The silence lingered like mist, thick and unmoving, until the air shimmered at the center of the platform where Caelirion had vanished. A new light unfurled—not blinding this time, but soft, like moonlight cascading across water.
From it stepped a woman.
Tall and statuesque, she moved with the composure of someone who had seen the rise and fall of empires. Her robes shimmered like woven starlight, braided with emerald and indigo threads. Arcane sigils floated behind her like a spectral cape. Her skin held the bronze hue of suns long forgotten, and her hair, bound in rings of starlight, trailed down her back like a comet's tail.
She raised a hand—long fingers adorned with crystalline bands.
"Acolytes," she said, her voice serene yet commanding, "I am Magus Avalyne, instructor of the First Tier and Speaker of the College's Outer Court."
Where Caelirion's voice had shaken souls, hers soothed them. Calm radiated from her words, silencing murmurs and stilling anxious glances.
"You are not in danger. You are no longer in your war-torn homes, nor in the grips of ruin or despair. You now stand within the Veil's sanctuary—Magus College. A place unmoored from the laws of your worlds. Here, death cannot claim you—unless it is earned. Here, war has no nation. Hunger no dominion. Pain, perhaps. Trial, certainly. But not senseless suffering."
She stepped slowly along the platform, her every footfall conjuring quiet glimmers from the rune-etched floor.
"Within these halls, you will study the Veins of the Cosmos. You will wield flame, frost, shadow, storm. You will learn the weight of power, and its price. And you will do so under the College's protection."
A few heads lifted, hope blooming like firelight in winter.
"No blade may pierce you here without sanction. No curse afflict you without consequence. You are now under the Watch of the Archon Flame—the ancient pact of the Magus."
Her gaze swept across the crowd.
"Be calm. You are safe. And your journey begins now."
She lifted a sceptre from her side—a staff of elegant obsidian and starlight, crowned with a crystalline sphere swirling with nebulae. As she raised it above her head, runes along her sleeves ignited in luminous sequence.
"Stand straight," she commanded gently, "and hold fast to your minds."
Acolytes complied, straightening from their crouched positions. Xander, still alert, tensed as he felt something shift in the air—a resonance.
Avalyne closed her eyes and began to chant.
"Rathai ser'envolis… vak're tal'athene… an'duram!"
Light blazed from the sceptre, arcs of starlight dancing across the ceiling. In an instant, the entire hall ignited with glyphs, circling beneath the feet of every acolyte. The floor became translucent, then insubstantial. A roaring wind surged—not through the ears, but through the spirit.
And then—nothing.
heartbeat
A heartbeat passed. Then—
A room.
Xander stood upright, feet braced, heart pounding. Around him was no longer the grand cosmic hall, but a wide, tiered classroom with arched windows overlooking a violet sky. Pillars of obsidian laced with gold supported a floating ceiling, through which stars slowly turned. Walls bore murals of battles fought with lightning and flame.
A hundred seats, arranged in a semi-circle of ascending rows, faced a tall obsidian lectern at the front.
Already, other acolytes were beginning to appear in flashes of soft light, each landing in a seat or beside one. Xander chose one near the center, still wary, his hands clenched unconsciously into fists.
From behind the lectern, another woman appeared—this one younger, yet no less striking.
Her robes were sleek and violet, embroidered with the twin sigils of wind and void. Her hair was short and silver, eyes sharp as daggers.
She offered a measured smile.
"Welcome," she said, voice bright, "to your first lesson."
"I am Magus Santra, and I will be your instructor for the elemental fundamentals. If you plan to survive the next ten days—you'll listen carefully.
Magus Santra's smile remained, but her tone turned instructive, sharp.
"Now that you're here, it's time to understand the world—no, the worlds—you've just stepped into."
She moved her hand, and a constellation of spheres burst into view behind her, suspended in the air—planets, thousands of them, drifting in a great spiraling helix.
"Most of you come from lower worlds—primitive, disconnected from the Arcane Network. So you wouldn't know about the others out there. This… is the Magus Multiverse."
The floating spheres rearranged themselves into a massive triangular map, glowing lines separating it into three zones.
"The multiverse is divided into three core sectors: the Alpha Quadrant, the Beta Quadrant, and the Delta Quadrant."
A sweep of her hand illuminated the Alpha region in gold.
"The Alpha Quadrant is dominated by humans and half-bloods. Civilized, structured, governed. This is where most known magical institutions and ruling factions originate. Many of you come from worlds tied to it."
Then the map shifted, highlighting the Beta region in a shimmering green.
"The Beta Quadrant is the domain of the Elves—graceful, ancient, and dangerous. Don't be fooled by their elegance. They are our oldest enemies. They see humans as inferior, magical vermin. The war between us has lasted eons. Trust an elf only if you trust a viper."
She paused, allowing the silence to settle before turning to the last zone, now pulsing red and violet—chaotic.
"Then there is the Delta Quadrant—a war-torn no-man's land, suspended between Alpha and Beta, and claimed by neither."
A dark surge rolled over the region on the map, as though storms boiled beneath its surface.
"The Delta Quadrant is home to the Rogue Magus—those who have turned away from the rule of the Colleges, the Councils, and the Laws. Renegades, exiles, heretics. Some call them mad. Others, visionaries. But make no mistake—they are powerful, and many are dangerous. The Delta Quadrant is always in war, its lands soaked with the blood of elves and men alike."
Murmurs echoed through the class, faces turning pale, others narrowed in cold understanding.
Santra's tone softened, though her pace didn't slow.
"For now, our focus remains in the Alpha Quadrant. This quadrant is governed by the factions—great planetary alliances that oversee entire regions of space. Each faction rules over dozens of lesser worlds. To be recognized as a faction, a planet must be advanced in both magic and technology."
She waved her hand again. Four luminous sigils appeared, each orbited by satellite runes—emblems of ancient power.
"Among the oldest and most dominant are these four:"
Seraphon
Elythria
Nephoros
Khaedros
The names rang like thunder in the chamber.
A ripple moved through the acolytes. Then, a voice cut through the reverent silence.
"We are gods, not factions."
A boy with white-gold hair and bronze armor stood proudly near the upper right tier. His eyes glowed faintly, and his posture carried the arrogance of birthright.
Santra didn't miss a beat. Her gaze turned razor-sharp.
"Godas of Khaedros," she said flatly. "Sit. And if you must boast, do it when you've earned your place, not inherited it."
A wave of chuckles rippled through the room. Godas flushed, sitting back down, muttering something under his breath.
Xander allowed himself the smallest of smirks.
Santra continued without pause.
"These four are the pillars of the Alpha Quadrant's order. Among them, Seraphon, Elythria, and Nephoros are classified as Advanced Factions—possessing planetary fleets, stellar forges, arcanum libraries the size of cities, and near-complete control over their Vein currents."
"Khaedros," she added, with a sidelong glance at the proud noble, "is a High Faction. Influential, yes. Powerful. But still beneath the truly dominant three."
She allowed the implications to sink in, then turned back toward the swirling projection of worlds.
"There are thousands of planets in the multiverse. Some still discovering fire. Others harnessing mana to bend stars. Here at Magus College, all are equal—for now. The Veil chooses not by birth, but by potential."
She closed her hand, and the map blinked out.
"Your origins do not matter. Only what you become."