Think of this as a magical world with swords, dragons, and mana flowing like rivers, where to be accepted into a prestigious academy you must possess the greatest of skills—
Bang! Bang!
"Eept—ah!"
"WHAT THE HELL!"
That, apparently, is one way to interrupt someone's grand monologue: by firing off a couple of gunshots.
The man responsible stood not far ahead, suspicious as always, a hood shadowing his face as if he were desperately trying to look cool. Blood streaked across his clothes in crimson stains, the metallic scent clinging to him as if he wore it like perfume. In his hand he carried a modified flintlock pistol, its barrel still faintly smoking as he let it hang in a relaxed, downward grip. Around his boots lay the corpses of wolves, a small pack he had just finished cutting down with calm, surgical precision.
And me? I was right below him Chloe Valastine. Blood and dirt smeared across my uniform after helping subjugate those same wolves alongside this so-called 'hunter.' I was exhausted, my throat dry, longing for nothing more than a cold drink of water and perhaps a warm bath. Just your average eighteen-year-old girl with a dumbfounded look plastered on her face oh, and a third-year student at the most prestigious academy in the empire: Unicrest Academy.
Trying to catch my breath, I pointed a finger at him, my voice cracking between indignation and fatigue. "I was trying to monologue here!"
He rolled his eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck in the back of his head. "Try saying that to the wolves."
"What?" I blinked.
And then I heard it. The growl. My heart sank as the sound multiplied one growl, then three, then an entire chorus rising from the treeline. My eyes widened in disbelief as I realized there was another pack, larger than the first, prowling closer with gleaming fangs and eyes like hungry embers.
"You've got to be kidding me…" I muttered, shoulders slouching, my sword nearly slipping from my sweaty grip. The color drained from my face, tears threatening to form as I whispered to myself.
How… how could a sweet, beautiful, perfectly ordinary girl like me get stuck with such a terrifying, gloomy man?
Well lets go back a couple of years....
The sun shone brightly over a small village, wrapping its cottages and fields in the gentle warmth of spring, though the faint touch of autumn lingered in the breeze. Birds sang from the rooftops, children's laughter echoed faintly in the distance, and all appeared peaceful except within one modest little home.
Inside, a girl tossed and turned in her bed, her breath quickening, her face damp with sweat. Whimpers escaped her lips, then soft cries. She was caught in the grip of a nightmare one she had suffered through countless times before and still could not escape.
"No… nooo… not again…" she sobbed.
With a sharp gasp, she woke, sitting upright, heart pounding as if it were trying to break free from her chest. Tears streaked her cheeks as she rubbed them away with the back of her hand, whispering to herself in a trembling voice.
"Not again. I keep… I keep having the same nightmare."
But today was not just any day. She wiped her face and forced herself to breathe steadily, remembering what lay ahead. Today is my first day at the Unicrest Academy…
Well, not exactly at the academy. Today was the entrance examination the trial to see whether she would even be allowed through its gates. A dream every child in the kingdom secretly wished for. her life would change forever. Fail, and everything she had hoped for would vanish.
It hadn't always been her dream. A while back, a professor from the academy had traveled to her small village to conduct evaluation tests on the local children, searching for candidates with potential. At first, I hadn't intended to try. What chance did a village girl like her have? But my friend had urged her on, practically dragging her into it.
And against all odds, she had passed.
I could still recall the professor's words, as clear as if he stood before me now: "I think your skills are something this academy could use."
my lips curved into a faint smile at the memory. I had been the only girl in the village who truly cared for swordsmanship, often teased for it, but in the end, I had managed to impress even a professor of the Unicrest Academy.
Still, acceptance wasn't so simple. The academy was as cruel as it was prestigious. The first year was free, meant to test the students and break the weak through rigorous training and impossibly high expectations. One mistake, one failure, could end not only their chances at success but their entire future.
The following four years, however, came with a price. Tuition was steep, far beyond anything a lower-born villager like her could ever afford. Yet there was hope: with outstanding grades, recognition, and enough grit to earn the professors' respect, one could secure a scholarship and continue without paying a single coin.
That was her path. That was her only chance.
I clenched my fists, determination flickering in her tear-streaked eyes. "I'll make it. I have to."
I glanced up at the clock hanging crookedly on my wall. The hands pointed to half past noon.
Tick, tick, tick.
"Shit…"
Panic gripped me instantly. Of all days to oversleep, this had to be the one. My hair a darkish lavender mess that looked like it had gone through a windstorm framed my pale face and tumbled into my eyes. Dressed only in my undergarments, I scrambled out of bed, nearly tripping over the blanket twisted around my legs. My reflection in the mirror caught my attention for just a second blue-mint eyes wide with alarm, skin ghost-pale from sleep deprivation and nerves.
