The morning air tasted faintly of stardust.
From the dormitory window, I could see the spires of the Academy of Azure rise against a pale blue sky, their crystalline peaks glimmering with the energy of ancient enchantments. Silver conduits pulsed between towers like veins of light, carrying mana that fueled the entire city.
It was breathtaking, and intimidating.
I wasn't supposed to be here. Not according to my father, not according to the family who thought I'd amount to nothing. Yet somehow, through whatever cruel twist of fate or quiet mercy of the stars, I had been accepted.
The uniform felt foreign on me. Too perfect, too tailored for someone who didn't belong.
I tied the silver insignia around my collar and took a deep breath.
The corridors were already alive with sound, laughter, footsteps, spells being tested in the distance. Every wall shimmered faintly with runes, alive with centuries of history.
A student brushed past me, whispering something under his breath. I caught only fragments:
"...Thalos? The useless one...?"
The words stung, not because they were wrong, but because once, in another life, I'd believed them too.
I kept walking.
Our first assembly was held in the Hall of Convergence, a vast dome lined with constellations that shifted in real time. When I stepped inside, my breath caught. The entire ceiling was alive with stars, not painted, not enchanted, but real, drawn from celestial energy itself.
At the center stood a dais, where an older mage in silver robes began to speak. His voice echoed, calm and precise.
"Welcome, initiates. You stand upon the threshold of destiny. Here, talent alone will not define you, only the courage to confront what lies beyond the light."
The words settled deep in me. Beyond the light.
My gaze drifted across the crowd, and stopped.
Lyra Vale.
She was standing at the far side, surrounded by a few upperclassmen. The same calm posture, the same unreadable eyes. She noticed me almost instantly, her expression unchanging. But there was a faint tilt to her head, like she was still trying to understand what she'd seen the night before.
I looked away first.
When the ceremony ended, groups of students clustered quickly, nobles with nobles, prodigies with prodigies.
And then there was me, standing alone.
I had lived lifetimes before, faced death and loss and the collapse of stars themselves, but somehow, this was lonelier.
Then, a voice behind me broke the silence.
"You're standing in the wrong place."
I turned.
A tall boy with chestnut hair and an easy grin leaned against a pillar, watching me with open curiosity.
"Oh? And where should I be standing?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Anywhere that isn't the center of attention for the Vale heiress. You'll end up cursed or kissed, depending on her mood."
I frowned. "You talk like you know her well."
"Know her? No. Observe her? Unfortunately, yes. She's famous for two things, perfection and detachment. Even professors tread lightly around her."
He offered a hand, still smiling. "I'm Nolan. Second-year enchantment track."
I hesitated before shaking it. "Erian."
"Ah, the Thalos name. I thought it was a rumor."
"Disappointed?"
"Surprised," he said lightly. "You don't look like someone who'd come back to the academy after... well, after what people say."
I didn't answer. The less I explained, the better.
Nolan grinned, unfazed by the silence. "Don't worry. I'm not the gossiping type. Besides, everyone here's got a story. Some of us are just better at hiding it."
He gestured toward the exit. "Come on. I'll show you the classrooms before the rush begins. The sooner you know where to hide, the better."
For the first time since I'd arrived, I felt something loosen in my chest, not quite trust, but maybe the faint shape of it.
As we walked through the halls, the air shimmered faintly with latent magic. It was like the building itself was alive, whispering to those who listened.
I could almost hear it.
Not the walls, not the students.
The stars.
They were humming again.
And somewhere far above, in that endless celestial expanse, a faint light flickered,
the same one that had once belonged to Aster.
By the time we reached the practice grounds, the morning had turned golden. Rows of young mages stood in formation, wands and catalysts in hand, their faces bright with confidence.
The training field shimmered with enchantments that bent light and air, protective wards layered like glass. At the center, an instructor waited: a middle-aged woman with short silver hair and eyes sharp enough to slice through pride.
"Beginner aptitude test," she said briskly. "Channel your mana into the prism. The crystal will measure your alignment, affinity, and output."
She gestured to a floating crystal sphere that pulsed softly in the air.
Students stepped forward one by one, each placing their hand upon the orb.
Each time, the sphere flared in different colors, red for elemental, green for nature, blue for celestial. The more brilliant the light, the greater the mana.
When Lyra Vale stepped forward, the entire field dimmed.
The orb turned white-hot, threads of gold and violet weaving together until it was painful to look at. The instructor raised an eyebrow but said nothing. The moment Lyra removed her hand, the glow faded, and the whispers began.
"Top-tier affinity…"
"Again? She's beyond comparison…"
Lyra walked back to her place without a word, her expression unreadable.
Then came my turn.
I stepped toward the crystal, feeling a hundred eyes follow me.
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Thalos?"
"Didn't his mana collapse last year?"
"They let him in again?"
The instructor crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Whenever you're ready, Mr. Thalos."
I nodded once and placed my hand against the orb.
For a moment, nothing.
The crystal stayed dull, lifeless.
Then, a faint vibration. A whisper of warmth, like breath against glass.
The orb flickered.
Not red, not blue, not green.
But silver.
A pure, liquid silver light swirled inside it, deep and endless, like the night sky in motion. Tiny star-like motes spiraled outward, scattering through the air until the entire field shimmered.
Gasps rose around me.
"What kind of alignment is that?"
"I've never seen silver before…"
"Impossible, there's no record of such resonance!"
The instructor frowned and moved closer, scanning the readings on her tablet. Her brows furrowed. "This... isn't celestial or elemental. It's an unregistered frequency."
She looked up sharply. "What did you do?"
"Nothing," I said quietly. "It just… answered."
Before she could respond, the light intensified, so bright it fractured the mana wards surrounding the field.
The sound was like glass breaking underwater.
I yanked my hand away, but the glow didn't stop. It spiraled upward, forming a faint shape in the air, a constellation.
Aster's constellation.
My heart nearly stopped.
Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the light vanished. The crystal fell silent, the air still buzzing with energy.
The instructor's tone was cold but measured. "Mr. Thalos, you will report to the Headmaster's office immediately after this session."
"Yes, Ma'am."
I turned and walked back to my place, pretending not to feel the dozens of stares.
Lyra was watching me again.
But this time, there was something different in her gaze, not suspicion.
Recognition.
That night, the sky above the Academy burned brighter than usual.
From the dormitory roof, I watched the stars rearrange themselves, one by one, into new patterns I could almost understand.
Somewhere in the distance, a voice brushed my thoughts, faint and trembling like a whisper through fog.
"Erian."
My breath caught.
The voice was gone as quickly as it came, but the mark over my heart glowed faintly beneath my clothes, soft, silver, and alive.
I smiled bitterly to myself.
"I knew you wouldn't stay silent forever."