The boat rocked gently as it approached Lunareth's shores, the creak of wood a faint whisper beneath the hum of mana in the air. I gripped the railing, my knuckles whitening, and stared at the mainland unfolding before me. Solivane Isle had been a quiet haven with its crystal-tipped trees glinting under auroras, but Lunareth was a beast of its own, a sprawling city carved from pale stone, its towers rising like jagged teeth against the sky. Mana swirled visibly here, threads of blue and gold weaving through the air like living rivers, so dense I could feel it brushing my skin with a tingling warmth, like the buzz of a distant storm. My wind affinity, weak as it was, sputtered in response, a faint breeze flickering around my fingers before dying out. I clenched my fist, frustration bubbling in my chest. If Solivane's mana had been a stream, Lunareth's was an ocean, and I wasn't sure I could swim in it yet.
The docks bustled with life. Merchants shouted over each other, their stalls brimming with glowing mooncakes (pastries infused with mana that shimmered like the auroras back home) and rune-etched trinkets that pulsed faintly. A group of children darted past, their laughter sharp as they chased a floating orb of light, likely conjured by one of them. I stepped onto the dock, my boots thudding against the worn wood, and adjusted the dagger at my hip. The rune on its blade seemed to hum louder here, as if resonating with Lunareth's mana. I tucked it closer, wary of the eyes that lingered on me, some curious, others calculating. The boat captain's warning echoed in my mind: Better watch your back out there. I intended to.
I wove through the crowd, my cloak brushing against strangers as I headed toward the heart of the city. Compared to Solivane's quiet rhythms, Lunareth pulsed with restless life. The streets were a maze of pale stone, each building adorned with spires that caught the sunlight and refracted it into prisms of color. Mana-powered lanterns floated above, their light soft but constant, and the air carried scents of spiced bread, molten metal, and a sharp, metallic bite, like the crisp aftermath of a lightning strike, prickling my nostrils with its electric edge. I passed a blacksmith's forge where a dwarf hammered a glowing blade, sparks flying with each strike, and a healer's tent where an elf chanted softly, her hands weaving wind to mend a child's scraped knee. Humans, elves, and dwarves moved together here, their differences blurred by the shared pulse of magic that ran through the city.
My silver eyes caught my reflection in a shop window, and I paused. My raven-black hair was a mess from the sea breeze, but my jaw, too defined for a sixteen-year-old as the maids always said, stood out even more in this new light. I looked out of place, a boy from a quiet isle thrown into a city that thrummed with power. But there was something else in my reflection, a flicker of determination I hadn't noticed before. I'd faced a mage and a wyvern in the span of two days. Lunareth might be overwhelming, but I wasn't here to shrink away. The Aetherial Academy waited, and with it, the answers I needed, about the rune, the Veil, and my family.
A street vendor's call snapped me out of my thoughts. "Mooncakes, lad! Best in Lunareth, infused with starlight mana!" she shouted, her voice warm despite the chaos around her. She was human, her face weathered but kind, holding out a pastry that glowed faintly silver. My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn't eaten since breakfast with Mom. I'd always called her Mom, but her name, Veyra, felt more real now that I was so far from home. She'd taught me everything I knew about magic, sitting with me late into the night as I scribbled notes on mana flows, her patience endless even when I got frustrated. That bond, the way she believed in me, was what kept me going. I swallowed the ache in my throat and handed the vendor a coin, taking the mooncake with a nod.
The pastry was warm, its glow fading as I bit into it. The taste exploded on my tongue, sweet with a hint of something electric that made my mana stir. Fire and water hummed in my veins, stronger here, but wind stayed stubbornly faint, a whisper I couldn't grasp. Earth felt steadier, as if the stone beneath my feet was lending me its strength. I chewed slowly, letting Lunareth's energy seep into me. This city wasn't just a place, it was a challenge, a crucible. If I wanted to survive the Academy, I'd need to adapt to its rhythm.
