The air in that hallway was cooler.The stone walls followed the same pattern as the rest of the building, but to Vex, they felt darker. Quieter.
He walked beside Aric, heading toward the registration wing.He still couldn't grasp what had just happened—or why that man, the stranger in black, had said he passed the trial.Why no one questioned it.Why no one bothered to explain it to him.
— "Come on, kid," Aric said without looking back. "Time for your student ID. Before someone changes their mind."
Vex didn't answer. He just walked. The sound of his footsteps felt more real than his thoughts.
— "So… how'd the test go?" Aric asked after a few seconds.
Vex opened his mouth, hesitated, then looked down.
— "I'm not sure… I didn't see anything. I heard something. But nothing showed up. It was like… like there's nothing inside me."
Aric didn't respond right away.He kept walking, though his expression seemed to soften a little.
— "Well," he said at last.
Their path led them through a corridor flanked by slender trees growing through open stone walls. The light filtering through the leaves had a bluish hue.
Then, turning a corner, a figure appeared.
Elegant. Steady stride. Dark uniform.Black hair tied into a flawless braid. At her hip, a curved sword hung from her belt.
It wasn't decorative.It was a part of her.
Her eyes lifted when she saw them. She didn't look at Vex.Only at Aric.
— "Professor," she said with a firm, expressionless voice.
— "If it isn't Saria Tomyr," Aric replied, stopping. "Heading to training?"
— "As always."
Saria.The name lodged itself in Vex's mind without effort.
He looked at her—too long, maybe.Her face was flawless in a way that didn't seem human. Like it had been carved with patience and fire.
"Jeremy would've fainted on the spot. He'd have followed her across the entire campus."
— "Will you be teaching the special course again?" she asked, still serious.
— "When I find the time. I promise."
Then Aric turned toward Vex.
— "By the way, this is Vex Lugulband. New student."
Vex swallowed, stepped forward, and gave a small nod.
— "Nice to meet you. Vex Lugulband."
Saria barely turned her head.She looked at him as if observing something out of place.
— "Lugul… what?"
— "…band," he murmured.
— "I'm not here to make friends with randoms," she said flatly, then walked off without waiting for a reply.
Vex said nothing. Just clenched his teeth.Aric didn't comment either.But out of the corner of his eye, he wore that half-smile that never quite meant what it seemed.
They walked a few more minutes, crossing a wide path of white stone bordered by violet-leafed trees.Then, through a garden, they reached the central pavilion.
A circular building with floating domes, slowly rotating, like it was breathing.The outer walls were covered in living inscriptions—carvings that moved like liquid ink.
Inside, the air was colder.White light, muffled sound. Everything made of crystal and polished stone.
A woman in a light gray robe greeted them.
— "New enrollment?" she asked softly.
— "Yes. Vex Lugulband," Aric replied without ceremony.
She observed Vex for a moment, neutral, then motioned toward a circular platform surrounded by six columns.Each column bore a floating symbol, shifting colors like breathing:Aether, Caelum, Ignis, Aegis, Umbra… and far in the back, faint and dull: Terna.
— "Place your palm on the console. Face forward. Do not speak," she instructed.
Vex complied.
He felt a slight pulse under his skin—as if something was measuring his soul.A blue light climbed his arm, crossed his neck, and dissolved into the air.
The columns vibrated slightly… until only one lit up.
The lowest one.Terna.
— "Result: Base level 0. Current ranking: 296 out of 300.Stable frequency. No anomalies."— "Temporarily assigned to Class Terna."
She noted it down without emotion, as if announcing someone had been born on a Tuesday.
Vex stared at the glowing column.He said nothing.Just thought… well, at least they hadn't kicked him out.
— "Problem?" the registrar asked when she saw him standing still.
— "No," he replied.
— "Good. Proceed to receive your identification bracelet."
She brought over a small black case.Inside was a dark metal bracelet, engraved with a single symbol—the dim emblem of Terna.
— "From now on, this bracelet represents your existence within Olympo Academy.Classes, access, permissions. Do not lose it.Your presence in this institution… depends on this piece of metal."
Vex took it in silence.
Aric stood beside him, arms crossed.
— "Don't worry, kid. The bracelet doesn't say who you'll become.It only reminds you where you started."
Vex didn't respond.But in his mind… the word etched itself.
Terna.
The registrar returned to her glowing panel, voice still flat:
— "Dormitory Three, Wing T. Shared room. Third floor of the Terna Block."
Vex nodded. He didn't ask anything.
— "Your belongings will be delivered through the internal channel.If there's a delay… not my problem."
She handed him a rolled-up scroll with the dorm number.
— "Report before curfew. Doors close automatically."
Aric, who hadn't said much since the ID test, finally stretched a little and stepped closer.
— "I've got other matters to attend to, so from here, you're on your own, kid.Walk straight, follow the buzz of despair, and you'll find Terna without getting lost."
Vex wasn't sure if that was a joke—but it made him smile faintly.
— "Will I see you again?"
— "Sooner than you think."
And with that, Aric turned and disappeared down one of the side halls, hands in his pockets, cloak swaying behind him.