The morning air shimmered faintly with aetheric residue as Kaelen and Lira joined the stream of new students flowing toward Veyra Academy's main hall. The structure loomed ahead—an expanse of glass and pale alloy that caught the rising light and fractured it into a thousand shifting hues. It was beautiful, but in a way that made Kaelen feel small. The academy's towers rose like blades, their mirrored surfaces reflecting the dawn in sharp, shifting colors that almost hurt to look at.
They'd said Veyra was built where the sky touched the edge of the upper atmosphere, but standing here, it felt more like the academy had pierced it. Everything here hummed with quiet power... the air, the metal underfoot, even the light seemed alive.
Lira walked beside him, her copper hair tied back, her expression calm but alert. She wore the standard academy uniform; black with silver trim, though she'd already rolled her sleeves up, as if refusing to let the formality settle too deeply. Her eyes, a shade of silver that caught the light like tempered steel, scanned the crowd with quiet calculation.
"Still think they'll throw us out before lunch?" she murmured, tone dry but warm enough to keep his nerves from climbing too high.
Kaelen managed a faint smile. "Depends on how many ways I can mess up before then."
She smirked. "Bold of you to assume they'll wait until lunch."
The entrance hall yawned before them, immense and dizzying. The ceiling arched high above, a cathedral of alloy and glass lined with suspended orbs that pulsed in slow rhythm, shedding blue-white light like the beating of a mechanical heart. Thousands of students filled the chamber, their voices blending into a low, restless hum. The air smelled faintly of metal and polish, and underneath that, something clean and sharp... like stormlight distilled into air.
At the front of the hall, a woman in a long gray coat raised her hand. The noise dimmed at once. She had the bearing of someone used to silence. Her presence alone quieted the room.
"Welcome to Veyra Academy," she said, her voice carrying without effort. "You've been accepted because you show potential. Whether that potential becomes strength, or fades into mediocrity... depends on what you do from this moment forward."
Her eyes scanned the crowd like a weapon. "Here, talent means nothing without control. Curiosity means nothing without endurance. And privilege means nothing without proof."
Lira leaned slightly toward Kaelen. "She's got the motivational tone down."
He stifled a laugh, grateful for her quiet humor. It grounded him.
The instructor continued, pacing slowly along the front line. "Every student here will be evaluated continuously. Your performance will determine your placement, your privileges, and your survival here. The academy rewards excellence... and it remembers failure."
A low ripple of unease ran through the hall. Kaelen felt the words settle in his chest like a weight.
...
After orientation, the students were divided into lines and ushered through the academy's main corridors; sleek and metallic, alive with faint energy currents that pulsed under the glass floors. Every few paces, luminous symbols flared to life and faded again, whispering data in a language he didn't yet know.
Holographic panels lined the walls, displaying the academy's crest; a spiral of light encircling a single star.
Above, upper-tier students watched from balconies; older, polished, confident. Their uniforms bore golden insignias marking their rank. They looked down at the new arrivals like hawks over fledglings.
A tall boy with pale hair and sharp blue eyes smirked as Kaelen passed. "Lower-tier intake, huh? Brave of them to send you here."
Kaelen's jaw tightened, but he didn't respond. He didn't need to. The boy's sneer said enough; Veyra was built on layers... just like the city below... and some people never forgot which one they came from.
Lira gave a small shake of her head. "Not worth it."
He nodded. She was right. Fighting now, would only bring problems, and he wasn't sure if he has a chance of winning.
At the next junction, they reached a scanning gate. It shimmered like water suspended midair. Each student's identification band flared briefly as they passed through.
When Kaelen stepped forward, his band flickered... once, twice... before the gate finally recognized him.
"Chrononaut class detected," the gate's synthetic voice intoned. "Unique classification verified."
The sound carried. Heads turned. Whispered questions darted through the crowd. Kaelen could feel their curiosity prick at his skin like static.
Lira raised an eyebrow. "You're going to have to get used to that."
He exhaled. "Doesn't mean I'll like it."
...
The training wing of the academy was a labyrinth of transparent partitions and humming machinery. Students stood in lines before glowing consoles, their reflections flickering across curved glass.
"Assessment One: Aetheric Stability," said a voice overhead. "Demonstrate control. Duration: one minute."
Kaelen's pulse picked up. The calibration device before him flared to life, threads of light twisting into the air. He reached out, fingers trembling slightly, and felt the aetheric energy brush against his skin like static.
He focused on his breathing... slow in, steady out. The threads brightened, then wavered, fracturing apart like shattered glass.
"Focus on the flow, not the force," the instructor snapped.