The Aetherial Academy loomed in the distance, its spires piercing the sky like shards of crystal. They shimmered with mana, each one a different hue, crimson, azure, emerald, and gold, reflecting the elemental halls within. I'd read about it in Mom's books: a place where mages from across Valtheris trained, competed, and uncovered the secrets of mana. My heart raced at the thought. I needed that training, needed to master my wind affinity, to blend my elements without draining myself. But more than that, I needed answers. The rune on my dagger, the voice in my dream whispering Boundless, and the girl with emerald eyes all felt tied to this place, to the Veil.
I reached the Academy's gates after a half-hour's walk, my legs aching but my resolve firm. The gates were massive, forged from a metal that shimmered like liquid starlight, etched with runes that pulsed with a steady rhythm. A crowd of applicants gathered in the courtyard beyond, dozens of young mages, their ages ranging from fifteen to twenty, each buzzing with nervous energy. Some conjured small flames or gusts of wind to impress each other, while others clutched scrolls or whispered to friends. I stood apart, my hand brushing the pendant around my neck. Its cool weight steadied me, a reminder of Dad's words: It'll keep you grounded. I needed that now more than ever.
A figure stepped onto a raised platform in the courtyard, her presence silencing the chatter. She was an elf, tall and regal, with silver hair that flowed like a river and eyes that glowed faintly gold. A jagged scar ran across her left cheek, shimmering faintly as if etched with mana, and her movements carried an ancient weariness, her shoulders subtly slumped as if bearing an unseen weight. Her robes shimmered with mana, threads of light weaving through the fabric, and the air around her crackled with power. "I am Professor Kaelith, overseer of admissions," she said, her voice carrying a melodic weight that made my skin tingle, though a faint sharpness in her tone hinted at a sternness beneath her calm exterior. "The Aetherial Academy accepts only those who can prove their worth, not through raw power, but through ingenuity, adaptability, and harmony with mana. Today, you face the Trial of Echoes."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd, but Kaelith raised a hand, her gaze sharp. "This is no ordinary test. You will not duel each other, nor will you recite spells from a scroll. The Trial of Echoes is a journey within, a challenge to face the echoes of your own mana, amplified by the Academy's heart." She gestured to a massive crystal at the courtyard's center, its surface swirling with colors that mirrored the spires above. "This is the Aetherial Nexus, a relic that resonates with Valtheris's mana. It will reflect your essence back at you, testing your ability to balance and control it. Fail, and you leave. Succeed, and you join us."
My heart pounded, a mix of excitement and dread. This wasn't like the tests I'd read about in Mom's books, no simple duels or written exams. The Nexus sounded alive, like it could peer into my soul and judge me. I glanced at the other applicants. A boy with red hair summoned a fireball, his confidence clear, while a gnome girl fidgeted with a wind charm, her eyes wide with nerves. I wondered what the Nexus would see in me, my four affinities, my struggles with wind, and the rune's mystery lingering in my mind.
Kaelith's voice cut through my thoughts. "Step forward when your name is called. The Nexus will summon three echoes of your mana, past, present, and potential. You must harmonize them, or they will overwhelm you." She paused, her golden eyes sweeping over us. "Begin."
The first applicant, a human girl with water affinity, stepped into the Nexus's glow. The crystal flared, and three spectral forms appeared around her, shimmering figures of water, each one a different shade. The first, a pale blue, moved sluggishly, like a memory of her earliest magic. The second, a deeper azure, surged with her current strength, splashing violently. The third, a vibrant sapphire, towered over her, its form unstable, as if her potential was too vast to control. She raised her hands, weaving water to connect them, but the sapphire echo lashed out, its waves crashing over her. A sharp crack echoed as the water froze around her, encasing her arms in jagged ice, her scream cut short as she collapsed, the Nexus dimming around her. Kaelith shook her head. "Unbalanced. Next."
