A blonde woman entered the room. She was tall, robust, and wore an elegant dark blue suit. She had her hair tied up in a bun.
Her mere presence made the students' murmurs gradually fade away. She walked to the center of the stage without saying a word, and from there, she watched us. Her eyes were cold, like those of someone who has seen too much and is no longer easily surprised. She stopped, clasped her hands behind her back, and finally spoke.
—Welcome. My name is Helena Vaelis, and I am the Head Professor of Magical Control. —Her voice resonated in the room, firm and authoritative. She wasn't shouting, but she made herself heard. —Starting today, your life will change. Not only because you will live here, nor because you will learn to control and improve your Kinic. But because, from now on, you will work very hard every damn second of your life. If you're here, it's because you have the potential to change the world.
A tense silence took over the place. I noticed how Enma stopped moving, and even Ajax seemed uncomfortably serious. Mar, who was also by my side, stirred. I already didn't like her, she was exaggerated ... Are all teachers going to be like this? I pray to heaven that they won't...
—Some of you will be heroes. Others, not so much. That will depend on you... and your decisions. —...Isn't that a bit obvious? — Starting tomorrow, the evaluations will begin. We will not only test your skills but also your judgment.
She looked directly at our row. Was she looking at me? The "life destroyer"?
—And remember: being awakened doesn't make you special. Just... responsible.
Helena made a slow and precise gesture with her hand. The air in front of her vibrated slightly, and then a floating sphere appeared. It was a perfectly round crystal ball, suspended in the air, pulsating with a soft white light that throbbed as if it had a life of its own.
—This is the Orbis Arcanum. —said the teacher, in a firm voice—. Touch it. One by one. The sphere will reveal your magical affinity for now.
A dense silence fell. No one moved at first. Not out of nerves. Think about it, with a teacher like that, who would want to be the first?
—Let's start with the first row. —she indicated, without waiting for any discussion. Good thing I was in the second-to-last row!
One by one, the students approached. Some barely touched the ball and it burst into colors, with lights so intense that they provoked exclamations. Others touched it and not much happened, just a faint flicker. But even the faintest glimmers provoked whispers and evaluative looks.
I just wanted to disappear. I didn't want to touch that thing. I didn't want to know what it could become. I didn't come for this. I wanted to go home and read fanfics about my favorite characters!
And yet, when my turn came, I stood up like an automaton. I walked to the center, feeling everyone's eyes on me. The glass seemed to be watching me. As if it already knew.
I reached out my hand. I wished he wouldn't do anything. That she would remain motionless. That it would be the perfect proof that I didn't belong in this place. My fingers touched the surface. For now, there was nothing.
"Thanks to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for this blessing." I thought, while smiling contentedly. Idiots... Let me out.
But, suddenly, I noticed something. A light. It wasn't strong, nor bright. But... present. A dim light flickered in the center of the sphere, warm, soft, like a spark that refuses to go out completely.
A general murmur was heard. A few leaned forward. I could feel their eyes, their thoughts. Questions without a voice. I pulled my hand back abruptly. As if I had been burned.
I also had questions, but they were different. Why? Why me? I don't want this. I don't want to shine, not even a little.
The teacher was looking at me. Not with surprise, nor with enthusiasm. Her face remained impassive. But there was something in his gaze. Something that told me, without words, that there was no turning back.
—Next. —she ordered. I walked back to my seat feeling like my steps no longer belonged to me. I let myself fall between Enma and Mar without saying anything. I didn't even look at them. Enma whispered something, I didn't hear it. Or I didn't want to hear it.
I felt a tingling in my palm. Persistent. Disturbing. I hate this place. And now I can't leave.
One after another, the students were finishing the test. The murmur of the room grew and faded according to the brightness each person caused in the sphere. Some seemed proud. Others, disappointed.
Finally, there was only one person left to go.
Apollo.
He got up without hurry and walked to the center without looking at anyone. His face remained impassive, calm. Almost bored. He stopped in front of the Orbis Arcanum. The sphere still glowed with the trace of the last student. But as he approached, the light completely went out. Silence. Everyone was holding their breath.
Apollo raised his hand and placed it on the glass. One second. Two. Nothing. And then, everything changed.
A wave of energy swept through the room. The ball suddenly lit up with a golden light so intense that it was like looking directly at the sun. Several covered their eyes. I instinctively covered my face with an arm.
A crack echoed. Then another one. And without warning… the sphere exploded.
Not in a thousand pieces. Not like it was glass. It was a magical, silent, and brutal explosion, as if all its energy had collapsed inward before bursting into a flare of light and heat.
The fragments disappeared into the air, turned into luminous dust.
Helena, for the first time, seemed disturbed. She took a step forward. Apollo stood still. He didn't defend himself. He just slowly lowered his hand.
—Impressive. —someone murmured from the back.
Helena narrowed her eyes. Her voice, when she spoke, was lower, but charged with tension.
—That... shouldn't be possible. —Apollo looked up at her with a cold stare
—I guess today is a weird day. So? Are you gonna "judge me"? —And he returned to his seat. Without looking at anyone.
When Apollo passed by me, our eyes met for an instant.
And then, something inside my head clicked. A buzzing passed through my skull, like a distant echo. I blinked. My surroundings changed. I was no longer in the living room.
I was standing in a field bathed in the light of the sunset. Tall, golden flowers swayed gently, stretching to the horizon. The air smelled of warm earth. Everything was silent.
In front of me, a blonde boy was looking at me. He was wearing a white shirt, slightly wrinkled by the wind. His eyes were golden, warm. Strangely sad. What the hell...?
"Are you going to forget me again?" he said. His voice was soft, barely a whisper, but each word pierced through me as if I had heard them before... though I couldn't remember when. Or where.
I didn't know who he was. I had never seen him. I was sure. Was I?
I took a step towards him, wanting to ask, wanting to understand… but then the flowers began to darken. As if a shadow were falling from the sky, slow, unstoppable. The blue of the sky faded. The clouds turned black. The sun disappeared, devoured by a formless darkness.
I looked above me. A single giant eye with an iris of red and purple illuminated and covered the sky. Scared, I looked straight ahead again. The boy was still there, but his face was starting to blur, as if the shadow were erasing him.
"It's too soon. Get out of here, before ∎∎∎∎∎∎∎ traps you into her infinite cycle of suffering and darkness. As you, ∎∎∎∎∎∎∎∎, are the one ∎∎∎∎∎∎∎ wants..." he whispered, before fading away completely.
And then I came back. The classroom appeared all of a sudden, as if I had been thrown back. Everything was the same, but something inside me was no longer. What in the actual fuck happened?
I brought a hand to my head. The buzzing had disappeared, but there was a strange emptiness left in my chest. An unease that I didn't know how to name.
—Are you okay? —I heard beside me.
Mar was watching me closely, her eyes calm yet attentive. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper amidst the general murmur.
—Yeah… yeah, just… —I stammered, looking for a simple excuse— I got a bit dizzy from the explosion's light.
Mar didn't respond immediately. She held my gaze for a moment longer than usual. And then, gently, she nodded.
—Of course. That can happen. —While I turned my gaze forward, trying to shake off the strange feeling, Mar averted her eyes.
But I didn't notice it, but Mar let out a sigh. One of those heavy, resigned sighs. As if she already knew the truth. As if she didn't need to ask anything else.