The next day came with a crisp hum in the air — that quiet kind of energy that said something new's about to start.
Dominic and his group walked through the academy's winding corridors until they entered a wide, open hall. The walls glowed faintly with runes that stretched upward, feeding light into the space like sunlight through mist. The roof wasn't exactly a roof — more like shifting glass, showing faint glimpses of clouds drifting overhead.
Dozens of other students were already there, standing before floating stools arranged in neat rows. The stools hovered just a few inches above the floor, wobbling slightly when someone moved too close.
"Guess this is it," Emby said, adjusting her gloves.
Dominic nodded, trying to play it cool even though his stomach twisted. "Yeah… looks fun."
They moved toward the back of the room, choosing a row farthest from the main walkway.
Then the air shimmered near the front.
A tall man appeared, his steps silent even though the floor was solid stone. He wasn't bulky like Master Aro, but noticeably more athletic. His hair was short, clean, and his face framed by a neatly shaped goatee. His clothes looked like something between a scholar's suit and a battle uniform — dark silver laced with indigo lines along with a long, almost weightless coat hung behind him, drifting like it was underwater.
He didn't need to introduce himself — but he did anyway.
"I am Master Axiom," he said, his voice clipped and steady. "You may take your seats."
Everyone sat — or tried to. The stools dipped slightly, then steadied, responding like tamed animals. Dominic almost lost his balance, earning a quiet snicker from Oravi.
Master Axiom's gaze swept the hall. "Today, you will begin your lessons in basic spatial manipulation." He clasped his hands behind his back. "Some of you might have witnessed the exhibition phase yesterday. That was the flash. Now we focus on the foundation."
His tone didn't invite questions.
He lifted a hand — suddenly, circular tables appeared in front of every student. They had no legs, just solid disks floating effortlessly. A second flick of his wrist, and an apple materialized on each one.
"This," he said, "is your test."
Dominic blinked. "...An apple?"
"You will levitate it," Master Axiom continued. "Suspend it in the air without rotation, maintaining stability for ten seconds. I will evaluate as I walk through."
A pause. The room buzzed with quiet excitement...and fear.
"This isn't about strength," Master Axiom said, pacing slowly between the rows. "It's about control. True sorcery isn't loud. Anyone can force something to move. But to command space, to tell it what to do without shouting at it — that's what separates a wielder from a fool with power. So treat this as what it is: a test of control."
Dominic just stared at the apple like it had insulted him.
You've got to be kidding me, he thought.
Emby adjusted her sleeve. "Alright, focus."
Within seconds, her apple trembled, then floated up with a faint shimmer of light. She steadied it easily.
Rhoj's followed right after — jerking upward like it had been yanked by a rope. It wobbled once, then froze perfectly in place.
Lune's apple lifted with unnerving grace, spinning slowly before freezing midair.
Oravi grunted, her fingers twitching as the apple trembled — then lifted, uneven but rising all the same.
Dominic's apple remained stubbornly grounded.
He scratched his head. "Sooo…how's it going for you guys?"
Emby didn't even glance up. "Fine. You?"
"Yeah," Dominic said quickly. "Just… not used to SpaceCraft yet."
He looked down again, pretending to focus. He tried to remember what Aro had told him — about resonance, about aligning with energy flow — but his mind was blank.
Somewhere above, in another wing of the academy, Master Aro stood with a few instructors in front of a wide projection screen showing the same hall.
"How's the introduction going?" Aro asked.
One of the instructors smirked. "Oh, didn't you get the memo? Axiom decided to skip the intro phase. Went straight to application."
Aro froze. "He what?"
"Yeah," the man said, almost cheerfully. "Said if they're not ready for the basics, they shouldn't be here."
Aro's jaw tightened. His fingers curled into a fist. "Unbelievable…"
The screen flickered slightly, showing Dominic still staring at his apple like it was an enemy.
Back in the hall, Dominic sighed. "Okay, maybe if I just focus…"
He reached toward the apple. Nothing.
Rhoj leaned closer, whispering, "I can lift yours too."
Emby frowned. "No. He'll know if you're channeling for someone else. Don't risk it."
Rhoj grunted and pulled back, muttering something under his breath.
A quiet hush spread through the hall. Master Axiom was walking down the rows now, eyes sharp, inspecting each student as if scanning for invisible flaws.
When he reached Dominic's row, he stopped in front of him.
The apple sat motionless.
Axiom stared for a long second, then pointed toward the door.
Dominic didn't argue. He knew what that meant.
He got up, eyes low, and started walking.
