Walking back to the crowd of students, Ricky moved with newfound confidence. His steps were lighter, his posture straighter—like a man who had just uncovered a hidden truth.
Stepping forward toward his friends, he was met with their uneasy gazes.
"Yo, dude… you good?" one of them asked.
Ricky grinned. "Yeah, man, I feel amazing. It's like I've been reborn. You gotta try it too."
His friends exchanged wary looks. Ricky sounded like he had lost his mind. But before they could respond, the chief's voice rang out once again.
"Who will step forward next?"
A commotion stirred at the back of the group.
"Me! Me! I wanna go next!"
Ava's voice rang out as she pushed past the other students, practically bouncing on her heels with excitement.
"Ava, are you sure?" Sophia, her sister, called out, concern lacing her tone.
"Of course I'm sure! Who wouldn't want to shoot lightning and stuff?" Ava grinned, shoving past her sister and weaving through the crowd with determination.
Noah watched her go, his thoughts churning.
'Ava's really jumping in without hesitation… I guess I have to go up there eventually too. I want an affinity as well…'
His fingers twitched as he watched Ava step onto the platform, standing before the chief as the ritual prepared to continue.
As Ava stepped onto the platform, the chief's gaze settled on her.
"Your name, child," he said, his voice steady yet commanding.
"Ava," she replied without hesitation.
The chief smiled, his expression calm yet unreadable. "Thank you for joining us, Ava. Please, accept the blessing of the Great Lord."
Ava blinked. 'Yeah, that definitely sounded cultish.' She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Uh… sure."
Without another word, she stepped forward, moving to the same spot where Ricky had stood moments before.
As Ava took her place on the platform, the robed figures wasted no time. The moment she stood at the center, the chanting resumed—low, rhythmic, and filled with an unnatural resonance.
The golden runes on the pedestal flared to life, surging outward in pulsating waves. Ava felt the air shift, thickening with an unseen force. It pressed against her skin, buzzing like static before a storm.
Then—
BOOM!
A blinding arc of light shot from the floating orb, striking her square in the chest.
"Ava!" Sophia's scream tore through the square, her eyes wide with terror as she lurched forward. "Ava, are you okay?!"
James quickly caught her arm, holding her back. "Relax, Sophia," he said, though his voice was tight. "She'll be fine. Ricky went through the same thing, remember?"
Sophia's breathing was sharp, her hands trembling as she watched.
On the platform, Ava gritted her teeth, legs locking as the raw force of the energy tried to hurl her backward. Every muscle in her body tensed, her nerves alight with scorching power. The golden light crawled across her skin like living veins of mana, sinking deep, threading through her very being.
Her vision blurred. She could feel it—something primal stirring within her, clawing its way to the surface.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, the golden energy twisted inward, condensing into a single point in her core before exploding outward in a radiant pillar of light.
Golden-brown.
The color burned against the night sky, swirling like a storm of earth and spirit combined.
Sophia let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, sagging slightly as James patted her shoulder. "See? She's tough. She's got this."
The robed figures fell silent, their chant ending in unison. The chief, standing tall before Ava, nodded in approval.
"You are bound to the Beast."
Ava exhaled sharply, her heart still hammering. "Beast?"
The chief's voice was steady. "The untamed. The primal. Those who walk with nature's will, neither ruled by it nor separate from it." He stepped closer, his gaze unwavering. "Beast Magic is the path of instinct and adaptation. It grants you the strength of creatures beyond your own, but mastery requires more than raw power—it demands understanding."
Ava flexed her fingers, a strange sensation washing over her. She could feel something thrumming beneath her skin, like an unseen force tethered to something far beyond herself.
A slow grin spread across her lips. "Huh. That's kinda sick."
The chief gave a knowing nod. "Indeed. But be warned—instinct without control is chaos. Master it, or be consumed by it."
Ava rolled her shoulders, still feeling the lingering heat of the ritual coursing through her veins. "Yeah, yeah… guess I better start figuring this out then."
As she stepped off the platform, Sophia was already there, grabbing her arm. "Ava, are you okay? That looked—"
"I'm fine, Soph," Ava reassured her, shrugging her off with an easy grin. "Actually… I feel kinda amazing."
The murmurs of the other students filled the air. Some were awed, others apprehensive.
