The Mana Assessment Hall of the Arcana Institute smelled perpetually of ozone and regret. Here, fate was measured by the glow of a crystal, and Kael Varis knew exactly what his measurement was: negligible.
He stood before the massive, humming Quartz Indicator, the heart of the hall. He wore the standard gray institute tunic, but on him, it looked like a shroud. Kael's power level, or Mana Core Strength, was a cruel joke among the elite students. While the average first-year student clocked in around 150 units, Kael perpetually flickered between 3 and 5.
"Next! Kael Varis," bellowed Instructor Theron, his voice echoing the general impatience of the room.
Kael stepped onto the activation rune. As he placed his hand on the smooth, cold Quartz, the crystal failed to ignite. Instead of the brilliant, satisfying hum that accompanied a strong reading, there was only a weak, intermittent pulse.
"Three units," Theron sighed, not even bothering to write it down. "Three units, again. Varis, you couldn't even light a stove with that output. You're lucky the Arcana Institute lets non-magic-users observe the classes."
The laughter that erupted was sharp, but Kael was already used to it. He quickly retreated to the shadows, trying to disappear before the next subject arrived.
That next subject was Elara Vance.
Elara was a Force Mage prodigy, and every female student in the room followed her lead. She approached the crystal with practiced, arrogant grace. The moment her fingers brushed the Quartz, the hall was bathed in blinding azure light. The crystal roared, the needle shooting past the 800 mark.
"Eight hundred twenty-five! Exceptional, Elara," Theron praised, a rare smile gracing his severe face.
Elara barely acknowledged the applause. Her eyes, the color of a winter sky, swept across the room and landed directly on Kael for a fraction of a second. The look was not one of malice, but pure, dismissive indifference—the way one might glance at a scuff mark on the floor. It reaffirmed Kael's complete absence from her world.
Next came Sienna Thorne, the other untouchable beauty, known for her mastery of arcane knowledge. Sienna was quiet, reserved, and focused on scholarly pursuit, yet her Affinity with forbidden ancient magic was legendary. She didn't rely on raw power, but terrifying precision.
When Sienna approached, she didn't touch the Quartz. Instead, she held her hand above it and muttered a single, complex syllable. A wreath of crimson energy, cold and deadly, materialized around the crystal. It wasn't a standard power reading, but a demonstration of control. The crystal shuddered, showing a complex mana signature that whispered of immense, untapped potential.
Sienna simply lowered her hand, nodded politely, and left, her focus entirely on the scroll she carried, never once sparing Kael a glance.
Later that evening, Kael sat alone in his tiny, dusty dorm room, trying to force a simple Luminescence Spell. He managed only a weak, sputtering spark. Frustrated, he threw his textbook onto the worn bed.
Three units. Three units. That's all I'll ever be.
In a moment of intense, desperate longing—longing not just for power, but for recognition, for anything—he pressed the heel of his hand hard against his chest, right over his useless Mana Core.
Just then, the familiar flicker inside him ceased.
It was replaced by a brutal, silent surge. It felt less like a wave of energy and more like the violent, instantaneous forging of a new element. A searing, golden heat exploded from his core, spreading through every vein and cell. Kael gasped, falling back onto his bed as the entire, weak structure of his old existence was violently reconstructed.
It was over in a second. He sat up, shaking. He looked down at his hands, expecting them to be charred, but they were fine. However, something fundamental had changed. The air around him felt different—thick, charged, and focused entirely on him.
He reached for the Quartz Indicator he kept in his room for practice. When his fingers wrapped around it, the crystal didn't just light up; it erupted, humming with a sound that was less power and more presence. The indicator dial, designed for readings up to 1000, shattered under the sudden, silent stress.
Kael looked at the debris, then caught his reflection in the broken glass. His eyes, usually dull, now glowed with an internal, jade-colored fire, and the entire world, for the first time, felt like it was waiting for him.