His group watched silently, their faces tight.
When Dominic stepped out into the hall, the first thing he saw was Master Aro. And Aro was furious.
"This is outrageous!" Aro was saying, his voice echoing off the marble walls. "He can't just change procedure because he feels like it!"
The instructors nearby looked uncomfortable but said nothing.
Then Aro turned, sensing Dominic behind him.
Their eyes met.
Aro exhaled, forcing calm. "It's going to be okay, Dominic. I promise."
Dominic shook his head. "You don't have to promise anything. I don't belong—"
"I'll get back to you," Aro interrupted, turning sharply, walking back toward the other instructors.
Dominic watched him go.
He let out a low sigh. "Yeah…figured."
By the time class ended, the hall had emptied.
Dominic sat on the edge of the stairs leading to the courtyard, elbows on his knees, watching the sunlight play across the smooth stone.
He didn't have to wait long.
Emby, Lune, Oravi, and Rhoj found him easily.
Emby crouched beside him. "Hey."
Dominic didn't look up. "Hey."
She hesitated, then said softly, "We're sorry. We couldn't do anything."
Rhoj crossed his arms, looking frustrated. "Rhoj wanted to help."
Dominic gave a small laugh. "Yeah. I know. It's fine."
Silence hung for a moment.
Then he added quietly, "I'm not from around here anyway."
Emby tilted her head. "Neither are we. A lot of us were assigned here from different provinces."
"No," Dominic said quietly. "Not from this world."
They froze.
He took a deep breath. "I chased someone — someone who stole from my home. He led me here. Probably by mistake."
Lune's eyes widened — a slow dilation, he was bewildered by what he just heard but played it off.
Emby blinked hard. "You're serious?"
Dominic nodded. "As serious as it gets."
The group was silent.
Then Oravi smiled faintly. "Well, that's not the weirdest thing I've heard."
Emby laughed softly, shaking her head. "You really are something else."
The tension cracked just a little.
The group sat with him a while longer, quiet but close.
Eventually, the others drifted off, talking about food or schedules or whatever came next.
Lune stayed.
Him and Dominic stood on a small hill overlooking the sunset. The sky burned orange and pink, stretching over the spires of the academy.
Dominic glanced at him. "You've been quiet."
Lune's eyes reflected the sunset. "So that was you back there."
Dominic blinked. "Back where?"
"Back on Earth."
Dominic's chest tightened. "Wait… don't tell me that figure I saw — that was you?"
Lune turned, his expression calm but heavy. "In the flesh."
Dominic shook his head. "No way. The thing I saw wasn't even human — it looked animal."
For a moment, silence. Then Dominic caught it again — a flicker in Lune's eyes, a split down the center of his pupils, sharp and animalistic.
He stumbled back. "No… no way."
Lune's ears lengthened, shifting shape until they looked like those of a wolf.
Dominic stared. "Bruh…"
Lune smirked faintly. "Told you."
He looked back toward the horizon. "That mandrake plant in your home wasn't just rare. It was mystic...and had concealment properties. I used it to hide…this."
Dominic exhaled slowly. "So…you're like Rhoj. You're an Eidra?"
"Not exactly."
Lune leaned against a low fence, the sunset bleeding gold around him. "Eidra started as dependent beings. Created by skilled Sorcerers as companions — guides. They took the form that matched their master's soul. But over time, they changed. Grew independent. When their Sorcerer died, they stayed behind — intelligent, free. Some remained loyal to their master's family. Others built their own communities."
He glanced at Dominic. "That's where Rhoj comes from. He's a descendant."
Dominic's curiosity overtook his shock. "So they can… reproduce?"
Lune nodded. "Yeah. And that's where I come in. Somehow, an Eidra and a Zandrian decided to…get funky. Don't ask me how it worked — I don't even know."
Dominic muttered, "That's crazy."
Lune laughed softly, but his smile quickly faded. "Eidra who try to live among Zandrians are called runaways. Hybrids like me? We're worse. You've seen how they talk about Rhoj? Imagine what they'd say about me."
Dominic stared at him, the air cool and quiet. "Don't beat yourself up. Save the beatdowns for the monsters — I mean, Daemon, right? I've got too many names to remember."
Lune chuckled. "Sure."
Dominic tilted his head. "Wait…how did you get to Earth in the first place?"
Lune's smirk returned, eyes glowing ominously in the sunset. "I'll show you."
The sky dimmed, the wind brushing through the tall grass as the sun dipped below the horizon, carrying their silence into the distance.