The sky above Aurenvale Academy shimmered like fractured glass — layers of blue and gold weaving together as magic pulsed faintly in the air.
The academy stood at the edge of the ancient city, towers spearing through clouds, each rune-covered wall humming with hidden energy.
Students crowded the entrance courtyard — nervous faces, laughter, and the excited noise of those who still thought power was something to be shown off.
Then he walked in.
Ira Vale.
No entourage. No sound. Just quiet, steady steps echoing against marble stone. His uniform was simple, yet the faint aura that drifted around him made people instinctively move aside.
It wasn't visible magic — it was presence.
The kind that spoke louder than words.
His eyes, deep black with glimmers of blue at the edges, scanned the gates. He wasn't impressed. He wasn't curious. He was simply observing.
> "Same as always," he thought. "People chasing strength without knowing what it costs."
"Hey, new kid!" someone called out.
A senior — tall, cocky, his aura flaring like a bonfire that didn't know it was standing before a storm. His friends snickered behind him.
"You look lost. Need someone to show you around?"
There was a mocking tilt in his tone.
Ira didn't even bother answering at first. He shifted his gaze toward the massive silver gate ahead — its carvings old and whispering with ancient energy.
"Something like that," he said finally, voice low, steady.
The senior grinned wider. "Then you should know your place."
The laughter died before anyone could join him.
The air grew heavier.
A faint pressure rippled across the courtyard, subtle but sharp — like the world itself was holding its breath.
Leaves froze mid-fall. The torches near the walls flickered once, dimming to a ghostly blue.
Ira took a single step forward.
And the senior staggered back as though struck by invisible chains. His heart raced, breath catching in his throat.
The other students went silent — none of them quite understanding what had happened, only that they did not want to move.
"Lesson one," Ira said softly, eyes cold as shadow, "never assume silence means weakness."
He walked past without another word.
As he crossed the threshold into the academy grounds, he glanced up at the central tower.
A rune pulsed faintly near the top — a sigil that wasn't supposed to be active.
Most wouldn't notice. But he did. He always did.
And beneath that faint glow, his expression hardened.
> "So… it's already begun," he muttered under his breath.
The wind carried the words away, but the magic in the air stirred —
almost as if the academy itself had heard him.