The next morning arrived with a crack of thunder, though no clouds streaked the sky.
Wade sat bolt upright in bed, blinking. "That… wasn't me."
Riven poked his head in. "We've got visitors."
At the village square, two armored coaches stood gleaming under the sun, their banners marked with the crest of the Imperial Academy of Arcane Discipline, a sword pierced through a radiant glyph. Soldiers in navy blue uniforms stood at attention, and before them, a tall woman with silver trimmed robes and short cropped black hair read from a scroll.
"By order of the Arcane Council and His Royal Majesty, the trials for entrance into the Imperial Academy will begin immediately in the capital," she declared, voice ringing with authority. "All registered names from this village are to report for transport. Refusal is not permitted."
Wade stepped forward, eyes flicking to Lira and Riven. The list was checked, names read, and the three siblings were confirmed. The woman gave them a sharp glance over—lingering for a second longer on Wade, brow twitching slightly as if trying to guage him.
The ride to the capital took two days.
The roads grew smoother, the forests thinner,ore patrols appeared along the highways. It was the first time Wade saw a city wall rise from the land like a mountain range, polished stone shimmering with embedded runes.
As they rolled through the gates, Wade felt a subtle hum of power pass over him. A warding glyph, no doubt—measuring magic capacity. A slight ping in his mind told him the system had cloaked his real mana signature.
[System Cloaking Active: Mana Reading Output – "Low Wind Affinity"]
He blinked. "You're hiding me?"
[Analysis: Discretion Recommended Until Power Base is Secure]
Wade couldn't help but grin. "You're sneakier than I am."
[Correct.]
The academy loomed ahead, towers of obsidian and silver, floating platforms circling the tallest spire like satellites. A training field the size of a stadium opened to their left, where students in robes launched spells into wooden dummies and elemental targets.
He had never seen so much magic in one place.
As they disembarked, a robed professor led them toward the evaluation courtyard, where magical glyphs glowed beneath their feet and a line of instructors stood waiting to test each candidate's attributes.
The instructors began calling names, once called, they were told to put their hand on the crystal ball to know what afinity they had, a few children were called and had their elements recorded, then it was the turn of what seemed like a noble child, a boy almost the same age with wade if not a bit older, dark red hair and the air he carried that screamed nobility. He put his hand on the ball and it glowed bright gold, the power of fire, and from the glow it seemed like his ability to master and control fire was exceptional, he walked away with a smug look on his face, the next person called was Wade.
Wade stepped forward.
He placed a hand on the crystal ball, letting his magic flow.
The stone pulsed, flickered—then flared blindingly.
Blue and gold light burst outward. Wind and fire. But beneath it, faint traces of something else—unreadable.
The whole crowd was in confusion and mummring, the smug looking child with confusion and anger on his face said under his breath "that's impossible".
The instructor stepped back, blinking. "That's…that's highly unusual. Two elements at his age?"
Another professor whispered, "He may be a prodigy."
The silver robed woman from earlier stood with arms crossed, silent. Watching.
Wade turned to the crowd and spotted a girl with platinum blonde hair and a cold, expressionless face watching the proceedings with disinterest.
The princess.
She yawned.
Wade stepped down, already hearing murmurs ripple through the crowd.
He didn't care.
Because in that moment, he was trying to reel in his excitement, children from the village were there, those who once mocked him could barely look at him now, just then the system lit up.
[New Objective: Surpass All Candidates]
[Progression Path: Unlocked]
He gave a cold smile. "Easy" he said.
Somewhere across the training field, a low rumbling voice spoke through shadowed lips.
"Well now… finally, something interesting."
The trials moved quickly.
After the elemental affinity test, candidates were escorted to the second evaluation chamber, the Combat Aptitude Arena. Rows of stone benches formed a circular coliseum, and instructors sat with clipboards while students entered one by one to face a summoned construct—an elemental beast, tailored to match their reported affinity.
When Wade's name was called again, the examiners muttered to each other. "Wind and fire," one said. "Set him against the Level II Hybrid Golem."
The creature that appeared was tall as a carriage, with claws of obsidian and skin that shimmered like molten bark. A mixture of stone and flame, it snarled, fire leaking from between jagged teeth.
Wade stepped into the ring.
"Begin!"
The golem lunged.
He sidestepped, barely avoiding the slash. The system flared to life in his mind:
[Enemy Identified: Trial Golem – Fire/Earth Composite]
[Elemental Weakness: Wind]
"Got it," he muttered. Wade spun, conjuring a concentrated burst of wind from his palm—razor sharp. It struck the creature's knee, forcing it down, but the beast rose again, growling.
Then he grinned.
He thrust both hands forward.
"Combustion Spiral!"
The golem froze—fire within its core ignited unnaturally as wind compressed inside it. A second later, it exploded in a sharp burst, staggering backward.
Gasps rang through the arena.
But it still stood.
So Wade dashed backward, wanting to end this on his last strike, he decided to use what he's been secretly working on, he raised one hand to the sky—palm open and said the words.
"Blue sun."
Blue Fire and wind began to spiralling together, creating a big fireball, almost covering the arena, then he dropped his hand down, as if droping the fireball on the golem, the huge fireball landed on the golem destroying it and half of the arena with it.
Dust and silence filled the arena.
Then—
Cheers erupted from the stands.
From the royal gallery, the princess's icy eyes narrowed slightly. Just slightly. But even she couldn't hide the shocked expression in her eyes.
No one had ever seen blue fire before today, and now this young boy with two element affinities was using it.
The professors huddled around, scribbling furiously.
The silver robed woman smiled.
The academy had found something very rare today.
Wade left the ring, breathing hard, exhilarated and clearly exhausted. He met Riven's eyes in the stands and gave him a nod. Lira simply shook her head and mouthed show off. Both siblings clearly worried but they tried to smile it off, they knew he was eager to prove himself.
The rest of the day passed in a blur—spell assessments, logic puzzles, basic tactical simulations.
By nightfall, the results were posted.
First Place:Wade Theron
*Category: Elemental Potential, Combat Adaptability.
His name glowed on the board.
By the time he reached the dormitory wing, a group of students had already gathered to whisper about him. His roommate was a sharp-tongued scholar with gravity magic named Juno, who barely looked up from his book as Wade walked in.
"You snore?" Juno asked.
"No idea," Wade replied.
Juno nodded. "We'll find out."
Across the courtyard, the princess stood before her private tower suite, her gaze lingering on the central dormitory. But just for a moment.
Then she turned around and vanished behind velvet doors.