POV Edward Sunlight:
Edward Sunlight sat in the last chair of Class 1-S with perfect military posture.
Rank 10.
'Apostle of the Goddess of Light,' he thought with controlled bitterness. 'Holy mage with a perfectly formed first circle. And they place me last.'
Arch-Priestess Lumina had already warned him — elven land, political resistance, biased rankings. Knowledge didn't make the humiliation any less painful.
He diverted his gaze and found a profile that distracted him from bitter thoughts.
Kaelira Drakenveil.
Silver-white hair. Intense violet eyes. Impeccable military posture.
Rank 2.
'Of course she would be,' Edward thought.
And then he remembered the last four days.
The encounters had been statistically impossible.
Every place he went — library, market, cafés, parks — Kaelira was there. Hundreds of times.
But what really impressed him wasn't the encounters. It was how she was with him.
Edward had seen how Kaelira treated other students — polite but icy, conversations cut off in seconds. Courteous but final refusals.
Cold with everyone.
But with Edward? Brief conversations became long. Awkward silences turned comfortable. And slowly, she began to smile. Small rare smiles, but real.
Kaelira respected discipline. Control. Strength of character. She saw how he maintained composure even when humiliated, trained obsessively, proved his worth through actions.
For her — a soldier who valued duty above comfort — that meant something.
On the third day, she approached him officially and said:
"Come with me today," with a tone that didn't accept refusal. "There's something I want to see before classes begin."
They had spent most of the day exploring the city together.
And at the end of the afternoon, when the sun began to descend, Kaelira took him to the beach in the south of the island.
They walked in silence until they reached the top of a small cliff that gave a complete view of the ocean and horizon where the sun touched the water.
Sky painted in orange, pink, red — colors melting into each other like living paint.
"The sunset of the Island," Kaelira said with a neutral voice, observing the view with analytical violet eyes, "is considered one of the greatest beauties in the world."
The tone was cold. Factual. As if reciting information from a tourism book.
But she had brought Edward here. She chose to share this with him.
They remained silent for minutes, watching the sun descend slowly.
Until Kaelira asked without diverting her gaze from the horizon:
"What do you think of the view?"
Edward turned to answer—
And realized he wasn't looking at the sunset.
He was looking at her.
Kaelira in profile, silver-white hair bathed in reddish light from the setting sun. Each strand seemed to capture and reflect the colors of the sky — orange, pink, gold merging into a cascade of hair that seemed to be made of fire, falling to her waist.
Violet eyes shone under the warm light. Pale skin tinged with soft pink.
And Edward, completely distracted, responded with raw honesty:
"You look beautiful with the reddish color of the sun in your white hair."
Silence.
Edward blinked, realizing what he'd said.
"I... I meant to say, the sunset is—"
He stopped.
Because Kaelira had turned to face him.
And she was smiling.
Not the small subtle smile Edward had seen occasionally over the last few days.
But a genuine smile. Complete. That lit up her face in a way that made Edward's heart stop.
"It's the first time," Kaelira said softly, her voice losing all habitual coldness, "that anyone has complimented me... like this."
Not about combat skills. Not about rank or strength.
But about her. Just her.
Edward felt heat rise up his neck, but maintained his gaze.
"It's the truth."
Kaelira held his gaze for a moment that seemed like eternity.
And then she took a step forward — deliberate, controlled movement — and kissed his cheek.
Soft. Warm. Intentional.
Her lips remained against his skin for a second — maybe two — before pulling away.
"Goodbye, Edward Sunlight," she said with a voice still soft, but a small smile remaining on her lips. "Until tomorrow."
And then she turned and began to descend the cliff back to the city, leaving Edward paralyzed at the top.
His hand automatically rose to touch his cheek where her lips had pressed.
Warmth. He could still feel it.
And as he watched Kaelira disappear in the distance — silver hair still capturing the reddish light of the sun — Edward realized something fundamental:
That smile.
That genuine smile she had given.
Not for the world. Not to maintain appearances.
But for him. Just him.
Present.
Edward touched his cheek unconsciously.
'Goddess of Light,' he thought, 'what are you doing with this poor sheep? Four days of encounters that defy probability.'
Mental pause.
'Are you really asking me to make Kaelira mine?'
Divine silence.
But then an alternative thought crossed his mind:
'Or are you asking me to become hers?'
Because after yesterday — seeing that genuine smile, feeling her lips against his cheek — Edward no longer knew who was conquering whom.
And surprisingly... he didn't care.
And opening his eyes, he looked at her.
Rank 2. Lethal knight. Woman who was ice with everyone.
Except for him.
POV Dex:
"These rankings," Tiamat declared, her voice echoing through the room with draconic authority, "are only initial."
Dex raised his gaze from the grimoire that had just been given by the professor, and looked at the dragon professor.
"What you see on the board," she pointed with a sharp claw to the ranking list still glowing in golden runes, "reflects performance in the awakening ceremony. Manifested weapon, awakened subclass, demonstrated aura or mana strength."
She stopped, pearlescent eyes sweeping the room.
