Magic tasted different in the air today.
Silvia stood at the towering iron gates of Aurelius Arcane Academy, the most prestigious magic school in the kingdom and the battleground of every young sorcerer's ambition.
The runes etched into the gates pulsed faintly, as if recognizing the countless powers that would pass through them… and judging her among them.
Her fingers tightened around her staff—her grandmother's staff—an ornate, compass-like artifact with a glowing center that hummed softly, almost breathing with her. A small weight rubbed against her ankle. Her black cat, Nyx, circled her boot before leaping onto her shoulder as though bored by the historic moment.
Silvia exhaled.
She wasn't nervous.
At least… she didn't think she looked nervous.
But since her face rarely showed anything at all, no one could really tell.
"Another year, another batch of hopefuls," a student nearby muttered to his friend. "Look at them—half of them probably can't even cast a proper water spell."
Silvia's golden eyes drifted to them. Not judging. Not offended.
Simply… looking.
The two boys stiffened instantly.
"S-Sorry! We didn't mean—nothing against you!"
"Yeah, we respect Water users! Really!"
She blinked once.
"…I don't use water magic."
The way she said it—flat, soft, plainly true—only made the boys panic more.
Before Silvia could clarify, a cheerful voice broke the awkwardness.
"There you are! I knew I'd find you standing completely still like a lost statue."
A girl with fiery red hair jogged over, waving wildly. Mira Faylen, known for being the friendliest applicant this year… and for talking enough for three people. She skidded to a stop in front of Silvia.
"You okay? First day jitters?"
Silvia shook her head. "No."
Mira squinted.
"With you, I can't tell if that means 'I'm fine' or 'I feel nothing and never will.'"
"…I'm fine."
"Great! See? That sounded almost emotional. Good job."
Nyx meowed approvingly. Mira reached out to pet her, but the cat hissed—a polite but firm warning—before climbing onto Silvia's other shoulder.
"Right, right. Respect the void creature's personal boundaries," Mira mumbled.
A loud chime echoed through the academy grounds as the gates began to open, revealing the sprawling campus inside—towers coiled with ancient vines, floating lanterns drifting along pathways, and training fields where sparks of all colors flickered in the distance.
A hush fell over the students.
Then came the announcement.
"Welcome, new apprentices," boomed a voice from above. A man floated down from one of the towers, robes fluttering dramatically in the wind. Headmaster Arcturus, wielder of Fire and Shapeshift, and one of the High Ranks. His very presence heated the air.
"In Aurelius Academy, power determines your rank. Water and Air mages start at the lowest tiers. High Rank abilities—Fire, Shapeshift, Invisibility, and the rarest of them all: Time manipulation—are reserved only for those who earn them."
Students murmured, some with excitement, some with dread.
"But…"
His voice shifted, deep and resonant.
"Among you may stand the Chosen Ones—those destined to wield every power in existence."
A ripple of awe swept the crowd.
Silvia didn't react outwardly, but Nyx's tail flicked in interest.
"Your journey begins with the Trial of Resonance," the Headmaster continued. "Enter the Hall of Mirrors and place your hand upon the crystal. It will determine your initial rank and compatibility. Do not resist its judgment."
Mira leaned toward Silvia.
"Think anyone will get Fire? Or—gods forbid—Invisibility? Imagine bumping into invisible people all year."
Silvia thought for a moment. "…Time travel would be more dangerous."
"Oh." Mira blinked. "Right. Let's not imagine that."
The crowd slowly filed toward the hall, buzzing with anxiety and excitement.
Mira tugged lightly at Silvia's sleeve.
"Walk with me?"
Silvia nodded.
"Okay."
As they stepped forward, many students turned to look at her—at her golden eyes, her unusual staff, and her unreadable expression.
Some whispered.
Some avoided eye contact.
Some stared too long.
But Silvia didn't flinch.
She simply walked, Nyx perched like a tiny shadow guardian on her shoulder.
Inside the echoing hall, crystals shimmered along the walls, each reflecting the students' faces with eerie distortions. The crystal at the center pulsed, calling to each of them in turn.
Mira whispered, "I hope I get something cool. Fire, maybe. Just not Water. Anything but Water."
Silvia's fingers once again brushed the compass at the top of her staff.
The glow pulsed—once, twice—as if responding to something only it could sense.
"Silvia Soren," called the examiner.
She stepped forward.
And the hall went silent.
Students watched with curious, wary eyes. Something about her—the ancient staff, the golden gaze, the way the crystal flickered when she approached—sent an odd ripple through the room.
As Silvia reached out her hand toward the crystal, Nyx suddenly arched its back and hissed.
