Shanghai, China — Bo Zhai School
The classroom hummed with restless energy. On the teacher's desk rested a crystalline orb, faintly glowing as though it held a heartbeat of its own. Today, it would decide futures. Those who awakened magic would walk the path of mages; the rest would fade into ordinary lives.
The door creaked open, and a tall man in a plain suit entered. A pair of dark goggles hid his eyes, and though his presence seemed ordinary, the room fell into silence. Teacher Wang Chi rarely needed words to command attention.
"You all know why we are here," he said, his voice steady, measured. "Magic is not just a gift—it is a duty. Some of you will awaken power, others will not. Accept both outcomes with pride."
He began calling names.
The first, Wei Bou, strode forward with arrogant confidence. Blue hair shimmered under the light, green eyes sharp like polished glass. The girls whispered and giggled; some were already betting he would awaken lightning. Even Wang Chi had high expectations.
Wei placed his hand on the orb. A sharp glow spread, ice crystallizing across the surface until frost crept over the table. The class gasped. "Ice," Wang Chi announced with rare approval.
Students followed one after another—water, light, water again. The weaker elements, met with sighs of disappointment.
Then came Jing Feng. Black hair, calm eyes. He placed his hand on the orb, and wind spiraled up, lifting stray papers into the air. A good element. Respectful nods followed.
Finally, Wang Chi called, "Huo Leizi."
Snickers erupted instantly.
"That trash? He'll break the orb before he awakens anything."
"Maybe the orb won't even respond."
The boy with blonde hair and unsettling red eyes walked forward in silence. His face was handsome, but there was a hardness in it, the look of someone used to being mocked. He ignored the laughter, ignored the whispers. His hand hovered over the orb.
For a moment, nothing happened. The silence grew heavy. A cruel laugh cut through the room—Wei Bou's. "See? Worthless."
But in the back, Jing Feng stood and shouted, "He'll surprise you. He's my friend—and he will awaken power greater than yours."
Something shifted in Huo's eyes. Confidence, faint but burning. He pressed harder, reaching inward.
A vibration rattled from his wrist. His old bracelet—an heirloom with a crimson stone at its center—flared to life, as though answering him. The orb cracked with sudden heat, flames bursting inside its glassy core.
"Fire element," Wang Chi declared.
But the glow did not stop. The orb flared again, brighter, lightning arcing wildly through the classroom. Students shielded their eyes.
"Impossible…" Wang Chi whispered. "Dual awakening. Fire and Lightning."
The laughter died. Shock spread like wildfire. Huo looked down at his bracelet, lips curling into the faintest smile. The heavens had given him a chance.
---
Varanasi, India — Institute of Magic
The sun dipped low, casting orange light across the holy river Ganga. On its banks, a boy named Aarav stood with a wooden bat in his hand, laughing as he struck a cricket ball high into the sky. To him, life was simple—rituals at the river, games with friends, a quiet devotion to Maa Ganga.
"Aarav!" A voice called. His best friend Ravi rushed over, face flushed. "You fool, it's today! The Awakening Ceremony!"
Aarav shrugged. "What's the hurry? If I awaken, I awaken. If not, cricket will still be here."
But Ravi dragged him anyway.
The Institute's hall was filled with chanting. Teachers stood around a great altar etched with a triangle inside a circle, old mantras woven into its design. Teacher Vir, an Earth Mage, raised his hand, guiding students one by one into the center.
When Ravi's turn came, expectation filled the room. He was known as the sharpest of his year. Stepping into the altar, flames burst around him, red and wild. Fire element. A roar of approval followed. For a moment, shadows stretched behind him, faintly shaping into clawed hands.
Then Aarav's name was called. Murmurs rippled through the crowd—many expected water, at best.
He stepped into the altar. At first, calm blue waves swirled above him: water, just as predicted. But then the orb pulsed violently. Light—brilliant, dazzling—shot outward, illuminating the hall.
Gasps followed. "Dual element? Water… and Light?"
Some laughed quietly. "Support magic only. A weakling's gift."
But Aarav, standing in the glow, clenched his fists. Support? He thought of the river's fury during floods, of the light that blinds even in darkness. "Water can drown, light can burn," he whispered to himself. "I'll prove it."
On one side of the world, a boy smiled at the lightning in his hands. On the other, another clenched his fists against the tide of doubt.
Neither knew the other existed.
Yet their destinies were already colliding.
Chapter 1 — End.