After Zevrin's duel, the ceremony carried on with renewed enthusiasm.
The new students climbed onto the platform one after another, hoping for a high ranking, but most fell quickly to the professors, landing in Rank B or A with grumbles and bowed heads.
However, four names stood out amid the chaos, earning the coveted Rank S.
Lyra Sennar faced Mira with a whirlwind of stardust, blinding her with flashes and tagging her with lingering lights before firing slicing projectiles that grazed the professor's tunic.
Alina ranked her S for her surgical precision and versatility, despite not winning.
Toren Vahl challenged Darius, using his gravity control to pin the professor for a moment, making him stagger under an invisible weight, then lightening himself to leap over him.
Though Darius took him down with fire, Alina classified him as Rank S.
Siora Marin baffled Lira with living reflections, creating copies of herself that danced across the platform, disorienting the professor until a precise strike shattered the illusion.
Like the two before her, she was ranked S.
Kain Draveth fought Mira, using invisible threads to snare the professor's legs, tripping her before she sliced the connections with a swift move.
Despite not winning either, Alina named him S.
The sun was high by the time the ceremony wrapped up. The students kept muttering, some casting resentful glances at the platform where Alina stowed her list.
"Seriously, they're Rank S?" a scrawny boy growled, kicking the grass.
"They lost like the rest of us and still made it up there—guess this academy's no different from the others."
"Yeah, bet the headmistress has her favourites."
Others nodded, crossing their arms.
Alina struck her staff against the stone, silencing the noise.
"Enough," she said, her cold voice cutting through the air. "Those who've finished, go with the staff to the west arch. They'll hand out your class schedules there."
Her gaze swept the crowd, lingering for a second on Rian under the tree, surrounded by the other students she'd left there.
"Except you six," she added, gesturing to Zevrin, Lyra, Toren, Siora, Kain, and Rian from afar.
The students exchanged confused looks but obeyed, shuffling towards the arch where a grey-robed man handed out papers.
"Do you reckon this academy's really that good?"
"I don't get this system…"
"How many A and B ranks are there? Almost everyone got stuck with C…"
The field emptied bit by bit, leaving only the echo of their complaints and the rustle of the breeze through the trees.
Alina walked towards the group of five, her firm steps crunching on the grass.
'Finally, she's coming…' Rian thought as his stomach growled.
Rian straightened up against the trunk, scratching his cheek as the other four approached from the platform.
Zevrin was quiet, Lyra fiddled with her handkerchief, Toren crossed his arms, Siora clutched her scarf, and Kain tilted his head.
When Alina arrived, she stopped in front of them, her staff resting at her side.
"Your control over your abilities exceeds what I've prepared for first-years," Alina declared, her voice steady. "That's why you're Rank S. We don't want you wasting time with those who can't keep up."
Siora raised a timid hand, biting her lip.
"So… what classes will we be taking?" she asked, her voice barely audible.
Alina looked at her, a cunning glint in her red eyes.
"Rank S students get certain perks at Cresthaven," she explained. "Access to restricted areas, extra permissions, advanced training. You can shape your path here."
Siora blinked, nervous, and opened her mouth again.
"But… doesn't that break one of the rules? I mean, the bit about us all being equal…" Her voice faded under Alina's steady stare.
The headmistress raised an eyebrow.
"In social status, yes, you're equal," she replied, curtly. "But in talent and power, no. Here, we reward what you prove, not what you wish to be. If you don't like it, work harder." Her tone left no room for argument, and Siora looked down, fidgeting with her scarf in silence.
Alina snapped her fingers, and a sheet of paper floated before them, glowing with a faint blue shimmer.
Black letters formed on the page, listing various subjects.
"You get the perk of crafting your own schedule starting now," Alina said, crossing her arms. "But by tonight, I want it handed in, no excuses."
She paused, scanning them with her gaze.
"Questions?"
Silence.
Lyra pursed her lips as if she wanted to say something but held back.
Toren grunted softly, nodding.
Zevrin looked like he was still stewing over something and didn't say a word.
Siora kept staring at the paper like it might bite her, and Kain smirked, twirling a strand of hair between his fingers.
Rian, for his part, scratched the back of his neck, shrugging.
"Fine. See you later," he said, turning on his heels. The staff struck the ground once more, and she walked off towards the main building. "Hope you lot get along…"
Once the headmistress was gone, the students started interacting.
"Oi, you're Rian, right?" Toren asked, sidling up to him.
Rian nodded as the girls began chatting among themselves, leaving Zevrin on his own.
"You're unreal—did you have it all planned from the start? How'd you know the professor had that weak spot?"
And as Toren started bombarding him with questions, Zevrin slipped away from the group in silence.