The letter came sealed in obsidian wax.
No fanfare. No messenger. Just the shimmer of a minor teleportation rune placing it on Wade's desk like a falling leaf. The envelope bore the crest of the Arcanum Council—three interlocked circles surrounded by mirrored glyphs.
Juno whistled. "That's not a summons. That's an invitation to war."
Rae leaned in over his shoulder. "They're not asking. You should bring someone."
"I'll be fine," Wade said quietly, already pocketing the envelope.
His voice didn't shake.
But he felt it in his bones—the weight of watching eyes and veiled expectations.
The chamber was high in the spire, accessible only by glyph locked stairs. Spellguards in faceless silver masks escorted him into the marble hall.
Seven figures waited.
Seated in a semicircle, each cloaked in deep blue and silver. Their faces were hidden by enchanted veils. Magic shimmered in the air—stifling, ancient, heavy.
One of them gestured. "Wade Theron. You are here because of your recent behaviour in the academy and unique classification."
Their voices echoed, distorted by charmwork. It didn't feel like a meeting. It felt like a tribunal.
"You've demonstrated dangerous volatility," another Observer said. "Fire and wind already mark you as rare and a high threat. Though there were faint traces, it has not been confirmed that you possess the lightning attribute. And now a vault activation. You must have been trained."
"I am training," Wade said.
"Not properly. Not safely. Your growth is uncontrolled and it must be guided."
"I thought that's what the academy was for, are you saying the council wants to do that in its place?."
"Pride is not strength child."
There was a pause. Then one of them leaned forward.
"Very well. If you believe your training to be better than mages who have devoted their entire lives to magecraft, we will settle this per academy rules. You will have a match."
Wade's eyes narrowed.
"You will face an elite senior under council sponsorship," the Observer continued. "If you lose, you accept mentorship under our supervision. If you win, you may continue… unsupervised."
Wade clenched his fists. "Fine."
The arena was stone—wide, runed, old.
His opponent stood on the far end, a fourth year named Varell Dren. The only dual mage in his year and extremely talented, once known as the second dual mage to attend the academy since its founding, until wade came, Known for his precise spellwork. Water and wind.
A crowd gathered in the upper stands—faculty, students, masked councilmen.
A bell chimed.
"Begin."
Varell moved first—ice spears spiraling through wind tunnels. Wade dodged left, flames flaring from his palm to melt the shards mid air. He summoned a gust to circle behind, but Varell intercepted it, disrupting the flow and countering with a hydro blast that cracked Wade's defenses.
Wade's boots skidded over the stone.
He gritted his teeth.
[Enemy: Varell Dren – Dual Mage. Style: Flow Disruption]
[Strategy: Elemental hold is required]
Wade's body flared with heat.
Wind circled faster. He lashed out with a rising arc of flame—only for Varell to weave through it like silk, binding Wade's left leg with enchanted frost.
"Yield," Varell said calmly.
Wade's palm hit the ground.
And something clicked.
The stone trembled.
Then cracked.
From deep inside Wade's chest, something surged—slow and heavy like magma, rising behind his heart. His other hand slammed the floor—and a wall of earth rose around him like a fortress, shattering the frost, slamming Varell back.
The arena gasped.
Wade pushed forward, rage and fire and now stone wrapping around his limbs like armor.
Varell tried to fly—wind circle rising under his feet—
Too slow.
Wade clenched both fists. The earth beneath Varell twisted—then grabbed.
Pillars surged upward, locking his legs in place midair.
Wade exhaled fire into both hands.
"Don't hold this against me."
He launched forward, both palms colliding against the shield Varell barely raised.
The shield exploded.
Varell was thrown back across the arena, skidding, wind knocked from his lungs.
Silence.
Then—cheers. Scattered at first. Then rising.
From the upper seats, the Observers stood. Slowly. None applauded.
But they said nothing.
A clear, solemn voice rang out from the west stair.
"I would speak with the victor."
All heads turned.
Descending the stairs was a tall woman in green and gold robes, her hair dark and coiled like woven vines. She bore two rings on her fingers, each glowing faintly—earth and water.
Professor Maelin. Renowned. Respected. Feared.
And the strongest dual mage on the continent.
She stepped to the center of the arena and looked Wade over.
"You have promise kid," she said. "You're raw, unstable, and foolishly brave. But you have what very few do. I will take you in as my student. But it'll be on my terms. Not theirs."
Wade blinked.
The Observers remained silent.
From the stands, Kaela watched—arms crossed. Her face unreadable.
But when Maelin turned and walked away, Kaela followed.
A quiet word passed between them.
Then Kaela gave Wade a single nod.
Approval.
Conditional. But real.
[New Affinity Unlocked: Earth]
[Instructor Maelin Assigned – Provisional Mentor]
[Political Intervention: Council Block Lifted – Observation Only]
[Princess Affinity +1 – "Protective"]
[Princess Affinity +1 – "Interest"]
Wade stood in the center of the arena, heart pounding, brand glowing faintly.
Three elements.
According to everyone else.
And counting.
The aftermath of the duel wasn't loud.
It was quieter than he expected—more stares than words, more distance than congratulations.
The students didn't swarm him. They watched him.
From doorways. From shadows. From behind whispered rumors as they pretended to read spellwork diagrams or drink mana root tea in the lounge.
A few offered stiff nods.
Most simply stepped aside when he passed.
It was respect. And fear.
He didn't like either.
Even Rae, when she found him outside the forge yard, blinked at him like she didn't recognize him for a moment.
"You can use earth magic?" she said, voice flat with disbelief. "I don't believe it."
She touched his arm where the fire scorch met stone residue still clinging to his skin. "You keep doing things normal people aren't supposed to do. You know that, right?"
"Yeah."
"But then again, until today you had dual affinity so that's not normal."
Rae shook her head and gave him half a grin. "You're lucky I like weirdos."
But even that felt different now—less playful, more guarded. Like she was trying to remind herself that he was still the same person.
He wasn't sure he was.
Later, as he walked past the entrance of the east wing dormitories, a voice stopped him.
"Three elements. No noble crest. Commoner blood."
He turned.
Lucien.
The red haired noble stood beneath the ivy archway with arms folded, his uniform crisp, not a speck of ash on him.
He wasn't sneering this time.
He was curious.
"Tell me," Lucien said, "when you break the rules of what's possible, does it feel like you're about to burn from the inside out?"
Wade raised a brow. "Sometimes."
Lucien smiled slightly. "Then we're not so different."
And with that, he walked off—offering no insult, no challenge.
Just acknowledgment.
Wade stood there, unsure what to make of it.
The world around him was changing. He could feel it in the silence that followed him.
And for the first time since awakening the system—
He felt like he was being drawn toward something.