The silence in Kaelen's new room was a comfortable one, filled with the low hum of the academy's ambient mana. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the uniform laid out on his bed. He took a moment to appreciate its design, a symbol of the new identity he was stepping into.
It was a sophisticated ensemble. The base was a crisp, white long-sleeved shirt of soft, high-quality cotton. Over it lay the black coat, tailored from a wool blend that was both lightweight and warm, its silver buttons etched with the academy's crest. A blue tie, the color of a deep twilight sky, was draped beside it. The white trousers were made of a durable yet soft fabric, designed for both comfort and movement, and were paired with a choice of black or white stockings. Finally, the gentle shoes, crafted from supple leather with cushioned soles, promised quiet footsteps through the academy's grand halls.
It was more than clothing; it was a promise of belonging.
A soft knock at his door broke the quiet. Before he could answer, it creaked open to reveal Shine, already fully dressed in her uniform. The design was similar yet distinctly different. She wore the same white long-sleeved shirt and black coat, but beneath it was a pleated white short skirt instead of trousers. Her blue tie was tied neatly, and she wore white stockings that ended just below the knee, paired with the same gentle shoes. The ensemble contrasted strikingly with her silver hair, which was now intricately braided in a more formal style than her usual travel plait. The blue tie brought out the sharp silver of her eyes.
"That was quite a speech," she said, leaning against the doorframe. "I didn't know you had it in you."
[Social Protocol: Receive Compliment. Response: Deflect with humility or return compliment.]
[Override: New directive. Speak from the synthesis. Speak as Kaelen.]
"I didn't either," he admitted, a small, genuine smile touching his lips as he turned to face her. "The words just... came. It felt right."
"That's because they were your words," she said softly, stepping into the room. Her eyes scanned the space before landing back on him. "The real you. It's still strange to see. A good strange."
"I feel the same," Kaelen replied. The constant, low-level hum of BEYTCOWD's social algorithms was quieter now. He could feel the right thing to say, not just calculate it. "It's less... processing. More just... being."
Their moment was interrupted by a cheerful shout from downstairs. "Oi! Lovebirds! The schedule just appeared on the common room table! We've got Intro to Mana Theory in twenty minutes! Don't be late!"
Shine's cheeks flushed a delicate silver, but she laughed. "We should go. Wouldn't want to be late on the first day."
Kaelen quickly changed. The fabric felt foreign yet right against his skin, the tie a new weight around his neck. He joined the others downstairs—Alio fumbling with his tie, Keijos already looking impeccable in his trousers and coat, Drenos adjusting his own uniform. Eline and Rei were smoothing down their skirts and straightening their ties, the pleats of their white skirts swaying slightly as they moved. Together, they merged into the flowing river of blue and silver filling the corridors, a sea of dark coats, white shirts, and the contrasting hems of trousers and skirts.
Their classroom, the Hall of Echoing Wisdom, was a semi-circular auditorium. They found seats together near the front. The instructor, a severe-looking woman with her hair in a tight bun and spectacles perched on her nose, entered precisely on the hour. Her name, according to the mana script that appeared above the dais, was Professor Valerius.
"Welcome," she began, her voice crisp. "You are here because you possess power. Raw, untamed, and ultimately useless power. My purpose is to teach you the first and most fundamental lesson: how to truly see it."
She gestured, and the room darkened. A complex, three-dimensional diagram of a mana core materialized above her.
"Mana is not a blunt force. It is a language. It has texture, density, intent, and, most importantly... color." She paused, her gaze sweeping over the sea of attentive students in their pristine uniforms. "The color of one's aura is the most direct reflection of their soul's nature. To understand an opponent's aura is to understand their capabilities before a single spell is cast."
Kaelen felt a strange tension coil within him. His aura was not something that could be easily classified.
"Today," Professor Valerius announced, "you will perform your first practical exercise. You will pair up and practice lowering your Veils, just enough to project your aura's core color for your partner to identify. No more than a flicker. Control is paramount."
