The sky was different. Not just in color — a shade of blue that seemed to breathe on its own — but in feeling. As if someone, or something, was watching.
Albert, Kaelya, and Elion walked a stone path that slowly ascended toward a massive structure carved directly into the mountain. A city? A fortress? An academy?
— This doesn't match any map, Elion said.
— It's not on them, Albert replied. We're no longer in the known places of the world. Here... we're between realities.
Kaelya slowed her pace.
— And yet... I feel magic. Alive. Organic.
Albert nodded, his gaze fixed on the immense structure.
— Because this is where all magical sources intersect. Here, every ley line in the world converges. It's a nexus. A hidden core.
Before they could reach the gate, a man in silver rune-etched armor descended a side path. A spear was strapped to his back, and a hexagonal blue medallion hung from his neck.
— Your name, rank, and purpose for entry, he asked curtly.
Albert raised his hand slightly, revealing a glowing mark of a blue flame in his palm.
The man blinked. Once.
— …Is this a joke?
— No. It's a request for answers.
After a few moments, they were allowed entry. Once through the hexagonal gate, what they saw stole their breath: a massive academy built on vertical levels, with floating platforms and suspended bridges, where hundreds of figures trained.
— This is… the tournament? Kaelya asked, awe in her voice.
— Just the place where it begins, answered the voice of a guide who was waiting for them inside.
A young woman with red hair, translucent glasses, and a magical staff smiled politely.
— I'm Silana, your temporary escort. You're being observed. So be careful what you say… and especially what you feel.
As they ascended on a moving platform, Elion looked down at an arena where two mages were fighting — one controlled wind cannons, the other summoned chains of light.
— Have the duels already started?
Silana smiled.
— Only the selection rounds. The actual tournament begins in five days.
Kaelya whispered to Albert:
— I feel tension… and fear. Not from us. From them.
Albert nodded.
— Because some of them… already know who we are.
At that moment, high above on one of the platforms, Zhelenya watched them. Not a muscle moved on her face. But deep in her heart, a cold thought pulsed:
> "If we can't stop them… perhaps we can divert them."
The platform stopped at a circular suspended space, with a translucent floor and walls covered in living symbols. At its center, a glowing sphere pulsed slowly.
Silana motioned them forward:
— This is the Stabilization Chamber. Every candidate passes through it before being officially registered.
Elion raised an eyebrow.
— Stabilization?
— Yes. This chamber harmonizes your magical vibration with the tournament's dimensional system. If you carry something... incompatible, it will surface.
Kaelya instinctively glanced at Albert. But he stepped forward first, calm.
— If it wants to see what I am... let it see.
The moment he stepped into the glowing circle, the symbols on the walls began to tremble. A surge of energy rippled through the floor. The sphere at the center exploded in a wave of light, but instead of spilling outward, the light reversed... completely absorbed by Albert's body.
A hum echoed from above, and Silana froze.
— What the hell…?
Kaelya and Elion stepped inside. Normally, three people couldn't enter simultaneously — but the mechanism no longer reacted.
Albert turned to them. His eyes were normal. Calm.
— I think I convinced it.
After a few seconds, the mechanisms restarted. The chamber officially recorded them. On a projected screen in the air appeared:
> Albert — Unregistered. Rank unknown. Level: undetectable.
Kaelya — Temporary Affiliation: Ismir. Rank: Advanced.
Elion — Rank: Eligible for Selection.
Note: Abnormal presence detected.
Silana dismissed the panel with a flick of her wand and smiled at them — but it was forced.
— Well... you're registered. Let me show you to your quarters.
As they reached the lodging area, a boy in a golden cloak with green hair stopped them.
— You must be the "special guests"? he asked mockingly.
— We're just passing through, Elion replied.
— Interesting. Then perhaps we'll "meet" in the arena. There, passersby... don't always pass on.
Kaelya recognized him. She whispered:
— That's Kaelor Vey. Thirwen's favorite. The one with dual blood.
Albert didn't react. But his eyes had grown colder.
After he left, Kaelya said:
— He knows. Or… he senses something.
— They'll all sense it soon enough, Albert replied. But there's no need to rush anything.