Light surged from the crystal—blinding, violent, overwhelming.
A shockwave rippled across the hall.
The mirrors cracked.
The ground trembled.
And every student felt it—
A power far above Water, Air, or Fire.
Something deeper.
Something unidentifiable.
Silvia didn't flinch. She simply blinked once as the light swallowed her.
The blinding light slowly thinned, retreating back into the crystal like a beast returning to sleep. The hall was silent—eerily so—its mirrors cracked, its lanterns flickering weakly as if exhausted.
Silvia lowered her hand.
The crystal… was still pulsing.
Not with color.
Not with elemental energy.
But with a dull, steady throb—like a heartbeat struggling to find its rhythm.
"What… is that?" one student whispered.
"It's not Water…"
"Not Air either…"
"Did it… malfunction?"
The examiner, an older mage with silver-rimmed glasses, hurriedly approached the orb and squinted through the cracks spiderwebbing across its surface.
Inside the crystal orb floated… nothing.
No color.
No rune.
No elemental symbol.
Only an empty, translucent sphere—as if Silvia were a vessel for magic that did not exist.
The examiner swallowed.
This was new.
And new was dangerous.
He cleared his throat loudly.
"Ahem… Due to unexpected interference, the reading is… unclear. B–but from what we can see…" He adjusted his glasses again, unnecessarily. "She seems to possess… ordinary magic."
The hall erupted instantly.
"Ordinary?!"
"That's even worse than Water."
"So she really is a nobody."
"I heard she's a commoner—makes sense."
Silvia blinked, processing the examiner's conclusion with her usual calmness.
Mira, standing behind her in line, puffed up her cheeks.
"What do you mean ordinary? The ground literally shook!"
But her voice was swallowed by the sea of murmurs.
"Next!" the examiner shouted, a little too quickly—eager to move on from the bizarre anomaly.
Silvia stepped aside, her staff tapping softly against the smooth floor. Nyx rejoined her, tail swishing irritably, as if offended on Silvia's behalf.
Students edged away as she walked past.
Some with caution.
Some with curiosity.
Most with open disdain.
"She must've broken the crystal."
"No, the crystal rejected her."
"Ooh, imagine getting nothing. How embarrassing…"
Silvia's expression didn't change.
Not a frown, not a twitch.
She simply stood there, watching the next student place his hand on the crystal, which obediently displayed a bright blue swirl.
"Water magic. Low Rank."
The examiner nodded approvingly, as if that was at least something understandable.
Mira whispered as she returned from her test—hers glowing with a soft reddish-orange hue, earning a respectable Fire-Affinity ranking.
"Don't listen to them," Mira said softly, glancing around at the gossiping students. "They don't know what they're talking about."
Silvia tilted her head slightly. "…I'm not upset."
"I know. Your face looks the same no matter how upset you are."
"…I'm really not upset."
Nyx meowed in agreement, rubbing its head against Silvia's cheek.
But the whispers grew louder as they exited the hall.
"She won't last a week."
"Ordinary magic? She's doomed."
"She came all the way to Aurelius just for that?"
"Poor thing."
Silvia didn't react—not outwardly.
But her hand tightened, just a little, on her grandmother's staff.
The compass-like core glowed faintly, almost… protectively.
Outside the hall, the academy grounds bustled with new students comparing ranks. Water users clung to one another. Air users sighed dramatically. Fire users boasted loudly. And high-ranking shapeshifters held themselves like royalty.
Mira sighed heavily. "The ranking system is so unfair. Just because something seems weak at first doesn't mean it always will be."
Silvia glanced at the crowds forming their groups.
"…I don't mind being ordinary."
Mira blinked. "Really?"
Silvia nodded.
A faint shimmer flickered behind her golden eyes—gone too quickly for anyone to notice.
"Besides," Silvia added quietly, "it's only the first day."
Before Mira could respond, the academy bell rang, its deep chime rolling across the campus like thunder.
"All first-years, proceed to the Great Hall!" a teacher shouted. "Class assignments will be announced!"
Mira grabbed Silvia's sleeve again. "Come on! We have to hurry if we want good seats."
Silvia let herself be pulled along, Nyx perched confidently on her shoulder.
Behind them, the crystal in the Hall of Mirrors slowly stopped pulsing.
But for a moment—just a brief, fleeting moment—
the examiner could've sworn he saw the blank orb inside shimmer with a color that should not exist.
He rubbed his eyes.
"…Impossible. Ordinary magic," he reminded himself firmly.
And yet… the mirrors, cracked by Silvia's touch, continued to glow faintly long after she had left...