The Academy courtyard hummed with its usual morning chaos. Students argued over homework, boots scraped against stone, and somewhere a practice sword rang against another.
Vel continued on his usual path toward the quieter wing of the Academy. Here, the morning chaos faded to whispers. Five students clustered along the walkway to Lyvenna's class, their low voices cutting through the silence.
Strange. Regular students rarely ventured to this part of the Academy.
Their uniforms shared the same deep blue as his, but theirs resembled robes rather than his naval style. Embroidered collars draped around their shoulders like ceremonial vestments, marking them as Church-affiliated students.
Vel sidestepped around the group only to realize their intention—they were here for him.
One of them broke from the group. The young man's short hair lay perfectly straight, and wire-framed glasses perched precisely on his nose. He stepped forward with measured grace.
"Divine blessings upon you, brethren Novalance,"
"I am Voss Eliander of House Eliander. My family are devoted followers of the Sect of Morya, God of Resonance and Harmony."
Vel shifted uncomfortably under Eliander's gaze. The reverence directed at him felt unearned and misplaced.
"I've been meaning to make your acquaintance since I heard about Saint Landre's recent visit. Such a profound blessing that the Goddess Shizka has chosen someone so young for her light. Your family must be exceptionally favored in divine matters."
Before Vel could respond, the other four students stepped forward, each offering respectful nods in turn.
"Meri, devoted to Jules' guidance," said the one in earthy green.
"Alina, follower of Tir's wisdom," added a quiet girl whose dark stole seemed to absorb light.
The remaining names they offered blurred together in Vel's mind as he studied their expressions. Each smile came with evaluating glances, as if appraising his worth for future transactions.
This was his first direct interaction with the Church faction, and while they lacked the arrogance of the Royal faction or the bravado of the Guild, their polite assessment unsettled him more.
Vel's attention drifted to their uniform details as introductions continued. Each student bore different colored embroidery and symbols that matched the pantheon sects—Morya, Jules, Ignis, Tir, and Calyphe. One representative for each god, yet something was missing.
No Shizka. No Goddess of Light—the very deity who had chosen his sister Landre.
Eliander noticed Vel's careful examination and smiled. "Good observation, Brother Novalance. We currently lack a representative of Shizka's light among us."
The student wearing Calyphe's purple stole stepped forward. "That is also our intention of meeting you here today. We'd like to offer a seat in our little circle of students."
"We meet to discuss theology, share insights from our respective sects, and... support each other's endeavors at the Academy," Meri added.
Eliander nodded in agreement. "Through your sister's blessing by Shizka, your presence would complete our divine arrangement."
My sister...
For a moment, Vel didn't know how to respond. He opened his mouth but no words came out. Their eyes locked on him, as if expecting immediate agreement. The idea of using Landre's position twisted something in his chest. They weren't seeing him—they were seeing Landre's brother, a potential asset in whatever game they were playing.
"I... thank you for the invitation. But the seat of Shizka is not mine to claim. It was my sister's devotion that earned Shizka's blessing."
He looked each of them in the eye, making his position clear without being openly hostile.
"I have my own path at the Academy, and while I respect the Church and its teachings, I have no intention of joining any political faction."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Voss's face before smoothing into practiced diplomacy. "Of course. Family connections do not necessarily dictate one's calling." He exchanged meaningful glances with his companions.
"Our invitation remains open, should you reconsider. The Circle meets every seventh evening in the eastern chapel."
The other students nodded in unison, their stoles shifting with the movement. The one in Calyphe's purple stepped forward again.
"We shall not keep you from your routine. But know that you have allies and support from us should you require it."
Vel kept his expression carefully neutral. The offer sounded familiar—too familiar. Lady Halen's "generosity" had taught him enough about how factions operated.
"I appreciate that. I'll remember your generous offer."
As the group departed with synchronized nods and murmured blessings, Vel watched them go, their robed uniforms and colorful stoles fluttering slightly in the morning breeze. Their unison footsteps made them look like a small procession moving through the courtyard, the embodiment of church unity and purpose.
Vel wasn't sure if he should be grateful for such an opportunity or wary about it. The political machinations of the Academy were becoming clearer each day, and now the Church faction had made their move. On one hand, having allies among the religious students could provide protection and information. On the other, he'd be leveraging Landre's hard-earned position for his own gain.
The offer felt like the first thread of a web he wanted no part in.
Vel let out a breath and turned, returning to his path toward class. Their synchronized departure, a perfect picture of unity, replayed in his mind.
