Power doesn't come from rank. It comes from control.
That is my belief.
"Here is the entrance to Celestara High! This way, please!" Some seniors were guiding us, the first year, to the astralis output checkpoint.
"..."
Astralis output checkpoint, huh?
I opened my blindfold slightly so that astralis could leak out of my body faster, while others couldn't see my eyes. Right now, my astralis output was very high, and Celestara High must not detect it. I was born with an enormous pool of astralis because of my large astral core. Last night, Ella thought I was drained of astralis and fed me a handful of pills to replenish it. I wonder why she thought that.
"So I'm going to be studying here for the next three years…" I thought to myself, gazing above at the mystical floating campus of Celestara High.
Celestara High was a campus floating just above the island I was on, which was quite far from Aetherion.
The most prestigious school in all of Aetherion is Celestara High. The government set it up to shape nobles or prodigies into potential leaders of the future. The rates of employment and progression upon graduation are supposedly 100 per cent. The government and scholars thoroughly outlined the syllabus to give their students the brightest of futures.
Every year, Celestara High accepts only 160 students, and from those 160, four students in each class will leave the program, either by expulsion or withdrawal. That means that in three years, the five classes would remove 12 students, leaving us with 100 students, 20 in each class.
Entering this school will force you to put your life on the line. Any deaths occurring in this school are strictly forbidden unless it is a 'game' that you sign using your blood to attend. People usually use this for deathmatches or battles for titles and privileges.
Celestara's uniforms were elegant, refined, and quietly prestigious—designed to reflect both discipline and nobility.
The standard uniform began with a crisp, short-sleeved white dress shirt, neatly pressed and buttoned to the collar. Around the neck was a deep crimson tie threaded with thin gold diagonal stripes.
Over the shirt, students wore a grey knit sweater vest tailored close to the body. The vest had a clean, structured cut that gave the uniform a polished academic look. It is often paired with long grey pants that end just above the ankle for male students, and a skirt that falls to mid-thigh with a structured pleat design for female students, along with dark socks and formal shoes, creating a graceful yet practical shape suitable for academy life.
For formal occasions or colder days, such as today, students wore the academy's navy dress jacket over the uniform. The jacket was sharply tailored and double-breasted with polished gold buttons, secured with a small gold crest pin bearing the academy's gold star emblem. Fine gold piping traced the edges of the collar, lapels, cuffs, and seams, giving the uniform a regal finish. The same crimson tie and crest remained visible beneath the jacket, tying the entire design together. Most students would button up their jackets, but I preferred not to. It was only two buttons at the bottom of the jacket after all; What a hassle.
Altogether, the uniform balanced authority, elegance, and tradition—a look that made every student of Celestara instantly recognisable.
"Next in line!"
That was me.
I adjusted my blindfold and wrote my signature on the machine. The machine looked like those things we use to tap our cards with at the subway. And I wrote my signature on the black screen where we would usually tap our cards.
My heart pounded against my ribcage as I anticipated what the machine would read. My astralis output should be at least mid now. Not high, not low, but mid. I really hope the machine will only detect my astralis output in my Astral Core, and not the total capacity of astralis my core can hold.
"Mid," The machine finally spoke.
"Wheww," Stella breathed out a sigh of relief from my pocket.
"Uh, stop!" An officer grabbed my shoulder.
I froze.
What happened?
Did they detect something?
I slowly turned my head around.
"Yes? Do you need anything?" My face darkened.
"Uh…um…" He fumbled over his words.
Good.
"That…that creature…" He pointed to Stella. I raised an eyebrow. "You can't bring your familiar into the school," He finally said.
"If you really want to, you could pass it to Principal Celestine for temporary care," He continued. "Most students don't have familiars yet. sWe usually would be conducting a familiar hunt in Year 2. Wait for one more year, little man,"
I mumbled an apology and walked away before any more gazes could fall on me.
"Heard you got into trouble for bringing in Stella," Big Sis walked beside me. To all the other students, we looked like two ordinary students walking towards the school.
"Mm, I didn't know," I answered without looking at her. "How did you know? We were really soft, I made sure of that."
"Your Big Sis just knows things," Big Sis smiled, her gaze also fixated on the front. "I could help you take care of her if you really wanted me to."
