The carriages rumbled along the stone-paved road, their wheels clattering beneath banners of the Royal Academy of Contract Arts. Students leaned from windows, their eyes bright with the thrill of futures already chosen—creatures perched on shoulders, wings folded, tails twitching, glowing orbs tethered to collars.
Aaron sat alone near the back, clutching the worn strap of his satchel. The fabric was patched three times over, his guardian's careful stitching still visible. Around him, the air hummed faintly with energy manipulation. Flames flickered between playful fingers, a girl hummed and water droplets danced above her palm, while a boy two seats ahead laughed as his beast—a wolf pup of pure lightning—snapped playfully at his ear.
Aaron had none of that.
No beast.
No energy flow.
No spark.
When he reached inward, searching for the current of life every instructor claimed was as natural as breath, there was nothing. A hollow silence. As though his body were a vessel with no flame to kindle it.
"Hey," a voice snapped him from his thoughts. A boy leaned over the seat in front of him, his hair sleek and well-oiled, his uniform already tailored. His eyes glimmered faintly—the mark of one who had mastered his first element. "Why are you even here? If you can't contract a beast or use energy, you'll last a week at most."
The laughter around them stung, but Aaron clenched his jaw and said nothing. He had heard it all before.
The carriage jolted to a stop. Before them stretched the Academy: towering spires of black steel and glass, arcane runes etched into their walls, humming with power. A fusion of modern engineering and ancient wards. Banners fluttered, each bearing the sigil of the Crown—a dragon curled around a blade of light.
Students poured out, excitement palpable. Aaron stepped onto the cobblestones, adjusting the strap of his satchel again, as though the weight of his guardian's sacrifice sat inside it. Every coin saved, every extra shift worked, every quiet word of encouragement… all to see him here.
The academy gates yawned wide. Instructors lined the entry, beasts coiled at their sides. Some majestic—griffons, thunder eagles, obsidian panthers. Others small but no less radiant. The instructors' gazes swept the crowd like a predator's, assessing, judging.
When Aaron passed, he felt their eyes linger just a moment too long. Pity, mostly. A few smirks. One or two scowls, as though he was already a burden to the academy's reputation.
The initiation began almost immediately. Students were guided into the Hall of Resonance, where the great crystal stood—an ancient relic said to react to the energy within each human. Those who possessed beasts would summon them, stepping forward to demonstrate their hybrid forms. Those who had awakened their energy would ignite their element, filling the hall with fire, ice, lightning, and shadow.
One by one, the names were called. Applause followed each display, some met with awe, others with polite claps.
Then came his.
"Aaron Ward."
He stepped forward. The hall felt too large, the gazes too heavy. He raised his hands, trying to will the energy inside him to stir, to move, to ignite. His body trembled, sweat prickled at his brow, but there was only the same emptiness.
Nothing.
A long silence filled the hall. Then, the whispering started.
"Is he serious?"
"Not even a flicker…"
"A waste of tuition."
"Why would anyone sponsor that?"
Heat burned in Aaron's face. His hands curled into fists. He wanted to scream, to tell them he hadn't chosen this weakness, that he had tried for years, that he had begged for the spark others were born with.
Instead, he stood frozen under their eyes.
At last, the instructor cleared his throat. "Sit down, Ward." His tone was sharp, dismissive. "Do not waste the Academy's time."
Aaron turned away, shoulders tight, his steps heavy.
The hall erupted again when the next student lit the air with arcs of flame. Applause roared, drowning out the silence that followed him like a shadow.
Aaron sat alone at the edge of the benches, staring down at his empty hands.
No beast. No energy. Nothing.
And yet, deep within the hollowness, for just an instant, something stirred. A flicker too faint to name.
Something… watching.