Five students, five gods, yet I'm no god of light. They'd have to find someone else for that seat.
Academy life was getting unpredictable. He'd hoped to enjoy simple school days—something he'd missed dearly from his old life. But ever since the duel with Thornwood, everything had shifted. If the Church faction had made their move this early, how long before the Royal and Guild factions followed suit?
Not that he could join their divine circle anyway. His relationship with the divine was... complicated at best.
---
The classroom door was pushed open, revealing morning sunlight streaming through tall windows and illuminating countless dust motes that danced in lazy spirals through the still air. The familiar scent of chalk and old parchment hung heavy in the quiet space, broken only by the soft rustle of turning pages.
Vel stepped inside, still distracted by the Church students' approach.
"Morning, Vel," Tomas called out, looking up from his book.
Vel moved toward his seat in a daze, barely registering the greeting. Only after sliding into his chair did he glance up to find Tomas watching him expectantly.
"Everything alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Hm? No...Nothing important," Vel replied with a dismissive wave, settling his bag beside his desk.
Tomas's expression grew serious. "Well, speaking of important things—I was just telling the others. The Ternion Tournament's been moved to first year."
Vel blinked, his distraction evaporating instantly. "The what tournament?"
Before Tomas could respond, Lyvenna strode through the door, her timing impeccable as always.
"News travels fast within the Academy," she remarked, catching the tail end of their conversation. She set down her materials with unusual force. "The Archmagister's decision, announced this morning."
The classroom fell silent. Mira's pen stopped mid-sentence. Enya's focus crystal slipped from her fingers, clattering onto her desk. Even Rohen, typically unruffled, leaned forward with sudden attention.
Vel remained quiet, trying to process what he'd just heard. Tournament? What tournament?
"But isn't the tournament usually held in second or third year?" Mira asked, her voice tight with concern.
"It is. Was." Lyvenna set down her chalk, her movements unusually hesitant. "The instructors' board was surprised too. We've already started prep work."
She turned to face them, her expression troubled. "As for you all..." The words hung in the air as she seemed to struggle with how to proceed.
"Looks like they really want us gone," Rohen said quietly, his voice carrying grim resignation.
"What do you mean?" Vel asked, looking between Rohen and Lyvenna.
Lyvenna exhaled slowly. "The Ternion Tournament, or what's known among students as the Tri-Ts."
"Every cycle, the Academy searches for the finest students. Those who excel receive special training—they become the elites among elites. The future leaders, the warriors who will serve the nation at the highest levels."
She paused, her expression growing more troubled.
"But for everyone else, it's a test. Everything is recorded, evaluated, measured."
She paused, meeting each of their eyes in turn.
"In short, if you don't show any good result or even potential..."
"You get sorted out," Tomas finished, his voice hollow.
"And for it to happen in first year, meaning unstable students..." Lyvenna's words trailed off, then she continued more quietly. "There isn't enough time for proper development. Students with your attunement need longer to reach their potential. Moving it to first year puts you at a severe disadvantage—you're likely to be eliminated before you've had a fair chance."
The implication settled over them like a weight. They were being deliberately targeted.
"How long do we have?" Enya's voice was barely a whisper.
"The second half of the term. The tournament will be the main focus of class and training from then on." Her voice grew quieter. "Two months..."
Vel's stomach clenched. Two months to prove they weren't failures. Two months against students like Kein and Severin who'd trained their whole lives. The unstable attunement students could barely manage basic spells—how could they compete?
For a long moment, silence filled the classroom. Then Lyvenna's expression hardened with sudden resolve.
"Which means we have work to do." She turned toward the board, chalk already in hand.
She began sketching an intricate magic circle, her strokes quick and sure. "Today we start with something they won't expect you to know."
"Velarian."
Vel's thoughts scattered as his name cut through his planning.
"Would you care to explain the components of this magic circle to the class?" Lyvenna asked, stepping aside to reveal the completed diagram on the board.
He identified each sigil mechanically, his mind still half-focused on tournament strategies. The magic circle was far more complex than anything the class had seen before.
With his interface's help, Vel focused on one sigil after another in isolation. "This pattern here connects to—"
Wait. This circle...
Suddenly Vel realized the pattern as a whole. The magic circle was dense with sigils. Each fit economically within the structure—this wasn't just any advanced spell. He glanced at Lyvenna, who met his gaze with a hint of expectancy. She crossed her arms, watching what he would do.
The spell he'd asked her about.
