Morning sunlight filtered through the academy windows, casting a pale gold glow across the stone halls. Kael stood in a long line of students gathered outside the Grand Courtyard, adjusting the strap of his training gear. The energy in the air was different today. Focused. Tense. As if every breath carried the weight of what was coming.
The third and final test had arrived. From the moment he'd stepped outside, Kael noticed it—less chatter, more silence. Fewer curious glances, more narrowed eyes. The field had been cut down drastically. From tens of thousands, only a fraction remained. Seven, maybe ten thousand at most.
Today instead of the usual assembly, instructors began moving through the crowd, each holding a cluster of small, opalescent orbs. As they passed, they released the orbs into the air. Each orb floated towards a student, emitting a soft glow and displaying a single number.
A small, cool orb drifted towards Kael, hovering in front of him before settling in his palm. It pulsed with a soft blue light, displaying the number 487. Around him, he saw other students examining their own glowing orbs.
"Those with matching numbers," a voice boomed across the courtyard, amplified by magic, "proceed to the designated preparation chambers. You have two hours before the test begins."
A sense of confusion rippled through the remaining students. Kael scanned the crowd, trying to spot others with a glowing '487'. He saw a few, their expressions a mix of curiosity and apprehension.
Following the flow of those with similar numbers, he headed towards one of the many archways leading away from the courtyard. Above each archway, glowing numerals indicated the destination for specific number ranges.
The area became crowded as students with numbers in the four hundred range converged, each heading towards their assigned preparation rooms. Navigating through the throng, Kael ascended a wide staircase, the glowing orb in his hand acting as a silent guide.
He finally reached a door marked with a large, illuminated 487. As he approached, the orb in his palm pulsed one last time, flew towards the door, and vanished into its surface. With a soft click, the door swung inward, revealing not a room, but a wall of pure, blinding white light.
Hesitantly, he took a breath and stepped through.
The light enveloped him, and for a disorienting moment, he felt utterly weightless. Then, the sensation shifted, and his feet found… nothing solid.
He was standing in the air, a vast expanse of fluffy white clouds stretching in every direction.
Below him, impossibly far down, an endless forest, a sea of green, carpeted a world that seemed to curve away into infinity. The air was thin and cool, carrying the faint scent of pine and something else… something electric.
"It's you again."
A familiar, yet not quite familiar, voice came from behind him.
Kael turned, his eyes flickering in surprise.
Standing a few feet away, amidst the clouds, was the boy he had spoken to before his fight on the first day.
And, as before, a calm, almost unnerving smile graced his lips.
"It seems we're going to be teammates."
He said, his calm smile unwavering as he took in their strange surroundings.
"Yep, it seems so," Kael agreed, his gaze still sweeping across the endless expanse of clouds and the distant forest below. "Any idea what this is all about?"
Rylen shrugged, his hands casually tucked into his pockets. "Not a clue. We'll just have to wait and see, I suppose."
Before Kael could reply, a sudden flash of white light illuminated the clouds nearby, and another form materialized. It was a girl, and she looked utterly flustered.
Her eyes darted around frantically, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps. She hadn't seemed to notice them yet, her attention consumed by the sheer drop below.
'Must be scared of heights.' Kael noted.
"Hi," Kael finally said, deciding to reveal their presence when she showed no signs of spotting them.
She yelped, a high-pitched sound that echoed strangely in the open air, and spun around, her eyes wide with alarm. But when she saw they were just two other students, seemingly as bewildered as she was, a visible wave of relief washed over her. "Uhm… hello," she replied, her voice still a little shaky.
Just then, more flashes of white light began to erupt around them, and three new figures materialized in quick succession. Two of them were faces Kael didn't recognize, but the last one… his gaze landed on the familiar, stoic form of Theo.
The mage's brow was slightly furrowed as he took in the surreal environment.
This strange, ethereal gathering was their team.