Dawn painted the city in pale gold as I stood before the West Spire.
The tower rose higher than any other structure nearby, its surface layered with rotating magic inscriptions that shifted every few seconds. Defensive arrays. Detection fields. Observation lenses.
Every step closer made my instincts scream.
[Warning.]
[Multiple high-level detection arrays active.]
"Relax," I muttered internally. "I'm not using anything forbidden."
That didn't mean I was safe.
Two academy guards blocked the entrance, their staffs humming softly with mana. When I presented the crystal plaque, both staffs dimmed slightly.
"Echo, right?" one asked.
I nodded.
The gates opened.
The moment I stepped inside, the air changed.
Clean. Refined. Controlled.
Mana flowed through engraved channels in the walls like blood through veins, circulating endlessly. Every breath I took felt measured, weighed, analyzed.
[Guardian passive concealment holding.]
Barely.
I followed glowing floor runes up a spiral corridor until it opened into a vast circular chamber.
At least thirty candidates stood there—young mages in academy robes, some confident, others visibly nervous. Professors lined the upper balcony, their eyes sharp and curious.
I took a place near the back.
A tall woman with silver hair stepped forward, her presence commanding instant silence.
"Welcome to the West Spire assessment," she said. "I am Arch-Instructor Vaelith."
Her gaze swept the room, lingering on me for just a fraction too long.
"You will be tested on mana control, adaptability, and restraint."
Restraint.
That word made my stomach tighten.
"Failure will not be punished," Vaelith continued. "But success will be… noticed."
The test began.
Crystals rose from the floor, hovering before each candidate. Mine was clear, unmarked.
"Infuse the crystal," Vaelith said. "Let us see how you shape mana."
Simple.
I placed my hand near the crystal, carefully limiting my output. Mana flowed—precise, gentle, human.
The crystal glowed softly.
Good.
Around me, others struggled or overcompensated. Some crystals flared brightly, others cracked.
Vaelith's voice echoed again. "Second phase. Interference."
The air shifted.
Sudden cross-currents of mana disrupted the chamber, destabilizing everyone's control.
Several candidates gasped as their crystals flickered wildly.
For me—
It was like correcting a ripple in still water.
Perfect control wasn't flashy.
It was invisible.
My crystal stabilized instantly.
Too instantly.
[Notice.]
[Anomalous stabilization detected by observers.]
Damn it.
Vaelith's eyes sharpened.
"Interesting," she murmured.
Third phase.
The floor changed, forming illusionary threats—creatures of mana and light that lunged toward us.
"Respond," Vaelith commanded.
Not destroy.
Respond.
I stepped aside as an illusion struck where I'd been standing, then redirected its mana harmlessly into the floor. No explosion. No display.
Just… correction.
The illusion dissolved.
Silence followed.
One of the professors leaned toward Vaelith, whispering urgently.
She raised a hand, halting the test.
"Enough," she said.
Her gaze locked onto me.
"Echo. Step forward."
My heart pounded as I obeyed.
"You are not academy-trained," she said. "Yet your control exceeds that of most instructors."
I met her eyes evenly. "I've had… unusual experiences."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"So it seems."
She turned to the others. "The assessment is complete."
Murmurs filled the chamber as candidates were dismissed.
Vaelith descended from the balcony, stopping a few steps from me.
"You will receive a provisional placement," she said quietly. "Under observation."
Observation.
The word echoed ominously.
"Understand this," she added. "The Academy does not fear power. We fear unrecorded power."
Our gazes locked.
She knew.
Not everything—but enough.
"I'll be careful," I said.
She nodded once. "See that you are."
As I left the chamber, the weight of unseen eyes pressed heavily on my back.
I had passed the test.
But in doing so—
I had stepped onto a path where forgetting would no longer be easy.
And where remembering too much could be fatal.