Solarys Federation- Capital Sector V, the floating district of Halcyon Spire.
The academy gates opened to a quiet morning haze. Silver trams drifted between towers, their reflections sliding across the glassy walkways. Students in fresh uniforms poured in, loud with excitement and nerves.
And then the noise dimmed.
A boy walked through the entrance alone, conversations seemingly faltering around him.
He stood tall, calm, with long obsidian black hair brushing past his shoulders and eyes the color of amethyst under light. A black sword hung at his side, sheathed in black metal traced with faint sigils. His gloves equally dark caught the sunlight with a dull sheen, like worn steel.
"That's him," someone whispered.
"The Headmaster's stray."
"S…sshut up!!!"
But the boy didn't seem to hear them. Or maybe he did, and just didn't care.
Sixteen years had passed since his name first appeared on the Academy's internal records. He'd grown up behind its walls, trained in its shadow, watched the seasons turn through its glass towers, but never as a student.
Today, that changed.
At the registration desk, a clerk glanced up, then froze mid-motion.
"Name?" she asked, voice faltering slightly.
"Riven Crowe."
The words landed heavier than they should have. The clerk nodded quickly, eyes darting to the sword at his side before entering the name. The screen blinked once, twice, before flashing a quiet red: ACCESS RESTRICTED.
The clerk swallowed. "Ah…right. You're pre-authorized. Sorry about that, Mr. Crowe."
Riven simply nodded and moved on.
By the time the next student stepped forward, the hum of chatter had returned, but the air still felt different, as if the entire hall had exhaled only after he was gone.
The main courtyard of Aeternum Academy opened before him like a city within a city terraced plazas, lecture spires linked by hovering bridges, the faint shimmer of energy conduits running beneath the glassstone floor. Students moved in groups, half in awe of the place and half trying not to look like it.
Riven walked alone.
A few heads turned as he passed, but as per his usual he ignored them , each step he took seemed measured, almost detached, as if the rhythm of the place had already settled into him. The morning air carried faint traces of ozone from the conduits, and beyond the walls, the distant hum of airships bled into the horizon.
Above the courtyard, a man stood on one of the upper balconies, tall, still, framed by the gleam of the rising sun. His coat rippled faintly in the high-altitude wind. From that height, he might have seemed carved from the same black stone as the tower itself, but there was life in the way his gaze followed the lone figure crossing the plaza below.
Riven felt a familiar gaze following his every movement but payed it no mind, he was used to it by this point.
As he passed under the archway leading toward the inner academy halls. A low chime marked his ID scan, the doors folding open in a seamless motion.
Inside, the corridors were quiet, soundproofed walls, polished to a mirror's sheen. The academy was a labyrinth of innovation and discipline, its architecture a blend of steel and arcane precision.
By the time he reached the Grand Auditorium, most students had already found their seats. Holographic banners drifted in lazy orbits above the hall, displaying the insignias of the academy's divisions. The air buzzed faintly with suppressed excitement.
Riven took an empty seat near the center, resting the sheathed sword at his side.
The lights dimmed.
A single figure appeared on the stage below. His presence was quiet, but it settled over the room like gravity, commanding silence without effort.
When he spoke, his voice was deep, steady, unhurried.
"Welcome to all, my name is Magnus Crowe and I am this fine institution's headmaster, today marks the beginning of your academic life, here you will learn how to harness and control the power of your origins, how to work both as a team and how to brave life's challenges on your own."
Headmaster Magnus paused for a moment as he briefly scanned the students gathered before him, he then continued.
"Here, talent alone is not enough. Bloodlines, wealth, or family names hold no weight within these walls, only effort, resolve, and the courage to face the unknown. Every year, hundreds enter Aeternum Academy filled with dreams of glory… yet only a handful emerge ready to carve their names into history.
You will be tested, not just in strength, but in spirit. You will confront your fears, your doubts, and perhaps even the truth about your very selves. The Origin that slumbers within you is not simply a gift from the heavens ; it is a burden, a mirror that reflects who you truly are. Master it, and it will become your greatest ally. Fail, and it will consume you whole.
So I ask of you, students, will you rise above mediocrity, or crumble under the weight of your own potential?
While you ponder my words , allow me, as I leave the stage , to officially welcome you all to Aeternum Academy."
