Morning in the capital arrived quietly.
Cain opened his eyes before the bells rang.
The room was dim, washed in pale gray light slipping through the narrow window. The city outside was only half-awake, its sounds distant and muted—wagon wheels far below, a vendor calling out somewhere in the streets, shutters opening one by one.
He lay still for a moment, breathing evenly.
Yesterday's sword test lingered in his body, not as soreness but as memory. Balance. Timing. Distance. The way the instructor's weight had shifted before committing. The silence that had followed the final exchange.
Cain sat up.
At the small table near the window, Varr was already awake.
He sat comfortably, robe loosened slightly, eating from a bowl of steaming soup. His posture was relaxed, unhurried, as if today carried no special weight at all.
"You're up," Varr said without looking over. "Good. Sit. Eat before it cools."
Cain rose, washed his face at the basin, then crossed the room. Another bowl waited for him at the table, steam rising faintly.
He sat.
They ate in silence for a time. The soup was simple—vegetables, broth, herbs—but filling. Warm enough to chase away the last of sleep.
After several spoonfuls, Varr spoke.
"Today is the affinity test," he said calmly. "As we discussed."
"Yes," Cain replied.
Varr nodded. "This one does not judge you. It removes no one. It only tells the academy how mana answers you."
Cain listened.
"Some applicants misunderstand that," Varr continued. "They think this decides worth. It does not. It decides alignment."
Cain finished his bowl and set it aside.
"That is all you need to know," Varr said. "We leave shortly."
They dressed and left the inn together.
---
The academy grounds were already active.
Applicants gathered in orderly lines, their identical deep-blue robes making them appear almost uniform from a distance. Compared to the previous day, the atmosphere was calmer. Less fear. Less desperation. Most of those present had already survived elimination.
Stone pathways led toward the central training grounds, wide and open, bordered by banners bearing the academy crest. Instructors moved through the area with practiced efficiency, organizing applicants by number.
At the center stood the affinity stone.
Tall. Transparent.
It caught the morning light without reflecting it, clear as still water.
Cain took his place in line.
Around him, applicants stood quietly. Some whispered. Some stared ahead. A few closed their eyes, breathing steadily. No one laughed. No one joked. This test did not frighten them—but it carried weight all the same.
The first applicant stepped forward.
A thin boy with tight shoulders and restless fingers.
He pressed his palm to the stone.
Blue light bloomed inside it, spreading slowly but evenly.
"Water," an instructor announced.
The boy exhaled, relief visible in his posture, and stepped aside.
The next applicant followed.
A broad-shouldered girl with cropped hair and a steady gaze. The stone answered her immediately, brown spreading thick and dense within the crystal.
"Earth."
She nodded once and moved on without comment.
Third came a nervous-looking youth who hesitated before touching the stone. When he did, green flared briefly, flickering like a breeze before settling.
"Wind."
Murmurs rippled faintly, quickly silenced.
A fourth applicant stepped up—older than most, face serious. Red light surged into the stone at once, bright and assertive.
"Fire."
No reaction followed.
Cain observed quietly.
Some affinities appeared immediately. Others took time. Some filled the stone brightly. Others barely colored it at all. Yet none of it seemed to surprise the instructors. They recorded, nodded, and waved each applicant onward.
Then the atmosphere shifted.
A familiar figure stepped forward.
Liora Valcreast.
She moved with quiet confidence, posture straight, steps measured. The subtle detailing at the hem of her robe marked noble origin, though she carried it without display.
The line stilled.
She placed her hand on the stone.
Red light appeared instantly.
Fire.
A breath later, green threaded through it.
Wind.
The two colors moved together, controlled, balanced, neither overpowering the other.
"Fire. Wind," the instructor said.
Nothing more.
Liora withdrew her hand and stepped down without hesitation. She did not glance toward the line as she returned to her place.
The test continued.
Another applicant stepped forward—a slender boy with sharp eyes. When he touched the stone, blue and green appeared together, twisting briefly before settling.
"Water. Wind."
A sixth applicant followed. His hand lingered longer against the stone before a muted brown glow appeared.
"Earth."
The process was methodical. Efficient. Unemotional.
Cain's number was called.
He stepped forward.
The stone felt cool beneath his palm.
He did not force mana into it. He did not push or guide it. He allowed it to respond on its own.
Red appeared.
Fire.
Then green.
Wind.
The colors held briefly, steady and contained, before fading.
"Fire. Wind."
Cain stepped back into line.
There was no reaction.
But a few applicants looked again.
The test moved on.
---
When it ended, applicants were dismissed in groups.
Cain exited the grounds and found Varr waiting near the outer path, hands folded into the sleeves of his robe.
"Fire and wind," Varr said mildly. "As expected."
Cain nodded.
"That concludes today," Varr continued. "The academy prefers the mind rested before tomorrow."
They turned away from the academy together.
The capital felt different in the afternoon—less imposing, less sharp. The crowds thinned as the day wore on, and the streets softened into routine. Merchants called out lazily. Carriages rolled past without urgency.
Back at the inn, Cain returned to his room and sat by the window.
From there, the academy walls were visible in the distance—stone and banners unmoving against the sky. Soon, those halls would fill. Classes would form. Paths would diverge.
But not yet.
For now, there was only waiting.
Cain closed his eyes briefly, letting the quiet settle. No tension. No anticipation. Just stillness.
Tomorrow would demand thought, judgment, and words.
Today had asked only one thing.
What are you aligned with?
Cain opened his eyes again, gaze steady.
Fire and wind.
---
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guys this is the author speaking, we are looking for artists to draw our manwah after the end of season 1 if you know, anyone please recommend them this novel or if you are one, pls join our official discord server to talk to me.
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Nikhilraj