Vex couldn't remember the last time he'd been so quiet for so long.
The journey with Aric had been mostly silent. The portals between regions were fast—but strange. They felt like moving through dreams compressed into seconds. It took them barely two days to reach the outskirts of Olympo, the current capital of New Europe and home to the most prestigious ancestral academy in the world.
When the final portal dropped them at the floating entry station, Vex's legs trembled a little.
"Is this… the city?" he asked softly.
"Olympo," Aric replied calmly, adjusting his cloak and slipping on a pair of thin-framed glasses.
Before them rose structures of white stone, ancient gold, and floating crystal.Buildings towered like mythic trees, supported by columns of light and inverted gravity.Streets were lined with statues of ancestral figures, and in the sky, small platforms drifted like air gondolas.
"This isn't a city… it's a dream turned civilization," Vex thought.
"All of this belongs to the academy?" he asked.
"Not all. But the parts that matter… yes," Aric said, pointing toward a nearby forest."Come. There's something I want to show you before we reach the admissions hall."
They arrived at a wide open space—nature intertwined with ancient tech.A park of white stone and glowing trees, where over a hundred young people were training in the open.
One hovered in mid-air, meditating while suspended by pure energy.Another set the air ablaze in precise rings of controlled flame.Some raised heavy stone blocks with a flick of their hands.Others recited arcane formulas while reshaping floating water like strands of liquid glass.
Vex stood in awe, mouth slightly open.
"This… is magic?"
"Yes. Though here, we don't call it that," Aric said, arms crossed."This is the manifestation of the Celestia Dream. And no, not everyone can do it easily.Some awaken naturally. Others take years. Some never fully awaken."
Vex couldn't take his eyes off a girl who moved at high speed without touching the ground.
"And how do you even teach that?" he asked, still watching.
Aric smiled faintly, as if that was the question every newcomer asked.
"It's taught like language. What you're seeing is the result of years of training—and a deep connection to an ancestral legacy."
"And what if I don't have one?"
"No one is born without history.Some just have to dig deeper to find it.Or so I believe…"
Later, they reached a round white chamber decorated with stained glass depicting ancient scenes: heroes, wars, magical seals.At the center stood a massive astral clock showing the alignment of the world's two moons.
Dozens of young candidates waited silently.Some chatted in whispers.Others cast cold, calculating glances around the room.
"Well… this is a warm welcome," Vex muttered, sensing the tension.
Aric approached a man in a black uniform and handed him a sealed scroll. Then he returned to Vex.
"You'll need to take the potential test. Everyone does.But since you're the last to arrive… you're going first."
"What? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"
"Logic doesn't always work the way you think here.Those who arrived early have had time to mentally prepare.You're raw. So yes, it makes sense."
Vex scratched his head nervously."Great…"
That's when a boy with golden-black hair, bronze skin, and fire-red eyes approached from one of the benches.He wore simple clothes like Vex, but carried himself with quiet confidence.
"Your name?" he asked bluntly.
"Uh… Vex. Vex Lugulband," he replied with an awkward smile.
"I'll remember that. We'll see each other again soon," the boy said with an ambiguous grin, turning away.
"Who…?" Vex murmured, confused.
But before he could think more, a voice called out:
"Vex Lugulband! Test chamber."
Aric stepped forward one last time.
"Remember this: don't overthink it.The test… it will know who you are.Even if you don't."
Vex swallowed hard and stepped toward the great circular door.
There… the Mirror Trial was about to begin.