The gates of the Eldorian Spirit Master Academy were a marvel of Aether-forged steel and polished marble, soaring fifty feet into the air. They hummed with a low, resonant power, a constant reminder that this was the heart of the Eldorian Empire's might, the crucible where raw talent was forged into legendary strength.
Ren stood before them, a ghost in a sea of silks and brocades. At sixteen, he was of age with the other aspirants, but the similarities ended there. Their robes were embroidered with clan sigils, their belts studded with lustrous Spirit Cores that spoke of generations of accumulated wealth. Ren's tunic was coarse-spun and faded, patched at the elbows, a relic from a life that had been burned to ash. He could feel their gazes linger on him—a mixture of curiosity, disdain, and outright amusement. Another commoner trying to climb the heavens, their expressions seemed to say.
He ignored them, his focus narrowed to the hum of the gates. It was a song of power, a promise of the one thing that could ensure his survival. Since the Rift Break that had devoured his village, leaving him an orphan in a world teeming with monsters both human and Aetheric, survival had been his only creed. This academy was not a dream; it was a necessity.
The aspirants were led into the Assessment Hall, a vast, circular chamber whose ceiling was an enchanted starscape. In the center of the hall stood a single pillar of flawless, milk-white crystal, ten feet tall. The Aetheric Resonance Crystal. The arbiter of fates.
One by one, the children of nobles and wealthy merchants stepped forward. An assessor with a weary face would call their name, and they would place their hand upon the pillar. The crystal would glow, its light corresponding to their Innate Aetheric Power.
"Lin Fei, House of the Jade Serpent." A boy with an arrogant sneer stepped up. The crystal glowed with a soft, respectable light. "Innate Aetheric Power: 68. Spirit Soul: Jade Serpent. Acceptable."
"Anya Volkov, Volkov Industrial Consortium." A girl in a pristine white uniform produced a brilliant flash. "Innate Aetheric Power: 85! Spirit Soul: Crystalline Golem! Excellent!"
Murmurs of approval filled the hall. An IAP of 85 was the mark of a true genius, destined for greatness. Ren watched, his face impassive, his heart a steady, thrumming drum in his chest. He felt no envy, only a cold, pragmatic calculation. This was the wall he had to climb.
"Ren of… no house affiliation." The assessor's voice was flat, dismissive.
A few snickers echoed in the silence as Ren walked forward. He placed his hand on the cool surface of the crystal. For a moment, nothing happened. The snickers grew louder.
Then, the hall was blinded.
The crystal didn't just glow; it erupted in a torrent of pure, incandescent light, a miniature sun that forced everyone to shield their eyes. The assessors' jaws dropped. The display on their monitoring artifact flickered wildly before settling on a number that seemed impossible: 95.
But the spectacle wasn't over. The pure white light began to churn, twisting in on itself. Vicious, azure sparks of lightning began to crackle within the crystal's core, intertwined with tendrils of an unsettling, abyssal darkness. The brilliant light became chaotic, unstable. A high-pitched whine emanated from the pillar, and fine, spiderweb cracks began to race across its smooth surface.
"Get him away from there!" the head assessor shouted, his face pale with panic. "His Spirit Soul is… it's feral! It's going to shatter the Resonance Crystal!"
Two academy guards started forward, their hands glowing with protective Aether. Ren stood his ground, his eyes wide as he felt the untamed power within him respond to the crystal, a wild wolf straining at a leash. This was his Spirit Soul, the Primordial Heavenly Lightning that had awakened in the shadow of his village's demise.
Before the guards could reach him, a calm, impossibly deep voice cut through the rising chaos.
"Halt."
The single word carried an absolute authority that froze everyone in place. An old man, who had been observing from the side, stepped forward from the shadows. He wore the simple grey robes of a GAMA elder, but his presence filled the entire hall, suppressing the chaotic energy with effortless grace. It was Elder Tian.
He walked directly to the cracking pillar, ignoring the panicked warnings of the assessors. With a placid expression, he laid a wrinkled hand over Ren's on the crystal. The violent flickering ceased. The azure lightning and creeping shadows receded, contained by an invisible, overwhelming force. The blinding light dimmed, returning to a steady, albeit impossibly bright, glow.
Elder Tian stared at Ren, his ancient eyes seeming to pierce through flesh and bone, seeing the spectral wolf of lightning and shadow cowering within his soul. He saw the boy's fear, his defiance, and the raw, unquantifiable potential that terrified lesser men.
He turned to the stunned assessors, his voice ringing with finality that silenced all dissent.
"His talent is not for you to measure, nor for this simple stone to judge." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the shocked faces of the noble scions before returning to Ren. "The danger you sense is real. But you mistake the roar of a nascent dragon for the screech of a lesser beast. This boy's chaotic Aether is not a flaw."
He removed his hand, leaving Ren standing alone, the weight of every eye in the hall upon him.
"It is a sign of his primordial nature. And it will be my responsibility to tame it."