The hum of conversation filled the academy gardens as students clustered together, sharing laughter, gossip, and anticipation. The start of the second semester had arrived, and even the trees—lush and manicured—seemed to stand a little straighter in the fresh morning light.
Under the shade of a sprawling mana-infused oak, Ethan Hartley sat beside Knox Lionheart, his white-haired twin sister Leona having wandered off somewhere with their mutual friend Lilia Crown. Ethan's deep blue hair shimmered subtly in the morning sun, and his calm eyes scanned the entrance gate as if expecting something.
"Still no sign of her," Ethan murmured.
Knox adjusted the collar of his uniform. "It's been three days since she went to the Rotschy estate. Not a single message from her..."
As if summoned by their words, the sleek obsidian car bearing the emblem of House Amberhart rolled to a graceful stop before the academy's grand iron gates.
The rear door opened with dignified silence.
Rina Amberhart stepped out.
Her fiery red hair spilled over her shoulders in brilliant, effortless waves, gleaming like molten embers beneath the sun. Her golden eyes were distant but calm. Dressed in the academy's crisp uniform—a fitted dark navy coat, gold-lined skirt, and a crimson tie that echoed the legacy of her noble blood—she looked composed. But there was a faint weariness in the way she walked, a weight behind her gaze.
Leona stepped out after her, equally striking with her silver-white hair and ocean-blue eyes. Her uniform, while identical, looked somehow fiercer on her, sharper—as if defiance itself had sewn the threads.
Their friends quickly stood up.
"Rina!" Ethan called, his voice filled with both concern and relief.
She approached quietly, her movements poised. As she came closer, the golden band on her left ring finger caught the light.
The group noticed.
"So... what happened?" Ethan asked gently. "How are you?"
Leona scoffed lightly, arms crossed. "She's standing in front of you, isn't she?"
Rina gave a soft smile. "I'm fine."
Lilia leaned forward, curiosity gleaming in her green eyes. "So, what's he like? Jin. Is he good? Or is he... you know\..."
Rina's face stiffened slightly, just a flicker, but enough.
"He's... annoying," she said, voice dry.
Leona smirked. "He exceeds expectations in ways you don't want."
Knox raised an eyebrow. "That bad? I mean—he is Naoko Rotschy's son. What did we expect?"
Lilia giggled. "I knew it. He must be hideous."
Ethan didn't join in. "We shouldn't judge someone we haven't met. Just because his mother is... terrifying... doesn't mean he's the same."
No one answered that. Instead, the group continued walking, conversation drifting toward the infamous Rotschy estate.
"It's enormous," Rina said quietly. "I'm not even sure I saw half of it. Everything is made from mana... pure, dense, unfiltered. The bathwater? Mana water. The floors? Infused. The air itself feels charged."
"They use mana water to bathe?" Lilia repeated, incredulous.
"Like it's nothing," Leona added. "As if it's more common than rainwater."
"Cold?" Knox asked.
"Freezing," Rina said. "Everything feels cold in that place. Not just the stone... the air, the halls... It's like the house has no heart."
Just as her words trailed into silence, the classroom doors creaked open.
The click of heels echoed across the marble floor, sharp and crisp.
Eleanor, their homeroom teacher, entered like a wave of winter wind. Her long, golden hair was pulled into a severe ponytail, highlighting the disciplined angles of her face. Emerald eyes scanned the room with soldierly precision. She wore a sharp-fitting black suit that clung to her form with authority rather than allure.
The class fell silent at once.
"Good morning," she said, voice even and clipped. "I trust you all enjoyed your break."
Her heels clicked to a stop in the center of the room. She raised a thin tablet, eyes flicking across the names.
"Let's begin with the updated student rankings."
Everyone leaned in.
"Rank one: Ethan Hartley."
A small hum of acknowledgment swept the room. Ethan didn't react.
"Rank two: Rina Amberhart."
More murmurs. Rina didn't blink.
"Rank three: Seraphina Frost."
Polite applause.
"Rank four: Lilia Crown."
Lilia smiled with pride.
"Rank five: Shin Blackthorn."
That name should've stirred something. But Rina remained stone-still, her eyes blank. Ethan noticed. So did Knox and Lilia. That name, once capable of making Rina's cheeks flush and breath catch, now passed by like dust in the wind.
She didn't even flinch.
Knox whispered, "She's... not reacting?"
Lilia blinked. "Didn't she like him?"
Leona crossed her arms, expression unreadable. *Jin,* she thought. *He's another level entirely.*
Rina's gaze remained fixed on nothing. Her mind, however, drifted.
*He said he'd come. He promised he'd enter the academy. I asked him to... so where is he?*
No one else knew—not even Leona. Only Rina was aware of Jin's intention to enroll. But as Eleanor continued, there was still no sign of him.
"Rank nineteen: Leona Lionheart."
A few heads turned. Leona was undeniably strong in combat, but her academic performance often pulled her rank down.
"Rank thirty-five: Knox Lionheart."
A subtle shrug from him.
Eleanor's voice returned to that emotionless calm. "Now, open your textbooks to page thirty-eight. We'll begin with advanced mana flow theory."
With a flick of her finger, the projector activated, and diagrams filled the crystal-clear display.
"The circulation of mana," Eleanor began, "follows no singular path. Each individual's core emits a unique pattern—an etheric fingerprint. What distinguishes advanced practitioners is not merely the volume of mana, but their *command* over its motion, tempo, and elemental resonance."
Rina's eyes focused. She'd heard this before—but not like this.
"In the upper tier," Eleanor continued, "we observe phenomena like high-density vortex convergence. This is when the user condenses mana into spiraling flows tight enough to fracture space momentarily. Dangerous, but effective. Few possess the stability to execute it cleanly."
She looked up, eyes sharp. "Miss Amberhart. What stabilizes the vortex?"
Rina stood with ease. "The harmony between inner core pulse and outer mana pressure. The stronger the synchrony, the purer the spiral."
Eleanor gave the faintest nod. "Correct."
Rina sat down, the flicker of a thought brushing past her mind again. *Where are you, Jin?*
The lesson continued, diagrams shifting, theories unfurling—mana gates, reverse flow under high duress, elemental absorption thresholds. Eleanor explained it all like slicing through silk. Sharp, clear, elegant.
Outside, clouds drifted across the sky, and students leaned closer, scribbling notes, eyes wide with challenge and curiosity.
But Rina?
She wrote mechanically.
Her thoughts—burning gold like her gaze—remained in a palace of obsidian and silence.
Waiting.
Wondering.