I bolted through the forest, my breaths ragged as trees blurred into a mess of indistinct shapes. Each step sent shockwaves through my legs, but I didn't slow down.
Three days. I've been gone for three days.
The thought looped in my head, growing heavier with every pounding footstep. The book, the cathedral, the visions they had stolen precious time, and now I was racing against the clock.
"The entrance ceremony," I muttered, the words tumbling out as I pushed forward. "It's today."
Branches whipped past me, snagging at my clothes. Frustration surged alongside my fear.
"Of course it's today. Of course, I lose three days right before the most important event of my life," I growled, my voice strained.
The forest finally gave way to the outskirts of the city. My chest heaved, not just from exertion but from the crushing weight of urgency.
The city buzzed with life. Mana-powered trains zipped along elevated tracks, their hum blending with the chatter of students flooding the streets. Everywhere I turned, pristine uniforms marked the influx of academy hopefuls.
"Celeste Astrea the princess is joining this year did you hear?"
"I'm betting one of the Great House heirs takes the top evaluation."
"What's your element? Are you ready for the duel?"
I ignored the noise, my focus narrowing to the towering spires of Astrea Academy looming in the distance. Banners bearing the sigils of the Twelve Great Houses fluttered proudly in the wind, reminders of the hierarchy ingrained in this world.
I barely spared a glance at the dormitory's grand facade as I burst into my assigned room. My uniform lay neatly folded inside the locker, untouched since my arrival.
"Not much time," I muttered, stripping off my soot-stained clothes and pulling on the crisp uniform. Its black and silver design hugged my form, the Astrea Academy crest shining on the chest.
Grabbing my sword from the corner, I didn't even notice the faint scent of blood lingering from the fire wolf. My thoughts were already in the main hall, where the ceremony would determine everything.
The academy's main hall was as grand as the city itself. Vaulted ceilings stretched impossibly high, draped with banners of the Twelve Great Houses.
Once, there had been thirteen.
At the center of it all was the banner of House Astrea, the royal house that ruled humanity. The sigil gleamed in the flickering light, a constant reminder of who stood at the top.
The hall was alive with energy as students filed in, their conversations a chaotic hum.
"I heard Celeste Astrea is attending this year."
"Yea we get can u stop repeating that again and again."
"Children of multiple Great Houses are here."
"What's your element? Are you ready for the duel?"
My eyes drifted to the far end of the room, where a massive crystalline orb sat on a raised platform, pulsing faintly with mana.
"The Orb of Evaluation," someone whispered nearby. "It reveals your mana core rank, progress, and elemental affinity."
This is it, I thought, gripping my sword tightly.
One by one, students were called forward. The orb flared as they placed their hands on its surface, filling the hall with brilliant light.
"Novice. 10%. Fire Element."
"Novice. 12%. Ice Element."
"Novice. 14%. Wind Element."
The announcements echoed, followed by scattered applause. The reactions ebbed and flowed with the rarity of the element and the progress revealed.
Then came my turn.
The chatter dimmed as my name was called.
"Kai Night."
I stepped forward, my heart hammering in my chest. The Orb of Evaluation gleamed before me, its faint hum almost taunting. Taking a steadying breath, I placed my hands on its surface.
A pulse of energy surged beneath my fingertips warm, almost soothing. The orb flared brilliantly, flooding the hall with light.
"Novice. 18%. Space-Time Element."
The room fell silent.
Then the murmurs started.
"Space-Time? That's impossible."
"18%? That's huge for a Novice."
"A Night has Space-Time? How?"
I pulled my hands away, retreating as the weight of their stares bore down on me.
So much for flying under the radar, I thought bitterly, slipping back into the crowd.
As I passed, my eyes found him.
He stood apart from the crowd, a solitary figure in the chaos. Even though I'd never met him here, I recognized him instantly.
Mortis. The chosen hero of reality.
He was tall, his gaunt frame and sickly pale skin giving him an otherworldly appearance. But it wasn't his fragile form that struck me it was his eyes.
Mirrored eyes, reflecting the void itself. They seemed to strip the world bare, peeling back layers of reality to reveal something incomprehensible.
A chill ran down my spine as I moved past him.
Mortis pov
The whispers in the hall were meaningless noise. My attention was fixed on him.
Kai Night.
He didn't exist.
No threads. No echoes. No presence in any timeline I had ever seen. He was an anomaly, a void where there should be substance.
I tilted my head, studying him as he retreated into the crowd. His movements were tense, but his eyes… his eyes were calm, unnervingly so.
I couldn't see his future.
Every other student in this hall was laid bare to me their paths unfurling like threads of silk, revealing their triumphs, failures, even their deaths.
But not him.
"How curious," I murmured to myself, the words barely audible.
"Mortis," the announcer called, silencing the room once more.
No surname. No title. Just Mortis.
Whispers followed me as I stepped forward.
"Who's that?"
"No last name?"
"He looks half-dead."
Their words didn't matter. I placed my hand on the orb.
The light dimmed as if the orb itself hesitated. Then, with a reluctant flare:
"Element: Unknown."
The crowd rippled with confusion.
"Unknown? Is that even possible?"
"What kind of element doesn't have a name?"
I withdrew my hand, my expression unreadable. The orb had told me nothing I didn't already know.
I turned, my gaze falling on Kai Night. His radiant blue eyes met mine, calm and steady, as though he already understood everything.
Interesting.
Selene Valtheris watched from her place near the stage, her crimson eyes narrowing as the evaluations continued.
Other than other great houses and house Astrea most of the students were unremarkable novices with predictable elements and unimpressive progress.
Other than other great houses and house Astrea.
But then there was Kai Night.
"Space-Time," she muttered, her fists clenching. The audacity of someone from a lesser noble family wielding such a rare element made her blood boil.
And then came her brother.
"Mortis," the announcer said, and her lips curled into a sneer.
Her twin, the outcast of House Valtheris.
The orb flared, revealing his element or failing to.
"Unknown," she muttered, disdain dripping from her tone. "Figures."
But beneath her scorn, unease twisted in her chest.
Mortis wasn't supposed to be here. No one else knew who he was, but she did.
Their father had called him a monster.
Her gaze flicked between Mortis and Kai.
"Both of you," she whispered, venom in her voice, "stay out of my way."