"Is something wrong, Velarian?" Lyvenna asked, her tone innocent but her eyes sharp with challenge.
"I was just surprised to see this here. Isn't that too advanced for our class?"
Lyvenna raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you can't understand the circle?"
Vel hesitated, considered if he should proceed. Something about Lyvenna's eyes and behavior toward him had changed after the duel with Thornwood—a watchfulness that made him wary.
But if this meant giving the unstable students a fighting chance...
"I think I can understand it," Vel said, uncertainty creeping into his voice. His interface displayed annotations like _negative_charge(), but he struggled to find the right words. "These two sigils seem to elevate energy gap between the caster and the target. Once the spell is complete, the energy snaps from higher point to lower point. Creates lightning."
"What about this cluster?" Lyvenna pointed to complex sigils near the bottom.
Vel studied them, seeing his interface label them with _target_acquisition(). "These sigils help the spell identify what to strike based on the caster's intent, so it doesn't hit allies or random objects around you."
"And this one—" Vel pointed to a swirling, asymmetrical sigil that his interface clearly labeled as randomize() "—this is what makes Stormbringer unique. It introduces true randomization into the targeting sequence. The spell chooses targets unpredictably, making it impossible to anticipate or counter."
Tomas raised his hand. "But why random strikes instead of hitting everything? Wouldn't that be more efficient?"
The question was insightful—exactly the critical thinking they'd need for the tournament.
Vel nodded at Tomas, impressed by his insight. "That's an excellent question. This randomization sigil disperses the mana flow unexpectedly, but the byproduct of that dispersion creates efficient mana bursts."
He traced the chaotic pattern with his finger, feeling the familiar logic behind it. "And makes it unpredictable so enemies can't anticipate the pattern."
The class fell silent as they processed this explanation. Vel felt a small surge of satisfaction seeing his classmates engage with the material—perhaps there was hope for them in the tournament after all.
"How did you know about all this?" Lyvenna's voice cut through the silence, her tone measured but pointed.
The question hung in the air. Vel felt all eyes turn to him.
He was hoping to avoid this exact question. But here it came. His mind raced for a plausible explanation that wouldn't reveal too much about his unique understanding of the world's systems.
Vel raised his finger, performing what he hoped was a mysterious smile, and said, "It was a secret I've learned in my old village."
A long pause followed. Silence fell over the classroom as Vel stood still, almost frozen. He waited for the awed whispers or respectful nods that always followed this revelation in the anime he'd watched back in his old life. The silence stretched for several seconds—too long.
Then the silence broke.
"Are you taking us for a fool?!" Rohen exclaimed, his face contorting with disbelief.
"What kind of explanation is that?!" Enya added, her brow furrowed.
Vel flinched, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. Well, it had clearly worked in one of the anime he watched. He was hoping for the same reaction here, but apparently the 'NPCs' were too smart for that trope.
Mira shook her head slowly. "Even my little brother comes up with better excuses when he steals cookies from the jar."
Tomas stared at him with a mixture of disappointment and second-hand embarrassment. "I expected better from you, Vel."
Vel's cheeks burned with humiliation. He'd forgotten the fundamental rule of this world. These weren't one-dimensional characters who would accept mysterious non-answers; they were people with critical thinking skills and expectations of logical explanations.
"Your old village, Oakhaven, was known for teaching advanced magical theory to children?" Lyvenna's tone dripped with skepticism. "Fascinating. I should inform the Archmagister that we've been overlooking a valuable educational resource all this time."
Vel couldn't tell if Lyvenna was being serious or sarcastic with her comment about Oakhaven. Her expression remained unreadable as she awaited his response, one eyebrow slightly raised.
He sighed deeply. There was no point maintaining this charade. It would only make him look more suspicious.
"Well, no more hiding it," Vel admitted, shoulders slumping slightly. "It was Voss."
"Voss?" Lyvenna's expression shifted to genuine surprise. "Eliander Voss?"
Vel nodded, feeling the weight of his classmates' stares. "They wanted me to join their... 'circle'. Some of the spells they mentioned have similar principles to this one."
The tension in Lyvenna's posture eased slightly, though her eyes remained sharp with interest.
"I see," she said carefully. "And what did you tell them?"
"I told them I needed time to consider it," Vel replied carefully. "They offered some theoretical knowledge as... encouragement for my decision. Apparently they're quite eager to complete their circle." He shrugged. "Though I have no intention of actually joining them."