Kaelen tried again, teeth gritted. The energy steadied, but only for a few seconds before collapsing into sparks.
"Next."
He stepped aside, jaw tight, frustration burning under his ribs.
Lira took his place. Her movements were measured, calm. She inhaled, and the light bent obediently toward her palm, forming a perfect lattice before dissolving.
The instructor gave a curt nod.
"...You're always so graceful with your trait." Kaelen commented as she returned.
When Lira rejoined him, she murmured, "Beginner's luck."
He gave her a look. "You've never believed in luck."
"Then call it practice."
...
The next test measured physical endurance. They were lined up along a track that curved through the chamber, its edges glowing faintly blue.
At the signal tone, Kaelen sprinted forward. His breath came steady, his muscles remembering the relentless routine of his system's daily missions. Lira's footsteps echoed just behind him.
By the third lap, his lungs burned, sweat slicking his skin. He wanted to stop... but the whisper in his mind, that cold mechanical reminder of penalty for failure has made him paranoid of failing. It kept him moving.
When he crossed the finish line, his vision pulsed white for a moment. The instructor's face gave nothing away.
Lira finished moments later, breathing evenly. "Still standing?" she asked.
"Barely."
"Good enough."
...
Then came the mental synchronization test; a crystalline node projecting spiraling light patterns that pulsed in unpredictable rhythm.
Kaelen closed his eyes. The world fell away. The hum of the node synced with the beat of his heart. For a moment, he felt something shift... the air thickened, sound slowed, and everything held still. The patterns were his to command.
Then the energy surged too fast. The lights flared white.
"Instability detected," the system announced coldly.
Kaelen flinched. He'd pushed too far again.
Beside him, Lira completed hers flawlessly. The instructor murmured, "Adequate control."
Adequate. At Veyra, they don't lick your ass, that was a praise.
---
Between Sessions
By midday, the assessments ended. The courtyard outside the training wing was an oasis of calm... a wide circle lined with silverleaf trees whose mirrored leaves shimmered faintly under the high sun.
Kaelen and Lira found a bench under the shade. They unwrapped meal packs; thin strips of protein and rice compressed into neat, tasteless squares.
"Feels strange," Kaelen said quietly. "Being here. Everyone seems like they already know what they're doing."
"They don't," Lira said. "They just act like they do."
He smiled faintly. "You sound sure."
"I'm not," she admitted. "But pretending helps."
Kaelen chuckled to her comment.
For a while they ate in silence. Distant laughter drifted from other groups. The air buzzed with quiet energy... half nerves, half ambition.
Kaelen leaned back, watching the filtered light dance through the leaves. "You ever think about home?"
"It's just the first day." Lira replied, staring at him with an exagerated shocked stare.
"Can't i reminisce about it?." Kaelen replied not minding her.
"What can i say, you're mother's "pet" afterall." Lira replied. "Besides, you will go home on holidays."
Kaelen chuckled. "You make it sound like i am desperate."
"...You are."
"..."
"..."
There was a brief silence between them as she studied him for a moment. "You miss your mother already."
He nodded. "Yeah. She'd tell me to stop thinking so much."
"She's always so smart."
"She is."
The quiet stretched, not uncomfortable, just full. For the first time since arriving, Kaelen felt the day's edges soften.
...
Later, they were grouped into cohorts... thirty students divided for rotational training. Kaelen quickly noted the dynamics forming; the loud ones trying to prove something, the silent ones already watching for weakness.
A tall, energetic boy introduced himself as Ben. "Kaelen, right? Chrononaut class? That's wild. Heard you people can twist time or something."
Kaelen shrugged. "Something like that."
"But you're a rare specimen." Ben replied, getting close to inspect kaelen.
"He his not a "specimen"." Lira said getting between them.
"Don't mind me, but the people with a dual ability that combines time and space could be counted on one hand. The Chrononaut class is rare." Ben grinned. "Anyway, I'm an Enhancer—C–grade. Basically, I hit things harder than I should. Guess that makes me useful."
Lira arched a brow. "If hitting things is the plan, we're doomed."
Daren laughed. "At this academy? It's a survival tactic."
The quiet girl who'd been observing them finally spoke. Her skin was pale brown, her hair cropped short and silver. Her voice was level, eyes sharp. "You talk too much."
"Someone has to," Ben shot back cheerfully.
She ignored him and turned to Kaelen. "You're from the lower tiers?"
He nodded.
"Then you already know what pressure feels like. That's worth more than skill here."
She extended a hand. "Sera."
He shook it. "Kaelen."
