The bell tower of Arcanis Magic Academy rang across the morning sky, its echo rolling over the enormous training grounds where hundreds of students practiced spells that lit the air with blazing symbols.
Arin stood at the edge of the courtyard, clutching a cracked wooden staff that belonged more in a museum than a school. Around him, students whispered.
"That's him… the boy with no spark."
"How did someone like him even get accepted?"
"He should just quit. He drags our rank down."
Arin stared at the ground. He was used to it—every insult, every smirk, every pitying look from teachers who pretended not to see him. In a school built on bloodlines and talent, he had neither.
And today was the worst day of all Elemental Affinity Testing.
Professor Kaelis, a tall woman wrapped in robes glowing faintly with runic power, announced each student's turn. Fire, wind, ice, lightning—every student before him awakened something. Cheers filled the courtyard.
Then came Arin.
He placed his palm on the crystal pillar. It pulsed… flickered… dimmed.
Nothing.
A burst of laughter erupted instantly.
Professor Kaelis sighed, already turning away.
"Arin… once again, no affinity. Please step aside."
A student from the noble class smirked.
"Maybe the pillar is broken. Or maybe he's just that useless."
Heat rose in Arin's chest, anger mixing with shame, but he held it in. Fighting back only made things worse.
When the crowd dispersed, he stayed behind, staring at the pillar.
Why am I here? Why can't I awaken anything?
His fists tightened.
That night, instead of returning to the dorms, Arin walked toward the outer gates—toward the forbidden mountains where the academy's lights faded into darkness.
Rumors spoke of ancient beasts, vanished civilizations, and spirits that devoured souls.
Arin didn't care.
He needed answers—even if it killed him.
As he climbed the rocky path, the wind howled like a warning. Strange symbols glowed faintly on stone walls, older than the academy itself.
Then, deep within a cavern, he heard it:
A heartbeat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Then a voice—ancient, resonant, and impossibly alive—filled the darkness.
"At last… a bearer worthy of the Emberborn Flame."
The cavern trembled. A colossal, serpentine shape emerged from swirling embers, eyes burning like molten gold.
Arin stumbled backward, breath stolen from his lungs.
The creature reared its head.
"Child," it rumbled, "do you seek power?"
Arin swallowed hard.
"Yes… I want to change everything."
The dragon's gaze pierced him—sorrowful, proud, expectant.
"Then take my heartfire… and rise."
Flames surged toward Arin, searing yet painless, wrapping around him like an embrace. A glowing interface appeared before his eyes:
---
[SYSTEM AWAKENED]
Host: Arin
Lineage: Emberborn (Dormant)
Primary Skill Unlocked: Dragonheart Resonance
Note: Stabilization required. Host survival rate: 62%.
---
Arin gasped as raw power coursed through him—wild, ancient, unstoppable.
His transformation had begun.
And nothing, not even the academy, would ever be the same.