Tomas whistled low. "You turned down the Pantheon Circle? That's either very brave or very foolish."
"The Pantheon Circle has been recruiting aggressively this year," Mira noted. "I heard they approached three students in the standard classes alone."
Lyvenna tapped her chalk against the board thoughtfully. "Interesting that they would share theoretical knowledge of advanced spellcraft as an enticement. Though I'm not surprised."
"That Pantheon Circle alone represents at least two teams we'll have to face in the Tri-Ts," Rohen said grimly. "And I heard Severin's already paired with two other noble students who specialize in offensive magic."
"Great," Tomas muttered. "Experienced duelists with perfect attunements while we're still trying to control our basic spells."
Vel listened to his classmates' concerns, recognizing the genuine fear beneath their tactical discussion. As they debated potential strategies, he considered how his knowledge of the Stormbringer spell might help them prepare.
"So, Vel."
Vel? That was the first time he'd heard that from Lyvenna. She seemed to realize it too, straightening her posture.
"Velarian," she corrected smoothly, "is there anything else you can tell us about this Stormbringer magic circle? Any additional insights?"
The other students hadn't noticed anything unusual, but Vel wondered why she'd used his first name.
Vel pushed the thought aside, focusing on the question at hand. He stepped closer to the board, examining the complex sigils once more.
"There's a problem though," he said, tapping the dense center of the circle where multiple sigils overlapped in a complex knot. "This spell is too tightly packed. It leaves no space for modification."
Lyvenna tilted her head. "How so?"
"Even a simple change from Air to Fire wouldn't work," Vel explained, his mind racing through the implications. "Not to mention Fire works different compared to Lightning."
He studied the circle again, an idea forming. What if the solution wasn't to modify this circle, but to separate its functions? Like writing a custom function that calls another function—breaking down a complex operation into smaller, manageable parts.
"What if..." Vel began slowly, thinking aloud, "we could move the entire random and targeting part into a completely different circle, supplementing the main circle? That would leave the main circle with a lot of space and divisions for modification."
The classroom fell silent, clearly having no idea what Vel was talking about, except for Lyvenna who was staring at him with an intensity that made him pause.
"Layer casting," she said firmly, as if she immediately understood the implications.
Her tone carried such certainty that Vel blinked in surprise.
"It's something I haven't dared to attempt," Lyvenna continued, her voice dropping slightly. "It's the lesson for third-year academy students, before they pursue master-level spellcrafting."
The other students slowly began to understand the significance of what Vel had proposed.
"But it is possible?" Vel asked, a spark of excitement igniting within him.
Lyvenna leaned against her desk, her expression softening into something more candid than her usual professional demeanor.
"It is possible," she admitted. "I've seen top mages of the nation use layered casting. The Archmagister herself is particularly skilled at it."
The excitement building in Vel's chest faltered slightly at her next words.
"But I don't think I'm the right person to explain this to you," Lyvenna continued, glancing briefly at the other students. "My education and study purpose was specifically for unstable students. This goes beyond my formal training."
Vel knew what Lyvenna meant, and understood something like this would go beyond anyone with unstable attunement.
"Who else could I ask about this?" Vel wondered aloud, his mind already racing through possibilities.
Lyvenna straightened her posture, reverting to her more formal instructor stance. She paused, as if considering something, then seemed to think better of it. "The Archmagister would be your best resource. Though I doubt she will spend her time with an unstable student, even if you're related to Saint Landre."
She tapped her chalk against the board thoughtfully. "I've seen her show no interest even to the royal family—even the king's relatives can't command her attention unless she deems it worthwhile."
"Any chance that I could arrange a meeting with the Archmagister?" Vel asked, trying to keep his tone casual.
Lyvenna's lips curved into a slight smile. "If you perform well in the first bracket of the tournament—and I don't mean well, I mean very well—maybe there's a chance."
Vel frowned as the realization hit him. To learn advanced magic that might help them in the tournament, he needed to perform exceptionally well in the tournament first. A classic circular dependency.
Vel scratched his head intensely, causing his hair to become completely disheveled. The more he considered the problem, the more frustrated he became with the circular logic. His classmates watched him silently, waiting for his next insight or suggestion.
After a moment of contemplation, Vel's gaze returned to the Stormbringer diagram on the board. If he couldn't access layered casting yet, he'd need to work with what was available—the crude, original method.
"Why did you specifically ask me about this one spell, Mr. Novalance?" Lyvenna's question broke through his thoughts.