One by one, applicants faced the trial. Some lasted longer than others, but most failed, their echoes spiraling out of control. A boy with earth affinity managed to merge his past and present echoes into a stone pillar, but his potential echo, a towering golem, crushed it, sending shards of rock flying as he stumbled back, his hands trembling with a faint glow of mana burns. Another girl with wind affinity faltered as her potential echo whipped into a cyclone, lifting her off the ground and slamming her into the Nexus's edge with a sickening thud, her charm shattering into splinters. Each failure sent a shiver down my spine, the air growing heavy with the sharp scent of scorched mana and the faint hum of the Nexus's power, my stomach twisting tighter with every defeat. This wasn't just a test of power, it was a test of self, of understanding your own mana in a way I'd never considered. I thought of my affinities: fire and water, steady and familiar; earth, grounding; wind, weak and elusive. How could I balance them when I couldn't even control them all?
"Ardyn Vaelor," Kaelith called, her voice pulling me forward. I stepped into the Nexus's light, my breath shallow. The crystal pulsed, and mana flooded my senses, sharper and denser than anything I'd felt in Lunareth. My veins burned as three echoes materialized around me.
The first was a flicker of fire and water, a memory of my earliest magic on Solivane Isle, a small steam whip I'd conjured as a child. It danced around me, warm and familiar, but its movements were clumsy, a child's attempt at magic. The second echo was stronger, a swirling mix of fire, water, and earth, mirroring my fight with the wyvern. It lashed out with a steam lance, gritty with sand, its power raw but reckless, just as I'd been on the boat. The third echo, my potential, towered over me, a chaotic storm of all four elements, even wind, which I couldn't control. Fire roared with searing heat, water surged with a bone-chilling cold, earth rumbled deep in my chest, and wind howled in an elusive dance that stung my skin, all blending into a tempest that threatened to tear me apart.
I staggered, the pressure of their mana slamming into me like a tidal wave. My breath caught, my vision blurring at the edges as the fire's heat scorched my lungs, the water's chill numbed my fingers, and the earth's weight pressed down on my shoulders. The wind's sharp gusts sliced at my cloak, its rhythm just out of reach, mocking my weakness. The crowd's whispers faded, and Kaelith's golden eyes locked onto me, unreadable. I reached for my mana, trying to weave fire and water together, but the wind echo screeched, its gusts scattering my steam into a scalding mist that burned my cheeks. The earth echo trembled, a low groan shaking the ground beneath me, and the fire grew wild, its flames licking too close. Panic clawed at my chest, my heart slamming against my ribs, I was losing control, just like the others.
Then I felt it: a faint warmth from the pendant around my neck. Focus, Ardyn… The whisper steadied me, and I closed my eyes, letting the echoes' mana wash over me. I couldn't fight them; I had to feel them. The past echo's warmth wrapped around me, a familiar glow of fire and water, the joy of my first magic sparking in my chest. I reached for the present echo, letting earth's steady pulse ground me, its solid weight a reminder of my determination, anchoring me against the storm. Wind was harder, my affinity sputtered, but I leaned into its elusive dance, feeling its rhythm weave through the other elements, a faint breeze that guided rather than fought. I let my mana flow, connecting the echoes through sensation, the warmth, the solidity, the dance, until the tempest calmed, transforming into a shimmering orb of light where all four elements moved in harmony.
I opened my eyes, my breath ragged, my body trembling from the effort. Sweat stung my eyes, and my knees wobbled, but the Nexus's glow softened, and the echoes faded, their mana settling back into me with a gentle hum. Kaelith stepped forward, her expression unreadable for a moment before a faint smile curved her lips. "Balanced," she said, her voice carrying a note of surprise. "Welcome to the Aetherial Academy, Ardyn Vaelor."
The crowd erupted into murmurs, some awed, others envious, but I barely heard them. My legs felt like jelly, and my veins buzzed with the strain of weaving all four elements, even if just for a moment. I'd done it, I'd passed the trial, and in doing so, I'd felt a glimpse of what my magic could be. But as I stepped out of the Nexus's light, my hand brushed the dagger at my hip, and the rune pulsed, sharper than ever. The Aetherial Academy held answers, I was sure of it. And I was ready to find them.