The closer Nox marched toward the massive castle, the more imposing it seemed, its twelve towers standing like giants guarding a treasure. Ten of them displayed a god's symbol on the outside wall.
The castle itself had many compartments, with rooms that looked like lecture halls and restaurants. Through the grand windows, he glimpsed students practicing spells, their auras flickering in the afternoon sun.
A broad stairway led to the entrance hall. Inside, several hundred teenagers discussed and bragged about their skills. Nox looked around in astonishment. Chandeliers floated gracefully, casting an ethereal blue glow that reflected off the polished golden walls.
The big walls were painted in gold, rising at least ten floors above him. This was new, even for a noble like him.
As Nox stood there, mouth wide open, a high voice suddenly rang out from behind.
"Hey guys, look at that country bumpkin. Never seen a big building, or what?"
Turning around, Nox saw a short, black-haired boy standing before him. Beneath him were three others, grinning awkwardly.
"Oh no, some low-level bullies. I'll just ignore them," Nox thought, turning away swiftly.
"You bastard, how dare you ignore me! I'm Analus van Weilhafer, the successor of the Stigma of Darkness…"
His furious aura pressed against the air, making Nox instinctively take a small step back.
Just as Analus was about to grab his shoulder, a loud voice echoed through the room.
"What do you think you're doing, Analus?"
An attractive blonde girl came over from the centre of the hall. She was taller than Nox, with an athletic build and a dominant aura.
The black-haired boy gulped and bowed deeply.
"I apologize, Princess. I didn't mean to—"
"You shouldn't apologize to me," she said, pointing at the silver-haired guy beneath her.
Analus swallowed his pride and turned to apologize to Nox with angry eyes.
As the others turned away, the girl maintained her confident stride. Her blonde hair glimmered under the floating lights, effortlessly attracting everyone's gaze.
"Hello, I'm Princess Lina van Arkheim. It's nice to meet you," she said, extending her hand. Her tone wasn't that of a typical princess. She seemed genuinely interested in him and everything that defined him, which caught Nox's curiosity.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. My name is Nox van Strier," he replied, bowing quickly, to keep himself from laughing at his own words. Yet that wasn't all that embarrassed him.
"Shit, she's taller than me," he thought.
"Oh, please, call me by my name. Here in the academy, everyone is treated as equals."
"But I think I've heard of you before. You're the one with the unknown stigma, right? The god's…"
"Yeah, the god's failure. But yesterday, I actually unlo—"
Before Nox could finish, a loud voice echoed through the hall. The doors behind them slammed shut, and an old man appeared before the crowd. Even his white beard seemed to scan through them, judging everyone's appearance.
"Welcome to Yom Academy. Many of you won't pass, so a thorough introduction is not necessary. As you all know, we are the best magic academy in Britannica—but that's only thanks to our great teachers!"
After a half-hearted applause, six teachers appeared on a small podium.
"These teachers will test your performance in the entrance exam, so you should be polite to them. The students who pass will be able to learn from these elites before you. The classes are graded from F to A, with A being the strongest."
As the principal clapped his hands, a combat field with a wooden dummy appeared.
"It's simple. Attack the statue with everything you have. The teachers will then evaluate your performance. Supporters can use their skills on the jury. They have the same chance to place well as the combatants, of course."
The teens eagerly formed a line, waiting for their turn.
"Who does he think we are? I can easily destroy such a wooden target," someone bragged.
The first guy attacked the statue, raising his sword with trembling hands. As he dashed forward, he swung it in a wide arc, hitting the dummy with full force.
"…."
The target didn't budge at all. His sword had just bounced off, as if hitting a steel wall.
The principal sighed at his confused gaze.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the target is protected by a magical barrier."
The students whispered among themselves, some eager to prove their strength, others fearful of the challenge. More stepped forward, but none could even scratch it.
Every hope seemed lost until a short girl slowly marched onto the platform. Her red hair was bound up, and fine smile lines stretched beneath her confident eyes. With a brief hand movement, she conjured a blue fireball.
"Wow, who is she? Her fireball is five times larger than mine," someone murmured.
As she launched her magic, a loud crackling sound echoed through the hall. When the fireball hit, the air trembled with heat, sparks raining down from the ceiling like fireworks.
The smoke cleared, leaving a large hole in the dummy. Everyone held their breath as she descended the podium with small, happy jumps.
The old target was quickly brought away, and a new one appeared. Optimistic from her performance, more students attempted the challenge. Even though almost no one could damage it, some passed simply based on attack patterns and potential.
"That bully leader, Analus, even managed to sever the arm of the target. Not bad," Nox thought.
In the end, only two remained: Lina and him. She stepped forward, warm light engulfing the teachers. Their eyes widened at her perfect mana control. Even Nox's heart warmed as he watched her smooth hand movements.
"The Stigma of Light. Passed!" the teachers shouted without hesitation.
"Next competitor."
Nox stepped forward and gathered mana in his hands. His whole body trembled from nervousness, his gaze a mixture of dedication and hope.
"I have to be able to launch my Ice Crystal somehow."
All eyes were on him as he let the two ice skills intertwine, his fingers moving instinctively rather than consciously. He tried to hide the process by performing a small twisting movement. It almost worked—everyone's expressions remained neutral, but Lina's eyes narrowed slightly, one eyebrow lifting.
Nox's palms tingled with the thrill of unleashing a new world; frost formed on his fingertips.
-You have learned the skill Ice Crystal Launch-
At his hand sign, a blue projectile hovered over his palms, more ice particles sticking together. For a heartbeat, everything seemed frozen: the air, the students, even the distant murmur of teachers.
The ice crystal shot forward and hit the target at great speed. Everyone held their breath as smoke swayed across the floor. However, their hopes were crushed; there wasn't even a scratch on the statue.
Almost everyone, including Nox, turned away in disappointment. Nevertheless, Lina and the teachers kept their eyes on the target as it slowly became engulfed in frost. A few heartbeats later, the target broke apart and collapsed. Lina's mouth widened into a steady, warm smile—a quiet acknowledgment of Nox's bizarre power.
"It looks like the rumours about him being the failure of the gods aren't true after all," she murmured.
"They didn't say if I passed or not, so I'm just gonna stay here," Nox thought.
As he waited, more students arrived from other halls where entrance exams had taken place. There were now roughly 120 students who had passed.
"Congratulations on passing. We will now announce your class assignments."
With a snap, six large screens appeared.
Nox's anxiety spiked, he didn't see his name on any of them at first. But suddenly his eyes widened in surprise as he scanned ever screen.
Class A:
Nox van Strier Lina van Arkheim Analus van Weilhafer Beatrice Ollheimer Regea Nere
.
.
.
"Why am I in Class A? And why in first place?" Nox murmured, laughing nervously. But he wasn't the only one thinking something was off.
"That bastard didn't even manage to damage the target," the crowd murmured enviously.
"Maybe it's because of the princess. I saw him talking to her earlier."
Whispers rose among the cadets, some furious, some questioning, but the principal's voice cut sharply through the air.
"There's no time to discuss such trivial things now. You will witness his strength tomorrow anyway."
A small room key appeared in everyone's hands, and the new students stormed upstairs to their dormitories.
As Nox turned around, the principal's voice rang out.
"Nox van Strier. Let's have a brief talk."