---
1. Halfway Mark
The sun rose over Mysterious Academy with a heavy stillness, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
It was the midpoint of the combat trials.
By now, only the most determined, skilled, or incredibly lucky candidates remained. Nearly half of the original participants had withdrawn—either from injury, fear, or the overwhelming pressure brought on by one silent observer.
Aaron Aetherwyn stood at the arena rail, sipping morning tea, completely unaware that half the continent now had painted portraits of him in various "battle postures" based on eyewitness exaggeration.
He had just finished buttering a roll when another student fainted.
"Already?" he mumbled.
Lily strode past him without even looking. "He saw you buttering bread and interpreted it as a killing technique."
Nova stifled a laugh. "You really have to stop using knives in public."
Aaron looked down at the butter knife in his hand. "It's silverware."
"To you," Lily said.
"To them," Nova added, "it's probably enchanted with soul-severance."
Aaron frowned. "That's not a real enchantment."
Nova winked. "You think that matters anymore?"
---
2. Strange Disturbance
While the morning duels were being prepared, a subtle quake rippled beneath the arena.
It lasted only a second—barely strong enough to rattle a loose stone—but several staff members noticed.
Including Headmistress Nova.
She narrowed her eyes and held her breath. The air around her grew still.
"Something below," she muttered.
Lily noticed too, her fire runes flaring subtly under her coat. "Residual mana? Or awakening?"
Nova whispered, "The chamber's reacting again. And it's not coincidence. It's him."
She glanced sideways toward Aaron.
He was chewing toast.
Lily grimaced. "He's not doing anything."
"Exactly," Nova said. "That's what worries me."
---
3. Match of the Day – "The Lightning Duel"
The most anticipated duel of the day featured Keldrin Vos, a battle-hardened orphan who wielded twin thunderblades, and Saria Vonn, an elegant spellblade from the midlands who used reflective barriers and movement enchantments.
The arena filled quickly. Whispers filled the stands.
"They say Professor Aetherwyn personally requested this duel."
"No, it was the Vice Headmaster."
"No—it was written in the prophecy scrolls!"
Aaron, flipping through his notebook, whispered, "There was a duel scheduled today?"
Lily sighed. "Yes. The two highest scorers so far. Try not to look too grim."
"I'm just focused."
"That's the problem."
Down in the arena, Keldrin and Saria bowed with perfect composure.
Then they exploded into motion.
Lightning raced across the floor as Keldrin dashed forward with both blades crackling. Saria activated a pulse spell that rippled across the stone in concentric shields, redirecting the energy upward into skyward blasts.
Their duel wasn't a clash.
It was a conversation in speed and precision.
Saria danced like moonlight. Keldrin struck like a storm.
For several minutes, even Aaron forgot his tea.
Keldrin used a mana surge feint—charging forward, faking a high slash, then spinning low—but Saria anticipated it. She caught the strike in a mirror glyph and sent him flying with a compressed gust.
He tumbled—flipped—and landed on one knee, laughing. "Finally, someone who can keep up."
She didn't answer.
She just raised her sword again.
Aaron stood and raised a hand.
The crowd gasped.
Saria and Keldrin froze.
"I was just going to say," Aaron called, "you're both overcasting. Conserve your mana."
The students nodded as if receiving scripture.
Axel, watching from above, whispered, "Even their stamina obeys him."
The fight ended moments later, not with a victory, but a mutual bow.
Aaron descended briefly and handed each of them a tea voucher.
"I… get to have tea?" Saria blinked.
Keldrin beamed. "Do we drink it… while sparring?"
Aaron scratched his cheek. "No? Just… drink it."
They bowed deeply again.
Aaron sighed.
---
4. Below the Arena – Something Wakes
Far beneath the arena, past ancient sealed vaults, something stirred again.
The sealed chamber at the academy's roots pulsed faintly. Ancient magic, woven in circles and time-locks, shimmered for the first time in centuries.
The presence above—gentle, unaware, yet impossibly dense—had caused a reaction. The chamber's heartbeat synced with his mana signature.
From within the seal, a voice no longer alive whispered:
> "He's returned… or someone worse…"
Chains rattled once.
The enchantments held.
For now.
---
5. Aaron's Internal Conflict
Back in the observation tower, Aaron leaned back in his chair, tired.
"They're all so serious lately," he said. "I thought students were supposed to be cheerful."
Lily tilted her head. "You terrify them. No one's going to be cheerful when they think eye contact might erase their ancestral lineage."
Nova smirked. "Or their lunch."
Aaron frowned. "What am I doing wrong?"
"Nothing," Nova said honestly. "That's the point."
Axel, still scribbling above, wrote:
> Theory #68: He doesn't just suppress magic—he warps causality. Every day he lives is a blessing or a curse.
Beside him, one candidate muttered, "I heard he once fought the Headmistress and she lost a limb."
"Where do you hear these things?" Axel hissed.
"I have cousins in the potion department."
---
6. Closing Shadows
As the day ended, and the last few matches passed with modest performance, Nova stood by herself at the edge of the field, watching the cracks in the sky ripple unnaturally.
Something was accelerating.
And Aaron, without ever realizing it, was at the center.
She watched him walk back toward his cabin, humming softly and looking at a bird.
He smiled at it.
The bird exploded.
Nova blinked.
The pieces dissolved into feathers.
"He smiled again," she muttered. "We need to start warning the wildlife."
In the deepest hall of the academy, an ancient stone glyph cracked.
And somewhere, in an abandoned stronghold across the sea, a dark-robed figure turned westward.
"It begins."
---
End of Chapter 39