The following morning, a buzz of anticipation filled the air as students gathered in the main lecture hall.
Professor Aris stepped onto the central platform, her presence immediately commanding attention. She gestured to the front, her voice firm and resonating throughout the room.
"Regarding your schedule for the coming week: Monday through Wednesday, you'll find intensive preparation sessions in the main training halls, focusing on skill refinement and mana control. Highly recommended, though not mandatory. Thursday is for final individual preparations. Friday is the Ascension Trial, followed by graduation. Be punctual. Be ready."
She nodded, then exited, the footsteps of the next class already echoing in the hall.
A collective rustle filled the room as students began to gather their belongings. Finn, Gus, and Zak, part of the same assigned living quarters, moved almost in unison towards the exit.
Gus, as usual, seemed to be radiating an almost palpable self-satisfaction. He puffed out his chest a little, a triumphant smirk playing on his lips.
"Well, that was certainly something, wasn't it?" he declared, nudging Finn with an elbow.
A collective rustle filled the room as students began to gather their belongings. Finn, Gus, and Zak, part of the same assigned living quarters, moved almost in unison towards the exit.
Gus, as usual, seemed to be radiating an almost palpable self-satisfaction. He puffed out his chest a little, a triumphant smirk playing on his lips.
"Well, that was certainly something, wasn't it?" he declared, nudging Finn with an elbow.
"Not everyone can make the orb flicker, you know. Took real effort."
Finn offered a noncommittal hum; his gaze, however, was elsewhere. His mind kept replaying the events of the test, particularly Zak's turn.
He'd seen the dark orb, the complete absence of a glow, and then... nothing else. It didn't make sense. Zak was... capable. Finn had witnessed glimpses of his raw strength during physical drills, a power that felt almost primal.
So why hadn't the orb lit up for him? Why nothing at all? He seen only the unyielding blackness. His eyes drifted to Zak, who walked a step ahead, his usual impassive demeanor firmly in place, seemingly oblivious to the lingering curiosity and whispers around him.
Finn wondered what Zak was thinking, if anything. As they reached the classroom door and entered the busier hallway, Lila, who had been waiting just outside with a small group of friends, gently stepped away and approached Zak.
Her expression was soft, tinged with concern.
"Zak, are you alright?" she asked quietly, her voice a gentle contrast to the bustling corridor.
"I saw... the orb didn't glow for you. Are you feeling well?"
Before Zak could even offer a response, Gus abruptly stepped between them, his chest puffed out slightly.
He flashed a wide, almost forced grin at Lila.
"Lila! There you are!" Gus interjected loudly, completely disrupting her question to Zak.
"Did you happen to see my turn earlier? The orb gave a pretty good flicker, didn't it? Took quite a bit of effort, you know, but I got it!"
His eyes practically gleamed with a mix of pride and overt vying for her attention, subtly pushing Zak out of the direct line of conversation. Lila turned her attention to Gus, a polite smile gracing her lips.
"Yes, Gus, I did see," she replied, her voice calm and even.
"It was quite a bright flicker, you did very well to coax that much light from it."
She paused, her eyes briefly meeting his in acknowledgment before, almost immediately, she gently shifted her body back, her gaze returning to Zak.
"But Zak, seriously, are you feeling alright? Sometimes the mana tests can be draining, even if the orb doesn't react as expected. Don't worry, even if you couldn't make it glow, remember what Miss Elara said..."
Before Lila could continue her gentle reassurance,
Zak's voice, low and devoid of any emotion, cut her off.
"It's okay," he stated flatly, his gaze unwavering as he looked past her, as if already somewhere else.
His tone conveyed no frustration, no disappointment, just a simple, unbothered acceptance. His life was exactly as he wanted it, and the orb's reaction changed nothing. He was content.
Meanwhile, in Professor Aris's private room, just a few corridors away, Miss Elara stood by a tall, arched window, gazing out at the bustling academy grounds.
