The room was as silent as a sacred tomb.
White marble pillars stood like sentinels around the testing hall, which was marked with ancient runes and a magic circle carved into the floor. From above, stained-glass windows filtered the sunlight, tinting the space with shades of gold, blue, and scarlet. It was a place reserved for revelations, where blood and talent were weighed in silence.
In the center of the circle, Elyandra stood upright, hands clasped before her body, her expression restrained. Her formal attire betrayed the rigor of the occasion and the importance of the moment.
Kael Thorne, a magic knight from the evaluation branch of the High Magic Council and a close friend of Vaelric, was making the final preparations. The focal stones pulsed around the girl like enchanted hearts; subtly, they connected with the one at the center, ready to reveal her true talents. His voice, low and formal, filled the room:
— The test will be divided into three stages. You do not need to worry about the timing of each one; they will all be carried out simultaneously by the crystals. They focus on magical reaction, elemental affinity, and channeling. Ancient blood tends to distort readings... therefore, I need you to take a deep breath and simply concentrate.
Elyandra nodded, obedient.
A few meters away, her parents watched in silence. Altheria, wrapped in a pearly white cloak, kept her hands interlaced on her lap. Her eyes were calm but attentive, like someone reading the signs before they are spoken. Lord Valemortis, meanwhile, leaned back calmly with his usual noble air in his elevated seat, his expression that of a man watching the rain fall: natural, inevitable, almost tedious.
The test began. The crystals circled the girl, absorbing part of her mana. The sensation was strange, as if water were being drained through her skin—painless, but quite exhausting.
The magical reaction came after a few seconds. The crystals stopped spinning and continued to float around her. One by one, they lit up... until two, simultaneously, exploded in light.
One was golden, practically a representation of the sun. The other was translucent; its tone was... deep.
Kael stopped. He furrowed his brow.
— A double reaction...? It is not very common, but within the margins of possibility. My congratulations, Lady Elyandra; not everyone possesses such luck — he murmured. However, as he held the crystal to analyze the magical composition, his expression changed. — Wait a moment... This is not possible.
He spun toward the parents, holding the crystal in trembling hands.
— Dominant reaction in Divine Magic... and... Spiritual Control Magic.
The silence that followed seemed to weigh more than the walls themselves.
Altheria gasped subtly. Her eyes moved from her daughter to the evaluator, then back to her daughter. Having an affinity for Divine Magic was expected—after all, the girl had been blessed with the golden eyes of a Saint; Divine Magic was practically a mandatory bonus. But Spiritual Control Magic...? That was different territory. Ancient. Wild. Profane. Its history carried a weight long buried under thick layers of taboo throughout the world.
Lord Valemortis, for his part, merely raised an eyebrow. He did not seem surprised, despite it being an extremely concerning situation.
— As expected. Continue.
Kael swallowed hard.
— Both are considered ultra-rare affinities, and the presence of Ancient Blood—98%, according to the data—will ensure an even greater development than expected... This child, with proper cultivation, can reach levels reserved for geniuses... or entities.
The way he spoke did not sound like good news; his wide eyes seemed to be looking at something that shouldn't exist.
Elyandra, who had remained quiet until that moment in the center of the circle, lowered her head slightly. Her face conveyed a sort of curiosity.
But on the inside...
"The way he talks... my parents' reaction... I don't think this Spiritual Control magic is supposed to be a good thing."
Kael approached the analyst's pedestal, holding the crystal that converted the magic. His wide eyes stared at the translucent stone. He looked at Vaelric, who stared back with a cold gaze.
— Testing concluded. We need see nothing more. Lord Valemortis... this child is beyond known standards.
Altheria stood up, walking over to her daughter. She knelt before her, tucking a strand of white hair behind her ear.
— You are... very special, my little star. But... this will draw gazes we cannot control. In other words, you are absolutely forbidden from speaking about Spiritual Control magic. Do we have an understanding?
— ...Yes, Mother. We have an understanding — she said, nodding her head.
Lord Valemortis did not move. His gaze, focused on his daughter, was analytical. His reaction remained neutral, laden with thoughts that he did not let escape even in small gestures or expressions.
Vaelric stood up, the frigid air around him filling the room. — Keep the records within House Valemortis information. No data goes to the Council until I authorize it. For legal purposes, Elyandra Valemortis, the Saint, has an affinity for... Divine Magic, and that alone. I do not want the existence of her other affinity reported to anyone. Are we clear... Kael?
