The great hall of the Draven estate was so silent it felt like even the chandeliers were holding their breath.
The robed figure from the Arcane Blade Academy stood at the center of the hall as though they owned the entire place. The emblem on their cloak — a sword crossed with a spell circle — gleamed faintly, reflecting the morning sun filtering through the tall windows.
Their presence radiated an authority that made even Damien tense beside me.
"Aiden Draven," the representative repeated, their voice calm yet cutting, "I am here for you."
Damien stepped in front of me instantly, like a shield of living darkness.
"You entered unannounced," Damien said quietly. "Explain your purpose before you speak to my brother."
Kael tensed as well, sparks flickering under his fingertips. "Yeah! At least say hi before trying to abduct someone!"
The representative finally looked at them both, silver eyes cool and assessing, before speaking.
"I am Professor Vaelion Arcrest, senior examiner of the Arcane Blade Academy. I come with authority from Headmaster Aldric Stormweaver."
Roderick stiffened beside us. His eyes widened almost imperceptibly.
"The Stormweaver sent you?" he muttered.
Vaelion bowed his head slightly. "Yes."
This was no ordinary visit.
I swallowed, my heart pounding.
Stormweaver — the headmaster himself — sending someone this early could only mean one thing.
Someone — or something — had detected my awakening.
Vaelion's gaze turned back to me.
"Our divination instruments detected a unique mana fluctuation in this region," he said. "A resonance signature. One that hasn't appeared in centuries."
My stomach dropped.
Resonance.
Magic Swordsman.
They already sensed it.
The world wasn't going to let me hide.
Not for long.
Father Enters
Before anyone could respond, the heavy doors at the back of the hall opened.
Lord Cedric Draven, my father, entered with his usual storm-like presence. His cold gaze swept over everyone — stopping briefly on me — then locking on the academy examiner.
"Professor Arcrest," he said, voice deep and measured. "Your arrival was… unexpected."
Vaelion bowed with a grace that looked both respectful and powerful. "My apologies for the unannounced intrusion, Lord Draven. But matters of mana resonance cannot be delayed."
Lord Draven's expression didn't shift, but his mana flared subtly — like distant thunder.
"You believe one of my sons triggered this fluctuation."
"I do."
He turned slowly.
His gaze settled on Damien first — powerful, composed, already infamous for his dark mana.
"No," Vaelion said calmly. "Not the elder one."
Then his eyes shifted.
To me.
"Aiden Draven."
I felt the entire hall shift in focus, like all eyes suddenly weighed a hundred pounds each.
Lord Draven's face hardened. "Impossible. Aiden does not possess a mana core."
Vaelion's expression remained unreadable. "And yet, the resonance originated from his precise location."
Damien turned to me sharply. "Aiden…?"
I forced a smile that felt far weaker than I intended. "Things… happened."
Kael whispered, "Buddy, you're in trouble."
I elbowed him. "Thanks for the moral support."
Roderick stepped forward, his hand on his chin. "Professor Arcrest. If Aiden has awakened something, I would have sensed—"
"You sensed the surface," Vaelion said bluntly. "I sensed the origin."
Roderick immediately fell silent.
This man… was leagues above him.
Vaelion raised his hand. Floating in the air above his palm appeared a crystalline orb, swirling with silver light.
"A mana crystal ball?" Kael whispered. "No… that's different."
It was.
This one flickered with runes and unfamiliar sigils.
"This is a Resonance Detection Sphere," Vaelion said. "It reacts only to hybrid mana signatures — the kind formed when magic and physical energy align."
Heart hammering, I stared.
If I touched that ball, if my resonance sparked… they'd know.
Not just awakened.
But awakened as something impossible.
A Magic Swordsman.
I had to decide — hide or reveal.
Deny or step forward.
Run or face fate.
Before I could choose, Vaelion extended the sphere toward me.
"Aiden Draven," he said, "approach."
Damien instantly stepped between us again. "No."
His voice was sharp, ice-edged.
Vaelion did not look intimidated. "This will not harm him."
Damien's aura darkened. "I do not trust your intentions."
"And I do not need your trust," Vaelion replied.
The tension exploded like static lightning.
Kael raised his hand gently. "Okay, okay! Everyone relax. Damien, buddy — if Aiden awakened something, we should know. And if this guy tries anything shady, we beat him up together."
I stared at him. "Kael… he's literally an academy examiner."
"Oh, right," Kael said. "Then we beat him up later."
Damien exhaled sharply. "Stormborn, shut up."