The Headmaster's gaze swept across the room. For the briefest instant, his eyes paused on Riven. It was no longer than a heartbeat, but in that moment, the hall seemed to still.
The lights brightened once more, and the soft murmur of voices filled the air. Students stretched, gathered, compared impressions. Riven rose, fastened one glove, and lifted his sword.
He left without hurry, slipping through the flow of bodies until the sunlight found him again outside. The courtyard had changed louder now, alive with first-day energy.
He glanced once toward the central tower. From below, it vanished into the haze of the upper sky.
"Sixteen years," he thought. "Still only beginning."
He once again adjusted his gloves, a habit formed throughout the years , feeling the quiet hum of runes beneath the leather, and walked on.
As soon as Riven exited the auditorium an automated chime echoed across the courtyard, followed by a calm female voice from the overhead speakers.
"First-year initiates, proceed to Hall 7 for aptitude assessment. Grouping begins in ten minutes."
Students moved as one restless current toward the inner quadrants of the academy. Riven followed in silence.
Hall 7 stood apart from the rest a vaulted chamber lined with translucent pillars, each pulsing with faint streams of blue-white energy. Thin cables ran from their bases into floating consoles manned by instructors in dark uniforms. The air hummed faintly, sharp with the scent of ionized mana.
"Step up, place your hand on the focus crystal, release a fraction of your Origin energy until the system stabilizes," one instructor called. "Do not overexert. The readings calibrate automatically."
One by one, the students obeyed. Light flared, measurements scrolled across translucent displays, numbers murmured between examiners. Fire, wind, metal, light, colors bloomed and dimmed in turn.
When Riven's name appeared on the roster, the atmosphere shifted.
He walked forward, unhurried, every movement measured. The instructors' chatter dulled; someone muttered his name under their breath.
He stopped before one of the pillars. Its surface was clear as water, faint ripples of mana running through its core. Riven raised a gloved hand and placed it flat against the glass.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then light rippled outward from his palm pure and colourless. The temperature immediately dropped just enough for breath to mist in the air.
The displays flickered. Readouts spiked past calibration thresholds before stabilizing again. Frost traced along the base of the conduit, thin as breath on steel.
The instructor nearest to him took an involuntary half step back. "Maintain output," she managed.
Riven silently nodded , beneath the leather, faint lines of silver runes pulsed along his gloves, keeping rhythm with each breath.
The hum of the chamber grew louder. Numbers scrolled faster, then glitched into unreadable script. One monitor cracked with a soft snap, a hairline fracture blooming across its surface.
He pulled his hand back. The light dimmed. Frost faded.
The silence that followed was heavier than the noise before it.
One of the assistants leaned over a console. "The system… recorded a full-core resonance," he whispered. "That shouldn't even.."
"Log it," the lead examiner interrupted, voice clipped. "Next."
Riven gave a faint nod, turned, and walked back to the waiting area. A few students stared; others looked away quickly when his eyes met theirs.
When the last of the initiates completed their assessments, the instructors gathered near the central console, exchanging clipped words as data scrolled across their displays. The tension in the room slowly eased, replaced by the hushed excitement of those comparing results and whispered rankings.
The lead examiner stepped forward. "That concludes your aptitude evaluations. Your dorm assignments and access credentials will be distributed now. You are free to explore the academy grounds for the remainder of the day. Tomorrow morning, class divisions will be finalized based on your performance."
Assistants moved through the crowd, handing out sleek metallic keycards marked with division symbols. Each student received theirs with a mix of nerves and anticipation.
When they reached Riven, the lead examiner hesitated for a fraction of a second before speaking. "You're already registered," she said quietly, handing nothing. "Your quarters remain unchanged."
Riven inclined his head slightly. "Understood."
He turned to leave, his movements as calm and deliberate as before. Around him, students chattered, voices bright, eager, alive with speculation about power levels and rankings, but none dared speak directly to him.
Outside, the late sun cast long shadows across the courtyard. The hum of airships had softened to a distant murmur, and energy conduits pulsed beneath the glassstone floor like veins of light.
Riven paused beneath one of the towering arches, eyes briefly drawn to the highest spire where the headmaster's office overlooked the academy. For an instant, he felt that same distant gaze on him again.
Then it was gone.
He adjusted the strap of his sword, the faint glow of the runes along his gloves dimming with the evening light, and began walking toward the residential sector.
The academy stretched before him, vast, alive and unmovable.