Returning to the Director and the Dean of the Magic Wing, Ama`Lein silently handed the completed form to Suga Tin.
The Director accepted the document and quickly scanned its contents.
"So, Trey arrived from the Jorial Empire," he said thoughtfully, shifting his gaze from the paper to Trey himself, who was waiting for his next match. "Interesting."
He remained silent for a few seconds before frowning slightly.
"But if these are his documents, why did he have the form instead of leaving it at reception? Did he explain why?"
Ama`Lein answered without the slightest hesitation:
"According to stufon Trey, he forgot to submit the documents to reception after his arrival."
After a brief pause, he gave a slight bow.
"If he successfully completes the trials, I will personally speak with him regarding this matter."
Hearing the answer, Suga Tin studied Ama`Lein's face for several seconds, as if trying to detect even the slightest trace of deceit in his words.
But in the end, he simply nodded.
"Make sure to follow up on it."
Returning the form, the Director immediately lost interest in the matter.
Ama`Lein stored the document back inside his ring.
For now, the matter concerning Trey was temporarily closed.
The trio's attention shifted back to the events unfolding on the arenas.
From time to time, brief comments about the performances of the most promising stufons could be heard from the Director, ShegoLo, or AmaLein.
While waiting for my next match, I once again began noticing interested gazes directed at me.
After my conversation with Ama`Lein, there were only more of them.
I let out a silent mental sigh.
The more attention I attract, the more questions arise.
That was exactly what I had been trying to avoid ever since arriving at the Academy.
Shifting my gaze toward the board displaying the current matches, I suddenly froze on a familiar name.
My younger sister.
Judging by the information on the screen, she had already won two matches and was now waiting for her third opponent.
That wasn't surprising.
She had always been talented.
Perhaps even too talented.
When it came to magic, Heya surpassed nearly every stufon present here.
Watching her name on the board, I unwillingly drifted into memories of life at the palace.
It became increasingly obvious just how much my former life had revolved around one simple truth.
Without talent, you are nothing.
It didn't matter who you were born as.
A prince.
An aristocrat.
Or an ordinary person.
If you have no power, your value plummets rapidly.
Perhaps that was why my renunciation had gone so easily.
My thoughts were interrupted by a faint pulse.
I lowered my gaze.
My emblem had begun glowing softly.
So my opponent was already waiting for me.
Touching it, I saw a short notification:
Your next match is ready. Proceed to the arena.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed aside all unnecessary thoughts.
Now was not the time to dwell on the past.
Turning around, I headed toward my arena.
Toward my brother.
"Where is that half-blood?" I heard a familiar voice before I even got close. "Don't tell me he got so scared he decided not to show up? Pathetic coward."
As I approached the arena, I saw Nreu.
He was standing with his back to me and, judging by everything, thoroughly enjoying the attention around him.
Several girls in the stands were indeed watching him with undisguised interest, and as always, my brother was more than willing to indulge in it.
Outwardly, he looked exactly as a crown prince should.
A white shirt, perfectly tailored black trousers, and a blue mage's cloak carelessly draped off one shoulder.
In his hand was a short sword.
The moment I sensed the magic radiating from it, I almost immediately understood where the weapon had come from.
Father.
The sword was enchanted with fire.
At last, Nreu turned and noticed me.
A mocking smile appeared on his face.
"So you did come," he said, slowly looking me over from head to toe. "Honestly, I had already assumed you decided to preserve what little dignity you had left and run away."
He took a few slow steps forward.
"Kneel, admit defeat, and I'll allow you to leave the arena without further humiliation."
I merely shook my head.
Nothing had changed.
He was still the same.
Still convinced that the world was obligated to obey his desires simply because he had been born a prince.
Once, I had been just like him.
Perhaps that was exactly why it irritated me more than anything now.
There was only one difference between us.
I had already learned that a title alone was not enough to guarantee victory.
"You're either deaf or too stupid to understand who stands before you," Nreu said coldly.
A trace of irritation had crept into his voice.
"I am Prince Nreu of the Krey Empire. And I command you to kneel."
His voice rang out loudly enough to draw the attention of everyone nearby.
People began turning toward us.
Several professors cast questioning glances toward the Director and the deans, clearly expecting an order to intervene.
But no one moved.
I calmly looked at Nreu.
"You may be a prince of any empire or kingdom," I replied evenly. "But right now, you are standing on Academy grounds, where that means nothing."
The moment those words left my mouth, Nreu's face visibly darkened.
