The Academy's orientation ceremony took place in the Grand Atrium—an ancient hall lined with floating chandeliers and rune-etched marble pillars. At its center stood a stage woven from crystal and enchanted wood, where faculty and nobles observed from elevated thrones. Students filled the chamber, grouped by background—commoners, barons, viscounts, and dukes. Yet, amid the nobles and prodigies, one name echoed in hushed tones:
Aether Zephyrion.
He had become more than just a name overnight. The mysterious prodigy who aced the entrance exam, solved all the puzzles with unnatural ease, and dueled without lifting a finger—it was too surreal for the average student to comprehend. Aether didn't walk the halls so much as glide through them, untouched by the whispers that followed his every step.
Most hadn't even seen his face. Only those who had attended the Duke's birthday could claim to have laid eyes on him. Rumors painted him as unearthly beautiful, cold as moonlight, and impossibly intelligent. Some even said he wasn't human—that he was a creation of a forgotten god.
They weren't entirely wrong.
Aether stood among the highborns, dressed in the Zephyrion family's ceremonial uniform—midnight black with silver linings, embroidered with a crescent crest over his heart. His long silver hair was neatly tied back, and his eyes, pale gold like liquefied sunlight, scanned the room with distant disinterest.
The announcement of classes began.
"In Class A," the vice headmaster declared, "for those with the highest scores in magic, intellect, and lineage: Darius Lorkin, Sypha Elvaria, and... Aether Zephyrion.
The room shifted. Dozens of heads turned toward him. Darius, leaning against a pillar nearby, narrowed his eyes. Sypha, one of the royal princesses with long violet hair and an elegant composure, gave Aether a fleeting glance—measured, curious, perhaps even intrigued.
He didn't react. Names meant nothing to him. Rankings even less.
But someone else did.
A girl among the crowd—the only one not in uniform—gasped softly as she heard his name. She stood hidden near the commoner section, her chestnut hair tied in a messy braid, her amber eyes wide with disbelief. Lira—his childhood friend. The only person who had seen Aether smile for real once… long ago.
She hadn't seen him in years.
He had vanished one day—his presence erased from every record, his existence buried in silence. And yet, here he was. Taller. Sharper. Colder.
Lira stepped forward instinctively, but the guards moved before she could speak. Aether's eyes shifted briefly in her direction—just a flicker. Recognition sparked in them, but the warmth never came. He turned away.
Not now
He had a role to play.
The villain never greets old friends in public.
As the ceremony ended, the students were dismissed to their dormitories. Class A was given private quarters in the northern wing, a palace-like complex carved into the mountainside. Aether walked through the enchanted gates, his every step calculated
He reached his suite—an expansive space with its own training grounds, private library, and spell-imbued mirror that served as a communication relay to the Academy head.
He sat by the window overlooking the distant forest.
"The Academy year has started," he muttered. "Stage one of the game begins.
Within his mind, the implanted knowledge from the Guide stirred—fragments of future events, fated encounters, and the shadow of a protagonist who had yet to appear. The Hero—blessed by fate, guided by divine will—would soon make his move. The world would bend to his favor.
But Aether... he didn't need the world to bend.
He would break it and remake it in his image
A knock came at the door. One of the instructors entered and bowed. "Lord Zephyrion, your presence is requested at the royal banquet tonight. Princess Sypha personally sent the invitation.
Aether's lips curled faintly. "So it begins."
The banquet would bring many players to the board—nobles, royals, instructors... and perhaps even the Hero himself.
And Aether Zephyrion, the silent storm hidden behind a mask, would soon make his first move in the gods' twisted game.
End of Chapter 7
Next: Chapter 8 – The Royal Banquet: Prodigies and Puppets