The storm had followed him since dawn.
Rain lashed at the dirt path winding through the shadowed forest, soaking his boots and cloak, drenching everything but the old letter folded tightly in his fist. His silver-white hair, short and messy, stuck to his forehead, the blackened tips now dripping wet. Yet Kael Vireon walked like none of it bothered him—like the cold, the storm, and the forest were just background noise to something far louder inside him.
He was smiling.
Not out of joy, but something stranger—nostalgia, maybe. Or defiance.
Above the tree line, high on the cliffs beyond the mist, "Blackspire Academy" revealed itself in flashes of lightning. Its towers rose like spears into the sky, jagged and impossible. Floating platforms drifted between the spires. Magic radiated from every stone, humming like a heartbeat Kael hadn't heard in years.
He'd seen this place before.
Not in dreams.
Inside the Grand Hall, magic pulsed from the walls—floating torches, flying books, whispering portraits. Kael took it in quietly, eyes darting from detail to detail, noting things most students didn't.
At the center stood a tall, masked figure: *Headmaster Kaldric*.
His robes shimmered with arcane embroidery, and his silver mask showed no expression—just glowing red lines where eyes should be.
"Welcome," Kaldric's voice boomed. "To Blackspire Academy."
The students fell silent.
"This is not a place of comfort. It is a place of power. You are here not to play… but to survive, grow, and prove your worth."
He raised a hand.
A door opened at the far end of the hall. A lean professor in crimson stepped forward—*Professor Draeven*, the entrance test conductor.
"You will now face the Gate of Intent," he said. "Beyond it, a trial awaits—something that will respond to your fears, instincts, and willpower. Pass, and you become a student of Blackspire.
"The students were grouped and led through a long hallway. Whispers of magic danced along the walls. Some were anxious, others excited. Kael walked near the back, silent, unreadable.
They entered a vast chamber—an arena of stone, glowing symbols etched into the ground.
At the center stood… nothing.
Until the runes flashed.
In memories that didn't belong to a seventeen-year-old boy.
In a past he wasn't supposed to remember.
As he reached the base of the obsidian stairs that spiraled up to the school, the air grew heavier. Arcane wards shimmered faintly in the rain, scanning his presence. The letter in his hand pulsed once—acceptance confirmed. The stairs lit up. The gate waited.
He climbed, step by soaked step, until the colossal gate of the academy opened with a groan that echoed through the storm.
He had arrived.
The courtyard was massive, paved in runes and polished stone. Other students gathered—clean, dry, laughing, some adjusting uniforms, others staring wide-eyed at the architecture. Kael stood out instantly: drenched, quiet, eyes glowing faintly like coals behind fogged glass.
Whispers followed him as he crossed the square.
"Who's that?"
"Did he walk here?"
"What a weirdo…"
He didn't respond.
Then a commanding voice sliced through the murmurs.
"You. Cloak boy."
Kael looked up to see a tall woman in sleek black robes, arms crossed, eyes sharp as glass.
"Selene Ardent," she said, as if the name explained everything. "Follow me. Orientation starts now."
And from them rose a creature—massive, deformed, dark as smoke but with eyes of flame. A *shadebeast*, formed from raw mana.
Some students screamed. Others ran.
It lunged.
A boy was nearly crushed—until a surge of wind blasted the creature back.
Kael stepped forward, hand outstretched, amber eyes glowing crimson now.
The air trembled.
With a flick of his wrist, the creature twisted midair—and shattered into smoke and sparks.
Silence. Then murmurs.
"What…?"
"He didn't chant…"
"What kind of spell was that?!"
Professor Draeven stared, stunned.
"That wasn't… registered magic."
Kael turned, expression blank. "Was that the test?"
Draeven frowned. "We were going to assess your reaction, not… obliteration."
Kael only smiled faintly. "Guess I overachieved."
---
Later that evening, a small silver orb floated to Kael in the dorm hallway.
It whispered, "The Headmaster wishes to see you."
Kael followed it silently through dark halls, up a tower lit with pulsing red glyphs.
Inside the headmaster's office, books floated, papers moved on their own, and the masked man stood facing a window.
He didn't turn as Kael entered.
"You used forbidden magic" Kael said nothing.
"Where did you learn it?" Kaldric asked, voice low.
Kael took a breath. Calm. Casual.
"I didn't learn it. I remembered it."
Kaldric turned now, eyes glowing brighter behind the mask.
"Who are you?"
Kael met his gaze, unblinking.
"Kael Vireon."
Pause. Then, with a smirk:
"Just an ordinary boy, Headmaster."
Lightning flashed outside again. The sky cried.
But Kael just smiled.
---