"Yeah, thanks. I owe you one." Without anyone noticing, I discreetly passed Stella to Big Sis, and we both dispersed, walking far away from each other.
Big Sis originally wanted to introduce me to everyone as her 'cute little brother', but I immediately objected. I didn't want any attention yet. It's too soon. Plus, I don't need her to protect me. I have I, me, and myself, and my weapons.
I will introduce myself when the time comes.
"HEYYYY!!!! Does anyone want to fight against me?? Anyone at all????" A loud voice came from a nearby small crowd.
Like any other normal human, I made my way towards the crowd to see a girl standing on top of a guy she had just defeated.
"I'll go easy on you, don't worry!!" She grinned. The girl had long crimson hair and pale amber eyes. She wore Celestara's sweatshirt and shorts, her midriff showing and her bra strap. Hm, so she decided to style it her own way. The shorts were supposed to be worn with our usual attire for Gym Class.
But someone else had caught my eye.
Unlike all the people in the crowd who were itching to fight her, I saw this girl with long, dark hair tied up in a half-up crown braid updo. Her ice blue eyes with white flakes just took one glance at her and left. She was exactly like me. I felt my gaze lingering on her a little longer than usual. It was interesting that someone had finally caught my attention.
And like what I was going to do before I saw her, I stepped out of the crowd and walked towards the hall where the entrance ceremony was supposed to be held.
"Hey!"
"Hm?" I looked up to see her standing on the steps.
"You glanced in my direction just now, didn't you? What was that about?"
"Oh. I apologise. Like me, you didn't seem to be inclined to challenge that red-haired girl. You didn't want to get involved, did you?"
"Don't act like we're the same. We're not. I didn't challenge her because of my own beliefs,"
That makes her seem cold and distant, then. There's no way I'm like her now. She is acting like an ice queen who's completely detached from this world.
"Forget it," She threw back her hair and walked towards the school.
She looked like a proud noble who couldn't care less about others and gave that "Don't come near me" type of aura.
Was staring at her such a bad thing?
"Good morning, students and teachers. I am Kaori, your third-year senior and student president." Big Sis spoke on stage with confidence as the audience applauded and whooped. She looked more serious than she was at home. A serious version of her had completely replaced her usual warm self. "To all new students, on behalf of the faculty and staff, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of you on your admission to Celestara High. Today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in your lives, and your bright and hopeful expressions fill us with immense joy.
Today, you stand in Celestara High because of how much effort our government, your families, and our very own alumni have put in over the past century. This high school is more than just academics; it's also about the memories you've made with your friends. Together, you'll help write history with Celestara. As you begin your high school journey, I sincerely encourage you to remember every tear, laugh, and dream you've had in this school.
The mission guides Celestara High to 'Create a better world to live in'. To fulfil this mission, we must strive together, helping one another out, not just academically, but also helping each other to be our better selves.
A wise man once told me, 'Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.' This emphasises that providing someone with a direct, immediate solution only helps them temporarily, whereas teaching them a skill empowers them to be self-sufficient and independent in the long run.
High school is a…"
As Big Sis rambled on and on about the importance of something. I glanced at that ice queen sitting in front of me.
I wonder if we'll be in the same class.
Probably not. Someone as snobbish as she is probably got into Class A or Class S. Most of the people here are nobles after all, but not all of them are elite nobles. However, judging from the way she looks down at others, she probably is in Class S.
"Once again, I extend my warmest congratulations on your admission. Welcome to Celestara High!" Big Sis finally finished.
"Ding! Ding! Ding!"
The bell rang.
This means that class will start in thirty minutes.
I was seated at the corner of class 1-D, next to the window—the perfect place to observe everyone and everything at the same time. Everyone is within my range of sight, which is perfect, but…
"Screech!"
The girl that I had ticked off earlier sat next to me.
Same class?
She's dumb and yet is so cold?
Sigh, it would really be great if I could just make friends now, but…
I glanced around the classroom.
Mr Baldie and friends were already talking, and Ms Popular was also talking to…and Mr Popular too…
Which just leaves me with Ice Queen.
"What an unpleasant coincidence," She noted.
I really need intel here, so even if I'm not the social type, I must muster up the courage.
"Nice to meet you, I'm—" I turned to her, only to be met with her cold gaze.