Roderick stepped forward. "Let him test, Damien. I'll monitor the mana flow."
Damien hesitated.
Then, reluctantly, he stepped aside.
Slowly, I approached the sphere.
My heart pounded so loud I thought everyone could hear it.
What if the resonance flared too strongly?
What if it revealed that I wasn't just a hybrid?
What if it exposed me as something legendary?
Something dangerous?
I raised my hand.
The moment my fingers brushed the sphere—
Light exploded.
The Impossible Awakening
A shockwave of silver-blue radiance burst from the sphere, rippling through the hall like a storm of shimmering wind.
Everyone staggered back.
Kael covered his eyes. "Whoa—!"
Damien tensed, dark mana blazing around him as his cloak whipped in the shockwave.
Roderick's jaw dropped.
Lord Draven's eyes widened for the first time in what felt like an eternity.
And Vaelion—
Vaelion looked stunned.
His hand trembled around the sphere.
"What—" he breathed. "This… is not hybrid resonance."
The sphere cracked.
One fissure.
Two.
Three.
Light burst outward—
And the crystal shattered into dust.
Silence.
Then—
Vaelion whispered, voice filled with awe and fear:
"Impossible. This is… sword resonance."
The hall erupted into gasps.
Sword resonance.
An extinct force.
Energy formed not from magic or aura alone — but from the harmony between weapon, mana, and soul.
Roderick choked. "H-How? That art died centuries ago!"
Damien turned toward me slowly, crimson eyes wide. "Aiden… what are you?"
I couldn't answer.
Even I didn't fully know.
Vaelion composed himself, though his eyes remained sharp and shocked.
"Aiden Draven," he said, stepping toward me, "you display the signature of an extinct class."
My breath caught.
This was the moment everything turned.
Vaelion took a slow breath.
"You are—"
Damien moved instantly, dark mana swirling like a predator ready to strike.
Kael stepped beside me, lightning crackling in defense.
Roderick was frozen in disbelief.
And Vaelion said the words that sealed my fate:
"—a Magic Swordsman."
The hall went deathly quiet.
My heartbeat thundered like war drums.
Magic Swordsman.
Spoken aloud.
Confirmed.
Real.
Vaelion continued, "This is an extinct and forbidden class. The academy must secure you immediately."
Damien's aura flared like black fire.
"Secure?" he repeated. "You will not touch my brother."
Kael stepped forward. "Hey! Stop making it sound like he's some artifact!"
Lord Draven raised a hand — silencing them all.
His voice was cold.
"Yes. Explain, Professor Arcrest."
Vaelion straightened.
"Magic Swordsmen disappeared 700 years ago. Their power was unparalleled — a fusion of swordsmanship and magic. Their resonance could distort mana flow, alter battlefields, even influence fate itself."
Fate.
A chill trickled down my spine.
"Aiden's existence," Vaelion continued, "is a miracle. Or a threat."
Damien growled. "Choose your next words carefully."
Vaelion held his gaze. "The academy must train him before the world devours him. There are factions who would kill him. Others would use him. Some would worship him."
He turned to me.
"And some would hunt him."
A silence like death fell over the hall.
I swallowed.
"So… what do you want me to do?"
Vaelion bowed deeply.
"Accept admission to the Arcane Blade Academy. Immediately."
Kael gasped. "He gets early admission?! That's unfair! …Also amazing!"
I blinked. "Now? As in, right now?"
"Yes," Vaelion said. "Your awakening has already disrupted the balance. We cannot wait."
Lord Draven approached slowly, gaze sharp and calculating.
"Aiden," he said, "this path is dangerous."
Damien looked at me, expression unreadable but intense.
"You don't have to go," he said quietly. "Not if you're not ready."
His voice trembled.
Just a little.
Just enough to make my chest tighten.
But I wasn't the original Aiden.
I wasn't weak.
I wasn't helpless.
I wasn't destined to die.
This world had given me a second chance.
I wasn't running.
I wasn't hiding.
Not anymore.
I took a deep breath and looked at them all.
"I'll go," I said softly. "I'll join the academy."
Damien flinched, but he didn't stop me.
Kael grinned so wide lightning crackled behind him. "YES! Academy buddies!"
Vaelion nodded firmly. "Good. Pack your things. We leave in the morning."
The morning.
Everything was happening so fast.
As Vaelion turned, cloak swirling like a storm, I felt the resonance hum in my chest again.
The first step of my new destiny had begun.
And for better or worse— There was no turning.