The sun rose over Lumeria City, a jewel of white towers and blue banners that fluttered in the morning wind. The streets were alive with merchants shouting, students laughing, and the faint shimmer of mana lines humming through the air — invisible threads that powered everything from carriages to communication crystals.
In the center of it all stood The Astral Academy, a vast structure of marble spires and floating bridges. Mages, swordsmen, and scholars gathered here to train under the empire's greatest instructors.
Among the thousands of students walking through the gates, one boy stood out — though not because of arrogance or grandeur.
Izumi moved quietly, his black hair slightly disheveled, his silver-gray eyes calm as still water. There was something about the way he carried himself — composed, confident, almost too mature for his age of sixteen.
"Oi, Izumi!"
A blur of motion collided with him from behind.
Jack, with his messy blond hair and eternal grin, threw an arm around his shoulder. "You're early again! What are you, a machine? Normal people sleep!"
Izumi gave him a side glance. "And normal people don't fail basic mana theory."
Jack groaned. "Ouch, right in the heart. I'm wounded!"
"You'll heal," Izumi said dryly, but a small smile crept onto his lips.
Their laughter echoed as they made their way to the academy courtyard, where hundreds of students were gathering for the opening ceremony.
---
Aria stood among the crowd, her soft auburn hair catching the light, her emerald eyes scanning a parchment nervously. She looked up when she heard the commotion — Jack trying to convince Izumi to skip class.
When their eyes met, something flickered in her chest.
A feeling of… recognition.
She quickly looked away, shaking her head. "What was that?" she whispered to herself.
---
The ceremony began — the Headmaster, an elderly archmage wrapped in golden robes, addressed the students about honor, discipline, and magic's responsibility.
Izumi only half-listened.
His gaze drifted upward to the sky — a clear ocean of blue. Yet, for a fleeting instant, he saw something else.
A great field of fire.
A battlefield filled with gods.
A sword buried in a corpse that looked like… him.
The vision vanished in a heartbeat.
"Izumi?" Jack whispered, noticing the way his friend's hand trembled slightly.
"…Nothing," Izumi muttered. "Just a headache."
But deep inside, something ancient stirred.
---
That night, as he returned to his dormitory, Izumi looked out the window at the stars.
They felt familiar.
Too familiar.
He placed his hand over his heart. The faintest echo of a voice — his own voice — whispered through his mind:
> "How many times have I stood here?"
Izumi frowned. "What was that?"
But there was no answer.
Only the silent hum of the Astral Veins below the earth — and the soft glow of the moon that seemed to watch him like an old friend.