Morning light slipped through the tall dormitory window, cutting across the wooden floor in pale gold lines.
The room was quiet except for the faint crackling sound above.
Rei lay on the lower bunk, staring at the ceiling.
Above him, Shin Raiga was awake.
A thin thread of lightning danced between Shin's fingers, flickering like a restless insect. Small arcs crawled along his palm, bright for a heartbeat before fading again.
Shin rotated his wrist, watching the current travel between his fingertips.
"Still unstable," he muttered.
Another spark snapped in the air.
Rei didn't look up.
"You're going to burn the mattress."
"I'm controlling it."
A pause.
Then Shin added casually,
"We have our first capability test this evening."
Rei blinked once, still staring at the wooden slats of the bunk above him.
"I assumed."
The lightning above crackled again.
Shin leaned over the edge of the upper bunk, peering down.
"You're not curious what the test is?"
"No."
"…You're a strange person."
Rei didn't bother responding.
Another moment passed before Shin sighed and swung his legs over the edge.
He dropped from the top bunk with an easy thud.
Lightning still crawled lazily across his fingers.
He stretched once, rolled his shoulder, then turned and extended a hand toward Rei.
"Come on. If we're going to survive this academy we should at least look awake."
Rei stared at the offered hand for half a second.
Then took it.
The shock snapped through his palm instantly.
A sharp jolt ran up his arm.
Rei flinched and released him.
Shin blinked.
"…Right."
The lightning around his fingers fizzled out.
"I might have forgotten that part."
Rei flexed his hand slowly.
"You were experimenting."
"Very small experiment."
Rei looked at him.
Shin scratched the back of his neck.
"Alright. Slightly larger than small."
Rei stood up from the bunk, rolling his wrist once more.
"No permanent damage."
"Good," Shin said, relieved. "I'd hate to cripple my roommate on the first day."
Rei walked toward the window.
Outside, the academy courtyard was already alive with movement. Initiates crossed the stone paths in small groups, sparks of elemental practice flickering here and there.
Wind swirled around one student's hand.
Another ignited a brief flame before quickly putting it out.
Rei watched silently.
Behind him, Shin leaned against the bedpost.
"You really aren't nervous about tonight?"
Rei kept his eyes on the courtyard.
"No."
Shin studied him for a moment.
"…You might be the calmest person here."
Rei didn't answer.
Outside, somewhere in the courtyard, a burst of fire erupted followed by excited cheering.
Shin grinned slightly.
"Still," he said, electricity faintly sparking along his fingers again, "this evening should be interesting."
Rei said nothing.
But his gaze remained fixed on the training grounds below.
As they stepped into the corridor, conversation dipped for a moment.
Rei could feel the looks without turning his head.
Curiosity.
Pity.
And a few poorly disguised smirks.
"News spreads quickly here."
"People like anomalies."
Shin glanced sideways at him.
"Most people prefer things that make sense."
Rei continued walking down the corridor.
"That sounds inefficient."
A pair of initiates stepped aside as they passed. One of them stared openly at Rei's hands, as if expecting a mark to appear if he looked long enough.
The other leaned closer and whispered something that made them both chuckle.
Shin noticed.
Rei didn't react.
They reached the stairwell and started down toward the lower floor.
Halfway down the corridor that led toward the central halls, a familiar voice cut through the noise.
"There you are."
Mira Solenn slipped out of a side passage and fell into step beside them as if she had planned it that way.
Her gaze drifted briefly toward Rei before returning forward.
The corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
"You're already famous, by the way."
Shin smirked.
"I assumed that was me."
Mira snorted.
"Not this time."
Rei didn't comment.
They continued down the wide stone corridor together as the sound of voices gradually grew louder ahead.
The passage opened into a vast chamber filled with rows of long wooden tables.
Tall windows lined the walls, sunlight pouring across the polished floor while hundreds of initiates filled the hall with overlapping conversations.
The scent of cooked meat and warm bread drifted through the air.
Mira nodded toward the nearest serving line.
"Looks like we made it before the rush."
Shin grabbed a tray without hesitation.
Rei followed.
The noise of the dining hall swallowed them as they stepped inside.
Rei simply took the nearest portion available.
A plain bowl of rice, sliced vegetables, and a small piece of grilled meat.
They sat.
Around them the noise of the hall blended into a constant buzz of voices.
Rei ate quietly.
Slow, measured bites.
No rush. No unnecessary movement.
Across the table Mira stabbed a fork into her food and leaned back slightly.
"You eat like a monk."
