Magic ruled this world long before kings ever did.
Not just magic.
Blood.
Power flowed through noble veins like inheritance carved by the gods themselves. Every great family bore a glowing crest proof that their magic was sanctioned by lineage and law. Those born without one were considered hollow… ordinary… disposable.
Commoners could cast simple spells. Sparks. Light. Minor enchantments.
But true Arcane Magic?
That belonged to the Houses.
And the Houses ruled everything.
So when rumors spread that a crestless boy had been accepted into Astraeus Dominion the most elite magic academy in existence nobles across the continent laughed.
Until the gates opened.
The academy stood like a floating kingdom of marble and gold, suspended by ancient magic above a spiraling abyss of clouds. Arcane sigils rotated slowly in the air around its towers like watchful eyes.
Kael stopped at the entrance steps.
Students walked past him in cloaks embroidered with glowing crests hovering above their shoulders symbols shifting like living constellations. Flame lions. Time rings. Blood thorns. Light wings.
Kael had none.
Just a worn bag and plain clothes.
The whispers began immediately.
"Is that him?"
"The commoner?"
"He doesn't even have mana pressure."
"They really let trash in now?"
Kael pretended not to hear, but every word stabbed deeper than a blade.
He reached the registration hall where a tall instructor with silver eyes waited beside a crystal scanner.
"Name."
"Kael."
The instructor frowned. "House?"
"…None."
Murmurs rippled again.
The instructor pressed the crystal against Kael's chest. The gem glowed faintly then dimmed.
No crest. No lineage magic. No noble signature.
The instructor's brows tightened.
"…Strange."
But stamped his mark anyway.
"Proceed to the Entrance Trial."
The Arcane Gate stood at the center of the academy courtyard a massive sealed door of black stone covered in shifting runes. It could only be opened by bloodline magic. A test of inheritance.
One by one, noble students stepped forward.
Flames surged. Time distorted. Roots cracked the ground. Light beams burst like miniature suns.
Each gate reaction was precise and elegant responding only to the rightful lineage.
Then Kael's name was called.
He stepped forward under a storm of laughter.
"What's he gonna use? Dirt magic?"
"Maybe crying spells."
Kael placed his trembling hand on the gate.
Nothing happened.
More laughter.
His face burned with shame. He clenched his teeth.
Come on… anything…
Then-
The runes flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then violently spiraled out of control.
The air cracked.
A black sigil burst behind Kael like shattered glass forming an unknown symbol something ancient, something wrong.
The gate didn't open.
It broke.
A thunderous shockwave exploded across the courtyard. Students were thrown back. The sealed runes collapsed like reality itself had rejected its own laws.
Silence fell like death.
Teachers stood frozen.
One whispered in horror:
"…Authority."
Another paled. "That magic was erased centuries ago."
The Head Instructor slammed his staff into the ground, instantly sealing the remains of the gate with layers of suppression spells.
"Trial complete. Move on."
His voice was calm.
But his eyes screamed panic.
Kael walked alone afterward, hands still shaking.
He didn't understand what he did.
Didn't understand why the teachers looked at him like a forbidden weapon.
High above the towers, hidden silhouettes watched him from the shadows.
And a voice echoed softly through the unseen heights:
"The key has entered the throne."