The main lecture hall of Arcanum Academy was a cathedral of knowledge—towering crystal windows, floating bookshelves, and a massive arcane blackboard that shimmered with active spells. It was packed to the brim. Students filled every seat. Some stood on steps just to glimpse the infamous new student.
Alan Grey.
He walked in late. No rush, no apologies. Just silence and steel.
"Mr. Grey," the voice of Professor Marneth snapped from the front. "Nice of you to join us."
Alan took the back seat. Crossed his legs.
Marneth was an old war mage—veteran of four magical wars, known for his brutal teaching methods and zero tolerance for disrespect. His golden monocle glinted. His robes shifted with spells layered so thick they looked like smoke.
"I heard you've been causing quite the stir," Marneth said, walking slowly toward the center of the hall. "Dueling top students. Disrupting evaluations. You even broke my diagnostic orb. Expensive, you know."
Alan didn't respond. He just watched. Calm. Bored.
"I thought it best to give you... a humbling experience," Marneth said. The blackboard behind him began to glow—symbols dancing across it.
"This," he gestured, "is a spell matrix. An advanced one. Seven-layered, with dual-elemental infusion. Tell me, Mr. Grey... can you solve it?"
Alan didn't move.
The class held its breath. Even Elira, seated near the front, watched carefully.
Marneth smiled. "No? Then perhaps—"
"It's wrong," Alan said.
The entire hall blinked.
Marneth narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me?"
Alan stood slowly, his voice still lazy. "Your matrix. It's flawed. Line 3, sigil of amplification overlaps with the containment seal. That causes a paradox. Cast it, and it explodes."
Marneth scoffed. "Impossible. I've taught this for twenty years."
Alan raised his hand.
And redrew the matrix midair, not with chalk, but with raw glowing mana—faster, cleaner, more stable. The symbols hung like stars. And then—
He cast it.
A floating orb of silver fire appeared, spinning quietly in the air, purring like a tamed storm.
The classroom went silent.
Marneth's hand shook. His own spell hadn't worked like that. Not even close.
"Where... where did you learn this?" he asked.
Alan walked past him. Calm. Cold.
"I didn't learn it," he said. "I invented it. A thousand years ago."
Marneth paled. "That's not possible."
"Your reality's small," Alan said, opening the door, "Don't mistake it for the world."
He left the hall. Behind him, the students erupted in whispers.
*****
Outside, Elira caught up with him.
"You're making enemies fast," she said.
"They were never friends to begin with."
She hesitated. "I saw something today. In your mana. Just for a moment. A symbol—ancient. Forbidden."
Alan stopped. Looked at her.
"If you saw that," he said, "then you're looking too deep."
"I'm a Seer," she replied. "It's what I do."
He turned to her slowly. "Then see this: The gods aren't what you think. They're liars. And soon, I'll expose every last one of them."
*****
Far across the world, inside a golden temple floating above the clouds, a goddess stirred.
"His soul burns again..." she whispered. "The Godslayer walks the world."