"Already introducing yourself?" She asked coldly.
"We're going to be sitting next to each other for an entire year. Won't it be weird if we didn't know each other's names?" I countered.
"I disagree. It's perfectly fine not to know each other's names now. I will get to know yours eventually, anyway." She objected, not even looking at me. "If you're lonely, look for someone else to be friends with."
"You're lonely too."
"I don't need friends," She finally looked up from taking out her stationery from her bag and retorted, "I'm not as desperate as you are."
Step step step.
"Knock! Knock!"
"Yo!" A tall man with long white hair tied up into a low ponytail. His crimson eyes gleamed as he scanned the class. "Is this class 1-D?"
"Yes, is there anything you need here?" Mr Popular asked.
"Hm…" He scratched his chin.
"Brother…" I turned to see Ice Queen mumbling something under her breath. "Brother? He must be looking for me."
Brother?
She stood up from her seat almost immediately; however, Jasper had other plans. "Ace! Are you here?"
"Yes." I stood up from my seat and walked towards Jasper as Ice Queen sat back down, visibly disappointed. "What do you want?" I looked up slightly to meet his eyes, although he couldn't see mine. Jasper was only a few centimetres taller than me. He'd better be, or I'll look like the senior.
"Come with me for a little bit. Kaori wants to see you." He smiled gently, like the great 'older brother' he was to me.
"Ok."
He turned around and led me down the corridor.
I could still hear the murmurs from my class.
"A senior??"
"What's a senior doing here?"
"What's their relationship?
"Are they siblings?"
"Sigh," I sighed. "What a hassle…"
"This way," Jasper led me up four flights of stairs before finally reaching the third level. He then turned round a corner and walked down another corridor.
"Jasper, I didn't know you had a sister."
"Oh, she's nothing worth mentioning," He grinned. But I could tell that it was forced.
"You didn't even acknowledge her just now. You should go meet her."
"That's——"
"You two don't even look alike." I cut him off. "What is going on?" I faced him.
"Well, I just resemble Father, and she resembles—"
"Even if that was so, Lady Frostworth came from a prestigious background, known for their strong water genetics. Your father, who I heard was forced into this marriage when his house went bankrupt, shouldn't have such strong genetics. Strong enough to have no water affinity at all.
So, I'll ask you one last time.
What is going on?"
Jasper froze.
"Hah…hahahahaha!" Jasper threw back his head and laughed. "Expected of you, Ace. As observant as always," He clapped. "But what if," Jasper paused. "We have two separate fathers?" The atmosphere grew tense as Jasper's smile slowly faded away.
DOOOOOOOM!
What?
Why didn't I realise this earlier?
I've heard rumours that Jasper's father had actually loved Lady Frostworth for a long time, so this marriage was to his advantage. But Lady Frostworth had probably loved someone else then, a commoner, maybe? This results in Ice Queen completely taking over her mother's genetics. However, as for Jasper's father…maybe his noble genetics were still stronger than Lady Frostworth's at that time.
Ugh, there's no point in overthinking about it.
This isn't even my problem. Why am I so——
"We're here," Jasper opened the two huge wooden doors in front of me.
The sight that greeted me was…overworked workers slouching on couches?
About five people were just sleeping on the couch. Another two playful ones were fighting with cardboard swords on top of the sofa. One, with dark eye bags, crouched in a corner of the room. Then, another four were busy signing documents, with a mountain of papers in front of them. Then, in the centre of the room, Big Sis sat in her chair comfortably, smirking at me.
"Excuse me," I walked towards her, glancing at everyone. "Kaori-senpai, what is it that you wanted from me?"
I glanced at the girl in the corner. She looked strangely familiar.
"Everyone, can you leave us for a minute or two?" Kaori smiled dangerously.
"Yes!" They immediately scurried out of the room.
"So, why did you call me, Big Sis?"
"There's a small favour I need to ask of you," She said slowly. "It's a bit troublesome, my cousin, or should I say, our cousin, Oliver, is in your class. And knowing what a pervert he is, he will definitely try to pull off something today. That mischievous brat needs to be…" Big Sis filed her nails. "Eliminated." She finished. "You do understand, right?"
"Yes. Are there any other details you have for me?"
