The wind whistled between the floating islands of the Celestial Gardens as Ian advanced with steady steps. The School of the Archangels rose before him, majestic, ancient, and defiant. He knew this day would be historic: they weren't taking the exam yet, but rather registering for the Entrance Exam, the first step toward a destiny only the strongest would achieve. At his side, as always, walked his sister Makia and his friend Kael.
Since childhood, Ian and Makia had shared everything: games, training, wounds, and dreams. The bond between them was intense and silent, full of mutual understanding. Makia watched him as they walked toward the school, her heart beating differently at Ian's every gesture. It was a silent admiration, a mix of pride and something more she dared not confess.
Makia was a young woman of striking beauty, with honey-blonde hair that fell in soft waves over her shoulders, honey-colored eyes that shone with intensity, and fair skin, flawless and luminous. Her every gesture reflected grace and determination, and her mere presence seemed to illuminate the path wherever she walked.
Both possessed something unique: a superhuman strength that defied all logic. Ian had trained his body to control it, perfect it, and master it. That Makia also had it, both being adopted, only heightened the mystery. Together they were an inexplicable anomaly within the Celestial Gardens.
Aelius, the third of Alistair Bekkart's adoptive children, walked alongside them. Unlike his siblings, his physical strength was not extraordinary. His initial intention had never been military: his passion was science and engineering. He had graduated in a matter of days and, finding himself free, decided to accompany Ian and Makia in this historic moment, not out of ambition, but out of loyalty and family affection. His psychic abilities—gravity control, telekinesis, and energy field creation—made him an invaluable support.
Aelius was a young man of undeniable attractiveness. His athletic and well-defined body showed discipline and care, his dark skin seemed to absorb the ambient light, and his green eyes, intense and penetrating, seemed to read beyond the obvious.
Kael closed out the group, his figure marked by life's harshness. Born in the Dark Zone, a relegated region plunged into misery after the elevation of the Celestial Gardens, he had survived where light didn't reach and hope was a luxury. He was smaller than Ian, Aelius, and Makia, with disheveled brown hair, light brown eyes that observed everything with attention, and fair skin marked by the hardness of his life in the Dark Zone. On his left arm he bore the tattooed number 11111, a silent reminder of his origin. The Dark Zone was home to the Outcasts: forgotten, subjected to forced labor in the Aetherion mines, the mineral that kept the Celestial Gardens afloat. Each inhabitant bore a number branded on their arm, fire-marked as the seal of their slavery. Kael was the first and only citizen from that zone to register for the Exam, thanks to recent social reforms led by the Grand Emperor and supported by Alistair, Supreme Minister of the Celestial Gardens. Even so, youth from the Dark Zone could not aspire to political or academic positions, nor integrate into the Imperial Army; his registration was historic, an unprecedented act of courage.
Kael's power was unique: elemental control. He could manipulate water, fire, air, and earth. His origin had made him resilient and cunning, and despite the prejudices he faced, Ian defended him firmly. Every time someone dared to belittle him, Ian's fury was merciless. Makia, always observant, couldn't help but feel pride and something deeper for her brother's and her friend's determination.
"Do you feel it too?" Ian murmured, without taking his eyes off the entrance. "Like something's watching us."
Makia nodded, her gaze fixed and silent, her thoughts trapped on Ian.
"And also like something inside us is awakening," she said. "Like this place is going to unleash it."
"If that power demands a price… I'll pay it," Ian responded with determination.
Aelius closed his eyes for an instant, as if in an ancient ritual, and Kael took a deep breath, prepared for what was to come.
The entrance seemed to devour them, claiming them toward a destiny that surpassed them. No one knew what awaited them inside, only that by crossing those doors, their story would change forever.
"One last question," Kael said, pausing for a second. "Are we ready for this?"
Ian smiled with that spark of madness that always characterized him.
"I've always been ready."
Makia crossed her arms, with a slight smile that only Ian could interpret.
"I know," she thought, though she said nothing. "And that's why you sometimes scare me."
Aelius nodded with respect, conscious of the moment's weight.
"Then let's enter. We weren't made for the shadows."
And so, between echoes of wind, Aetherion shining beneath their feet and gravity contained, they crossed the threshold of the School of the Archangels. Soon they would begin their path toward legend, but that first step was already historic.