The shock from the dawn ceremony still lingered in the atmosphere. Even the architecture of Celestia Divinity Academy—massive spires carved into living stone—seemed quieter than usual, as though the walls themselves were listening.
Eryndor sat on the balcony rail outside the eastern wing, overlooking the sunrise bleeding gold across the massive training valley. Kaelus leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, still processing the chaos that had erupted an hour before.
"Storm affinity, huh?" Kaelus muttered. "You've never actually explained that properly, you know."
Eryndor raised an eyebrow. "Explain what?"
"That you keep saying your affinity is Storm, but everyone keeps calling it lightning. Even that Rein guy called you the heir of the Voidborn Lineage—which is weird by itself. So…" Kaelus shoved his hands into his pockets. "What's the truth?"
Eryndor exhaled slowly. He'd avoided this explanation for a long time.
Not because he didn't understand it—
but because most people simply couldn't believe it.
But Kaelus wasn't "most people."
"Fine," Eryndor said, swinging his leg over the rail to face him. "Let me break it down."
Kaelus perked up. "Finally."
"Everyone knows the basics," Eryndor began, holding out his hand. Lightning sparked to life—bright, concentrated, sharp.
"Lightning Affinity."
He waved his other hand, stirring a controlled swirl of wind—smooth, stable, quick.
"Wind Affinity."
Kaelus nodded. "Right. Two affinities. Not common, but not unheard of either."
Eryndor snapped his fingers.
Lightning and wind collided.
Not violently—
but harmoniously.
The space around his hand trembled as the two elements blended into a single energy. The air grew heavy and electrified at the same time, the sky above them responding with distant, rumbling pressure.
The aura wasn't lightning.
It wasn't wind.
It was something deeper—something alive.
"This," Eryndor said quietly, "is Storm."
Kaelus blinked. "That feels… different."
"It should. Lightning is raw power. Wind is movement—freedom. But when you combine them perfectly, not mixing but synchronizing, you get something that's not just stronger…"
His eyes glowed faintly.
"…you get something that transcends the two."
Kaelus frowned slightly. "But how does that make it your true affinity? You weren't born with Storm."
"That's where you're wrong."
The air tightened around them as Eryndor let his Storm aura intensify. The distant clouds shifted subtly in response.
"When I was a kid, lightning would flare whenever I got upset."
Kaelus nodded.
"And when I was excited or focused, the wind around me would react."
Kaelus nodded again.
"But when I was fighting Vorathrax…"
Eryndor lifted his palm. The storm aura sharpened, controlled, refined—
as if the world itself recognized it.
"…both reacted to me. At the same time. Not separately. Not layered. They moved as one."
Kaelus stepped back a bit as the pressure increased.
"That's not two affinities," Eryndor said softly.
"That's one affinity wearing two masks."
A gust of azure wind swirled around his wrist.
Lightning coiled through it like veins of living energy.
The result was unmistakable:
Storm.
A hybrid element.
A rare one.
One that naturally evolves when a cultivator achieves perfect synchronization between two elements that share a resonance path.
Kaelus stared. "So you're saying lightning and wind weren't two separate affinities for you. They were always pieces of a single, higher-rank element."
Eryndor nodded. "Exactly."
Kaelus whistled slowly. "Damn… that explains everything. Why your techniques feel heavier, why the air shifts when you move, why storms literally form when you get angry."
Eryndor smirked. "You're welcome for the explanation."
Kaelus punched his arm lightly. "Show-off."
Hours later, the academy bells rang once more—long, resonant chimes that echoed across the enormous campus.
Students from every division gathered in the main atrium: Storm, Flame, Tide, Gale, Terra, Light, Shadow, Hybrid, and God Candidate Divisions.
The chatter filled the halls:
"Did you hear about the Black Sun resonance?"
"That shadow kid—Darius—what was that?"
"Rein Clark was on the second floor yesterday…"
"Storm aura? Isn't that hybrid-tier? Why does that Nasarik kid have one?"
Eryndor ignored most of it.
He, Kaelus, and Darius walked together toward the assignment board, where names were being magically inscribed.
Kaelus scanned the list first.
"Let's see… Kaelus Magna… Gale Division. Expected. Darius Mike… Shadow Division—special classification. Huh."
Then he froze.
"Eryndor Nasarik…"
Eryndor stepped beside him.
There it was:
ERYNDOR NASARIK – HYBRID DIVISION (STORM)
— Additional Tag: Provisional God Candidate
Kaelus's jaw dropped.
"You—
You WHAT?"
Eryndor blinked. "I didn't—"
Darius stepped forward, eyes narrowing at the inscription.
"That's not a normal classification," he murmured. "God Candidate designations aren't given—they're chosen. Something is pulling strings around you."
"I didn't sign up for anything," Eryndor muttered.
"That's not how godhood works," Darius said quietly. "Sometimes, the path chooses you."
Kaelus groaned. "Oh great. You and Rein Clark in the same category. This'll go well."
Before Eryndor could reply, the hall suddenly shifted. A powerful presence brushed the entire academy—like embers carried on a solar wind.
Students froze.
Teachers straightened.
Even the walls hummed.
A familiar voice echoed from the upper balcony:
"Students," Principal Solaria announced, fire swirling in her eyes,
"welcome to your first day of class."
The temperature spiked—warm, overwhelming, impossible.
Kaelus whispered, "We're soooo dead."
Eryndor exhaled, steadying his storm aura.
Classes hadn't even started yet,
and the world was already throwing mountains at him.
He just hoped the next challenge wasn't as insane as the last.