The waiting room was a sterile sanctuary of silence, where Ray and Niatina stood, frozen like marble statues. Ray’s face was an unreadable mask, while Niatina’s eyes shimmered, threatening to spill over with unshed tears. Their quiet tableau was shattered by a voice, cheerful and bright.

“Brother Ray!”

Elysia’s voice bounced off the walls, filling the room as she dashed towards them. Both Ray and Niatina swiveled their heads towards the sound. As Elysia neared them, her gaze fell on Niatina and her face lit up even brighter, “Sister!!” She flung herself at Niatina, her warm greeting serving as a balm to the palpable tension.

Ray exhaled a sigh of relief, “How did your exam go, Eli?”

“It was a little hard, but I gave it everything I had!” Elysia’s voice was laced with determination. Ray commended her efforts, while Niatina remained silent, her eyes a mirror to her inner turmoil. “Sister Nino,” Elysia’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. Niatina forced a smile, her eyes meeting Elysia’s.

“What brings you here, sister?” Elysia’s eyes were wide with curiosity. Niatina took a moment, gathering her thoughts before replying, “Well, me and Mono had some matters to discuss with the principal. But she went somewhere else, so I was waiting here.” She glanced at Ray, who quickly averted his gaze when their eyes met. Niatina was about to look away when a sudden explosion shook the ground.

“What was that!?”

Ray was at the window in an instant, scanning the scene outside. Smoke was billowing from the ground, obscuring his view. Without a moment’s hesitation, he leaped out of the window.

“Brother!!”

“Ray!!”

Both Niatina and Elysia called out to him in worry, as they came to the window. When they looked outside, they saw Ray using his wind magic to hover above the ground. “Don’t worry, I’m fine! Both of you stay back,” he moved ahead as he reassured the two. “An explosion in the academy? What caused it?” Ray circled the area, searching for the source. The smoke was thick, causing him to cover his mouth. “Alright,” Ray raised his hand towards the smoke, the air around him began to stir. A gentle breeze at first, it quickly picked up speed, transforming into a miniature tornado.

“Whirlwind!”

Ray directed the whirlwind towards the smoke. It moved with incredible speed, clearing the smoke and dust. “Finally, now let’s see wha-! Huh?” As the smoke cleared, it revealed the students caught in it. And in the center, was Kai. “Kai!?” Ray’s voice echoed across the field, as Kai looked towards his direction. As Kai spotted Ray, he gave him a small, awkward smile.

A few minutes earlier, on the training ground. “Next!” The instructor called out, as Kai wheeled himself forward. The whispers started almost immediately.

“He can’t walk…”

“Why would he try to join the academy when he can’t walk?”

“Does the academy even allow for such people?”

Kai ignored the whispers, focusing on the target ahead. “Alright.” The instructor sighed, as he told Kai to cast his spell. “He seems to be a commoner, and a disabled one to that. I don’t think I will be seeing his face in the campus anyways, so no need to look at his name or so,” he thought to himself as he just observed the scene.

Stolen novel; please report.

Kai inside the circle, raised his right hand, snapping his fingers. A thin beam of light shot from the sky, hitting the target.

“Huh?” Everyone presented there were confused. “Hey, what was that?”

“Was his mana so weak that it didn’t even flinch the target?”

The whispers turned into laughter, as the instructor moved to disqualify Kai. “I knew this would happen,” he murmured to himself. But just in that moment, the dummy burst into flames. The laughter died down, replaced by stunned silence as everyone watched the burning dummy.

“What? The spell was able to penetrate the target’s defense spell?” The instructor’s eyes widened in disbelief. He turned his gaze to Kai, then to his ring. His eyes widened further when he noticed that Kai’s ring hadn’t changed its color. “It didn’t change color? What could that mean?” The instructor approached Kai, curiosity piqued.

“You did that?” he asked, to which Kai simply nodded. “What kind of magic was it?” he asked again. In response, Kai pulled out a mini notebook from his pocket and scribbled two words: “Light Magic.”

The instructor fell silent, trying to make sense of what had just happened. “Light magic…, but why didn’t the ring measure his mana? Could it be because the spell he cast was too weak to measure?” He pondered for a moment before making a decision. “Do it again,” he instructed, pointing at another target. “This time, put more power into the spell.” Kai nodded, and the instructor retreated to a safe distance. “I need to observe carefully this time.”

Everyone returned to their positions, their eyes glued to Kai. Kai sighed, lifting his right arm forward. “Once more, Eva.” To this, Eva replied, “The satellite is ready, sir.”

High above in the outer space, a small cube-shaped, high-tech object floated. It was the mini satellite that Kai had launched, positioned precisely above the target dummy. “This time, increase the power output to 10%.” He instructed, and Eva confirmed.

“Alright Eva, on the count of three!”

The side of the satellite facing the sun began to glow, while the side facing the surface started to form a small sphere of light. On the ground, Kai’s face was etched with determination.

“Let’s go a little overboard this time. Three!”

As he counted down, the sphere launched a powerful beam straight at the dummy. The impact was immediate and devastating. The dummy was obliterated in an instant, causing an explosion that enveloped the entire ground in smoke. Many students were thrown back by the force, while the teachers barely managed to stay on their feet. The smoke blanketed the entire ground, obscuring everything until Ray arrived at the scene.

The dust was still settling as Ray landed on the ground, his eyes scanning the scene. The training ground, once filled with laughter and whispers, was now a picture of chaos and confusion. Students were picking themselves up, their faces a mix of shock and awe. The teachers were trying to regain control, their voices barely audible over the ringing in everyone's ears.

Ray's gaze landed on Kai, who was sitting calmly amidst the chaos, a small smile playing on his lips. “Kai,” Ray called out, making his way towards him. “What just happened?”

Kai looked up at Ray, his face forming a smirk. He pulled out his notebook as he wrote, “I just showed them what I'm capable of.” Ray asked more questions to him, ignoring the gazes falling on them.

Meanwhile, the instructor was standing a little distance away, his eyes wide with disbelief. He looked towards Kai, then his ring which was still colorless. A flurry of questions raced through his mind, each more perplexing than the last. “What’s happening here? Why isn’t the ring measuring his mana?” He mused, his gaze narrowing with suspicion as he studied Kai.

“But this much!?” Ray asked, as Kai merely shrugged in response, his nonchalance adding fuel to their brewing argument. Their verbal spar was abruptly interrupted when the instructor stepped forward, his hand closing around Kai’s arm with a firm grip. “Huh?” Both Kai and Ray were taken aback.

“We have some questions for you,” the instructor declared, his tone leaving no room for argument. Behind him stood the other teachers, “Come with us.” “Hey!!” Ray attempted to protest, his words falling on deaf ears as the instructor remained resolute. Just as he was about to lead Kai away, a commanding voice sliced through the tension.

“Let go of him this instant!”

All eyes turned towards the source of the voice. A figure emerged from the shadows, revealing himself to the stunned onlookers. The crowd gasped; murmurs of disbelief rippled through the crowd.

“Hey… am I seeing things?”

“Isn’t that…”

The instructor’s eyes widened in recognition as he muttered, “The Archduke…” Standing tall and imposing, Hiro’s face was a mask of anger.