Kael hesitated but nodded. There was something in that man's eyes that made Kael's knees shake; even though they were long-time friends, Vaelric's eyes conveyed a sense of unparalleled fear.
While the adults talked among themselves, Elyandra remained silent.
"It's the first time I've seen my mother like this... that face... my father is usually focused, but now he's projecting this... ghastly aura... Spiritual Control Magic... It seems I have something very dangerous on my hands." Elyandra's face did not reflect the same concern; she seemed more anxious.
The hall was empty now. Except for him.
Kael Thorne remained standing before the magic circle, which still pulsed with the residues of the tested magic. His fingers touched the base of his chin, his brow furrowed as if standing before a centuries-old enigma. He couldn't take his eyes off the resplendent crystals—the golden one and the one that caught his attention most, that translucent color that seemed to call to him. The aura residing in that crystal was disturbing. He grabbed the stone, eyes wide; the power it had consumed seemed to overflow. Kael knew what that meant, but chose to follow his common sense. He squeezed the crystal; the force was such that, in a second, the stone cracked and was reduced to dust, leaving the translucent glow behind and erasing the record of that magic.
— This is dangerous... — he murmured, more to himself than anyone else.
The pen trembled in his hand as he tried to record the acquired data on paper. He stopped mid-sentence. "Affinity for Divine Magic." His mind hammered; his thoughts were entirely based on conflicts—conflicts from a time no longer spoken of by anyone.
He took a deep breath and closed his official notebook. He looked in the direction where the Valemortis family had departed.
— What exactly are you planning... Vaelric?
The carriage moved along the inner avenues of the Valemortis Domain, its axles creaking softly under the gentle glow of dusk.
Inside, the silence was as thick as the leather lining the seats.
Elyandra sat beside her mother, hands crossed on her lap, posture impeccable. Her dress still exhaled the lavender scent of her morning bath, but the air was heavy with something else... something indefinable.
Across from her, Lord Valemortis watched the landscape through the windows, his eyes half-closed as if meditating or sleeping with his eyes open.
Altheria, on the other hand, kept a slight smile on her lips. A maternal, serene smile... but one that did not reach her eyes.
Elyandra watched them from the corner of her eye. That expression on her mother. The absolute silence of her father. Everything was a stage, as if it were the grandest of theaters.
The crunch of a wheel on gravel broke the tension. And then, Altheria's voice cut through the silence:
— Elyandra, even if you do not leave the house, from now on, you must be more careful with what you say... even among the servants or trusted visitors.
The girl turned her face slowly, nodding gently.
— Okay, Mother.
Altheria sighed, her gaze lost for a moment in her own memories. She held out a finger, as if explaining something.
— Even with a rare affinity... you can still learn other forms of magic, like fire, water, wind... but the strength will be much lower, do you understand? Affinity works by making clear the type of magic you can best adapt to and handle. But this also keeps other magics on narrow tracks. You will feel this when trying to handle magics different from the one you have an affinity for.
Elyandra blinked once, tilting her head with carefully rehearsed curiosity.
— So... why does that happen?
Before Altheria could answer, the firm voice of Lord Valemortis cut the air.
— Because everything in the world is limited. Even magic. Talent determines the road. Blood dictates the shortcuts.
He looked toward his daughter for the first time since they had entered the carriage.
— I will provide a tutor for you. We will begin with your basic magic lessons.
Silence.
Elyandra kept her expression soft, the tips of her feet swinging slightly under her dress, as any child would.
— I will do my best...
Her father only nodded, returning his gaze to the window.
"A tutor? Probably another old man... Just like all the other teachers I've had in these six years. But... at least this time it's for the use of magic. Excellent!"
Two years had passed since the magic affinity test.
Elyandra, now eight years old, continued to wake up under the silk sheets of the room reserved for daughters of nobles. Her routine began even before the sunlight touched the stained glass and ended only after the bells of the ninth night hour echoed through the mansion.
She did not complain.
Studying had become her first battlefield within her mind, a well-polished blade. During this time, her instruction in politics, economics, religion, and social etiquette was intensified. She had already mastered the history of the Empire, the intrigues of the lesser houses, and knew the seven doctrinal books of the Church—though she didn't quite understand the principles of the church in this world. She knew where to step and where not to. What to say. And what only to insinuate.