Rei glanced up briefly.
"Efficient."
Shin snorted.
"That's one way to describe it."
At the neighboring table, a group of initiates were already deep in discussion.
"…I heard the pillars measure raw output."
"No, control matters more."
"My cousin said both are evaluated."
"If it's just power then the fire users will dominate."
Their voices drifted across the table.
Mira tilted her head slightly as she listened.
"So the rumors are already spreading."
Shin didn't look up from his food.
"Capability tests determine training groups."
Mira raised an eyebrow.
"Training groups?"
"The academy divides initiates by performance," Shin continued calmly. "Higher ranked students receive advanced instruction."
"And the rest?"
"Standard curriculum."
Mira leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.
"Already worried about your position, lightning boy?"
Shin finally looked up.
A small smile formed at the corner of his mouth.
"I already know my position."
Mira rolled her eyes.
"Confidence."
Shin shrugged.
Across from them, Rei continued eating in silence.
Occasionally his gaze lifted from the bowl, drifting briefly between the two of them before returning to his meal.
Around them the conversations in the hall continued to swell.
Speculation.
Rumors.
Boasts.
Every initiate wondering where they would stand once the academy measured them.
Rei finished the last of his meal and set the bowl down quietly.
The evening test would answer that question soon enough.
A tray settled onto the table beside Shin.
The movement was smooth and deliberate.
The boy who took the seat carried himself with quiet confidence, posture straight, expression calm in a way that suggested he rarely rushed anything.
His eyes moved across the table once.
They stopped on Rei.
For a moment he said nothing.
Then—
"It's unusual," he said evenly, "for the academy to accept an initiate without a mark."
Shin continued eating.
He didn't respond.
Across the table, Mira's fork paused halfway to her mouth.
Rei kept eating.
Valen watched him for another second.
"The Mark system exists for a reason," he continued, voice calm but firm. "It measures potential. Without it, the academy cannot properly evaluate you."
Shin still didn't look up.
But his tone was neutral when he finally spoke.
"The academy seems to have evaluated him already."
Valen's gaze shifted briefly to Shin.
"That decision may have been… generous."
The implication lingered.
Mira set her fork down.
"Maybe they just saw something you didn't."
Her voice wasn't confrontational.
But it carried just enough edge to suggest the conversation had reached the point where she would rather it stop.
Valen acknowledged her with a brief glance.
Then his attention returned to Rei.
"You've been very quiet," he said.
Rei finished his bite before answering.
"I was eating."
Valen leaned back slightly in his chair.
"Fair."
Another pause.
"You don't seem particularly concerned about your situation."
Rei looked up.
"What situation?"
Valen studied him carefully now.
"The academy's structure is built around marks. Training methods, elemental discipline, advancement tiers."
He tapped the table lightly with one finger.
"You have none of those advantages."
Rei held his gaze.
"That sounds inconvenient."
Valen's expression didn't change, but a faint hint of curiosity appeared in his eyes.
"You're either very calm," he said, "or very unaware."
Rei considered that.
"Neither."
Before Valen could respond, a few students approached the table behind him.
One of the girls leaned toward Shin.
"So… lightning mark, right?"
Shin finally looked up from his tray.
"Correct."
The girl smiled brightly.
"That was impressive during the ceremony."
Shin nodded politely.
"Thank you."
Mira watched the exchange with amusement.
"Careful," she said quietly. "You're attracting followers already."
Shin sighed.
"I'm eating lunch."
The girls laughed softly.
Behind them, Rei and Valen continued watching one another.
Valen spoke again.
"You don't seem interested in defending your place here."
Rei shrugged slightly.
"If the academy believes I shouldn't be here, they'll correct the mistake."
Valen tilted his head.
"And if they don't?"
Rei returned his attention to the bowl.
"Then the system adapts."
For the first time, Valen was silent for more than a moment.
He studied Rei carefully.
Then he pushed his chair back and stood.
"Interesting answer."
He picked up his tray.
"My name is Valen Drayke."
His gaze moved across the table.
"Shin Raiga. Mira Solenn."
Finally, he looked at Rei.
"Rei Takeda."
A small nod.
"I'll be watching the capability test this evening."
With that, Valen turned and walked away.
The girls lingering around Shin eventually drifted off as well.
Shin sat back down.
He glanced in the direction Valen had gone.
"…Confident guy."
Mira snorted.
"That's one way to say it."
Rei continued eating as if nothing unusual had happened.
The noise of the dining hall carried on around them. Conversations overlapped, laughter rising from different tables as students compared marks and speculated about the evening assessment.
