Mist veiled the dawn above the Celestial Academy's Second Outer Testing Field. The sky blushed violet, like the breath of a slumbering titan. Birds carved glowing sigils into the horizon with their winged flight. A hundred disciples stood in hushed anticipation, their eyes fixed on the platform of polished obsidian surrounded by levitating stones etched with pulsing runes.
Master Jion Wuldeg, known as the "Drunken Gale," tottered onto the platform. A jug of purple-ink wine sloshed in his left hand, and his right dragged a gnarled wooden staff carved with swirling fish.
"Oi, you brats!" he bellowed. "Today we decide who's got marrow in their spine and who's just fermented tofu!"
Laughter rippled through the disciples. Jion's voice was always soaked in mockery, but his eyes—those crimson, swirling orbs—saw through the soul.
He gestured at the floating rune tablets above. "Today's test: The Ninefold Ascension! A climb of body, spirit, and vein. If you fail, I send you down the hill... in a wine barrel!"
Nocth stood among the crowd, cloaked in silence. He wore dark scholar's robes, and his silver-black hair fell in veils over his unreadable gaze. Since the performance in Selun'Thael, whispers followed him like shadows.
Beside him stood Imius, arms crossed, a crooked grin tugging at his lips. "How many barrels do you think will be used today, Nocth?" he muttered. "I'm betting ten. Twelve if we count chubby Jugon."
Jugon—short, round, and perpetually sleepy—scratched his scalp with a wooden spoon and yawned. "I came here for food… not to climb invisible ladders."
The Test Begins
Each disciple stepped toward the Ninefold Ascension—an illusionary staircase of energy that rose into clouds, each step a reflection of their inner strength.
The runes responded to their veins.
One by one, disciples climbed.
Imius launched upward first, a whirl of fire-veined light trailing him. With 312 veins awakened of his potential 444, he blazed past the third level with the elegance of a falling star. His Tier 1 affinity—Ashen Flame—allowed him to burn illusions and mental restraints.
Behind him, Nocth stepped forward. The runes froze.
The moment his bare foot touched the first step, a silence swept over the platform. A shriek of metal echoed in the air. The Ascension Stones groaned as if a vast weight pressed upon them.
Master Jion's brows lifted. The runes flickered—dark, strange—before stabilizing. Nocth ascended.
One step.
Two.
Three.
A pulse of unknown energy cracked the air. Those nearby staggered. Nocth's aura, though veiled, radiated unplaceable fear. Veins of black-gold runes slithered up his arms, glowing faintly like sleeping serpents.
By the sixth platform, a girl's gaze fell upon him from afar.
She stood alone beneath the shade of the Cloudwatching Pavilion. Her face was hidden behind a fine translucent veil, her figure tall, elegant—like a sculpture carved by moonlight. The wind fluttered her long sleeves, and her presence made the surrounding light hesitate.
Shae' of the Nytherari.
Veiled prodigy.
The strongest among the disciples.
With 822 veins awakened, hers was a power not seen since the founding generations. Her affinity, Crystal Wind—of Tier 1 Prime Class—could slice space and freeze time in tiny bursts.
She watched Nocth silently. Her expression unreadable. Yet… something in her chest pulsed.
Harkonn Appears
A clumsy figure shoved forward from the crowd. Broad-shouldered, short-tempered, face twisted in annoyance—Harkonn of the Daervin Subclan.
He clenched his fists. "Who does that guy think he is? Just 'cause he's good at floating stairs?"
Nocth ignored him, nearing the final platform.
Harkonn snarled and leapt forward. "Hey! You with the dead eyes! You think you're better than everyone else!?"
Nocth paused. Turned.
Emotion.
Something foreign twisted in his chest. Was it… irritation?
He stepped down from the platform. The crowd gasped. Nocth faced Harkonn.
"Is that your challenge?" Nocth asked, voice quiet but piercing.
Harkonn laughed. "Damn right it is!"
The duel was granted.
The Duel: Cold Veins Clash
Harkonn charged, his fists layered with Froststeel veins, granting him brute strength and glacial force. He roared, throwing a punch.
Nocth didn't move.
He raised a finger.
A faint, unreadable symbol appeared behind him—like a dream's fragment trying to form meaning.
Harkonn's body froze midair. Not from ice. But from fear.
The air twisted. Wind recoiled.
Harkonn dropped to the ground, unconscious.
The crowd was silent.
Even Master Jion took a sip of wine and frowned.
"...The hell was that?" he murmured. "That… ain't normal."
From the shadows, Shae' watched. Her fingers tightened on her sleeve.
Imius appeared beside Nocth, grinning. "And here I thought you were boring. You've got style, my friend."
Nocth tilted his head, still staring at Harkonn. "He said… I think I'm better. But I don't know what I am."
Shae' stepped forward. All turned.
Imius winked. "Careful. You're about to meet the Queen."
She stopped a few feet from Nocth.
"Who are you?" she asked.
Nocth blinked.
"…I don't know yet."
She tilted her head. "Good. Stay curious."
Then she turned and walked away, her silver-white hair glimmering like starlight.
Nocth touched his chest.
Another feeling. Strange.
Warm.
He didn't understand it.
But Imius whispered beside him, "Congratulations. You've caught the attention of a hurricane."
Above, Master Jion chugged wine and muttered, "What the hell kind of storms are brewin' in this damn academy?"