Her usual serene expression was subtly altered by a thoughtful frown. Professor Aris sat at her grand, oak desk, meticulously reviewing the assessment slates.
Another figure, a silver-haired man in robes of rich, deep hues, stood beside Professor Aris, observing the process with an air of quiet, ingrained authority that spoke of ancient lineage and immense influence.
"Overall, the data for this year's cohort is quite promising. Finn's display, for instance, was exceptional—a near-perfect resonance. And Lila, her mana flow was so remarkably fluid and warm; a rare innate grace. Even Mr. Augustus managed to pull a respectable flicker with sheer determination, far more than many before him who showed nothing at all."
Professor Aris swept her gaze across the meticulously organized slates on her desk, a small, approving smile touching her lips.
Miss Elara nodded, a softer light returning to her eyes.
"Indeed. The sheer potential in this group is notably higher than the last few cycles. A strong crop, Professor. It bodes well for the future of the Sentinels."
Her eyes, however, drifted momentarily to a particular slate, her gaze lingering.
"Though, I confess, I'm most curious about the student named Zak."
Professor Aris paused, her smile faltering slightly as she located Zak's slate among the others. She quickly scanned its contents.
"Zak?" she queried, a hint of dismissiveness in her tone.
"His record is... unremarkable. Minimal mana output in previous basic drills. Nothing significant to stand out." She glanced at the silver-haired man, as if for confirmation.
The unnamed man, who had been silently observing, suddenly went still. His eyes, dark and sharp, seemed to glaze over for a fleeting moment, as if he were sifting through ancient memories or accessing a vast, hidden archive within his mind. The name 'Zak' seemed to resonate with something deep and long-forgotten within him.
A flicker of profound recognition, quickly masked, crossed his features. He drew a slow, deliberate breath.
"Perhaps," he interjected, his voice gravely resonant and now tinged with a subtle, unexpected intensity.
"But allow Miss Elara to continue, Professor. Her observations are often more... nuanced than what the simple data provides."
His tone was polite but firm, cutting off any further dismissal from Professor Aris, and carrying an implicit weight that brooked no argument.
Miss Elara met the unnamed man's gaze, a brief, knowing acknowledgment passing between them. She then turned back to Professor Aris, a faint, determined glint in her eyes.
"Yes, Professor. Zak's test was not unremarkable. It was... something else entirely." She paused, then gestured towards the slates on the desk.
"The data you've gathered is just numbers, a summary. What truly matters is the actual manifestation of your mana and the way you can perceive it. And what I witnessed with Zak... it defied the parameters of our established understanding."
With deliberate care, Miss Elara reached into the satchel at her side, retrieving a small, leather-bound brief.
She unfastened the clasp and extracted the obsidian orb from within. It rested in her palms, its dark surface gleaming faintly under the study's light. She carried it back to Professor Aris's desk, placing it gently before her.
Professor Aris leaned forward, her expression a mix of curiosity and impatience. She glanced from Miss Elara's face to the orb, then back.
"What is it, Elara?" she pressed, a slight furrow in her brow.
"What exactly do you want me to look at?"
The unnamed man's gaze had already sharpened, fixing intently on the orb.
He leaned closer, his silver head tilted almost imperceptibly. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips, quickly vanishing, as if he were savoring a private triumph.
"Professor Aris," his voice cut in, smooth and precise,
"Look at this part." He extended a gloved finger, pointing to a specific section near the orb's base.
Professor Aris's eyes followed his direction, narrowing in concentration. She picked up the orb, turning it slightly to catch the light.
Then she saw it: a hairline fracture, impossibly fine, spiraling upwards for a few inches from the base. It was a phantom flaw, visible only at a precise angle, missed by any normal eye.
Her eyes widened, the dismissiveness replaced by profound understanding.
"By the Ancients..." she breathed, a barely audible whisper. "Elara, what is this?"