The cold hadn't left him.
Even as the illusion faded and the trial room steadied around him, Kaelen could still feel the bone-deep chill of the abyss—of that towering entity with glowing eyes and a voice like a drowning world. The instructors believed the trial was a mental construct, a test of inner strength.
But what Kaelen experienced… was real.
He sat cross-legged on his dorm floor, the light from the mana lanterns casting rippling shadows across his damp robes. A bowl of water floated before him, perfectly still—his attempt at meditation. But the moment he tried to draw in Aqua Mana, it resisted.
It was never like this before.
"Come on," he muttered.
He inhaled, opened his Mana Veins, and attempted to guide the current into his core.
The water trembled—then instantly stilled.
Kaelen's concentration snapped.
The bowl shattered.
His mana pulsed in erratic spirals now. His once-fluid command over Aqua Arcane was unraveling. It wasn't that he lacked the affinity—it was as if something deeper had stirred beneath it, disrupting the natural flow.
He recalled the feeling in the trial—that voice calling him "descendant of the drowned star." The moment he reached for more power than Aqua alone could offer, something inside him had opened its eye.
"You are not meant to shape waves, Kaelen," the voice had said.
"You are the abyss that devours them."
He shook his head, standing. "No. That's not me. I chose Aqua Arcane. I trained for this. That thing… it's not mine."
But deep down, a small voice whispered: Then why do you feel stronger now than you ever have before?
The academy's outer fields buzzed with energy. Students trained in elemental dueling, summoning drills, and advanced evocation formations. Kaelen joined a group for elemental shaping, though he kept his distance.
Instructor Veyra narrowed her eyes as Kaelen stepped into the circle.
"You're late, Virell."
"My apologies, Instructor."
"Good. Then prove you're not wasting our time. Ice flow shaping. Five spiral blades. You've done it before."
Kaelen nodded. He centered his stance and lifted both hands, calling forth Aqua Mana. He began the pattern—shape, freeze, twist—
But midway through, the mana warped.
The clean spirals collapsed into jagged shards, spinning like broken teeth.
Gasps rippled through the group. One blade flew wide—striking the edge of the field, embedding itself into stone.
Kaelen flinched.
Veyra stepped forward. "Stop. Immediately."
He lowered his hands, heart pounding.
"That was not standard Aqua shaping. What did you channel just now?"
Kaelen hesitated. "I… don't know."
Veyra studied him carefully. "Mana contamination is rare, but not impossible. Report to the Arcane Diagnostics Wing after class."
He nodded and left the formation. Whispers followed him like gnats.
The Arcane Diagnostics Wing was silent but unnervingly cold. Arc-crystals lined the walls, their soft blue light reading energy signatures from within.
Kaelen sat before the primary reading pillar. An arcane physician placed a mana-threaded circlet over his head.
"Breathe normally. Channel your core mana."
Kaelen did. Slowly, steadily—letting Aqua Arcane trickle upward from his pool.
The pillar pulsed blue… then trembled.
The blue hue faded.
The crystal blinked.
Black veins snaked through its glow.
The physician stepped back. "This… this isn't right."
Kaelen opened his eyes. "What do you see?"
"Abyssal interference. There's… another current buried under your Aqua Arcane. Something dormant but potent. Like a second mana pool—a deeper well."
He froze. "Is it a mutation?"
"No. This isn't corruption. It's old… possibly inherited. Latent arcana. Has anyone in your bloodline awakened multiple Arcane traits?"
Kaelen shook his head, voice dry. "Not that I know of."
The physician removed the circlet. "You'll need to be evaluated further. This could be significant. Perhaps even dangerous."
Kaelen didn't wait. He stepped outside, the weight of the news pressing on his chest.
That night, he stood on the cliffs beyond the academy, watching the dark ocean crash against stone.
He raised a hand—and water rose at his call.
But not gently.
It spiraled upward like a rising serpent, void-dark and heavy. There was no light in it. No sparkle. Just depth.
And in that moment, Kaelen understood.
Aqua was his surface.
But Abyss was what truly responded.
End of Chapter 14