The World Academy's First Entrance Examination
The newly-built Aetherion World Academy—a colossal institution standing on neutral land—opened its gates for the first time.
From every direction, children and teens arrived with hope in their eyes:
Humans in bright robes
Dwarves carrying rune-etched tools
Elves with graceful posture
Beastfolk with fierce determination
A few young dragons and griffins in human form
The entrance examination was divided into:
Basic Knowledge Test
Elemental Aptitude Assessment
Combat & Weapon Trials
Profession Potential Evaluation
And finally, a personality exam secretly monitored by the Academy Head—Seraphion, the Angel created by Razeon.
Seraphion watched quietly from a floating observation room, wearing a calm human disguise.
He never showed his angelic form—Razeon had forbidden it unless it was a world-level emergency.
All instructors, carefully chosen through Seraphion's strict judgment, stood ready.
Some were former nobles, others beastfolk elites, retired war generals, elf rune masters, and top scholars from the Holy Empire.
The world watched breathlessly.
The Academy Era had officially begun.The Academy's First Year Begins
Classes were divided into major paths:
Magic Division – elemental, arcane, and advanced theoretical magic
Combat Division – swordsmanship, spear arts, archery, unarmed combat
Taming Division – beast contracts and elemental creature studies
Crafting Division – smithing, rune forging, inscription, mechanical engineering
Magical Mechanical Engineering Division – fusion of gears, mana circuits, and runic turbines
Healing & Vitality Division – led subtly by Elowen's disciples
Students would study here for six years, regardless of race or status.
Noble, royal, or commoner—status meant nothing inside Aetherion.
Seraphion's leadership shaped the entire atmosphere:
strict, fair, and with an unspoken divine pressure that kept everyone disciplined.Kaelbrim (The Dwarf Avatar) Enters the Academy
Kaelbrim, the dwarf child born from Razeon's own divine fragment, arrived with his merchant parents.
To the world, he was just a smart kid with a sharp eye and strange calmness.
Only Razeon and Seraphion knew his true nature.
Kaelbrim passed all tests easily—yet not in a flashy way.
Where others showed brute strength, he showed precision.
Where others failed at rune logic, he solved it instantly.
His results earned him a place in:
Crafting Division
Magical Mechanical Engineering Division
Optional Magic Theory Classes
Even at twelve, he possessed a strange aura—as if the world recognized him.First Day Interaction
In his first class, Kaelbrim met:
Arin, a human boy obsessed with swordsmanship
Lyarra, an elf girl gifted in magic
Fenric, a wolf-beastfolk with enormous strength
Sylfaeron, a young dragon in human form, calm and proud
Gryll, a griffin shapeshifter who loved tinkering with gears
Their interactions were awkward at first, but Kaelbrim's quiet confidence naturally pulled them together.
A strange group was forming—one that would eventually shape history.The Dwarf Avatar's Hidden Potential Awakens Slowly
During classes, instructors repeatedly felt something unusual.
Whenever Kaelbrim touched metal, it vibrated.
When he drew runes, they glowed faintly—even without mana.
When he analyzed machinery, gears realigned on their own.
Deep inside him, the sleeping divinity of crafting and minerals had begun to stir.
But no one knew that yet.
No one except… one person.
Elemental Kingdom's Development
Far away, in the hidden floating island gifted by Aevis's blessing, the Elemental Kingdom thrived.
The Ten Elemental Dragon Tribes and the Ten Elemental Griffin Tribes lived together peacefully:
Fire Tribe
Frost Tribe
Gale Tribe
Stone Tribe
Tide Tribe
Bolt Tribe
Bloom Tribe
Eclipse Tribe
Radiance Tribe
Tempest Tribe
Each ruled by its Elemental Pillar.
All tribes formed the Elemental Council, maintaining perfect unity.
Aevis watched from above, satisfied with their growth.Holy Empire's Growing Influence
With the World Academy rising and the Elemental Kingdom developing, the Holy Empire entered a golden age.
Under the Triune Holy Council, each race received its Duke or Duchess and their own lands.
Strict laws prevented misuse of authority.
If a leader mistreated their people—execution.
A new leader would be chosen through a trial.
Justice and order prevailed.Elowen's Servants Spread Healing Arts
Elowen's four servants—Neralis, Varen, Seralyth, and Liora—continued traveling around the world:
healing the sick
purifying corrupted lands
teaching medical arts
Along the way, they accepted a brilliant young disciple named Altheon, whom they trained and later sent to Aetherion Academy to teach Healing Arts.Razeon Observes Quietly
From the Divine Realm, Razeon watched everything silently:
the rise of the Academy
the birth of new alliances
the growth of his Avatar
and the stirrings of destiny in distant lands
He never interfered directly.
This era was meant to test mortals—and gods alike.First Conflict Inside the Academy
One month into the academic year, tension erupted.
A group of arrogant nobles mocked Beastfolk students.
A fight broke out—blades drawn, claws bared.
Before it escalated, a terrifying pressure descended.
Seraphion appeared.
Not in his angelic form, but his presence alone froze every student.
"Violence outside training grounds is forbidden," he said calmly.
"Next violation will result in expulsion."
The entire academy trembled.
His seriousness set the tone for the future.Academy Attracts All Races
Due to success and prestige, the Academy began attracting:
Dragons
Griffins
Elves
Beastfolk
Dwarves
Humans
And even rare races forgotten by history
This was becoming the first truly united center of world education.The Dragon–Griffin Alliance Strengthens
Within the Elemental Kingdom, dragons and griffins learned from each other.
Their bond deepened, forming joint techniques, mixed patrol squads, and shared rituals.
Rumor had it that soon they might create a combined cultural tradition.The Dwarf Avatar Meets a Mysterious Old Teacher
One afternoon, while wandering the Crafting Wing, Kaelbrim sensed a faint vibration behind a closed workshop door.
Inside was an old dwarf—thin, pale, and surrounded by mountains of mana stones.
He coughed weakly but smiled warmly.
"Ah… you must be Kaelbrim.
Come, child. Sit. Let me see your hands."
Kaelbrim approached.
The old dwarf examined his palms, eyes trembling with emotion.
But he said nothing about what he saw.
Instead, he gave the boy a gentle instruction:
"Forge something. Anything."
Kaelbrim obeyed.
Within minutes, he shaped a perfect miniature gear with flawless rune circuitry—something even master smiths struggled with.
The old dwarf closed his eyes.
He knew.
Instantly.
Absolutely.
He recognized the divine aura.
The same aura he once felt from the god who created him.
But he did not reveal his identity.
For he was the First God of Crafting and Minerals, a deity from the previous era who had barely survived the death of his creator.
He lived only by absorbing mana stones, which slowly poisoned his divine soul.
He had seven years left before he completely faded.
When he heard the prophecy of a new Crafting God returning to the world, he left his hiding and joined the academy under a false identity… searching.
The moment he saw Kaelbrim, he knew:
"This is the one.
The new successor.
The child who will inherit everything before I disappear."
And so… silently… he made a decision.
To teach Kaelbrim all the lost divine crafting arts.
Before time claimed him.
But Kaelbrim remained unaware of the truth.
For now, he simply believed he had found a strict but kind mentor.
The old dwarf smiled faintly.
"Come back tomorrow.
Your training begins."
Destiny had taken its first step.