The carriage was far too comfortable. The cushions were made of velvet, and the air smelled of expensive incense—a sharp contrast to the damp, metallic scent of the Dark Magic Tower's dungeons. Elara sat across from Mordecai, her silver hair shimmering as she looked out the window, occasionally pointing at landmarks and explaining the history of the Solari estate.
Mordecai nodded whenever she paused, but he wasn't listening to a single word.
'I'm dead. I am actually, literally dead,' he thought, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. 'The High Elders are probably turning the continent upside down looking for the Hollow. If they find me here, in a Duke's carriage, they'll slaughter everyone in a ten-mile radius just to get to me.'
He cut a glance at Elara. She looked peaceful, but he knew the reputation of the Three Great Duke families. They were the apex predators of the Empire.
'And her. If she finds out I'm not some lost scholar but a fugitive from the most hated organization in history, she won't give me tea. She'll take my head off before I can even blink. Why is my life so fucking horrible? I just wanted to touch the weird shadow, not become the most wanted man in the world.'
The blue screen was still there, hovering at the edge of his vision. It followed his head movements, mocking him with the word "Fugitive" in his traits.
'How do I turn this thing off? Go away. Disappear. If a Holy Knight sees this floating light, it's over.'
"You seem tense, Mordecai," Elara said, her voice snapping him back to reality. "Is it the nerves? The Academy's entrance exam is notoriously difficult, but with the mana I felt from you when I found you, I doubt you'll have much trouble with the written portion."
Mordecai forced a stiff smile. "I'm just... not used to carriages. It's a bit overwhelming."
"I see. Well, try to relax. We've arrived."
The carriage slowed to a halt. When the door opened, the sheer scale of the Royal Academy of Aetherius hit him. It was a city of white marble and floating gardens, protected by a massive shimmering barrier of pure light magic.
'That barrier,' Mordecai thought, stepping onto the pavement. 'It's designed to incinerate anything with a trace of dark mana. If I walk through that, will I just turn into ash?'
Hundreds of students in expensive robes were lining up toward a central plaza. In the middle of the plaza stood a monolithic black stone—the Resonance Crystal.
"That is the first step," Elara said, gesturing toward the crowd. "It measures your innate potential and elemental affinity. It never lies. Go ahead, I have to report to the VIP section."
Mordecai watched her walk away, then looked at the line of students. Every time someone touched the stone, it glowed with a soft blue or gold light.
'If I touch that thing with the Abyss inside me, it's going to scream. But if I run now, the guards will hunt me down.'
He moved to the back of the line, his palms sweating. When it was finally his turn, the proctor—a man in a stiff white robe—didn't even look up from his ledger.
"Name and origin," the man muttered.
"Mordecai... Thorne. Commoner," he replied.
"Touch the stone. Focus your intent."
Mordecai reached out. His fingers trembled as they made contact with the cold, polished surface. For a second, nothing happened. Then, the "weird" power in his chest throbbed.
'No, no, no. Stay down. Be quiet. Just give me a little bit of blue light and let me go.'
Suddenly, the blue screen in his vision turned blood-red.
[Warning: Resonance Overload]
[The Primordial Hollow is reacting to the Holy Catalyst]