Michael swallowed hard under her stare. "I… I don't know," he admitted, voice low. "When I faced the Chieftain, it felt like the world paused. My heart hammered, blood roaring in my ears, and for an instant I thought even the air was waiting on me."
Trying to think back to those moments, the stillness came back to him. "But it wasn't just that. When I moved… it felt like I was stepping into something I'd already lived. Every strike, every breath—I was a beat ahead, like the fight was chasing me." He let out a shaky breath. "I don't know what to call it, but it was different than when I was training with the Aldcroft, I don't even know if it was real."
Halden listened in silence, her eyes narrowing with each word. Not suspicion this time—calculation. Weighing, measuring. When he finished, she rose slowly from her chair, her robe trailing across the floor like a shadow.
"Interesting," she murmured. "Dangerous. And… impossible."
Michael stiffened, uncertain whether she meant him or his power.
The Headmistress crossed the room and placed her hand against the wall. At her touch, runes shimmered to life, forming the outline of a door that hadn't been there before. With a push, it opened into a chamber glowing with pale blue light.
"You may not understand what you are," Halden said, her voice firm but not unkind, "but this academy will. We have ways to read the truth of one's core and element. No lies, no rumors—only what is."
Michael rose to his feet, hesitant. "You mean… a test?"
"A test, yes," she replied, turning back to meet his gaze. "One that will reveal what flows within you. Core. Element. Essence. Whether you are merely gifted…" her voice dropped to a whisper, "or something far rarer."
She gestured toward the glowing chamber. "Come, boy. Let us see what kind of power Edward has dropped into my lap."
Michael stepped into the chamber. The room was circular, its walls covered in faintly glowing runes that pulsed like a heartbeat. At the center stood a pedestal of crystal, taller than him, its surface rippling as though it were both solid and liquid at once.
The air was heavy with energy—different from the rest of the academy. It pressed against his skin, seeped into his lungs, made his bones hum.
Halden followed him in, her expression unreadable. "This chamber was built to reveal the truth of one's essence," she explained. "Every mage, every student, must pass through it. Place your hand on the crystal, and it will show us your core—if you have one—and the element your soul is attuned to."
Michael stared at the pedestal, his throat dry. "And if I don't?"
"Then it will show nothing," Halden said simply. "But you… I doubt it will stay silent."
He swallowed and slowly raised his hand. His palm hovered over the crystal for a heartbeat before he pressed it against the surface.
Cold shot through him instantly, racing from his hand into his chest, his veins, his mind. His knees buckled, but he held on. The crystal flared with light—first pale white, then shifting colors in rapid succession: red, blue, green, gold. Sparks danced across the chamber walls as the runes flared brighter.
Halden's eyes widened. "Impossible…"
Michael gasped, his heart thundered as visions swam in front of his eyes. A roaring fire, an endless ocean, a storm splitting the sky, the earth itself cracking open beneath his feet, and then: a ticking sound.
Like the gears of a great unseen clock.
The crystal pulsed once, hard enough to make the room shake. Then its glow narrowed, condensing into a single, unnatural shimmer of blue and gold light.
Michael ripped his hand back, stumbling. The glow faded slowly, leaving only a faint echo of that strange ticking in his ears. And for a long time, neither of them spoke.
At last, Halden whispered, "Four elements responded… and then something else." Her gaze fixed on him, sharp but unsteady. "Something I have never seen before, only heard of as legend around a bonfire."
Michael clutched his hand to his chest, panting. "What… what does that mean? What am I?"
Halden's gaze lingered on the fading golden blue glow, her expression grave. Slowly, she drew herself to her full height, her voice carrying the weight of history itself.
"There is only one answer," She said. "One truth, Time. You are the bearer of time, Michael."
The word struck him harder than any blow, even though deep down he knew. His breath caught in his throat. "T-Time?"
Halden gave a single, solemn nod. "Yes. And understand this well, boy. There cannot be two, not in this age. The world allows only one holder of Time's essence at a time, and the last one was the founder of this very academy. Eight hundred years ago, he was the first wilder of Time ever recorded in the codex. It was his vision that shaped this place, his power that carved its walls and wove the wards that protect us even now."
She gestured to the glowing runes that pulsed along the chamber. "Every stone in these halls still echoes with his essence, and you're the first since him. The new bearer of Time."
The chamber fell silent, save for the faint ticking in Michael's ears, steady and unyielding. He couldn't think or breathe. The weight of her words pressed on his reality.
He shook his head, dazed. "That...that can't be right. I don't even know what I'm doing. I can't control it, half the time I don't even know if it's real."
Halden's eyes softened for just a moment, but her words remained firm. "It does not matter if you believe it, Michael. The crystal never lies. You are the unique holder of Time."
She turned from him then, her robes brushing the floor, her voice lowered, as if she didn't want something to hear her. "Heed my advice, boy, the world has never been kind to its chosen. So you'd better hide this power until you're strong enough to defend yourself. They cannot harm you here, but if too many people learn the truth, this academy will cease to be your sanctuary... and become your prison."
Michael gripped his trembling hand tighter against his chest. The ticking grew louder in his head, steady, unrelenting. He wasn't sure if it was comforting that he was safe here... or terrifying.