The morning sun filtered through the curtains with an uninvited gentleness. The room, silent just moments ago, was quickly filled with the voice of Keon as he shook both Elian and Tamir awake.
"Come on, wake up, both of you. Today's the big day."
Tamir groaned but sat up immediately, rubbing his face. "Yeah, the entrance exams… We'd better eat well."
Elian blinked slowly, his hair a mess, eyes still half-closed. The pressure in his chest was growing with every second. He felt unready. Completely.
Keon stretched, pacing nervously. "I'm scared. What if we don't pass? What if we studied all this time for nothing?"
Tamir snorted. "Honestly, even if we do pass, there's a low chance we'll end up in the same group. But we might be grouped with Linnea or Astelle... small hopes."
Elian looked down, voice low. "I don't know what to do..."
Keon paused. "What do you mean?"
"I barely know anything," Elian admitted. "What if I fail the written test completely?"
Keon frowned. "Damn… that's actually a big problem..."
Tamir tried to stay optimistic. "Don't stress. There's still the physical trial... and the Void readings. Some say the Void measurements are what really matter in the end."
Keon tilted his head. "Void readings? What's that? I've never even heard of them."
"Exactly. Because no one talks about them outside the Academy walls. They keep it under wraps," Tamir replied.
The conversation drifted after that, touching on theories and speculations, but no one really had any answers. Eventually, they got dressed, left the room, and made their way out of the building.
On their way to the dining hall, they crossed paths with two familiar faces.
"Heyy, Keon! Elian! Tamir!" Astelle waved, her energy as bright as ever.
"Morning!" Linnea added with a cheerful tone.
Keon gave a nervous smile. "Hey. We're just heading to breakfast."
"Great! Mind if we join?" Astelle grinned.
"Of course not. Let's go together," Tamir said easily.
Linnea glanced back. "Though… we're waiting for someone. One girl we met yesterday. Name's Kyara."
Keon raised a brow. "A new friend?"
"Yep," Astelle laughed. "Met her in our dorms. She's a bit of a whirlwind. You'll see."
Just then, the girl in question came running up the path. Short, with springy curls and a sharp grin, she looked like someone who never ran out of things to say.
"Sorry, sorry! Didn't mean to keep you waiting!" she said, catching her breath.
Astelle waved it off. "Don't worry. We just ran into our friends too. Kyara, meet Keon, Tamir, and Elian."
Introductions followed naturally, and the six of them made their way into the dining hall. The morning rush had just started, so they managed to grab a table near the windows. They laughed, joked, and eased each other's nerves with casual chatter.
Kyara, for her part, kept glancing at Elian. Not in a shy or awkward way, but with genuine curiosity. Elian, too caught up in his own thoughts, didn't notice.
After they finished their meal, everyone stood up almost at once, as if a silent signal had been passed. No one wanted to be late. The Academy building stood just a short walk away, and as they approached it, the air around them seemed to grow heavier. Excitement and anxiety mixed in equal measure.
Outside the main hall, professors were already organizing the crowd of hopeful students. They called names, divided groups, and handed out instructions. There was little time for talking.
"Good luck," Keon muttered as he bumped shoulders with Elian.
"You too," Elian replied.
Tamir gave a nod. "Let's all survive this."
They separated into different rooms, and Elian was led into a vast hall with long rows of wooden desks. The walls were lined with tall windows, the ceiling arched and majestic. A faint echo accompanied every movement inside.
The written test began without ceremony. Sheets were passed out, and a clock began to tick loudly at the front.
Elian stared at the questions. He didn't understand most of them. Terms, dates, locations—none of it made sense to him. He tried to answer one, then another, but his quill hovered more than it moved. It was like being asked to write in a language he had never learned.
When time was called, he left the hall with a heavy heart. Outside, students whispered about the questions, exchanged answers, laughed nervously or sighed in relief.
He scanned the crowd.
"Keon!" he called.
A hand waved from the side. "Elian! There you are. How did it go?"
Elian shook his head. "I barely answered anything. I didn't know most of it."
Keon winced. "Damn… That sucks. But maybe you'll kill it in the readings. Just do your best, okay?"
"I'll try," Elian murmured.
They joined the others again, this time heading to the courtyard behind the main Academy tower. There, a strange structure awaited them: a tall, arched gateway made of blackened stone. It shimmered faintly, as if breathing.
One of the professors stood nearby and addressed the gathered students.
"These are the Gates of Void Resonance," she explained. "Inside them flows a controlled stream of living Void energy. When you pass through, it interacts with your internal capacity and marks your potential. The color, intensity, and shape of the reaction will be recorded and evaluated."
A man began calling out names.
"Astelle. Is Astelle present?"
"Here!" she answered confidently and walked up.
Elian and Keon stepped forward to watch. Astelle took a breath, then walked through the arch.
As she passed through the gate, the shimmering Void turned black and wrapped around her like a soft mist. A glowing dark light pulsed outward, then faded. Students murmured.
"That's a good result," someone whispered nearby.
One by one, more names were called. Some students passed with pale lights, others with brighter glows. A few gates flickered strangely but held.
Then: "Elian. Is there an Elian?"
Keon nudged him. "Go. You got this."
Elian stepped forward. All eyes turned to him. Even students who hadn't been paying attention before now looked his way. Something about the silence was too sharp.
He approached the gate. It shimmered with the same energy, the same pulsing anticipation.
Then he stepped through.
For a second—nothing.
Then the entire gate trembled violently.
A low hum rose into a sharp shriek.
And in the next moment, the structure exploded.
Fragments of black stone burst outward in a sudden burst of force, but just before they could hit anyone, the shards vanished—dissolving into thin air, like they had never been real.
Silence fell over the courtyard.
Elian stood in the center of it all, unharmed, confused. The remains of the gate were gone. There was only a thin mist of grey energy fading in the air.
The professors exchanged glances. Whispers turned into stunned murmurs among the students.
Keon's mouth hung open.
"What the hell just happened?" someone muttered.
One professor—older, with silver at his temples—stepped forward.
"Proceed to physical evaluations," he told the students. "All of you, now."
Then he turned to Elian. "Not you. Come with me."
Elian blinked. "Me?"
"Yes. Follow."
The students were slowly herded away, many of them still looking back, eyes wide with confusion or suspicion. Keon gave Elian a glance, half-worried, half-awed, but didn't speak.
The professor led Elian into one of the smaller buildings beside the tower. They walked in silence through long, sterile hallways until they reached a simple office.
"Wait here," the man said.
Elian stepped inside. The room smelled faintly of ink and metal. Papers were stacked neatly across a wooden desk. A small, locked cabinet hummed softly in the corner.
The door shut behind him.
He was alone now.
Elian sat down slowly, his heart pounding again—not from fear, but from something else. Something he couldn't name.
What just happened out there?
And why did it feel… familiar?