Chapter 13 – The Ceremony of Light
Avalon Academy was a world unto itself.
The lecture halls gleamed with silver-lined glass, the libraries stretched higher than castles, and the sparring fields shimmered with enchantments that could contain dragonfire. For most students, it was a dream come true.
For Aurora, it was a cage made of light.
She walked the marble corridors in silence, her white dress brushing the polished floors. Students passed her in cliques and clusters—nobles with confident laughs, elves with serene poise, beastkin with restless energy. None spared her more than a fleeting glance.
When they did, it was with the polite indifference reserved for the forgettable.
Aurora did not mind. Or at least, she told herself she didn't. After all, wasn't this what she wanted? To be unnoticed, low-key, safe?
The system chimed softly in her ear.
> [Observation: Host is integrating as expected.]
[Reminder: Avoidance of early bonds reduces vulnerability.]
Aurora nodded faintly. Good. Then everything is going according to plan.
Still, her heart tightened. She had grown used to solitude back on Earth, but here, surrounded by a thousand vibrant lives, the silence around her felt heavier.
Her thoughts broke when the great bell of Avalon tolled.
"The Testing Ceremony begins!" a professor's voice rang across the courtyard.
Students hurried toward the Grand Hall, excitement sparking in their eyes. Aurora followed, her steps light, her pulse quickening.
At the center of the hall stood the Relic Orb—a massive crystal sphere, swirling with ancient magic. Runes carved by gods themselves pulsed along its surface.
"Step forward," the professor announced. "The orb shall reveal your Level and your Amplitude. No deceit can withstand its gaze."
The murmurs of the crowd swelled as the first students pressed their palms against the orb.
A boy in polished armor stepped up. The orb flared.
[Level 43 – Amplitude: Earth Attribute, High]
Cheers erupted.
One after another, students were tested. Their levels glowed in bold light above the orb, their amplitudes recorded in the professors' tomes.
Then the reincarnated appeared.
The hall held its breath as the boy with storm-grey eyes stepped forward. His presence was sharp, steady, as if the air itself acknowledged him. He pressed his hand to the orb.
Light burst forth.
[Level 108 – Amplitude: Lightning Attribute, Perfect]
Gasps shook the hall.
"Impossible…" a noble girl whispered.
"Perfect amplitude?!"
The reincarnated Hero stepped back, his lips curving in a calm, unreadable smile.
Next, the dark-haired figure with crimson eyes and a faint smirk pressed his hand to the orb. Shadows coiled around him like loyal hounds.
[Level 110 – Amplitude: Darkness Attribute, Perfect]
The hall erupted again, fear mixing with awe.
Aurora's chest tightened. So these are them. The Hero reborn… and the Demon Lord reborn.
Finally, the crimson-haired girl with a mischievous spark in her gaze—Silvia. She carried herself with fire in her stride, but Aurora caught the subtle tremor in her fingers as she reached for the orb.
[Level 99 – Amplitude: Fire Attribute, Perfect / Darkness Attribute, Perfect]
The hall thundered with shock.
"She's a dual-perfect?!"
"Fire and darkness both? That's unheard of!"
Silvia smirked at the crowd, but her eyes flickered with loneliness as she stepped back.
And then, it was Aurora's turn.
She swallowed hard, her steps echoing in the vast hall. The orb loomed before her, heavy with expectation.
She pressed her palm to its cold surface.
A faint glow. Barely a whisper compared to the blazes before her.
[Level 19 – Amplitude: Light Attribute, Good / Others: Average]
The silence that followed was crushing.
Students exchanged glances. Some snickered softly. Others simply turned away, unimpressed.
"Only Level 19?"
"She must have bribed her way in."
Aurora pulled her hand back, her face calm. Inside, her chest burned.
The system chimed softly, its voice like a quiet comfort.
> [Reminder: Weakness is safety. The seal shields you. Appear small to survive.]
Aurora lowered her eyes, her lips curling faintly. Yes… small. Forgettable. That's who I'll be here.
And yet, as she stepped away from the orb, she caught Silvia watching her from across the hall—eyes wide, searching, almost recognizing.
Aurora turned away before their gazes could lock.
Because for now, she couldn't afford to be seen.