Shin finished the last of his meal and pushed the tray slightly forward.
"We still have a few hours before the capability test."
Mira leaned back in her chair.
"So what? We sit here and listen to people guess how powerful they are?"
Shin shrugged.
"We could look around the academy."
That got Mira's attention immediately.
Her eyes lit up.
"Yes. Finally something sensible."
She stood up, picking up her tray.
"I didn't come all the way here just to stare at dorm walls."
Rei finished his food a moment later and rose quietly.
The three of them returned their trays and stepped out of the dining hall.
The corridors beyond the hall were far less crowded now.
Most initiates had either returned to their dormitories or gathered in small groups across the campus.
Sunlight poured through the high windows as they walked toward the open courtyard.
The academy grounds spread out before them.
Wide stone paths connected different sections of the complex, while tall academy towers rose above the surrounding structures.
Training fields stretched across the far side of the grounds.
Even from a distance they could see students already practicing.
A gust of wind burst across one section of the field as a wind user tested his control.
Nearby, a fire initiate launched a short stream of flame before quickly extinguishing it.
Mira slowed slightly as they walked.
"Alright," she admitted quietly.
"This place is impressive."
Shin's eyes were already moving across the grounds, observing the different training areas.
"Multiple combat rings," he said. "Elemental practice zones. Probably specialized training halls as well."
Mira glanced at him.
"You studied the academy before coming here, didn't you?"
"Of course."
Mira shook her head.
"Some of us were busy having normal lives."
They continued along the main path until the sound of impact echoed from a nearby training ring.
Metal clashed.
A burst of earth rose briefly from the ground before collapsing again.
Two upperclassmen stood inside the ring, exchanging controlled attacks while an instructor watched from the side.
Several other students observed from the edges.
Mira leaned slightly toward the railing.
"They're already that strong?"
Shin watched quietly.
"They've been training longer."
Rei stood beside them, his gaze fixed on the ring.
But his attention wasn't on the power of the attacks.
It was on the rhythm.
The way mana gathered before each strike.
The slight pause before a spell released.
Patterns.
Footsteps approached behind them.
"First years shouldn't linger around advanced training rings."
The voice was calm but firm.
They turned.
An older student stood a few steps away, arms folded across his chest.
His gaze moved across the three of them.
It paused briefly on Shin's neck.
The lightning mark.
His posture shifted almost imperceptibly.
"Ah."
The tone changed slightly.
"In that case… observe quietly."
He walked past them without another word.
Mira blinked.
"Well that was fast."
Shin smiled faintly.
"Marks carry reputation."
Rei said nothing.
After a while they continued down the path.
The training grounds gradually opened into a much larger arena at the far end of the academy.
Stone pillars stood arranged across the field.
Runes carved into their surfaces glowed faintly in the daylight.
Several instructors moved between them, checking the formations and adjusting the markings on the ground.
Small groups of initiates had already gathered near the edges of the arena, watching from a distance.
Mira slowed to a stop.
"So that's where it's happening."
Shin nodded.
"The capability assessment."
Before they could move closer, one of the instructors noticed the growing crowd.
His voice carried easily across the field.
"Assessment begins at sunset."
He pointed toward the outer stands.
"Until then, clear the arena."
A few students reluctantly stepped back.
Shin glanced at the sky.
"Looks like we wait."
Mira folded her arms.
"Or we find somewhere with a better view."
Rei looked out across the silent pillars standing in the center of the arena.
Tonight the academy would measure them.
And the system would decide where each of them belonged.
Even in the daylight, the runes carved into the stone carried a faint glow.
Students continued gathering along the outer stands, small groups forming as word spread that the arena was being prepared.
Some whispered about rankings.
Others argued about how the pillars worked.
Farther away, Rei spotted a familiar figure among the incoming students.
Valen Drayke.
He stood with perfect posture near the edge of the field, watching the preparations with quiet focus.
Shin followed Rei's gaze.
"Looks like everyone's curious."
Mira folded her arms.
"Of course they are."
Her eyes moved across the pillars again.
"This is where the academy decides who's worth training properly."
The sun drifted lower behind the academy towers, shadows stretching slowly across the training field.
Torches along the arena walls flickered to life one by one.
Students continued arriving.
Rows slowly formed.
Shin rolled his shoulders once, lightning briefly flickering across his fingers before fading.
"Well," he said calmly.
"Guess we'll find out where we stand."
Rei didn't answer.
His eyes remained on the pillars.
Waiting.