Starcrest Academy shimmered like a dream suspended in the sky. Towering bridges connected floating isles of elemental terrain—training zones carved by ancient forces. Great beasts circled overhead, while colossal gates shimmered with celestial runes.
Leo stood still for a moment, letting the gravity of it all settle in. A new life. A new beginning.
Even if I'm starting from the bottom.
He couldn't let his guard down. No one could know who he truly was—not yet.
Beside him, Kevin adjusted the heavy pack on his shoulder, eyes glinting with excitement. "We're finally in, Leo. Dorms are assigned by affinity tiers, so… guess we're roommates."
Leo gave him a sideways glance. "You seem awfully pleased."
"I plan to sleep on the left and snore as loud as I want. Consider this revenge for one-upping me in combat class."
Leo shook his head with a small smile. "You're ridiculous."
"Damn right I am."
Both chuckle lightly
---
Dormitory 17C – Left Wing
Their room was perched on the outer ring of a cliffside tower, overlooking a crescent valley. Twin beds, a shared bookshelf enchanted to respond to their affinities, and a training corner lined with reinforced alloy tiles.
Leo claimed the right bed, and as he set his bag down, he noticed a faint pulse through the walls—arcane shielding. Subtle, but powerful. A protective seal laced with resonance and world energy.
"This whole place is like a fortress," Leo muttered.
Kevin layed back, hands behind his head. "Yeah, well, they say Starcrest was built to prepare the chosen… and protect the world from them too."
Leo paused. "The chosen?"
Kevin shrugged. "Just a saying. Rumors and ancient prophecies and all that crap. Every big academy's got one."
Leo turned back toward the window. The sky pulsed with streaks of world energy and starlight. Even the air tasted different here—heavier, more alive. Something stirred in him, the faintest flicker of violet fire behind his ribs.
It hadn't spoken to him. But it watched.
What are you waiting for? Leo wondered.
---
The next morning, first-years assembled in the open plaza at the base of the Arkan Spire, the main tower. Glowing runes circled the summit like orbiting moons. All wearing the school uniform consisting of a dark jacket over a white buttoned shirt and grey trousers.
An instructor in steel-gray robes stepped forward. His voice echoed unnaturally across the entire space.
"I am Professor Sylian. You are now part of Starcrest Academy. Here, you will learn to harness World Energy—the natural force that binds life, elements, and will. Your path starts with control, manipulation and harnessing."
Large circular platforms rose from the ground, pulsing with world energy.
"We begin with evaluations of these three , your affinities and cultivation. You all should already know cultivation ranks so we begin now."
Students stepped forward one by one onto the sigil rings. The scanning stones glowed in various colors—red for fire, blue for water, green for wind or nature, and so on for their affinities it also shows their cultivation ranks with most being between the early world master rank and the peak world grand master rank.Those without awakened affinities received a dormant reading. A few had rare elements, drawing impressed murmurs.
Then came Kevin.
He stepped onto the ring with arms crossed.
The runes flared bright orange and red, then cracked outward with a thud cyan lightning flashing around.
"High world energy purity, high density and potential with an unclear celling. Cultivation, mid world saint " Sylian announced.
Some students whispered. Others looked nervous , looking at Kevin like some sort of monster
Kevin simply shrugs and walks to Leo with a light smirk.
Then it was Leo's turn.
He stepped forward, calm and composed. His heart, however, wasn't. The violet flame stirred within him, like a sleeping giant sensing attention.
He suppressed it.
The platform glowed faintly. Then—
Nothing.
The energy circle dimmed.
The professor frowned. "Hm. No World Energy signature detected."
Students began whispering.
"Does he even have an affinity?"
"He beat Layla Von in the trial…"
"A fluke maybe?"
Professor Sylian narrowed his eyes, resetting the scan manually. "Once more."
Leo took a breath."Stay quiet", he warned the flame.But it didn't listen.
A single pulse echoed from Leo's chest—faint, violet, ethereal.The scan flared wildly—then short-circuited with a burst of static.The platform cracked and shut down entirely.
Silence.
Sylian stared at Leo, then tapped a few things into a floating slate. "Unusual anomaly. No World Energy detected… yet residual reaction is extremely high. We'll observe."
Leo nodded and stepped down.
Kevin met him at the edge. "That was… insane."
"I didn't do anything."
"That's what makes it insane."
Other students continue with the test with few others showing exceptional abilities some even matching Kevin's power and talent.
Leo takes note of all of them but talks to none before leaving when the class is over. Kevin on the other hand exchanges a few words with some of the students at his level
*********************************************
Back in the dorms, Kevin was already asleep, sprawled across his bed like a dead wolf. Leo sat on the balcony railing, looking out at the endless sky.
The wind whispered, cool and calm.He opened his hand.
"Come."
The purple fire answered. A small, swirling ember danced above his palm. It didn't burn. It didn't flicker. It felt like something deeper—a heartbeat beneath reality.
A voice, barely audible, drifted across his thoughts.
"You are not yet ready."
Leo's fingers tightened.
"But you're mine, aren't you?"
"No", the voice said gently. "You are mine."
Leo exhaled.
Somewhere out there, forces far beyond this academy were moving. Secrets buried in the stars. And he was a piece in a game that had already begun.
No one knew.And he planned to keep it that way.
---