"That's for you to find out," I raised an eyebrow. "It wouldn't be fun if you expelled him so fast, will it?" She smirked.
"..."
"Anyway," She continued, filing her nails. "Try to find him today, before you are dismissed from class. If you can't find him by the time the school bell rings," She stopped filing and looked up at me. Her eyes were serious, dead serious. "It will be too late."
"I understand." I turned around and walked towards those two large doors.
"One last thing," I whipped my head around. "Stay safe." Her eyes were full of concern.
And before I left the room, I could still hear her mutter, "This environment is not fit for children like you…"
What does that mean?
When I finally returned to my seat, I sensed Ice Queen's gaze lingering on me.
Was she angry?
Was she annoyed?
I forced myself to meet her gaze.
"You know my brother?" She asked.
"Yes."
"As my brother's friend, the least I could do is introduce myself," She sighed helplessly. "I am Crystal Frostworth, and you are?"
"Alistair Nightfall."
"Nightfall…." She muttered, deep in thought. "Kaori's little brother, no?" She whispered.
This girl already knows everything just by thinking more deeply. Few juniors know her surname. Building a strong relationship with her will definitely benefit me. But…she doesn't seem fit for the role of a pawn. My queen…she could be my queen. My most powerful weapon.
"Yes."
"Everyone! Since the teacher is late, why don't we start introducing ourselves first!" Mr Popular stood up. "I am Liam Stoneward, and I love playing sports!!" So Mr Popular has a name. Ugh, what a drag. To remember people by their names, not their personalities.
"I'll go next!" Ms Popular stood up from her seat and exclaimed. "I am Annabelle Emberhart, and my goal for this year is to be friends with everyone!" Ugh, another name to remember.
Next, the crimson-haired girl from earlier stood up and introduced herself, "I am Reine Callas, and I love fighting in mock battles, so anytime you guys are free, you can challenge me!" I see. Sir Callas's daughter, Reine, is Kael Callas's younger sister. I would see fit that she be my bishop temporarily. After she has served her purpose, she will be my pawn.
"How about…you?" Liam pointed at me.
"Me?"
"Yes!" He smiled warmly.
"Oh," I stood up slowly. "I am Alistair Nightfall. Uh, and I wish to have a peaceful high school life." I then sat back down.
There was a subtle pause before they clapped for me.
"Quite an introduction that was," Crystal commented.
"You don't feel a need to make friends, and like you, I don't feel the need to reveal my entire life story to others."
"Ahem! Students, please return to your seats." A teacher walked into our class. "Good morning, students. My name is Seraphine Ashborne. You may call me Ms Seraphine. I will be your homeroom teacher for the next three years, so I hope to get to know all of you soon. It is a pleasure to meet all of you. Later, the entrance ceremony will take place in the auditorium, but for now, I will hand out these student handbooks and student IDs (phones) and brief you on what this school is like."
As I scanned the student handbook, I caught Crystal's eye. She was already flipping to the section on expulsion rules. 'Fail one subject, and you're out,' I thought, glancing at the nervous girl in the front row. No wonder everyone looked tense—one mistake and you could be gone. I wondered how many would survive until graduation.
"Celestara High operates on a three-year system. Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3. Each year contains exactly five classes. Class S is for direct school admission (DSA) students who are elite and noble. Most of them are very, very smart, or they would not be accepted. Class A is for the smart students who are elite academic performers and have the fewest flaws. Classes B and C are for people with average flaws. However, you, Class D," Her gaze swept over us. "Have the most flaws." Gasps erupted throughout the classroom. "Here in Celestara, you must learn to fix your own flaws to support the class fully."
"Of course, only Class S students receive priority to academic resources and are most likely to be chosen to be part of the Student Council. But students from Classes A to D will have to fight for those few positions.
There are three official major examinations per year.
First, the Genesis Evaluation, your very first exam of the year. It is held in July. Its purpose is to test foundational knowledge and establish early class stability. The Genesis Evaluation covers your core ten subjects: Astralis theory, elemental application, combat fundamentals, tactical reasoning, applied mathematics and logic, arcane language and runes, ethnics, law and governance, physical conditioning, history, and lingua astralis. It is usually written and practical.