I bolted to the door and leaned over the railing, shouting down to the kitchen. "What the hell, Mom?! You were supposed to wake me up!"
From below, I caught the faint, calm sound of clattering pans and my mother's maddeningly cheerful voice.
"You're seventeen now, sweetie. It's time to learn independence. Waking yourself up is your responsibility. You can't rely on me forever."
"Ughhh…" I groaned, dragging both hands down my face. Why did she have to be right all the time? From sixteen to twenty, people in Unicrest were technically still considered teenagers, but that never stopped them from drinking, getting married, or signing up for duels they couldn't win. Independence was expected, whether you liked it or not.
I clenched a fist, stomping a foot in frustration. My hair stuck out in tangled clumps, no time left to brush it smooth. With a grunt, I pulled on the academy uniform that had been neatly folded at the foot of my bed—how they managed to know my exact size, I couldn't even begin to guess. That was a mystery for future me to deal with.
Right now, all I could think was: Don't be late on your first day. Don't screw this up.
The female academy uniform I had been given was simple but elegant: a crisp white skirt trimmed with a seafoam-blue outline, matched with a white collared shirt embroidered with the Unicrest crest upon the chest. The same delicate outline ran along the shirt's hem and cuffs, tying the look together. It was both modest and striking, a clear symbol of belonging or at least, the hope of belonging.
But there was no time to admire it now. No time for breakfast either. I dashed past my mother in a blur, nearly slamming straight into the table.
"Don't forget your katana, honey!"
She tossed it toward me, and with quick reflexes I snatched it midair. The familiar weight settled against my palm, grounding me for just a heartbeat. With a quick spin on my heel, I bolted back toward the door, slamming it shut behind me with a loud
-thud.
My shoes slapped against the dirt road as I sprinted, lungs burning, heart hammering. The minutes blurred together ten, twenty, thirty until I crested the final hill.
And there it was.
The horizon opened before me, revealing the glimmering expanse of the great lake. Sunlight danced across its waters, sparkling like a thousand stars strewn across liquid silver. Beyond it, looming in the distance, stood the massive silhouette of a castle-like structure that seemed to pierce the very sky. Its towers rose like spears of stone and magic, its banners swaying proudly in the wind.
Unicrest Academy.
Isolated from the rest of the mainland, the academy stood alone, a fortress of knowledge and power. The only path forward was a colossal stone bridge that stretched across the water, guarded at either end by armored knights
It wasn't just a school.
Within its walls lived more than hundreds students, each one chosen for their potential. Training grounds, sprawling courtyards, alchemical shops, spirit gardens everything a young mage or swordsman could ever dream of. Guarded by vigilant professors and a legion of knights, its reputation as the 'Citadel Academy' was no exaggeration. In all of Unicest, there was no safer nor more demanding place.
And today, I was about to see if I truly belonged there.
Unicrest wasn't just a school it was the gateway to a better life. Anyone who managed to graduate from its halls would find doors opening across the empire: government positions, knighthood, merchant connections, even noble patronage. For me, though, there was only one reason to endure it all.
To support my mother.
We had always been poor, lowly commoners scraping by while others lived comfortably under the empire's blessings. My mother worked herself to the bone just to keep food on our table and a roof above our heads. Every scar on her hands, every line of exhaustion etched into her face I owed her more than I could ever repay. If I graduated, I could earn steady pay, maybe even rise high enough to give her the life she deserved.
That was my goal. Not fame, not glory, not chasing childish dreams of becoming a legendary hero.
"My only goal," I muttered under my breath, clenching my fists tight around my katana's hilt, "is to graduate and get a job!"
Tasks for students came with risk subjugating beasts, demonic creatures, or bandits in the surrounding lands but they also came with money. Enough, perhaps, to start lifting us out of poverty. Enough to show my mother her sacrifices weren't in vain.
Finally, I reached the massive iron gates of the academy. Two guards in polished steel stood watch, their armor gleaming like silver beneath the noon sun. They were knights Unicrest-trained, no doubt stern-eyed and unmoving as statues.
I hurried forward, fumbling to present the temporary identification card tucked into my uniform. A plain card, unimpressive in design, with only the words "New Student" printed boldly across it. Proof of nothing more than a chance.
The first guard accepted it, scanning the card briefly before nodding.
"Clear. Go on ahead."
Before he could even hand it back properly, I snatched the card from his fingers, bowing clumsily as I swept past.
"Hey—!" the guard grunted, glaring at me for my rudeness.
But I was already gone, feet pounding against the paved courtyard stones, too focused on the thought burning in my head to care.
Don't be late. Don't fail.
I barreled onto the academy grounds without a second to spare. There was no time to admire the spires or the gardens upperclassmen drifted through the courtyard like tide pools of confidence, and I shoved past them like a small, frantic storm. A few gave me icy glares; some barely glanced over their shoulders. I didn't care. I ran like a lunatic, weaving between armor-clad knights-in-training and students who looked far too calm for the apocalypse I felt inside my chest.
