He let the word hang in the air. "Your House knows this better than most."
Arius kept his expression steady. "You didn't bring me here to talk about acoustics."
"No." The headmaster's mouth curved—not quite a smile. He opened a slim drawer and set a small card on the desk: golden and thin, gleaming under the light.
"You are someone who entered directly, without proving yourself worthy," Cassian said. "I granted that only because of your House's influence." His words weren't spoken in disdain, but they still cut sharply.
Arius quietly picked up the golden card. It was his first-year Academy identification. His name, photo, and details were engraved neatly across its surface.
"It gives you first-year Master privileges," Cassian explained with a faint smile. "You can use it both inside and outside the Academy. It is the highest-ranked card given to a first-year."
At Imperial Avalar Academy, every student was ranked according to their strength and weakness. The Academy offered both three- and four-year programs. Each year carried three possible ranks—Apprentice, Veteran, and Master—except for the fourth and final year.
"Well, I don't think you need any Academy privileges." Another sharp, cutting remark from Headmaster Cassian.
Arius only nodded and sat quietly.
"I don't think I need to waste time or energy explaining the Academy rules," Cassian continued in a gentler tone.
"Yes," Arius replied simply.
Cassian's expression softened, almost pleased by the short answer. "Good. Then let's discuss a few matters that apply only to you—important rules you must understand."
He leaned back slightly, his voice steady. "There are three rules, and only for you."
Cassian paused, his eyes narrowing with memory. "You know, your father and I were great friends. We learned together, graduated together, and fought side by side. He was a kind man, and I do not want you to become his opposite—nor to follow the path of your grandfather."
A shadow of sternness crossed his tone. "Your father died as a warrior, honorably. That is why I agreed to grant you admission. But understand this clearly, Arius—your place here depends on following these rules."
He raised a finger. "First: do not pick fights with your fellow siblings. I know they will provoke you, but you must remember this."
A second finger. "Second: make friends. True ones. Find people who will support you and walk beside you."
Finally, his hand closed into a fist. "And last—this is a warning—do not use your House's name to enter restricted areas, and do not rely on your House's power here."
Cassian's words hung in the air. After a long silence, he leaned forward, studying Arius carefully. "That is all. Now—what will you say?"
Arius knew he had no choice but to agree to all the conditions. He inclined his head gently and replied, "I agree with every condition."
Cassian seemed satisfied with the answer.
"Before you leave my office, there is one more condition for you to follow," Cassian said in a plain, measured tone.
Arius showed no emotion.
"Do not use your second trait without my permission—at all. After all, you are the heir of House Korvis, Arius." Cassian's words cut like a blade.
Arius accepted the final condition without hesitation. He did not argue, nor did he show the faintest flicker of feeling. It was as if he had already been prepared for such restraints.
Seeing this, Cassian gave a small nod of approval. "Good. You have permission to leave now. Today's classes begin in half an hour—you may join them."
With that, Arius rose to his feet, offered a brief bow of respect, and turned to leave the office.
---
After leaving the headmaster's office, Arius felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The suffocating pressure that had filled the room was gone, replaced by the ordinary noise of the Academy beyond.
As he walked out, the sounds grew louder—the echo of footsteps, the murmur of voices, the lively chatter of students. Every corridor outside the main halls buzzed with movement. New students asked hurried questions, old students laughed as they reunited, and the air itself seemed to pulse with the energy of a new term.
But here, near the headmaster's corridor, it was silent. No one lingered in this wing, and for obvious reasons.
Arius crossed the quiet stretch and continued forward, searching for his lecture room. Students roamed everywhere, scattered in groups, carrying books, uniforms still crisp from the first day. It was the start of a new session, and the Academy was alive.
The Imperial Avalar Academy was the most elite institution in the empire. It admitted students solely on the basis of talent—no recommendations, no bribes, no connections. Admission was overseen directly by the royal family and the great houses. The rules were absolute: without passing the entrance examination, entry was impossible.
And yet, Arius was here.
Not through his own merit, but through the shadow of his bloodline. House Korvis—renowned, feared, and whispered about. Famous not only for its power, but for the dark reputation that clung to its name. At present, his grandfather, Roman Von Korvis , held the title of Patriarch. A man of vast influence, whose word carried weight across the empire.
It was only Roman's intervention that had secured Arius's place. The Academy's law was strict: no more than three members of a single house could attend at one time. And Arius's three elder siblings were already enrolled. By the rules, his entry should have been impossible.
But somehow, his grandfather's influence bent even that iron law. And so, without examination, Arius von Korvis walked the halls of Avalar Academy.