She had also dedicated herself with zeal to her new hobby: fencing training, supervised by an old instructor of unassuming appearance, but whose precision when raising a sword recalled the stories of imperial heroes. She was finally beginning to understand the weight of the world where she had awakened.
Her fencing practices weren't just something she did in her spare time; she had even been authorized to participate in simulated combat against another student her age, a granddaughter of her instructor—someone who didn't even know of the little Valemortis's existence. Nothing that put her physical integrity at risk, of course. But enough to understand reaction time, angles of attack, and the brutal difference between training and a real confrontation.
However, there was one thing that deeply unsettled her.
A gap left open. A postponed promise:
Magic.
She waited. And she waited. And then she waited a bit more.
She had imagined that as soon as they discovered her rare affinity, she would immediately begin to cast spells capable of bending the heavens and the spirits. But instead, she received only soft smiles... and the answer she hated most:
"It is not yet the time."
At first, she thought it was her father's fault—that perhaps he wanted to test her or control access to knowledge. But no. The decision was not his.
It was Altheria's.
Her mother, ever serene, had held her hand one night and said with that sweet yet firm voice:
— I asked that we wait a little longer, dear. You are still a child... and I wanted you to have time to be a child before the world decided who you will be. Enjoy your time a little longer; even if you do not leave these walls, you still have much to learn and experience.
Elyandra smiled that night. Said she understood. Said it was fine.
But on the inside... On the inside, she hated it.
Not out of malice. But because every day of waiting was like a blank page in a book; it made her anxious.
Now, two years later, finally, the moment had arrived. She was about to have her first formal lesson in magic control.
The tutor appointed by the family had already arrived. The servants whispered that he was one of Vaelric's generals, a veteran from one of the most respected academies in the Empire. And her? She was excited. But also cautious.
Even though she was anxious to start her training, she knew she had to remain composed and focused. In this way, another layer of her mask was being created: The little Valemortis, daughter of Vaelric, a model noble—that was her role.
— The carriage is at the east entrance, Lady Valemortis — informed one of the servants, bowing discreetly.
Elyandra, dressed in a simple but refined outfit for the meeting, followed with light steps down the corridor to the outdoor area. There, the shadows of the white columns created a sort of natural reception for the guests. Standing in the middle of the entrance, a woman waited with a firm posture, arms crossed, and a countenance between severe and bored.
She wore a grey military-cut cloak, without adornments. Dark hair braided into a ponytail. Brown eyes, as striking as a general's. They observed Elyandra with the surgical precision of someone studying a complex book by its cover.
— You are even smaller than I imagined — said the woman, without bowing or smiling.
— My name is Elyandra Valemortis — Elyandra replied, with an innocent smile and an impeccable bow. — A pleasure to meet you. Are you my tutor?
The woman raised an eyebrow.
— My name is Dalia Vernhardt. Call me what you like, as long as you pay attention to what I teach.
Her voice was as firm as stone. Without hesitation, without sweetness.
"It really feels like I'm talking to a war general..." the girl thought.
Elyandra tilted her head slightly, feigning innocence. Her tutor, however, maintained her serious gaze.
— You carry something that almost no one on this continent has... an affinity for magic rare enough for the entire upper echelon to want to get their hands on you, from politicians to even people within the church — she crossed her arms again. — I could congratulate you on your luck; after all, the only thing keeping you from becoming a ventriloquist's doll is the fact that you were born into a high-ranking noble house. Regardless, Vaelric personally asked me to look after you.
The father's name, spoken directly and devoid of reverence, made Elyandra blink. It was rare to hear someone treat him that way.
— You seem to know my father well. Are you friends, by any chance?
— I know him more than I'd like — Dalia replied curtly. — And less than he thinks.
Silence. The wind blew softly through the gardens, bringing with it the scent of honeysuckle.
— Starting tomorrow, we begin with magic control, theory of magical manipulation, and fundamentals. You will sweat, fall, bleed, and you will thank me when you are alive on a battlefield.
Elyandra only smiled. She lowered her head in respect and murmured:
— If possible, I would like to avoid the bleeding part.
But on the inside, her mind vibrated in contained ecstasy.
"Finally!"