The gates of the Arcanis Institute loomed before Kaien and Lyra, their massive stone surface adorned with intricate carvings depicting the four primary Inner Tides. The intertwined waves symbolized the balance between them—Tide Shapers, Tide Healers, Tide Travelers, and Tide Vortex users.
Beyond the gate, the towering spires of the Institute cast long shadows across the courtyard, where aspiring students gathered in clusters, their voices a murmur of excitement and apprehension. This was where the best trained, where the elite honed their abilities.
And they were about to be tested.
Lyra turned to Kaien, her expression a mix of anticipation and nervousness. "Are we ready for this?"
Kaien let out a slow breath. He didn't know if he was. His Tide Shaper abilities were stolen, something unnatural. And his Negative Current lurked beneath, waiting for an opening. If he wasn't careful, if he let it show—he wouldn't just fail. He'd be hunted.
But there was no turning back now.
"We have to be," he said, stepping forward.
The Institute's open-air arena was a grand circular structure, with tiered stone seating surrounding a vast, sand-covered ground. At its center, four massive banners hung, each displaying the sigil of a different Inner Tide.
A stern-looking instructor, dressed in dark robes embroidered with the same symbols, raised his hands for silence.
"You stand here today to prove your worth," his voice boomed. "The Arcanis Institute accepts only the most capable Tide wielders. These trials will test your affinity, skill, and control over your Inner Tides. Should you succeed, you will join the ranks of our esteemed scholars. Should you fail—" His gaze swept over the hopeful applicants. "You will leave. No exceptions."
Kaien swallowed hard.
No exceptions.
The instructor gestured to the arena, where four separate testing areas had been prepared.
"Step forward when your Tide is called."
The trials had begun.
Kaien's heart pounded as the Tide Shapers were called first. He and a group of nearly twenty other applicants stepped into a designated area, where large stone platforms had been set up.
"Your task," the examiner announced, "is to create. Weapons, structures, tools—anything. But what you make will be tested. Your control, your creativity, and most importantly, the durability of your constructs will determine your fate."
Kaien watched as others immediately began shaping their tides. Some crafted blades with flowing water-like edges, others constructed towering sculptures of hardened liquid.
He clenched his fists. He had stolen this power from a mercenary. He had never learned how to shape it properly.
Still, he had no choice.
Focusing, he reached for his Tide Shaper ability, summoning the stolen energy. It pulsed through his body, unfamiliar and unsteady, but he forced it into shape. Water materialized around his hands, twisting and hardening into the form of a shield.
It looked solid—at first.
Then the examiner tested it.
A single strike from a testing hammer and Kaien's shield shattered into formless water, splashing onto the ground.
His chest tightened.
Nearby, a student had crafted an intricate spear that barely dented under the same blow. Another had shaped a bridge-like construct that held firm under immense weight.
Kaien had failed.
The instructor gave him a single glance before turning away. "Next."
Lyra's turn came next.
She stood alongside a dozen others in a different section of the arena, where test subjects—wounded warriors, both real and illusionary—awaited them.
"You will be given three healing tasks," the examiner explained. "A simple wound, a complex injury, and a test of endurance. Only those who pass all three will proceed."
Lyra's hands trembled slightly as she moved forward. Healing Tides were not like the others; they required a deep connection, precise control.
The first test—a small cut on a volunteer's arm—was easy. Lyra's healing energy flowed, closing the wound effortlessly.
The second test—a fractured bone—was harder. It took her longer, but she succeeded.
But the third test…
It wasn't a single wound. It was an endurance test, a continuous stream of injuries appearing on a test subject as the healers worked. Lyra poured everything she had into healing, but the energy drained too fast. She struggled, hands shaking, and then—
She collapsed.
When she came to, an examiner was standing over her, shaking his head. "Your control is weak. You lack the stamina to be effective in real battle. You fail."
The words cut deeper than any blade.
Kaien and Lyra watched as the Tide Travelers took their turn. Their test was unique—a race across the arena, through obstacles designed to force them to shift and bend space around them, shortening distances or teleporting past barriers.
Some glided effortlessly, disappearing from one spot and reappearing in another. Others stumbled, unable to complete the distance in time.
Both Kaien and Lyra stood on the sidelines. Neither possessed the Traveler Tide.
This was not their test.
But they were beginning to realize that none of these tests were meant for them.
The final group stepped forward. Their challenge was clear: destruction.
Targets of various types were set up—moving dummies, stone pillars, reinforced barriers. The Vortex users had to strike them down, showing both precision and power.
Explosive waves of energy rippled through the arena as they unleashed their abilities. Some shattered their targets in seconds. Others missed entirely.
Kaien and Lyra watched as a few hopefuls failed, unable to hit moving targets or break through the strongest barriers.
But most passed.
They were strong.
Kaien clenched his fists. His Negative Current stirred again, whispering to him.
Take their power.
He gritted his teeth and shoved the urge down.
When the trials ended, the results were final.
Neither Kaien nor Lyra had passed.
They were told to leave.
As they stepped away from the arena, their bodies heavy with defeat, Lyra muttered, "What now?"
Kaien didn't answer. He didn't know.
But then—
A voice called out behind them.
"You two," it said.
They turned.
An older man stood there, dressed in simple robes, his eyes sharp with understanding. Unlike the others, his gaze wasn't filled with dismissal.
"I saw you both in the trials," he continued. "You failed. But not because you lack potential."
Kaien frowned. "Then why?"
The man smiled slightly. "Because this Institute does not teach people like you."
Lyra hesitated. "People like us?"
"Those who do not fit the mold," he said simply. "You have power, but you lack control. You need guidance—not rejection."
Kaien's heart pounded.
The man crossed his arms. "If you're willing to learn, I take in those the Institute discards. I teach them to master their Tides in ways the formal instructors cannot."
A spark of hope flickered in Lyra's eyes.
Kaien exhaled slowly. "Who are you?"
The man chuckled. "Just an old teacher."
Then he turned.
"Follow me."