"But," she continued, "power is not static. It's cultivated. Refined. Expanded. And this book will show you how."
She turned completely to face all fifty students.
"In one month, you'll have the First Quarter Test. Complete evaluation of combat, magical theory, power control, and teamwork."
Nervous murmurs.
"And based on the results," Tiamat declared with weight, "rankings can — and will — be altered."
Absolute silence.
'Just like in the game,' Dex thought, exchanging a telepathic look with Echidna.
'And any of us can fall if we relax.' Dex added.
'Do you think anyone will even be able to challenge us for Rank 1?' Echidna asked with humor.
'Edward will certainly try,' Dex thought, remembering the compressed sacred aura he felt coming from the paladin at the back of the room. 'Kaelira too.'
'Let them come,' Echidna said with characteristic cute arrogance. 'They'll all be crushed.'
'Echi, humility.'
'Boring.'
Dex suppressed a smile while Tiamat continued.
"Furthermore," the dragon professor announced, "for the next week, all your classes will be exclusively with me."
Surprise rippled through the room.
"As the main professor of Class 1-S/A," Tiamat explained, "I have the responsibility to ensure that all of you fully awaken your aura or mana. Currently, only Ranks 1 and 2 have awakened their first Soul or first Circle."
She looked specifically at Dex, Echidna, and then somewhere behind them where presumably Kaelira was sitting.
"The other forty-nine students," she continued, "still possess latent power. Not manifested. Dormant."
With a hand movement, a giant grimoire materialized floating beside her.
"I will teach you the fundamentals of awakening. Theory of Mana versus Aura, cultivation techniques, energy meditation, and basic control."
The grimoire opened by itself, pages turning rapidly until stopping at a complex diagram of magical circles and aura cores.
"Mana," Tiamat began, pointing to the left diagram, "is external energy. It exists in the environment around you — in the air, water, earth, in living beings. Mages channel this energy, pull it inward, and mold it through magical circles tattooed on their souls."
The diagram glowed, showing energy flowing from the environment to a humanoid figure.
"First Circle," Tiamat explained, "is formed when you can channel sufficient mana and stabilize it in a permanent circular pattern. Each subsequent circle requires more mana, more control, more understanding."
She turned to another diagram.
"Aura," she said, "is internal energy. It comes from within you — from your life force, your soul, your will. Knights project this energy, use it to strengthen bodies, weapons, techniques."
A new diagram showed energy emanating from within the figure, radiating outward.
"First Soul," Tiamat continued, "is awakened when you can feel your internal energy and consciously release it. Each subsequent Soul expands capacity, refines control, amplifies power."
She closed the grimoire with a resonant sound.
"And for those who haven't awakened yet," she said, pointing to the books each student had in their hands, "this manual contains detailed instructions."
Simple brown leather cover, title engraved in gold:
"Fundamentals of Awakening: Guide to First Soul and First Circle"
'Basic,' Echidna commented, looking at her own copy with disinterest. 'Extremely basic.'
'For us, yes,' Dex agreed. 'But for others...'
He then looked around.
Other students were eagerly flipping through pages, some already beginning to take notes.
And as if she didn't care about their enthusiasm, she said coldly:
"Now, follow me."
She turned and walked toward the door.
A moment of confusion, then students began to stand, hastily gathering their materials.
Tiamat guided the fifty students through the labyrinthine corridors of Ouroboros Academy.
Each corridor seemed more ornate than the previous — colorful stained glass showing historical battles, tapestries representing the five united races, statues of heroes and legendary dragons.
Finally, they stopped before a massive double door.
Three meters tall, made of dark wood engraved with glowing runes that pulsed rhythmically — gold, silver, crimson, violet, green.
"Cultivation Room Level 3," Tiamat announced, placing her hand on the door.
The runes glowed more intensely, recognizing her touch.
With a deep, resonant sound, the doors opened.
And pressure exploded outward.
Not physical. But energetic.
Dex felt it immediately — mana and aura so dense in the air it was almost tangible. Like trying to breathe in heavy fog of pure energy.
Students around gasped.
"The concentration of mana and aura in this room," Tiamat explained calmly, "is ten times greater than normal environment. It facilitates cultivation, accelerates awakening, and allows control training in intensified conditions."
She entered, gesturing for students to follow.
Dex and Echidna exchanged a look and entered together.
The interior was... impressive.
Gigantic circular room — at least fifty meters in diameter. Arched ceiling. Polished stone floor engraved with cultivation circles pulsing with energy.
She walked to the center of the room.
"Spread out," she ordered. "Find comfortable positions. Open your manuals. And begin."
Students obeyed, dispersing throughout the circular room.
Dex and Echidna naturally moved to an area near the wall opposite the entrance, where they could have relative privacy.
But before they could sit—
"Dex!"
A feminine voice, animated and at the same time confused, passed through his ears.
Dex turned and saw her approaching rapidly.
Black hair falling over her shoulders. Pearlescent skin contrasting with dark horns. Heart-tipped tail swaying animatedly. Intricate tattoos adorning her neck.
Zephyra.