The front campus was a bustle of first years: clusters of nervous faces, games half-playing, others sitting stiff-backed and waiting for announcements. I skidded to a halt when a familiar voice called my name.
"Chloe!"
I turned. There she was Lilia without question the best person on this planet (besides me, obviously). Blue eyes like clear water, black hair pulled back, wearing the same crisp Unicrest uniform. She had the sort of quiet kindness that made people breathe easier. Lilia and I had been inseparable since childhood our parents used to scold us for vanishing into the forest for hours. Where I saw trees, she saw companions; where I saw a path lost in scrub, she recognized the spirits that hid there. She always knew the best fruiting branches and the safest shortcuts home.
Her hands were gentle as she brushed the tangles from my lavender hair, and I could feel my cheeks heat under her touch. "You were almost late," she said, eyes amused. "That's not like you, Chloe—and your hair is a mess."
"Yeah, well—" I tried to laugh it off, a nervous, high little sound that only made me look guiltier. We sat on a nearby bench; she reached up and tied my hair into a ponytail so neatly it could have been braided by a master.
Lilia's talent for spirit arts was whispered about in the village. She could call lower spirits and coax a few middling ones into companionship something most students at Unicrest couldn't do without years of training and a massive mana pool. Spirits were invisible to ordinary eyes; one had to pour mana into their vision to see them, and even then the spirit needed to feel a sympathetic resonance. It wasn't common — which was why, sometimes, I thought the professors might wave her through without the exam.
"What would I do without you?" I asked giving off a sigh of relief
"Anyway," I said, shifting on the bench, "I wonder when they're going to call us for the examination."
Lilia shrugged, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Not too sure. We've been sitting around for the past thirty minutes already."
Before I could respond, a loud, piercing screech cut through the air, immediately snapping everyone's attention to the front of the academy. It was followed by a deep, resonant voice that boomed across the courtyard:
"IF ALL STUDENTS COULD REPORT TO THE FRONT OF THE ACADEMY GARDEN FOR THE MANA EXAMINATION!"
Mana. It was the very heartbeat of this world. Every being, from the smallest insect to the mightiest dragon, contained it. Those with the skill to shape it could perform extraordinary feats mana techniques, known as arts.
Most students specialized in elemental arts, manipulating a particular type of elemental mana. Pyro, Anemo, Hydro, Geo there were many, each requiring a unique affinity and precise control. My own attributes were Pyro and Anemo, a volatile combination that I had been training to master since I could remember.
Hundreds of students began converging toward the entrance hall, the crowd buzzing with nervous energy. The examination was organized carefully: twenty students were called at a time to have their mana evaluated. Depending on their resonance, they would either pass the test, require a different assessment, or, in some cases, be assigned a specialty test if they exhibited rare or unusual abilities.
I gripped my katana instinctively, feeling the familiar hum of my mana pool just beneath the surface. Today, my skills would be measured not against the weak, but against those who could one day shape the very world.
All of the students here were visibly nervous. I could feel the collective tension like static in the air. My legs wobbled beneath me, and I was on the verge of fainting. I had never seen such a massive crowd before so different from the small, quiet village I grew up in.
Deep breaths… I told myself, inhaling slowly, letting the air fill my lungs. In… and out…
was the basic elemental mana resonance test. The thought of failing made my chest tighten. Everything I had worked for, every sacrifice my mother had made, all the dreams I had been chasing it could all vanish in a single moment. I couldn't let that happen.
A loud voice echoed across the room:
"CHLOE VALASTINE!"
My name. My heart leapt, and my stomach felt like it had dropped to the soles of my shoes. I stepped forward, trying to steady my shaking hands. Nothing could truly express the weight of the stress I was feeling.
A professor stood to the side, his expression calm but scrutinizing. In the center of the hall floated a shimmering mana orb, suspended by invisible forces. I had only to place my hand upon it and hope that my mana resonance qualified me.
Not stressful at all. TOTALLY. I mumbled sarcastically under my breath.
I lifted my hand and let it hover over the glowing orb. Instantly, bright colors erupted across the room—red, light green, and an unexpected white glow shimmering between them. My eyes widened. Red and green were familiar, Pyro, and, Anemo but the white… I had never seen or even heard of a white elemental attribute before.
The professor's brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing his otherwise composed face. The orb pulsed gently beneath my hand, almost as if it were alive.
Finally, the professor spoke: "Pass. Go ahead to the ceremony room, down the hall, and to your left."
I froze for a moment, disbelief washing over me. Then, joy exploded inside my chest.
I… I passed! I whispered, tears threatening to form in the corners of my eyes.