The next morning arrived like a dream Auron didn't trust. The sky above Solara shimmered with gold light, as if the world itself was pretending that darkness never existed.
Seria led him through stone streets lined with banners and floating crystals. People whispered as they passed—his black hair, strange eyes, and the faint flame mark glowing beneath his collar didn't go unnoticed.
"This is Arcanum Academy," Seria said, pointing to a towering structure that reached into the clouds. "The safest place for mages… or at least, it used to be."
They entered through gates made of silver runes. Inside, Auron saw hundreds of students practicing magic—spells floating in air, swords wrapped in lightning, walls glowing with ancient sigils.
A man stood waiting at the center courtyard, his white beard flowing like mist. His presence alone silenced the air.
"Professor Aldric," Seria said softly. "He's the one who runs the Academy."
Aldric's eyes met Auron's, sharp and old, filled with memories that didn't belong to this world. "You're the boy found near the ruins," he said, voice calm. "Tell me, child of the ashes… do you know what lives inside you?"
Auron hesitated. "No. But it knows me."
The professor's gaze darkened. "Then we'll find out—before it consumes you."
That evening, they brought Auron to the Resonance Chamber—a dome where every mage's aura was tested. Students gathered around, whispering.
"Who's that guy?""Look at his eyes… they glow when he breathes.""He's dangerous."
Seria placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just focus. The crystal will show your aura color."
He nodded and touched the floating crystal. It pulsed once. Then again.
Then shattered into dust.
The air screamed. Winds tore through the hall. The light inside the dome turned black.
Students stumbled back as shadows crawled up the walls. Auron stood frozen, surrounded by flames that weren't flames at all—dark energy pulsing with life.
Aldric's voice echoed through the chaos. "That symbol… it can't be…"
He whispered one word that turned every whisper to silence.
"Voidborn."
Auron gasped, the pain returning stronger than before. For a split second, he saw a figure inside the shattered crystal—a man made of stars and shadow, smiling as the world burned behind him.
"You are my echo," the voice said. "My unfinished will."
Auron collapsed, his heartbeat echoing like thunder in his skull.
When he opened his eyes again, he was lying in the infirmary. Seria sat beside him, eyes red from crying.
"You scared everyone," she whispered.
"Good," Auron said softly. "Maybe they'll stay away."
But deep inside, he felt something watching—something patient, and ancient, and waiting for him to fall asleep.
"You can't run from what you were born to become…"