The sun had barely risen over the silver skyline of Arcanum Citadel, its light barely reflecting off the floating towers and shimmering spires that housed the most elite institution in the world—The Astral Academy. Here, only the gifted, the awakened, or the dangerously unstable were admitted.
On the central training ground—an arena larger than most stadiums, carved with runes and sealed with ancient magic—students gathered in tight formation, eyes alert, breaths visible in the crisp morning air.
And then, he appeared.
Draped in a flowing white coat etched with sigils of power, his boots barely touched the ground as he descended from the sky. His silver hair danced with the wind, and his presence hushed even the most arrogant cadet. His name echoed in whispers:
"Aelros…"
The youngest Supreme Officer in military history. The one they called the Teacher in White. And the only known wielder of all Five Pillars—Space, Gravity, Light, Fire, and Summoning.
But what they didn't know… was that he carried a second self.
One that watched from the deepest silence.
One that had known Darkness and Void.
Aelros landed softly, the runes beneath his feet lighting up in response to his presence.
> "You've all read the books. Memorized the theories. Some of you have talent. Some of you only have fear. But from this moment on…"
His eyes swept the crowd like a blade.
"You are mine to break. And mine to build."
Gasps ran through the cadets. Some had expected a legend—they got a storm.
From the rear, a girl whispered, "He doesn't even carry a weapon…"
But before the words could settle, Aelros raised a hand. Space shimmered, and a massive artifact lance of white flame and starlight materialized from thin air, hovering beside him. A weapon forged from his very soul.
> "This," he said, "is not a place to pretend to be strong. It's where we decide who gets to survive the war that's coming."
The students looked at one another, murmuring. War? What war?
Aelros turned his back to them, beginning to walk toward the inner gates of the Academy.
> "Class begins now."
And as the gates creaked open, few noticed the faint flicker in his shadow—the second presence watching quietly from behind his eyes.
A presence that didn't speak…
Not unless it had to.