And that night, in the silence of their room, a wave of unknown magic swept through the building.
A black sphere — the size of a coin — floated near their door and vanished without a sound.
Somewhere else, in another room, a girl with violet eyes opened a scroll. On it, it read:
> "Target identified. Test begins next."
Morning didn't arrive with sunlight, but with silent mists and strange chimes echoing from the suspended platforms. Instead of fatigue, the air was filled with a suspicious, pressing stillness.
Kaelya was the first to open her eyes. She felt… something.
Albert was already sitting in the corner chair, coat draped over his arms, staring into the distance.
— Are we being watched?
— We're being tested, he replied simply. Last night… someone crossed the threshold of our room without touching it.
Elion shot up, immediately on alert.
— And…?
Albert turned his gaze to him.
— And they didn't leave with what they were looking for. But they left something behind.
He held up a small stone disc — so thin it was nearly transparent. In its center, a single word was burned in:
> "BALANCE"
Shortly after, in the grand announcement hall, Silana motioned them closer.
— There are no official events today. But for some of you… there will be "private invitations."
— We're expected? Kaelya asked.
— More like… you're being followed.
Later that afternoon, on one of the suspended training platforms, Albert was stopped by a calm, raspy voice:
— You have no reason to participate in this tournament. Why are you here?
It was a tall woman, wearing a metal mask and a dress that drifted lightly around her. Time didn't seem to flow normally in her presence.
Albert looked at her in silence.
— Maybe I'm here… because the tournament needs a reason.
The woman didn't respond. She tossed him a blue crystal:
— You'll receive a challenge tonight. Don't ignore it. Some want to know if you're a myth… or a warning.
That evening, in the Green Arena — a hidden place between the bridge-platforms — ten students gathered. No authorities. No rules. Just one test.
When Albert, Kaelya, and Elion entered, everyone fell silent. The air grew heavier.
A boy with golden eyes spoke:
— My name is Relen Torz. I'm the emissary of Lunaris.
— In the name of those who don't know you, we request… a demonstration duel.
Albert slowly stepped forward, calm, locking eyes with him:
— Who do you want to test first? Me… or yourself?
The silence that followed was broken only by the sound of a rune igniting on the floor.
The duel was about to begin.
The floor of the Green Arena shimmered faintly beneath their feet, the runic symbols flowing in slow, concentric circles. All around them, the other students watched in silence, each sensing that what was about to happen wasn't just a training match.
Relen Torz, wearing light armor and bearing golden eyes, stepped forward. In his hand was a twin-bladed sword, its rotating edges fueled by an internal magic core.
— I don't intend to hurt you, he said.
— Then you're already at a disadvantage, Albert replied calmly.
Kaelya and Elion stepped back toward the edge. Silana had arrived as well, quietly—but did not intervene.
— Begin, spoke two voices at once — the runes had activated.
Relen launched the first attack: a burst of ethereal blades combined with compressed wind gusts. The floor rippled under the pressure of the force.
Albert didn't move. Around him, space itself seemed to slow. The blades reached him — but caused no harm.
It was as if reality itself refused to allow impact.
Relen frowned and switched to a direct assault. He dashed forward in a blur, slashing with horizontal arcs.
Albert lifted a single hand.
— Enough.
Suddenly, the air contracted.
Everyone in the arena instinctively took a step back — not from shock, but from the pressure of a tiny fragment of pure magic.
Relen stopped mid-charge. His blades disassembled. His knees buckled.
He didn't fall. But he was frozen in place.
— You... canceled everything? he whispered.
— No. I merely showed you… what it would be like if I didn't even lift a finger.
Around them, silence reigned.
Even Kaelya said nothing. Elion, however, smirked slightly.
— Subtle as always.
Albert turned toward the others.
— If anyone else needs a demonstration, feel free.
No one stepped forward.
Silana broke the silence:
— The test is concluded. Unofficial, but recognized. Please… do not speak of this meeting. Not to professors. Not to anyone.
— If it's unofficial, why is it recognized? Elion asked.
— Because… those watching you were just made witnesses.
