Chapter 17 - Echoes of Phenomena

The day after the Weapon Acknowledgement Ceremony, the Academy grounds had erupted into chaos—not from violence, but from noise. Speculation, excitement, disbelief, and awe. Five phenomena in a single ceremony.

Unprecedented.

In the history of Arcadia Academy, such an event had never occurred. Not in the age of the Founders. Not even during the rise of the Three Great Civilizations.

And yet, it had happened.

The names were now etched into every whisper and hallway:

Aiden Everhart.

Selena Weiss.

Kyle Drayden.

Lilliane Fairmoore.

And finally—

Luca Valentina.

In a secluded chamber deep within the Academy, hidden beneath enchantments and sealed from prying ears, ten figures sat around a circular table. The chamber was dim, lit by magical flames hovering midair.

These were no ordinary teachers.

They were the senior-most instructors and authorities of Arcadia Academy. All had witnessed the ceremony the day before.

At the head of the table sat Vice Dean Caelan, his expression unreadable, carved in stone. The others murmured among themselves, excitement and confusion lacing every word.

"Excalibur... actually responded to Aiden Everhart," one instructor marveled. "That’s not something you see more than once every few centuries."

"And Selena’s resonance with Cryolux—just as fierce and unyielding as she is," another added.

"Kyle Drayden’s Astravolt... I knew he had potential, but to trigger a phenomenon tied to celestial conduction magic?" a fourth voice said.

"Don’t forget Fairmoore’s communion with Nature’s Grace. The forest spirits practically bent knee."

Seraphina, who had sat silently so far, finally spoke, her voice quiet but firm.

"You’re forgetting one more. The last one."

The table quieted.

"Luca Valentina."

The instructors who had conducted his interview the day before nodded.

"He was... strange. Timid, even. Certainly not the type you’d expect to be the centerpiece of a global tremor."

"Yes," Seraphina added thoughtfully. "During the interview, he seemed... closed off. Yet there was something beneath the surface. We just couldn’t tell what."

"He didn’t even display his affinity during the interview," another instructor noted. "We thought perhaps he was magically deficient."

"And now?" someone asked. "What is his affinity? Has it been confirmed?"

"No," Seraphina shook her head. "We know he’s awakened his attributes—the phenomenon makes that certain. But as for what those attributes

are

, the results are still... inconclusive."

"That’s never happened before, has it? For someone to awaken through such a massive phenomenon... and we still can’t classify the affinity?"

The others murmured again, tension rising.

"The weapons," Seraphina said. "Sabers. Not ordinary ones. One of pure dark, one of pure light. But not divine weapons. Something older. Deeper."

A beat.

"Has anyone ever seen anything like them before?" someone finally asked.

All eyes turned to the Vice Dean.

Caelan had been silent the entire time.

He should have looked pleased.

Five phenomena. Five. A golden generation, as the historians would surely call them.

Yet his face was calm.

Terrifyingly calm.

One instructor finally broke the silence. "Sir? Are you... not happy?"

Caelan closed his eyes for a moment. Then opened them slowly.

"This... is undoubtedly the Golden Generation," he said. "Five phenomena. Unprecedented talent. Instructors around the world would give anything to teach such students."

He paused.

"But everything happens for a reason."

The room grew still.

"The emergence of multiple phenomena... the weapons responding... the atmosphere reacting at a cosmic scale... these things do not occur randomly."

He exhaled, voice quiet now.

"I fear... this is not just the birth of legends."

His gaze swept the room, landing on each of them.

"But the herald of a disaster far greater than any we’ve ever faced."

Silence.

Heavy.

Unbreathing.

For the first time in centuries, even Arcadia—fortress of knowledge and power—felt small beneath the weight of what had begun.

Seraphina finally broke the silence, her voice steady but grave.

"We don’t know what’s happening or what’s going to happen. All we can do... is prepare."

One by one, the others nodded.

Seraphina turned toward the Vice Dean. "Sir, about Luca’s affinity attributes. Do we truly have no insight at all?"

Caelan was about to shake his head—when a soft glow lit the room.

His communication crystal.

He frowned. "I don’t. But perhaps... this person does."

He activated the crystal.

A shimmering projection filled the air.

A woman appeared—draped in flowing robes, her white hair cascading like snow. A delicate veil covered her face, though her beauty still radiated through the illusion.

All the instructors stood instantly.

"Greetings, Head of the Mage Tower," they said in unison.

Her voice flowed like water—melodious, serene.

"Greetings, everyone. I merely wished to inform you... that I will be visiting the Academy soon."

A wave of gasps rippled across the room. The sweat at the napes of even the most senior instructors began to form.

Caelan stepped forward. "Your Grace... is there a particular reason for your visit?"

The woman tilted her head gently.

"Time and Space."

And then the connection cut.

The chamber fell silent once more.

But now—it was a silence filled not with confusion.

But dread.

The morning sun peeked gently over the walls of Arcadia Academy, gilding its towers in amber light.

Luca wiped sweat from his brow.

His body moved instinctively—push-ups, sprints, basic blade forms—anything to push the thoughts from his mind. But they lingered. Like shadows at dawn.

Yesterday had been... overwhelming.

He couldn’t make sense of what had happened in the array. Or what came after.

The way people had looked at him—like he was something else now.

Not a student.

Not even a peer.

But a mystery.

He sighed.

Then, without thinking, his hand reached into the scabbards.

Twin sabers appeared—one pitch black, the other pure white. Their curved edges gleamed under the early sun, pulsing faintly with magic.

His fingers ran gently along the blades.

"I’ve completed every side quest in that game," he murmured. "Every optional boss. Every secret ending. And still..."

There was nothing like this.

No record.

No entry.

No twin sabers born of the cosmos.

And that figure—the veiled entity from within the array... Who was it? Why test him like that?

His head throbbed. The questions were endless.

Just as he was about to begin training with the blades—

Footsteps.

He turned.

It wasn’t Lilliane.

It was someone else entirely.

Kyle Drayden.

And beside him—

A girl.

His age—or perhaps a year older. Her hair burned like wild fire—redder, brighter, and alive, whipping behind her like flames. Her presence was uncontained. Wild. Raw. Powerful.

Aura shimmering like a blaze given form.

She wore a dark training uniform with gold linings, the Drayden family crest etched across her chest in blazing red. Her boots clicked with authority, and her stance screamed confidence.

I recognized her instantly. Kyle’s older sister. The unrivaled prodigy of the second years. A knight through and through, fierce and fearless—like a war goddess given human form. The blazing jewel of House Drayden -- Auralia Drayden.

She stopped before him.

Hands on hips.

Eyes scanning him up and down—assessing, measuring.

Then she grinned, a wild grin full of teeth and daring.

"Hey! Marry me!"

Luca blinked.

His first thought:

Did I hit my head harder than I thought?

His second:

Wait, is this some sort of Drayden tradition? Trial by flirtation?

His third:

Yep. I’ve finally gone insane.