"Good. Try not to get expelled before week's end."
"Expelled? I don't plan on doing that." Kaelen thought.
The group fell into rhythm faster than expected. Ben's energy filled silences, Sera's precision kept things efficient, and Lira's calm tethered the rest. Kaelen found himself learning to move within that balance... observing, adapting, waiting.
By day's end, patterns had already formed; alliances, rivalries, quiet understandings. Veyra wasn't a school; it was a crucible. A survival ground.
...
The dormitory was quiet by the time Kaelen returned. Rows of identical rooms lined the corridor, their metallic walls softened by pale light. He entered his quarters, the door sealing behind him with a soft hiss.
For a while he just sat on the edge of the bed, hands still faintly trembling. His mother's pendant glimmered faintly where it lay against his chest.
Then the air rippled. The familiar holographic interface bloomed into view... lines of blue text hovering above his vision.
[Host Status]
[Name: Kaelen Burn]
[Class: Chrononaut]
[Race: Human]
[Energy Level: Latent]
[Base Level: 6 ] <660 / 1300 XP>
[System Level: 4] <160 / 1200 XP>
[HP: 50 / 50]
[A.E.: 70 / 70]
[Stats]
[Strength: 12]
[Stamina: 15]
[Perception: 14]
[Defense: 11]
[Agility: 13]
[Vitality: 11]
[Intelligence: 15]
[Stat Points Available: 227]
His fingers twitched. Two hundred and twenty-seveen points. The system was stingy. This was all the stat point he had accumulated for three months since he awakened the system. He got all of this from his daily quest and leveling. But he had been saving them for when he could use them.
He exhaled slowly. "Alright, let's make this count."
He dragged the translucent markers across the interface.
Allocate:
[+30 Strength –>42]
[+25 Stamina–> 40]
[+15 Perception –>29]
[+25 Defense –> 36]
[+25 Agility –> 38]
[+40 Vitality –> 51]
[+40 Intelligence –> 55]
[Stat Points: 27]
He hesitated, then added more to perception and stamina. Balance mattered more than raw force.
[Strength: 45]
[Stamina: 40]
[Perception: 35]
[Defense: 36]
[Agility: 38]
[Vitality: 51]
[Intelligence: 55]
[Stat point: 19]
The system chimed softly. A low vibration rolled through his body... not painful, but deep, resonant. His muscles tightened, senses sharpening until even the faint hum of the academy's power conduits felt clear and near.
Then the holographic menu shifted again.
[Abilities]
Time Authority — Tier 1 Lv. 1
Spatial Authority — Tier 1 Lv. 1
[Active Skills]
Flash Step Lv. 1 | Spatial Lock Lv. 1 | Spatial Warp Lv. 1 | Temporal Drag Lv. 1 | Temporal Lock Lv. 1
[Passive Skills]
Chrono-Perception Lv. 1 | Spatial Awareness Lv. 1 | Analytical Scan Lv. 1
[Daily Mission]
Objective: 10 Push-Ups | 1 Mile Run | 10 Pull-Ups
Reward: +30 XP (Base & System) | +1 Stat Point
Penalty: Stat Reduction (-1 Random Stat) | System Instability +5%
Kaelen rubbed his temples. "Still with the push-ups, huh?"
The system, unbothered by sarcasm, blinked expectantly.
He sighed and dropped to the floor. "Fine."
By the tenth push-up, his arms burned... but the resistance felt different now, smoother, like the motion itself carried rhythm. The stats worked fast. When he finished, he leaned against the bed, chest heaving, a faint grin tugging at his lips.
The display shimmered once more:
Mission Complete.
Reward Granted.
+30 XP (Base & System) | +1 Stat Point
He collapsed backward, laughing softly. "Barely counts."
His terminal chimed. A message from Lira.
Lira: We survived day one.
He typed back without thinking.
Kaelen: Barely.
Lira: Barely counts.
He smiled. Somehow she always said the exact right thing without trying.
Outside his window, the towers of Veyra shimmered in the night like constellations hung too low. The air hummed with invisible energy... dreams, pressure, and the faint promise of tomorrow.
Kaelen let his eyes drift shut. For the first time since leaving home, he felt like he was part of something vast and living. Not comfortable, not easy... but real.
The pendant at his neck warmed softly, syncing with his heartbeat.
Tomorrow would bring new tests. More chances to fail... or maybe to prove that he belonged here after all.
For now, though, he let the exhaustion take him. The city above the clouds hummed on. The stars outside the glass tower blinked once, as if watching.
And Kaelen Burn slept... deeply, and dreamlessly.