Chapter 5 - Mana Assessment

📖 Ashes of the Forgotten Star Chapter 5 – The Mana Assessment

The assessment chamber was alive with mana.

Hundreds of students stood in staggered rows, buzzing with a mix of anxiety and excitement. Giant crystalline spires surrounded the chamber's edges, pulsing in slow, rhythmic hues. In the center stood a raised platform embedded with a circular array of runes — the Aetheric Prism.

Today, every Novitiate would be tested. Our elemental affinity — and more importantly, our core tier — would be revealed and recorded.

Instructor Haldena stood at the head of the room, flanked by two elder mages with expressionless faces. One held a ledger etched with silver ink. The other operated the prism.

"Step forward when called," Haldena instructed. "The prism will identify your mana affinity and core strength. You may only approach once. No repeats. No retests."

The line began to move.

First was a noble girl with the violet crest of House Tyrel. She stepped onto the platform, her hands clenched tightly. The prism flared — violet, red, and a hint of white.

"Tri-affinity: Lightning, Fire, and Light," read the elder. "Core: Mid-Yellow."

A murmur rippled through the room. That was impressive — for someone her age.

Another student approached. Then another. Most revealed dual affinities — Fire and Earth, Wind and Water. A few had single elements. Core levels varied: Low-Yellow, Mid-Yellow. A few reached High-Yellow.

Then came Kael Dyran.

He walked to the platform like it belonged to him, head high, golden eyes burning with pride.

The prism flared brilliantly — Gold, Flame, and Light.

"Tri-affinity," the elder said, voice louder now. "Fire, Light, and Metal. Core: High-Yellow, nearing Orange."

Gasps. Even Haldena looked mildly impressed.

Kael turned, smirking at the room. Then at me.

I didn't react.

Not yet.

A few minutes later, my name was called.

"Lioren."

I walked calmly to the platform, feeling the mana react the moment I stepped inside the rune circle. The Aetheric Prism whirred to life.

Inside, I guided my mana slowly, deliberately — just enough to pass as exceptional, but not impossible.

The prism surged.

Blue. White. Silver. Black.

The colors shimmered wildly, spiraling into a complex weave.

The elder blinked.

"Quad-affinity," he announced, voice tight. "Water. Wind. Lightning. Shadow."

Whispers erupted.

"Shadow?"

"No one gets Shadow unless—"

"Wait, how—"

The elder paused again, eyes narrowing.

"Core level..."

I adjusted the flow, pulling my mana back a fraction.

"Core: High-Yellow."

I stepped off.

Vera met me with a flat stare. "High-Yellow? Seriously? You did that on purpose."

"What?"

"Don't play dumb. I've seen you train. Your core's stronger than that."

I smiled faintly. "Why attract more enemies than necessary?"

She snorted. "Fair."

Kael, however, was less amused. He approached me afterward, two of his noble lackeys in tow.

"Impressive show," he said, voice silky and mocking. "Quad-affinity? That's rare… for someone with no house or history."

"I suppose I make do," I replied casually.

His expression twitched. "Careful, Lioren. This academy doesn't favor outliers. It crushes them."

"Then I'll enjoy surviving."

His eyes narrowed, but he walked away.

Later that day, Instructor Haldena summoned me to her study.

It was an austere space — no ornaments, just books, charts, and a single enchanted flame hovering in the center of the room.

"You've made an impression," she said without looking up from her notes.

"I didn't mean to."

"That's a lie."

I said nothing.

She glanced up. "Most students would be celebrating a quad affinity. You seem... restrained."

"I've had enough attention in my life. I prefer results."

That seemed to amuse her. "Good answer. You'll be assigned to Advanced Tactical Combat and Runic Integration Theory. Not typical for first-years. You'll be challenged."

"I prefer it that way."

"One more thing," she said, her voice dropping. "Your mana pulse is… unusual. There's something older woven into your core. I suggest you be careful. Not all power should be awakened."

With that cryptic note, she dismissed me.

That night, as I lay in bed, I pulled the star-shaped fragment Elyra had slipped me earlier that week from under my mattress.

It hummed faintly.

A forgotten relic, cracked down the center, glowing with a subtle pulse that matched the one I'd felt under the academy. Its energy wasn't elemental — it was primordial.

I pressed two fingers to its surface.

A brief flicker — and for a moment, I saw memories not my own.

Flashes of an ancient war. Towers collapsing. Celestial beings locked in combat. A city floating in the sky, shattered into stardust.

Then darkness.

I gasped, the vision fading.

This wasn't just an artifact. It was a key — to something long buried.

The next morning, I found a note folded on my desk.

"Midnight. Old Courtyard. Come alone. —E."

Elyra.

The Circle of Seven.

I clenched the paper in my fist.

The pieces were moving. The past was waking. And soon, I'd learn the truth about the Forgotten Star — and why I'd been brought back at all.