The Dragonspine Range loomed like a coiled god, its peaks jagged and snow-laced, its breath the cold mist that kissed the earth. This land did not welcome visitors. It tested them.
And today, it would test everyone.
High above, perched atop a black obsidian hill, sat Dean Caelum Verris in a lavish, throne-like chair carved from soulwood and emberglass. A chalice of silver brimmed with something that shimmered like liquid memory. He didn't drink. He watched.
Below, students gathered like ants at the base of a divine altar. Over two hundred of them, hand-picked across the continent. Young, reckless, afraid. Perfect.
A sharp sound cut through the murmurs.
CRACK.
The air snapped as Vice Dean Solan Verris raised his hand, his voice a blade of authority.
"Attention!"
Silence obeyed.
"You all know of the Seven Continents. And of our ranking as the Third Academy in the Rising Leaderboard."
A low murmur passed — half pride, half shame.
"I hope your efforts today will push us upward. Dreams are beautiful… but useless without action. Remember that as you step into your majors."
His golden eyes burned like twin suns. "The exam begins now."
And the earth itself moved.
---
The Placement Trial: "Fall or Fly"
The ground before the students split open — revealing a massive chasm, bottomless and glowing with ancient runes. Across the gap, seven colossal statues rose — each representing a Major:
Combat Arts – A lion-headed warrior with a sword that roared.
Magical Theory – A hooded scholar holding a tome bound in stars.
Beast Taming – A dragon carved from living stone.
Ritualism & Entropy – A spiraling, faceless figure whose eyes wept flame.
Alchemy & Engineering – A machine-armored dwarf with a beating metal heart.
Survival and Strategy – A cloaked hunter flanked by shadow wolves.
Chrono-Logic & Dimensional Study – A shattered hourglass suspended mid-air.
Each student had to choose.
Each student had to leap.
Because there were no bridges. Only one path: a leap of faith over the abyss, toward the statue that resonated with them.
Those who chose wrongly? Would fall.
Those who chose truth? Would be caught.
One by one, students stepped forward.
Some screamed. Some soared.
A boy who burned too bright tried to leap to the Combat Arts statue… but the wind turned on him. He plummeted, only to vanish in a blink — teleported safely into the "remedial dome."
He would try again — if he woke up.
Then a girl walked forward. No words. No drama.
She stepped off the cliff like walking into her bedroom — and the stone dragon bowed as she landed on its brow.
Beast Taming: Accepted.
Frost, watching from the side, exhaled frostily. "That one has potential."
Solan narrowed his eyes. "Or danger."
---
On the Hill
Dean Caelum chuckled to himself. His fingers danced in the air, painting invisible runes.
Behind him, a cloaked figure appeared silently.
A new instructor.
A man with no eyes — just golden rings where pupils should have been.
"Report," Caelum whispered.
"There's been... a breach," the figure rasped. "Something is climbing the southern ridge. It wasn't invited."
Caelum tilted his head. His smile cracked open.
"How delightful. Let's not stop it. Let's watch."
---
Meanwhile — At the Edge of the Chasm
A single student stood motionless.
He wore no badge, no sigil. His uniform was secondhand. His presence? Like fog over warm glass.
But the chasm stirred.
The Chrono-Logic statue began to tremble.
Time... hiccupped.
The boy raised his hand and stepped forward.
He did not leap.
He simply vanished.