The Great Hall was suffocating. Thousands of students stood in perfectly straight lines, their palms sweaty and their hearts racing. This wasn't just a graduation. This was the crossroads. Today would decide if they spent the next four years in a dusty lecture hall at a regular university or if they would ascend to the ranks of the Awakened.
Silas Thorne stood near the back, shifting his weight. He could feel the eyes of the faculty on the stage, watching them like hawks. The air in the room was charged with a static hum, the kind that made the hair on his arms stand up.
"I can't breathe," a girl whispered behind him. Silas didn't turn around. He knew the feeling.
The Headmaster stepped forward. He was a tall man with a beard that looked like it was made of spun silver. He didn't need a microphone. His voice carried through the hall, vibrating in Silas's chest.
"Students. Today marks the end of your basic education. For many of you, it is the start of a quiet, respectable life in the city. But for a lucky few, it is the day you claim your birthright."
The crowd was silent. Not a single person moved.
"Three centuries ago, the first Gate tore open the sky. We were prey. We were nothing more than fodder for the beasts that crawled out of the darkness. Then, the Divine Awakened appeared. With a single movement, he leveled mountains and turned the tides. He vanished long ago, but he left behind the spark. Today, we see if that spark lives in you."
'Just let me have a spark,' Silas thought. 'Anything. I just don't want to be a nobody.'
His best friend, Elara, nudged him with her elbow. She had a mischievous glint in her eyes, though Silas could see her fingers trembling.
"What do you think, Silas? Are you going to be a mighty Knight or a grumpy Sage?" she whispered.
Silas managed a weak dry laugh. "I'm not sure. My family doesn't exactly have a history of greatness. My grandfather was the only one who ever tapped into mana, and he's been gone for years."
Elara grinned, her confidence acting like a shield. "Well, I've been feeling it. A weird warmth in my chest. I bet I'm a caster. I bet I'll be throwing fireballs."
Silas looked at her. He wanted to feel that same spark. But all he felt was the heavy, cold knot of anxiety in his stomach. He felt the same as he always did. Just Silas.
"We will begin the testing now," the Headmaster announced. "The ranks are absolute. E-rank for those starting their journey. D-rank for the intermediates. C-rank for the semi-experts. B-rank is for the true experts of our craft. A-rank is for the Masters who lead our armies. S-rank is mythical, a level only five people in this entire nation have ever reached. And then, there is the Divine."
The Headmaster paused, letting the weight of the words sink in.
"When I call your name, step up. Touch the Mana Crystal. If it glows blue, you have potential. If it stays dark, you will proceed to the university placement desk at the exit."
"Kaelen Vance!"
A boy with messy hair walked up the steps. He looked like he was about to vomit. He reached out and touched the large, jagged crystal sitting on a golden pedestal.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, a pulse of deep blue light rippled through the hall. Above the crystal, a spectral image of a heavy iron shield shimmered into existence before fading.
"Congratulations, Kaelen. You have the Guardian class. You will be a fine defender of the wall!"
The students erupted into cheers. Kaelen looked like he had just won the lottery. He walked off the stage with his chest puffed out, a completely different person than the boy who had walked up.
The line moved on. Names were called. Silas watched a girl touch the stone and wait. The stone remained gray and cold. The silence that followed was brutal. She didn't cry. She just walked toward the back exit, her shoulders slumped. The crowd didn't even look at her. To them, she was already gone.
'That's the reality,' Silas thought. 'You're either a hero or you're invisible.'
"Elara Snon!"
Elara took a deep breath. She gave Silas a quick thumbs up and marched toward the stage. She didn't look back. She stood before the crystal and closed her eyes.
When her skin met the glass, it exploded with a brilliant, shimmering gold light. It was so bright that Silas had to shield his eyes. A massive, ornate staff appeared in the air above her, glowing with a soft, rhythmic pulse.
The Headmaster leaned forward, his eyes wide. "Incredible. Highest mana sensitivity recorded in a decade. Congratulations, Elara. You have attained the Wizard class!"
The applause was like a physical wave. People were screaming her name. Elara looked stunned, her face flushed with a mixture of joy and disbelief. She walked back down, caught in the gaze of every scout and teacher in the room.
"Silas Thorne. You are the last."
The hall went quiet again. The excitement of Elara's awakening was still lingering, but now all eyes were on him. Silas felt like he was walking through deep water. Every step was a struggle. He climbed the stairs, the wood creaking under his boots.
The Headmaster looked at him, his expression unreadable. Silas reached out. His hand was shaking. He could see his own reflection in the polished surface of the crystal.
He pressed his palm against the cold stone.
He waited. He tried to imagine the warmth Elara had talked about. He tried to pull something, anything, out of his soul.
One minute passed. The stone stayed gray.
Two minutes passed. The headmasters face began to twist. The look of hope vanished, replaced by a sneer of pure annoyance.
"Sir, please," Silas whispered. "Just one more second. I can feel it... I think."
"Step down, Mister Thorne," the Headmaster said. His voice was no longer booming. It was sharp and cold. "You are wasting our time. The crystal does not lie. You have no mana. You are a regular human. Go to the university desk and see if they have room for you in the history department."
A wave of laughter rolled through the student body.
"Look at him."
"He really thought he was special."
"What a joke."
Silas didn't say anything. He couldn't. His throat felt like it was filled with glass. He turned and walked down the steps. He didn't look at Elara. He didn't look at anyone. He just walked out of the hall and kept walking until he reached the small, cramped apartment he called home.
Three days later, the apartment was a mess. Silas hadn't opened the curtains. The glow of the television was the only thing illuminating the trash on the floor. He was hunched over a controller, his eyes red from lack of sleep.
The front door clicked open. Elara walked in. She looked different. She was wearing a new silk cloak, the mark of an apprentice wizard. She looked at Silas, and her eyes softened with a pity that hurt worse than the headmaster's sneer.
"Hey, Silas... do you want to go to the mall with me?" she asked. Her voice was small, hesitant.
Silas didn't bother to look up from the screen. "I'm busy, Elara. Go hang out with your new wizard friends."
Elara didn't leave. She walked over and yanked the power cord out of the wall. The screen went black.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Silas yelled, finally standing up.
He stopped. Elara was crying. The tears were thick, running down her cheeks.
"You dummy," she snapped, her voice breaking. "I've been worried sick."
Silas felt his anger vanish. He looked at her, then at his own messy reflection in the darkened TV screen.
"Elara, listen," Silas said, his voice quiet. "I'm done. I'm going to go to a regular school and live a regular, boring life. You're a Wizard. You're going to save the world. You shouldn't be wasting your time on a guy who couldn't even make a rock glow."
Elara wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I don't care about the rock, Silas. I care about you. Now, are you going to come to the mall with me or do I have to set your bed on fire?"
Silas sighed. He felt a tiny spark of life return to his chest.
"Fine. But only because you'll get lost if I don't go with you. You literally can't find your way out of a paper bag."
Elara laughed through her tears. "Shut up. Let's go."