The morning sky above Aurion Valley shimmered like liquid glass — blues and roses blending into one another. From the cliffs rose the Spectrum Academy, a living prism of crystal and stone. Its towers bent light into invisible rainbows, casting fractured colors upon the misty forests below.
Students whispered the halls were alive — shifting with the emotions of those who walked within.
A soft, melodic chime echoed. Almost sentient.
"All first-year initiates, report to the Central Atrium."
Lyra Solen adjusted the silver pin on her cloak and inhaled deeply. Radiant threads of energy flowed through the corridors like veins of starlight. Beside her, Draven Veyl leaned against the railing, crimson eyes sharp as embers.
"Does it always feel like stepping into another world?" Lyra asked quietly.
Draven smirked faintly. "If it doesn't, you're not meant to be here."
The Central Atrium unfolded like a vast, circular cathedral. Its translucent ceiling refracted light into infinite shades, bathing students in a kaleidoscope of colors. Students from across the continent gathered, robes tinted by the faint hue of their chosen aura.
At the center floated Headmistress Veyra Lys. Her presence was calm, commanding, her voice slicing through the room like silver wind:
"Welcome to Spectrum Academy — where color becomes power, and emotion becomes destiny."
Around her floated six glowing spheres — fragments of pure light. Each represented one of the Six Color Divisions — the paths every student would one day walk.
Luminara – mastery of Light
Achronis – mastery of Time
Cryalis – mastery of Frost
Zephyra – mastery of Storm
Pyrovia – mastery of Flame
Umbraeth – mastery of Shadow
Lyra's chest warmed as the Luminara sphere pulsed gently, acknowledging her. Nearby, Seren, Eira, Riven, and Draven felt the same silent resonance, each sphere responding to their inner aura.
High on a dim balcony, Nyra Vale observed silently. Her violet hue flickered faintly, almost like a heartbeat.
The Headmistress continued, her tone softer, edged with mystery:"Beyond these six divisions lies the Vault of Echoes — a sealed chamber said to hold the Seventh Color, one even I cannot reach.""You are not here to find it," she whispered. "You are here to prove your worth, to glimpse its light only when destiny allows."
A hush fell over the room.
Then a mischievous voice cut through the tension — Riven's."So… no pressure, right?"
Nervous laughter rippled across the Atrium.
As the ceremony concluded, Lyra gazed through the crystal ceiling at the fractured sky. A seventh streak of color darted across the horizon — unfamiliar, fleeting, nameless.
The Academy breathed around them. A pulse ancient and resonant hummed through the halls.
Something had awakened. Again.