A tense silence had fallen over the Starfall Court, thick enough to taste. The playful shimmer of the crystal underfoot now felt like a spotlight. Thousands of applicants stood in nervous clusters, the air humming with a low thrum of anxiety and unchecked power. Kaelen stood among them, a statue of calm in a sea of fidgeting energy. Yet, within, a single variable caused a minute but persistent fluctuation in his vitals.
The mana assessment.
It wasn't fear of failure. It was fear of success. Or rather, of what would happen if the Academy's systems somehow pierced the Veil of the Humble Leaf and registered the true, ocean-deep reservoir of power that lay beneath. The Limiter held, the Veil was active, but the risk was non-zero. It was the most complex equation he had faced since arriving.
[Heart rate elevated by 5.8%. Adrenal response detected. Cause: Potential exposure risk.]
[Recommendation: Maintain social mimicry protocols. Display signs of mild anxiety to blend with cohort. Breathe erratically.]
Kaelen took a slightly too-sharp breath, letting his shoulders tense just enough to match the posture of the human boy next to him who was muttering prayers to a forgotten god.
A resonant chime echoed through the plaza, and the massive crystal slabs flickered, their message changing.
THE CRUCIBLE OF CONVERGENCE COMMENCES.
PROCEED TO THE DESIGNATED GATES.
MANA CAPACITY ASSESSMENT IS THE FIRST TRIAL.
The crowd began to move, a slow, tense river flowing towards several archways that led into the academy's interior. Kaelen and Shine were swept along.
The assessment chamber was vast and stark. A single, massive obsidian monolith stood in the center, covered in glowing, intricate runes. Applicants were directed to place a hand upon it and channel a trickle of mana. The monolith would glow in response, its intensity and color supposedly measuring their potential.
One by one, they stepped forward. A dwarf made it glow a steady, deep brown. A fire mage ignited it in a brief, violent crimson flare. Kaizar, the Dragonkin, sauntered up, placed his hand, and the monolith shone with a bright, sustained gold, drawing impressed murmurs.
Then it was Shine's turn. She placed her palm on the stone. A soft, silver-blue light emanated from it, clean and strong, ebbing and flowing like moonlight on water. A respectable, high-noble-elven reading. She sighed in relief and joined the growing group of those who had passed.
Kaelen stepped forward.
This was the moment. He could feel the monolith's probing energy, a subtle spell designed to measure the size of a well. His well was an abyss. He had to allow it to measure only a single, surface-level droplet.
He placed his hand on the cold stone. He focused not on pushing mana out, but on tightening the Limiter's grip, on reinforcing the Veil's subroutine. He let a precisely calculated, minuscule stream of energy flow forth—the exact amount a dedicated, talented human Level 18 would possess.
The monolith glowed. It was a soft, steady, utterly unremarkable white. A decent showing, enough to pass, but completely forgettable. The proctor, a bored-looking elf, gave a curt nod without even looking up from his ledger.
[Mana Assessment Complete. Result: Within projected parameters for assumed identity. Exposure risk: 0.001%.]
Kaelen moved to stand beside Shine. She offered him a small, encouraging smile. "See? Nothing to worry about."
"The probability of failure was always low," he stated, the truth hidden within the lie.
The next few days were a grueling montage of tests designed to break them. They were herded into shifting labyrinthine corridors that tested spatial reasoning and endurance. They faced written exams on magical theory and the history of the Collision that would have stumped seasoned scholars. They were put through complex obstacle courses where the walls themselves attacked with elemental magic.
Through it all, Kaelen's group naturally found each other. There was Alio, a quick-witted human rogue with a knack for disarming magical traps, and his more serious twin Keijos, whose strategic mind quickly became their unofficial leader. Drenos, a quiet, hulking youth with a surprising gentleness, used his raw strength to shield others. The sisters, Eline and Rei, complemented each other perfectly—Eline's sharp ice magic creating platforms and barriers, while Rei's keen eyes spotted hidden pathways and triggers.
Kaelen didn't dominate. He supported. He used a tiny application of Absolute Stillness to freeze a swinging pendulum axe for just long enough for Drenos to duck under. He used Ignition not to attack, but to burn through a rope bridge at the exact moment Keijos commanded, cutting off a pursuing pack of phantom hounds. He was efficient, helpful, and deliberately, meticulously average.
At the end of the sixth day, exhausted and coated in grime and magical residue, the applicants were assembled once more in the Starfall Court. The same severe Dean looked down upon them.
"You have been tested. Your minds, your bodies, and your spirits have been weighed," his voice boomed. "Many of you have already failed. For those who remain, the true test begins tomorrow. The combat trials."
A massive list of names appeared on the crystal slabs. At the top, it read: TOP 21 CONTENDERS - ADVANCING TO THE COMBAT ARENA.
Kaelen's eyes scanned the list. His name was there, near the middle. Shine's was near the top. So were Kaizar's and Keijos's. And to his quiet satisfaction, so were the names of Alio, Drenos, Eline, and Rei. Their ragtag group had all made it.
They had survived the gauntlet. Now, they would have to fight.
The list hung in the air, shimmering with finality. A collective exhale, sharp and shuddering, passed through the remaining applicants. Shoulders slumped in relief, postures broke from rigid tension into exhausted slouches. A few sank to their knees, while others let out ragged whoops of joy.
Beside Kaelen, Shine's carefully maintained composure cracked into a brilliant, genuine smile. "We did it," she breathed, her voice a mix of awe and fatigue. She looked at the names of their newfound companions, then at Kaelen's own, nestled securely in the middle of the list. "All of us."
[Social protocol: Express camaraderie.] "A statistically improbable outcome, given our disparate skill sets," Kaelen stated, the analysis automatic. He observed the way her smile faltered for a microsecond and quickly appended a humanizing modifier. "We... worked well together."
Nearby, Alio was slapping his brother on the back. "Told you my trap-spotting would come in handy! Top twenty-one, brother! We're in!" Keijos, ever the strategist, was already scanning the list of names, his eyes calculating future opponents. "The real test begins tomorrow. The dynamics shift entirely in single combat."
Drenos simply nodded, a small, quiet smile on his face as Eline and Rei high-fived, their relief palpable.
The Dean's voice cut through the celebratory murmurs. "Rest. Heal. Prepare. The combat trials are a test of pure skill, resolve, and the strength of your spirit. Dismissed."
The crowd began to disperse, flowing out of the Starfall Court towards the temporary barracks. The group moved as one, a unit forged in the fires of the gauntlet.
As they walked, Kaelen's internal systems ran a final diagnostic on the day's events. Every action, every reaction, every minute expenditure of energy was logged and analyzed.
[Total Mana Expenditure: 0.00017% of regulated capacity. Performance: Optimal.]
[Social Integration Protocols: Successful. Group cohesion established.]
[Primary Objective: Gain entry to Aethelgard Academy. Status: 91.3% probability of success, contingent on combat trial performance.]
He had passed the first hurdle without revealing the abyss beneath the surface. He had measured his droplets with perfect precision.
But as he glanced at Shine's determined profile, at Kaizar's arrogant swagger, at Keijos's analytical gaze, he knew the next test would be different. It wouldn't be about restraint or measurement. It would be about direct opposition.
They had survived the gauntlet. Now, they would have to fight.