Noah, watching from the sidelines, exhaled slowly. The affinity test wasn't just about gaining power. It was something deeper—something that felt like it was rewriting a person from the inside out.
'Wait… Rudy said we were locked away from mana, which means we were always supposed to have access to things like this. It's not something new—it was just taken from us.'
Cutting through his thoughts, Noah noticed movement from the front. Several students stepped forward at once, their eagerness clear on their faces. It was as if watching Ricky and Ava had solidified something in them—a decision they hadn't even realized they'd already made.
"I guess everyone agrees to go with the ritual now," Amanda said beside him, arms still crossed as she watched the growing line of volunteers.
Noah huffed, shaking his head. "Can't really blame them. Everyone back home loved superheroes—people with powers beyond normal humans. How many times have people dreamed about waking up one day with abilities?" He gestured toward the ritual platform. "And now, we actually get to live that."
Amanda gave him a pointed look. "I can see that, but superheroes get plot armor. We don't have that luxury." Her tone was matter-of-fact.
Noah scoffed, shaking his head. "I mean… we are in a tutorial."
Amanda raised an eyebrow, glancing at him.
He shrugged. "Think about it. We got dropped into some fantasy town, given a way to unlock mana, and we're being taught how to fight. Hell, we even have an instructor breathing down our necks. If this isn't a training arc, I don't know what is."
Amanda hummed thoughtfully, considering his words. "Fair. But that still doesn't mean we're guaranteed to survive."
Noah exhaled through his nose, feeling the weight of her words. "No argument there."
Another student stepped forward onto the ritual platform. The golden runes ignited once more, the chanting of the robed figures swelling in the background.
Amanda tilted her head slightly. "I just wonder how much of this is a tutorial and how much is just… throwing us into the deep end and hoping we swim."
Noah didn't have an answer to that. The truth was, he hadn't even stopped to think about it like that. A part of him wanted to laugh at how naive he was.
'Superpowers,' he thought. 'Yeah, everyone would love to have them. But real life doesn't work like the movies. There's no plot armor here. No second chances. Just… a whole lot of uncertainty.'
The golden light struck another student, and Noah watched the energy pulse and twist around them. It looked overwhelming, too powerful, too real. He swallowed hard. 'What if I get a power that's worthless? Or worse, a power I can't even control? They said there's no going back from this. If I screw up… I don't get another shot at life.'
His stomach twisted. He flexed his fingers, trying to shake off the nervous tension. 'Come on, Noah. Stop thinking like that. You're here for a reason. You've got to make it through this.'
He watched as the golden energy struck another student. The same process repeated—transformation, a flash of power, the chief declaring their affinity. Some people walked away visibly stronger, others looking shaken.
The line of students was getting shorter. Noah flexed his fingers at his sides, rolling his shoulders as he realized his turn was coming up soon. His stomach clenched, a tight ball of nerves twisting inside him.
Amanda noticed his tension and turned to him. "You nervous?"
Noah let out a dry chuckle. "I'd be lying if I said no."
"Well, don't feel alone. I'd be lying if I said no." Amanda's face was a little paler than before, her usual calm expression betraying a hint of anxiety as she watched the ritual continue.
Noah smiled at her, trying to mask his own nerves. "Well, I guess we're both in the same boat then."
Amanda raised an eyebrow, glancing over at him with a small smirk. "This boat's about to go over a waterfall, isn't it?"
Noah couldn't help but chuckle, the tension easing slightly. "Yeah, pretty much. But you'll probably be fine. You'll get something like Ice magic, right? That way, when the boat tips over, you can just make an ice bridge and save yourself."
Amanda's smirk grew, but there was a glint of humor in her eyes. "And what about you, Noah? You think you'll just grow wings and fly out of here?"
He shook his head with a grin. "Nah. Probably end up with something that makes me useless to save myself. Maybe I'll get Fire magic and just boil the water around me... unable to help myself."
Amanda looked at him, her eyes softening slightly. She smiled, a playful glint in her gaze. "Well, since the boat's going down anyway… why not go down together?"
Noah's heart skipped a beat, the humor in her voice making his stomach flutter in a way he wasn't expecting. He met her gaze, their playful back-and-forth hanging in the air like a challenge.
'Pretty…' Noah can't help but think. 'Lock in dude don't look stupid.' Noah collects himself.
"Deal," he said, voice quieter now, the tension between them shifting in the space of a breath. "Together, then."