Vel looked up, his fingers still tangled in his messy hair. "Because I was thinking about the 'chaos' element that we discussed." He stepped closer to the board, tracing the chaotic sigil with his finger. "Turns out, Chaos doesn't need to be invoked—it's just there, here in the diagram."
Vel wrapped his fingers around his chin, studying the Stormbringer diagram on the board. To his classmates, he appeared deep in contemplation. In reality, his interface had quietly registered the spell, displaying information only he could see:
[Stormbringer - Registered]
[Incantation: Aqu-alea-voltis Aretum]
[Status: Ready for casting]
The randomization wasn't just a feature—it was the key to understanding how unstable attunements might be harnessed rather than controlled. But knowing the theory was one thing. Actually casting it required the proper incantation.
He turned to Lyvenna, who had been the one to introduce this spell in the first place.
"Instructor, what would the incantation be for this spell?"
Lyvenna moved to the board, chalk in hand. "It's quite complex, but the incantation is..." She wrote carefully, each letter precise: Aqu-alea-voltis Aretum
Tomas leaned forward, squinting at the board. "That sounds... different from normal spells."
Mira looked up from her notebook. "Different how?"
Tomas gestured at the incantation, his brow furrowed. "The words don't flow like regular incantations."
Enya nodded slowly, her focus crystal glinting as she shifted in her seat. "Now that you mention it, it does sound strange. Like someone took normal words and mashed them together."
Rohen crossed his arms, studying the written incantation. "Is there a reason for that structure, Instructor?"
Lyvenna paused, chalk hovering over the board. She glanced away briefly before meeting their eyes again. "The sources I encountered only provided the incantation itself. No explanation for why it's structured this way."
"Which sources? Maybe we could look into them ourselves."
Lyvenna hesitated, her fingers tightening around the chalk. "It's... instructor circle knowledge. Not really found in standard textbooks. These things get passed around informally among faculty."
Vel stared at the incantation, his mind racing. Years of programming had trained him to recognize patterns, and something about the word structure tugged at his memory. Each component seemed to blend into the next—not cleanly separated like typical spell words, but fused together.
"Look at how the words connect," he said, stepping closer to the board. "'Aqu-alea'—the 'a' from 'Aqua' flows into 'alea.' What if the words need to blend together instead of staying separate?"
His classmates gathered closer, examining the pattern he'd identified.
Mira approached the board, tracing the letters with her finger. "You're right. Regular spells have clear breaks between words, but this..."
Enya leaned forward, understanding dawning. "So chaos spells need different incantations entirely?"
"Maybe, this could be how we communicate with the Chaos spirit," Vel said, uncertainty creeping into his voice. "Normal spell structure might not work because chaos doesn't follow normal patterns."
The classroom fell silent as they absorbed this observation. Lyvenna set down her chalk, her expression shifting from confusion to dawning understanding.
"If this pattern holds true for other chaos-element spells..." she began, then trailed off.
Rohen leaned back in his chair. "Then we need to understand how this fusion works."
Vel considered Rohen's words, studying the incantation on the board. A thought occurred to him.
"What if every 'failed' unstable spell we've ever cast was just using the wrong incantation structure?"
Tomas blinked. "You mean it wasn't us that failed? That we weren't the problem?"
"Think about it - we could have been learning the wrong approach from the beginning. What if unstable students shouldn't start with basic spells at all? What if we could handle something like Stormbringer right from the start, assuming our theory is correct?"
Mira sat back in her seat, the implications sinking in. "So we might have been capable of casting them all along."
Lyvenna moved toward her desk, gathering her materials with renewed purpose. "This gives us our research direction then. I want you to find any spells that incorporate randomness or chaotic elements. Pay attention to their incantation patterns—see if they follow this same structure."
She turned back to face her students. "If our theory is correct, you might be able to cast spells we never thought possible for first-year students."
The weight of that possibility settled over the classroom. For several minutes, no one spoke as they absorbed the implications of what they'd discovered.
When the morning bells chimed from the Academy tower, signaling the end of class period, the silence was broken.
As his classmates gathered their books, the energy in the room had shifted. Tomas was already sketching spell circles in his notebook margins. Enya muttered potential incantations under her breath. Even Rohen looked energized by the possibility.
Lyvenna, however, left the classroom eagerly. Like she had somewhere urgent to go.
Vel remained at the board, examining the Stormbringer incantation. If their theory was correct, everything they thought they knew about their limitations was wrong.
They had work to do. And less than two months to prove themselves before the tournament.