In the dark corners of the platform, tiny, hidden runes faded out. Magical recording mechanisms. Everything had been seen. And transmitted.
Elsewhere, in a secluded room, Zhelenya smiled coldly as she watched a projection:
— So he isn't a legend. He's a warning.
In the silence following the duel, Relen straightened himself, embarrassed but calm. He wasn't defeated… but he knew he had been faced with a reality far beyond him.
— Thank you, he said sincerely. That was a lesson, not a humiliation.
Albert nodded and turned toward the exit. No arrogance, no further words. His silence weighed more than any speech.
Kaelya and Elion followed him.
— You realize you've drawn everyone's attention? Kaelya asked quietly.
— It's good they know who they're dealing with, he replied. Or at least think they do.
Meanwhile, in the Communication Tower of Thirwen Academy, two mentors whispered.
— It's confirmed. His power can't be classified.
— Should we isolate him?
— No. We observe. He might become... useful.
In the basement of Lunaris Academy, a hand pressed against a crystal panel. From it, a hologram appeared: Albert standing in the center of the arena.
A cold voice spoke:
— Priority Zero. Target: Albert. No confrontation. Understanding.
At Ismir, Zhelenya pulled out a silver quill and scribbled in an ancient journal:
> "Partial confirmation of abilities. But emotional control is more dangerous than power itself. Surveillance through Kaelya — it seems the bond is strengthening."
That night, back in their room, Albert looked up at the sky.
The stars seemed to align in patterns that existed in no known map.
— They've begun to move. Those in the shadows. And those behind them.
Kaelya stepped closer.
— Maybe it's time we stop being just witnesses.
Albert looked at her, and for a brief moment, his gaze was… gentle.
— The time will come. But until then… let's just be us.
And somewhere, in a space where neither time nor death held meaning, a voice whispered in the old tongue:
> "He has awakened. The silence of evil is long gone. Prepare the players. The board is already set."
In the Temple of Balance — a structure hidden between dimensions, visible only to those who had passed the seventh threshold of magic — a group of figures in white cloaks listened to the echo of a magical projection. In the center of the chamber, the image of Albert standing unmoved before Relen's attack played in a loop.
— I thought the myth was just a misinterpretation of the sacred text, said an elderly voice.
— No. It seems we underestimated the synchronization. "The One Who Walks Through Worlds"... has already walked, another replied.
A third tapped a staff against the floor.
— Balance will be lost, unless it is controlled. Or... understood.
In the Tower of Mute Justice, an entity bound to the primordial runes lifted its mask and stared into the reflection in the water's mirror. But the reflection wasn't its own.
It was Albert's.
The entity sighed.
— Not even one of us has ever been so… clear.
In a white chamber at the Academy of the Eighth Star, two mage brothers were making wagers, writing formulas on panels of light.
— I say he won't make it to the end. He's too... detached from reality.
— I say no one will reach the end. If he is what I think, then the end will break before it even begins.
In a distant kingdom, in the underground libraries of a clan of shapeshifting dragons, a child with silver scales closed a book that only Albert's aura could open.
— It's starting to sound like the stories Grandpa never wanted to tell me.
And deep within the Realm Without Time, where past, present, and future blend into a relentless torrent, a feminine figure dressed in black watched an hourglass without sand.
— Time can't measure him anymore. But his choices… can.
In a sealed space, lit only by a blue-green flame, an unknown voice murmured:
> "Phase two begins. If he wants to play on our board, he must learn our rules. If not... then we'll learn his."
And in a quiet moment, Kaelya, sitting on the edge of her bed, placed her hand on her forehead.
Her thoughts tangled — not about Albert's power, but about him as a person.
— When he's not saving the world… he just seems like a boy… alone.
But in the next moment, she felt a light touch on her shoulder.
Albert stood in the doorway, offering a faint smile.
— Your thoughts are louder than a dragon's footsteps.
Kaelya chuckled, short but sincere.
— Maybe because… I'm starting to care.
And so, even as the world turned its wheels in the deep, as cosmic forces chose pawns and shadows stretched... in a simple room, two people unknowingly began the most important peace pact of this era:
One built on trust.