A wave of nervous excitement passed through the room. Shine turned to Kaelen, her expression a mix of curiosity and concern.
"Partners?" she asked.
"Of course," Kaelen nodded.
They found a quieter corner. All around them, small, controlled bursts of color flared in the dim light against the dark fabric of uniforms—a flash of green here, a pulse of yellow there.
"You first," Kaelen said.
She smiled but obliged. Closing her eyes, she took a centering breath. The air around her shimmered. For a brief moment, her Veil thinned, and a beautiful, serene silver light emanated from her, shot through with threads of emerald green. It was the light of a full moon through a forest canopy—calm, noble, and deeply connected to nature.
"It's beautiful," Kaelen said, and he meant it.
"Your turn," she said, her voice soft. "Just a little. I'll be your anchor."
Kaelen closed his eyes. [BEYTCOWD, regulate the Limiter. Authorize a 0.0001% fluctuation in the Veil's opacity. Target: Core color manifestation only. Contain secondary spectral effects.]
[Directive Acknowledged. Regulating. Warning: The paradoxical nature of the energy source may cause anomalous readings even at this output.]
He took a breath and willed the Limiter to turn, just a fraction of a degree.
The effect was instantaneous and nothing like the soft glows around the room.
The air around Kaelen didn't shimmer; it warped. A sphere of perfect, light-devouring blackness enveloped him for a split second—the infinite depth of the Void. Then, as if that darkness had ignited, violent, beautiful streaks of cyan, purple, gold, and orange erupted from the core, swirling like a captured nebula, a miniature galaxy of impossible power contained within the form of a boy in a school uniform. There was no sound, only a profound pressure that made the air itself feel heavy.
It lasted less than a heartbeat before he slammed the Veil back into place, his control absolute.
He opened his eyes. Shine was staring, her silver eyes wide, one hand unconsciously pressed over her heart. Her breath caught in her throat. She had seen glimpses before, but this was a visual representation of the thing he was. It was terrifying. It was magnificent.
All around them, the other flickers of color had died out. The entire corner of the hall had gone silent. Dozens of pairs of eyes were fixed on him, wide with shock and confusion. The display, though brief, had been so fundamentally different that it had cut through everyone's concentration.
Professor Valerius was suddenly there, her severe expression replaced by one of intense, clinical fascination. She adjusted her spectacles, peering at Kaelen as if he were a rare specimen.
"Fascinating," she murmured, her voice low. "A synthetic manifestation? A dual-core anomaly? I've never seen a spectrum so... chaotic. And that base layer... it reads as absolute void."
Kaelen remained perfectly still, his face a calm mask beneath the formal attire. Inside, he was running a thousand simulations.
"What is your name, student?"
"Kaelen, Professor."
"Kaelen," she repeated, committing it to memory. "See me after class. We must schedule you for a full spectral analysis." It was not a request.
She turned to address the gawking students. "The exercise is over. Return to your seats. This," she said, gesturing vaguely in Kaelen's direction, "is a reminder that the arcane sciences are not a solved field. There are always new mysteries. Now, open your texts to chapter one..."
As the other students reluctantly turned away, buzzing with whispers, Shine reached out and gently touched Kaelen's arm. Her touch was steadying.
"Are you okay?" she whispered.
He looked at her, then at the retreating back of the professor. The first day of class, and he was already an anomaly.
[Analysis: Social standing altered. Designation: 'Unique'. Risk of exposure: Elevated.]
[Emotional Response: Anxiety. Isolation.]
[Synthesis: This is not a failure. It is data. This is your truth.]
He took a slow breath, the anxiety receding, replaced by a quiet resolve. He met Shine's concerned gaze.
"I'm okay," he said, and this time, his small smile was tinged with a new kind of acceptance. "It seems my first lesson is that I still have a great deal to learn about myself."