Elena stared blankly at her palm, her mind a whirlwind of confusion. She didn't know what had just happened, but the fire that had been buried deep inside her chest for years—suddenly, it had ignited.
She lifted her head, eyes locking on the distant horizon where the ocean met the sky. In that very moment, a shooting star streaked across the heavens, its glowing tail slicing the darkness like a silent promise. From afar, the low blare of a horn echoed from Greyharbor's clocktower—it was the summons for the Starflame Academy Trials.
The Trials would be held in three days.
Across the entire continent of Eryssia, young hopefuls would gather, all vying for a single prize: the right to enter Starflame Academy. It was a ruthless arena—filled with savage beasts, deadly traps, and rivals who would kill to win. Elena knew the entry fee was ten silver coins—a fortune to someone like her. She had saved for three years and only scraped together seven. Three short. But the strange phenomenon tonight… for the first time, it felt like fate might actually be on her side.
She clutched the pendant around her neck. Her emerald eyes shimmered with a light they had never known before.
"Lilith. Starflame Academy. Just wait."
⸻
The Next Morning – Greyharbor Market
The morning sun pierced through the thinning mist as the market came to life with noise and bustle. Fishmongers shouted their prices, fishermen wheeled carts piled with fresh catch, and the salty tang of the sea hung thick in the air. Elena moved swiftly through the crowd, her worn linen clothes clinging to her thin frame. Her shoes had long since fallen apart, her toes peeking through the frayed fabric.
She kept her head low, dodging the judgmental glares of the townsfolk. She needed money. Three more silver coins. Her last hope to enter the Trials.
She searched desperately for any kind of work—hauling baskets of fish, scrubbing decks, even shining strangers' boots. If it paid a single copper coin, she'd take it.
Stopping in front of a fish stall, she asked softly, "Do you need help? I can carry cargo—for just one copper."
The stall owner, a grizzled man with a patchy beard, eyed her with doubt and snorted.
"You? Carry fish crates? Don't tip them over, girl." He tossed her a heavy burlap sack. "Take this to the docks. Five copper."
Elena bit her lip. It wasn't enough, not nearly. But she nodded, rolled up her sleeves, and heaved the sack over her shoulder. The stink of dried fish hit her instantly, thick and sour. Her hands grew slick with the juices that seeped through the bag. Around her, dockworkers snickered.
"Look at her go. Trying to claw her way into Starflame with those peasant hands?"
She ignored them. Head down. Keep going. Sweat mingled with the sea breeze as she dragged the sack step by step, each stride a silent vow: Just three more days. Then everything changes.
By noon, the job was done. Five copper coins in hand, she wiped her brow, ready to seek the next stall—when a familiar, mocking voice cut through the crowd.
"Well, if it isn't our little 'Trial Hero.' What's the matter, Elena? Carrying fish for fame now?"
Her stomach clenched.
Lilith.
And she wasn't alone this time. Flanking her were two teenage boys in Starflame Academy uniforms—badges embroidered with burning stars glinting proudly on their chests.
Lilith placed her hands on her hips, smirking triumphantly.
"Let me introduce you. These fine gentlemen are upperclassmen at Starflame—Brandon and Theo. They came to watch me put a rat like you in her place."
Brandon, a boy with tousled auburn hair, sneered.
"This is the loser you mentioned? Ugh. She looks like she crawled out of a trash heap."
Theo adjusted his glasses, tone ice-cold.
"Trials aren't charity, Lilith. Nothing good ever comes out of a backwater dump like Greyharbor."
Elena clenched her fists, willing herself to stay calm. She knew Lilith's game—trying to provoke her into doing something reckless before the Trials even began.
She took a deep breath and said evenly,
"If you've got this much time to waste, Lilith, maybe go practice your magic. Wouldn't want to embarrass yourself on Trial day."
Snickers rippled through the crowd.
Lilith's face twisted with rage. "You dare mock me?!"
Blue flames sparked to life in her palm, dancing with the heat of her fury. "One more word and I'll make sure you can't stand tomorrow."
Elena didn't flinch. She stared straight into the fire.
"See you at the Trials, Lilith. Just don't come crying when you lose."
Her voice rang out like steel, calm but unyielding. For a heartbeat, the marketplace went still. Even Brandon and Theo looked mildly surprised—perhaps they hadn't expected this much fire from a "nobody."
Lilith's lips curled with fury, but before she could strike, another sound broke the tension.
A horn. Deep. Powerful. Resonating across the bay.
The crowd turned. Silence fell. From the horizon, a massive magitek airship descended slowly, the emblem of Starflame Academy blazing on its hull—a burning star encircled by ancient runes.
Figures in cloaks stood on the deck, their presence suffused with authority, as if they had stepped down from the heavens themselves.
The Trial Emissaries had arrived.
Elena's heart raced. This was it. The beginning of everything. She grasped the pendant at her chest, feeling the faint warmth that pulsed within.
No matter how hard it would be—she would not let this chance slip away.
Not Lilith, not the academy, not even fate itself could stop her now.
⸻
Nightfall – The Rocky Shoreline
Elena sat alone on the jagged rocks by the sea, moonlight scattering across the waves like shattered silver. She stared at her pendant, the strange voice from the night before echoing in her mind:
"Heir of Starflame…"
She didn't know what it meant, but she could feel it—this pendant was not ordinary. It might just be the key to her destiny.
The scenes from the day played again in her mind—Lilith's taunts, the disdain in Brandon's and Theo's eyes, the awe-inspiring arrival of the Starflame airship. She remembered what others had whispered about the Trials.
Three stages.
The Beast Forest. The Arcane Maze. The Judgment of the Masters.
Each one deadly. Each one a crucible.
And those who passed—would be reborn as elites, the chosen of the continent.
Elena's nails dug into her palm.
She had no other path.
Greyharbor had trapped her for eighteen long years. If she didn't take this chance… she might never escape.
She looked up, eyes tracing the path the meteor had carved across the sky.
"Mom," she whispered, voice nearly stolen by the wind.
"I'll show you. I'll find my own way."
From the distance, the horn sounded once more—low and somber.
The time was coming.
Elena rose to her feet. The wind tangled her hair, but she didn't flinch. Her eyes gleamed with fierce determination.
Tonight, everything changed.