The arena was dismantled within days.
The shattered Resonance Core was removed.
Whispers faded.
Life continued.
For most children, the Talent Tests were the most dramatic moment of their lives.
For Ethan and Kael —
It was just the beginning.
Those with Talent were selected into the Youth Academy
Early Academy Life
The younger division of Aether Academy did not focus on combat.
It focused on control.
For the first year, students were forbidden from using Stage 2 or Stage 3 Physical Mana without supervision. Magical Mana exercises were limited to shaping and stabilization drills.
No one was allowed to learn intermediate Grimoires.
Power without control was considered dangerous.
Hiro repeated this often.
"You will not become strong in four years," he told them once.
"You will become stable."
Daily Routine
Morning:
Mana circulation meditation
Core stabilization exercises
Rune theory
Midday:
Physical conditioning without enhancement
Controlled Stage 1 drills
Afternoon:
Basic elemental shaping practice
Evening:
Independent study
It was almost… normal.
Ethan & Kael
They became Friends.
Kael was curious, naturally talented but impatient.
Ethan was quiet, observant, calculating.
Kael liked pushing limits.
Ethan liked understanding them.
Sometimes they would sit on the academy rooftops after lessons.
Aether Academy — Aether Academy
The city of Aethernox glowed beneath them at dusk, mana lamps lighting the streets in soft blue lines.
"You think we'll be strong in four years?" Kael once asked.
Ethan shrugged.
"I think we'll understand more."
Kael laughed.
"That's such a Nox answer."
They did improve.
But slowly.
Year One:
Ethan refined low-mana control to near-perfect precision.
Kael learned to reduce mana waste in light bursts.
Year Two:
Ethan improved reinforcement efficiency.
Kael stabilized gravity output to short pulses only.
Year Three:
They sparred regularly.
Wins were even.
No overwhelming advantage.
Year Four:
Both had solid foundations.
Neither was extraordinary.
And that was important.
Because true monsters were not born in foundations.
They were built on them.
The council still monitored Ethan quietly.
But nothing strange happened again.
No artifacts broke.
No black pulses appeared.
Eventually, interest cooled.
He became "that Special Class kid" — nothing more.
Even Kael stopped bringing it up.
On the last evening before their Mana Capacity Test year officially began, Ethan returned to the rooftop alone.
The wind was calm.
He closed his eyes and circulated his mana.
Slow.
Even.
Stable.
For a brief second—
He felt something deeper.
Not stronger.
Just… deeper.
Like standing above an ocean and sensing something far below.
He opened his eyes.
The feeling vanished.
He did not tell anyone.
Not Kael.
Not Hiro.
Not his father.
Some things were better left quiet.
For now.