Year 978, 3rd Cycle of Lumina. Central Continent — Capital of Ashborne.
The towering gates of Eclipse Academy loomed ahead like a fortress of destiny. Crafted from obsidian stone and embedded with faint glowing runes, the structure radiated an aura of pressure that weighed on the thousands of hopefuls gathered outside.
A massive courtyard spread before the gates — buzzing with cultivators, mages, demi-humans, and even cloaked nobles. Everyone had the same goal: to earn their place in the most prestigious academy in the world.
"Tch. Look at all these nobodies… thinking they'll last past the first round."
— a smug boy sneered, adjusting his violet robe stitched with a serpent insignia.
"Just stay out of my way,"
— grunted a hulking beastkin, his amber eyes glowing faintly.
But amid the noise, one figure stood out — not because he tried to, but because the air around him felt… still.
A silver-eyed young man with messy dark hair and an unreadable expression stood quietly near the edge of the crowd. He wore simple black robes, but there was a quiet weight to his presence — like a storm hiding behind a calm sea.
Kaelan Ashborne.
The heir of the Ashborne Clan. The only known hybrid of cultivation and magic. The boy who trained under his father — the Divine-ranked Beast Sovereign, and inherited something… far beyond mortal understanding.
He didn't boast. He didn't flex power.
But those who passed him felt it — a chill, a strange instinct that whispered:
"He's dangerous."
He wasn't here to prove anything.
He was here to grow. To uncover the truth about his mother.
And to crush anyone who stood in his way.
---
[A voice echoed across the sky.]
"WELCOME TO ECLIPSE ACADEMY."
"Only the strongest survive. You will be tested. Judged. Ranked."
"Fail, and you're out. Succeed… and you carve your name into history."
---
Kaelan slowly opened his eyes, silver irises gleaming beneath the sunlight.
"This is where it begins."
A soft breeze stirred around him. Unseen to the world, a phantom image of a titanic beast with six glowing wings shimmered behind his shadow for a single breath—then vanished.
And somewhere, far away in the forbidden North, a sealed gate trembled.
---
[To be continued…]