"That sigil again?" she asked, looking at him.
He looked at her, surprised. "You noticed?"
Lucy smiled faintly. "You were staring at the desk. I almost thought you were going to drill a hole in it with your eyes."
Kael gave a short laugh. "You caught me."
They walked together through the sunlit courtyard, the academy towers casting long shadows over the cobblestone path. Students hurried past, chatting and teasing, their nerves hidden behind laughter.
"Can't believe it's happening tomorrow," Lucy said, her tone more serious now. "Our future, our paths… all of it decided in minutes."
"And we can't even control it," she added, sounding a bit worried now, all her playfulness gone as she looked serious.
Kael looked at her—the sunlight glinting off her hair, the worry in her eyes clearly visible. He caressed her cheek. "Don't worry. I am pretty sure you will awaken something great," he said.
Lucy smiled as he put his arm around her. "Okay, but promise me you will never leave me, even if I awaken a junk class," she said, looking into his eyes.
"I will never leave you," he said as she smiled and then caught his lips again, this time with more passion. Kael, holding her soft waist, responded with equal fervor. A passing old professor looked at the scene and sighed in melancholy. "Ahh, youth."
Soon, they separated and went on their way, but just as Kael went to the dormitory section, a whisper echoed in his mind.
A voice, soft and distant, almost like it came from a woman who was on the verge of death.
"Soon."
He froze for half a heartbeat, but when he looked around, there was nothing. Just the sound of students laughing in the golden afternoon light.
He exhaled slowly. "Tomorrow…" he murmured under his breath. "Maybe, when I awaken my class, I will learn what that mark means."
The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.
The grand auditorium of Asterion Academy buzzed with anticipation. Hundreds of students filled the marble hall — all of them looking nervous as hell, as they all gazed at the altar on the stage. Today, every one of them would awaken their destined class — all through that exact altar.
Three banners hung proudly above the stage, each representing one of the Mana Divisions:Elemental, Abyssal, and Ethereal. There was no Temporal banner, as in the last 100 years only Kael had been born with that mana type.
Each division's students sat in long rows beneath their respective banners, chatting nervously.
But many of them, involuntarily or voluntarily, kept looking at one student sitting among them.
Kael Draven, the academy's top trainee and the only known Temporal mana bearer, who sat with the Abyssal Division. The decision wasn't without reason — Temporal mana, rare and powerful, resonated closest to the Abyssal mana type.
Still, he stood out, as his uniform was regal purple while the Abyss students wore reddish-black academy uniforms.
"Man, even he looks nervous," someone whispered behind him.
"Can you blame him? Temporal mana hasn't appeared in decades."
"Yeah, but if anyone can handle it, it's Kael."
Kael pretended not to hear them, his gaze fixed on the vast stage where shimmering pillars of mana were forming — the Awakening Altars.
Each altar pulsed with different light: prismatic for Elemental, reddish-black for Abyssal, regal purple for Temporal, and silvery-white for Ethereal. A faint hum filled the air, vibrating through the marble floor, sending waves of mana every few seconds like some rhythmic beating heart.
Lucy sat across the hall beneath the Ethereal banner, her eyes meeting his through the crowd. She smiled softly, mouthing something — "You've got this."
He smiled back and nodded.
Soon, the whole hall quieted down as a person walked in.
The Headmaster, Elandor Vayne, stepped onto the stage, his long cloak trailing like shadowed silk. He was a powerful Awakener with an A-rank Dark Conjurer class.
"Students of Asterion," he began, "today you cast aside the title of trainee. Today, the mana within you shall reveal your true path. From this moment forward, you will awaken what was destined for you."
The lights dimmed slightly as the Awakening Altars flared brighter.
"Approach when your name is called," Headmaster Elandor's voice echoed through the grand hall. "And face your fate with pride."
Rows of students stood before four shimmering altars — each glowing with mana of a different hue. The air was thick with excitement and tension. Today, the students of Asterion Academy would awaken their true Classes — their true potential.
One by one, names were called.
Each student stepped forward, placing their hand on the glowing crystal in front of the altar. In a flash of light, many strings of characters appeared, describing their class.
"Storm Knight — Rank A!"
"Abyssal Reaper — Rank B!"
"Golden Priestess — Rank A!"
Cheers and gasps rippled through the hall as each name was announced. The air shimmered with more mana as the awakening continued.
And then—
"Kael Draven."
The hall fell silent.
Kael took a slow breath and stepped forward. The academy's model student — calm, disciplined, known for being the lone bearer of Temporal mana in his year — now walked toward the fourth altar, the Temporal Altar where only he stood.
The crystal before him shone in soft violet — multiple variations of it.
He placed his hand upon it.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then — the crystal pulsed once.Twice.And then it bathed him in the same light as the crest began to form on his right hand, as well as strings of characters appearing on the crystal.
Gasps echoed across the hall as streams of mana spiraled upward, forming a radiant sigil in midair. Intricate — yet when the crowd recognized it, their awe turned to disbelief.
The sigil flared once more before etching itself onto Kael's hand.
The Headmaster's eyes widened."...The mark of a Summoner? And F-rank?"
Whispers erupted instantly.
"A Summoner?"
"Not only that — it's also an F-rank class!"
"Impossible — Temporal mana shouldn't produce something that weak!"
"Did the crystal malfunction?"
Kael stared down at the glowing seal on the back of his hand — a spiraling rune shaped like an eye surrounded by chains. His thoughts raced.F-rank… Summoner?
Around him, laughter and murmurs blurred together. But amid the chaos, a faint whisper brushed his ear — soft and distant, like a mother's kind words.
"Don't worry… Soon you will learn your true powers."
The mark on his hand settled down, now fully engraved on him.
"...You may step down, Mr. Draven," the Headmaster said at last, his composed tone barely masking uncertainty. "You have awakened a… Summoner class, F-rank."
Kael bowed slightly. "Understood, Headmaster."
He turned and descended the marble steps. His classmates' stares followed him — some mocking, some pitying, others whispering cruelly.
"An F-rank? The model student?"
"Guess talent doesn't beat fate."
"Summoner? F-rank? That's as useless as it gets."
"True, he just made a record of being the most useless."
Kael's steps slowed — all the words hurting him. Still, he took a deep breath to calm himself.
Then he saw Lucy, standing with the other Ethereal Division students — her golden hair catching the glow of mana.
He smiled lightly, trying to play it off."Guess I won't be joining you in the elite division after all."
But Lucy didn't smile.
She stepped back slightly, her expression unreadable — emotionless eyes that once looked at him warmly.
Seeing such eyes, Kael's heart almost stopped for a moment.
"Lucy?" he asked, confused.
She looked at him — and for a moment, he saw something like disdain in her eyes."Don't call me that again," she said quietly.