Mana rapidly began condensing around him.
"You'll regret saying that, dirtyblood," he hissed through clenched teeth.
In the next instant, he cast a spell.
Flames burst from his hand and shot directly toward me.
I was already about to dodge.
But I couldn't.
My legs felt rooted to the ground.
It wasn't fear.
The sensation was far deeper and far more unpleasant, as though my body had suddenly remembered something my mind had not yet managed to process. As if the figure standing before me was not merely another opponent, but the embodiment of everything from my past that I had so desperately tried to escape.
I watched as the flames rushed toward me, closing the distance far too quickly. Behind the wavering wall of fire, Nreu's face was barely visible—smug, utterly certain of his victory.
Was this really how everything would end?
My arrival at the Academy, meeting Ama`Lein, my new identity, all my plans for the future—everything would be destroyed in a single moment simply because I had once again found myself standing before the person who had always made me feel weaker.
Gripping the hilt of my sword, I tried to raise it.
And in that same instant, the flames engulfed me.
While discussing the results of the ongoing matches, the Director and the deans simultaneously felt a faint vibration from their Academy emblems.
Without exchanging a word, all three touched the symbols on their clothing.
A few seconds later, they received a brief report.
One of the stufons had used his lineage and title to pressure another participant.
Nothing new.
Something like this happened almost every year.
Sighing in unison, the trio shifted their gazes toward the arena.
Nreu.
And Trey.
"Unfortunate opponent for him," Suga Tin said calmly.
Following his gaze, ShegoLo and AmaLein saw Trey.
Trey stood frozen in place, as if his own body had suddenly stopped obeying him.
And Nreu's fire attack was already rushing straight toward him.
"Perhaps you are right, Director," Shego`Lo said thoughtfully. "Had his opponent been someone else, he likely would have been able to win."
The flames completely swallowed Trey's figure.
"Ordinarily, I would agree with you, Dean ShegoLo," AmaLein suddenly said. "But I believe this time, we should wait. I have a feeling stufon Trey is still capable of surprising us."
"You are weak, Prince Aluric."
The familiar voice forced me to snap my eyes open.
Before me once again stretched a familiar scene.
Night, a crackling campfire, and endless darkness surrounding us on all sides. Across the flames sat the figure of a girl. Just as before, I could neither make out her face nor even the individual details of her silhouette, as if reality itself concealed her true appearance from me.
The final moment before arriving here instantly resurfaced in my memory. The arena. Nreu's face. The flames rushing toward me. The unavoidable sensation of defeat.
"Why am I here?" I asked, shifting my gaze toward Hes.
"You are not dead," she answered calmly. "I stopped time in the arena and brought your consciousness here."
I clenched my fists.
"I lost to my brother."
"You have not lost yet," Hes replied. "The fire never touched your emblem. But without talent, you truly would have already lost."
"What talent are you talking about?" I asked irritably.
Hes let out a quiet chuckle.
"After accepting my mark, you gained unlimited affinity for magic. But you are so fixated on your former image of yourself that you never even attempted to realize it."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Close your eyes and direct your focus inward."
Her voice grew colder.
"You have little time. If I maintain frozen time for too long, the other gods will notice."
Silence lingered briefly.
"And you are not yet ready for their attention."
I closed my eyes and began searching for magic within myself.
At first, there was nothing.
But soon, a strange sensation emerged, as if something were constantly slipping just beyond my perception.
Following that feeling, I sank deeper into my consciousness.
A star-filled expanse unfolded before me.
But at its very center was an enormous black star, with six other large stars of different colors surrounding it.
Out of all of them, it was the black star that radiated the power I had been sensing from the very beginning.
Approaching it, I reached out and touched it.
At first, the star was cold.
Almost freezing.
But soon warmth began spreading through my body.
Pushing away dangerous thoughts, I forced myself to calm down. This power was neither authority nor a guarantee of victory—only a new tool that I had yet to understand and make my own.
Placing my second hand on the star, I deepened my concentration. The flow of energy intensified, and along with it came a growing understanding of the very essence of this magic.
Dark magic.
The black star began shrinking until it fit within the palm of my hand.
Bringing it to my forehead, I allowed it to dissolve into me.
Heat pierced through my entire body.
But this time, it felt different.
Power flowed naturally within me.
As if it had always been a part of me.
Opening my eyes, I looked at Hes.
"So, you managed to find the source after all," the goddess said calmly. "That is enough. Return now, and do not overdo it."
A snap of her fingers.
And the world vanished.