The Obscured Flame Academy stood like a fortress of history and arrogance.
Built into the hills above Velmire City, its towers reached the clouds, wrapped in a weave of mana so dense it shimmered in daylight. Sigils floated around the outer walls, ancient contracts and enchantments that pulsed with elemental energy. Hundreds of noble scions, bloodline heirs, and elite spellcasters passed through its gates each year, welcomed into the finest magical institution in the Eastern Domain.
Kairo Vale had never set foot past its iron gate.
Until today.
The crowd was already thick by the time he arrived, students in crisp uniforms, instructors in long coats, and hopefuls standing outside the main plaza for the Supplementary Entry Trials.
He wore no uniform. Just his black coat, reinforced slacks, and a plain shirt beneath a patched cloak that still smelled faintly of paper and ink.
He walked past the gate without hesitation. The guard didn't stop him. Not because he was recognized, no one even glanced his way.
He was invisible.
A background extra.
Perfect.
His eyes scanned the courtyard. Fire sigils hovered near the north wing; wind patterns danced in the east. Arcane threads' mana detection grids floated overhead, faint but present. Anyone with magical sensitivity could feel them.
Kairo kept his mana sealed.
To the world, he was still a non-mage.
Near the registration tent, his siblings stood with their respective divisions.
Freya Vale, draped in a sleek red cloak bearing the flame crest of House Vale, stood at the front of the Fire Division line. She didn't see him, didn't look. She spoke confidently to her friends, mana flaring around her like coiled heat.
Ren Vale stood near the Wind Division crowd, waving animatedly at a few students while practicing simple air glyphs in the air.
They didn't notice Kairo.
Not yet.
He stepped up to the examiner's desk, an older man with a silver monocle, man's robes trimmed in navy, holding a crystal tablet etched with evaluation forms.
"Name?" the examiner asked without looking up.
"Kairo Vale."
A pause. The man's eyes flicked to him, confused.
"You're… nineteen."
Kairo nodded once.
"You're four years past the standard awakening age."
"Correct."
The man frowned, glancing again at the name. "Are you… related to Freya and Ren Vale?"
"Elder brother."
More silence. A few students nearby had turned. Whispers started. The examiner sighed.
"You were never documented as awakened."
"Until recently."
"…This is highly irregular."
Kairo said nothing. Just met the man's eyes unblinking, unreadable.
The examiner hesitated… then tapped a rune.
"Very well. You'll take the baseline affinity assessment first. If you don't collapse, you may proceed to the practical trial. Don't expect special treatment."
Kairo nodded again.
The baseline test was simple: a sealed stone chamber with six floating orbs, each representing an element. The candidate placed their hand on the mana seal and channeled energy.
If they had affinity, the orb would react. If not, it remained dim.
Six orbs. Fire. Wind. Water. Earth. Lightning. Wood.
Kairo stood before them, alone.
A crystal monitor outside the chamber projected the results for onlookers.
Freya turned, half-interested. When she saw who stood inside, her expression flattened. Her friends giggled.
"Is that your brother?"
"He's trying again?"
Ren didn't laugh. He just frowned and watched.
Inside the room, Kairo took a slow breath.
He placed one hand over the center seal.
And pushed.
Nothing happened.
The orbs flickered once. Faintly. Then dimmed again.
Outside, laughter rose.
The examiner shook his head. Mana suppression, likely. Incompatible body. He's forcing it."
Freya turned away.
Ren looked confused.
Inside the chamber, Kairo's fingers curled.
The flame orb lit again, barely visible. Then the lightning orb pulsed. Just once. Not enough to register.
But Kairo pulled his hand back before the full reaction finished.
Outside, the system logged:
Flame – minor reaction.Lightning – faint trace.Mana Tier: Unknown. Affinity: Unstable.
The crowd dismissed him.
Kairo walked out in silence.
But behind him, all six orbs had begun to hum. Faintly. The delay from his held-back mana was just beginning to catch up.
By then, he was already gone.
A professor watched from the upper terrace a tall woman in a violet coat with long silver-black hair swept to one side. Lightning danced silently across her fingertips.
Elira Dawn narrowed her eyes.
"He pulled back," she murmured.
"Candidate Kairo Vale," the announcer called, voice echoing across the practice field. "Proceed to the trial floor."
The open arena was a massive sigil-marked stone surrounded by mana barriers, floating glyphs, and arcane regulators embedded in the ceiling.
Kairo stepped forward.
Across from him stood his opponent.
Tall. Lean. A flame-sigil on his coat. Red eyes and a smirk made of noble disdain.
"Let me guess," the boy said. "Unawakened dropout here to embarrass himself?"
Kairo didn't reply.
The instructor raised a hand.
"Begin."
The boy moved fast, fire erupted from his fists, launching him across the arena in a flash-step enhanced by combustion. He closed the distance with a spinning kick wreathed in flame.
It never connected.
Kairo ducked, shifted, and stepped past him.
No magic. No movement glyphs.
Just instinct.
The boy landed, confused.
Then Kairo's palm struck his back.
A gentle tap.
And the flames extinguished instantly.
The boy dropped to the ground, unconscious.
The arena fell silent.
From the stands, Freya stood up, eyes wide.
Ren dropped his water bottle.
Elira Dawn's smile didn't reach her eyes.
Kairo turned and walked away.
Still no magic.
Still no reaction.
Just silence.
And behind him, a circle of blackened stone marked where he had stood.