Second, the Mid-Year Convergence Exam is held in December. Its purpose is to test your growth, teamwork and adaptability, covering complex theories, tactical problem-solving, and group-based evaluations.
Thirdly, the Final Ascension Exam will be held in late February. And for the purpose and what it covers, it's a secret," She placed a finger to her lips. I have a bad feeling about this one. "I can only tell you that this exam has the most at stake.
Lastly, we have Special Tests. It can happen anytime, anywhere. But oftentimes, Special Tests are weighted more heavily than official exams because of their huge bonus rewards.
Next, I will discuss our point system. If you look at your phone right now, you would see that 1,000,000 CMP has already been deposited. CMP stands for Celestial Merit Points. Your personal points are free to spend on anything. 1,000,000 CMP is worth about 1 platinum coin," She paused.
"Wow!!!" Excited screams echoed throughout the class.
"They're being so generous!!!"
"Surprised by the amount? CMP is distributed based on your worth here. Since you all have been accepted here, your worth is pretty high.
CMPs are deposited at the start of every month. After they are deposited, you are free to spend them as you like. These points cannot be exchanged for coins, so saving would be useless. If you do not wish to use them, you may transfer them to another student." She continued.
"CMP could be used to purchase private training room access cards or premium artefact access cards.
You are not allowed to leave the school except for one week during the summer holidays and official leave from the principal, so, of course, we have all the facilities you can imagine. Students must sleep in dorms on the school premises, and contacting anyone outside the school is strictly forbidden. If found, you will be expelled."
Gasps erupted.
"Then, let's talk about Class Ascension Points (CAP). CAP determines each class's rank, and the entire class shares CAP. Each of your scores for every exam will be added together to equal our CAP. For example, if Student A scores 40, and Student B scores 96, our CAP will be 136. CAP can also be earned from successful special tasks, crisis handling, or student council approval. However, CAP can also be lost due to failing special tests, internal conflict, rule violations, or student council disapproval.
Class promotion or demotion is determined after each exam or test. If a class's total CAP exceeds the CAP of the class above it, that class is immediately promoted, and the other demoted. For instance, if Class C CAP is more than Class B CAP, C becomes B, and B becomes C. The same logic applies to every class. Entire classes move together.
There is only one way to move to any other class of your choice within their current year alone. If a student has at least 50,000,000 CMP, they may exchange those points to request a Class Transfer. The student would join their new class immediately and gain that class's schedule and privileges."
"That's 50 platinum coins!!" Students exclaimed.
"I could buy a state with that!!"
"There are three absolute expulsion rules." The students went quiet. "Number one, Academic Failure. Failing even ONE subject would result in your immediate expulsion. Your expulsion will further reduce our CAPs. Number two, if your CMP falls to 150 or below, you are immediately expelled."
I glanced at the students.
One particular student was shuffling in her seat.
Hm…
"Number three, Council Verdict. The Student Council may expel a student during or after a Special Test. The reasons are never disclosed publicly unless wanted."
Expressions of horror appeared on most students' faces, except for Crystal and me.
"We have four houses: House of Ignivar, House of Aqualis, House of Stoneward, and House of Solcrest. The surnames of the four founding fathers of this school. House of Ignivar represents power and ambition, House Aqualis represents intelligence and creativity, House Zephyria represents flexibility and independence, and House Solcrest represents honour and leadership."
"Students will be assigned to one of the four Houses based on their personality and character. Houses persist across all three years. Houses compete for house points and social influence, but they do not directly affect class rankings. These houses exist to create cross-class alliances."
"Wow, Liam would probably get into the best one!!"
"I want to get into Solcrest with him!!!"
The girls in our class squealed.
"House points can be earned through inter-house sports games, tactical competitions, mission success rates, and student council commendations. The rewards for winning the inter-house sports games are CMP bonuses to every student in the house, training facility discounts, and artefact access priority."
Three more minutes till the school bell rings, and I still haven't found my 'cousin'.
What should I do?
"If no one has questions, you are dismissed. Be sure to be back by six for the entrance ceremony at the auditorium. Girls, you may stand up and head to the dorms to wash up and settle in." Ms Seraphine instructed them.
All of the girls stood up.
I raised my hand. "Ms Seraphine,"
"Yes, Alistair?"
"What happens to a man who trespasses into a girls' dormitory without consent?"