The hall was already active.
Not crowded—controlled.
Circular platforms hovered at measured intervals across the vast chamber, each linked to a vertical registration pillar engraved with Astraforge's core formations. Lines did not exist. Candidates moved when summoned.
Names appeared.
Tokens were issued.
Statuses were locked.
No explanations followed.
Arav stepped forward when his platform activated.
ASHVATHAR — ENTRY VERIFIED
The name remained projected half a second longer than the others.
Several background formations recalibrated.
High above the hall, a monitoring array shifted priority focus.
Arav felt none of it.
He placed his palm against the pillar.
Energy surged briefly—testing circulation stability, physique response, authority alignment. The pressure was sharp but controlled.
Pass.
A matte-black token formed in the air and dropped into his hand.
Basic access.
No privileges.
No restrictions.
Arav stepped away.
Behind him, murmurs rippled—quiet, restrained.
"Ashvathar…"
"So young."
"No visible suppression."
They faded quickly.
The academy did not reward curiosity.
—
Another platform activated.
VAJRAKUL — ENTRY VERIFIED
Lightning snapped outward before being crushed flat by suppression fields.
Vajrin grinned.
"Still standing," he muttered.
His evaluation took longer.
Raw output.
Control variance.
Aggression markers.
Pass.
His token burned faintly at the edges.
Several candidates took note.
—
CHANDRAKUL — ENTRY VERIFIED
Saanvi stepped forward.
The pillar's light dimmed slightly as it evaluated her.
Then brightened.
Then stabilized.
No pressure spike.
No backlash.
Pass.
Her token was identical to the others.
The difference was not.
An instructor glanced at a secondary readout and frowned.
"She reinforced the seal during evaluation," he said quietly.
Another nodded. "Good. It means it's holding."
—
VELMOR — ENTRY VERIFIED
Kael leaned back slightly as the evaluation began.
Space folded.
Corrected.
Folded again.
The pillar paused.
Then accepted.
Kael caught his token midair and pocketed it, whistling softly.
"That's new," he said to no one.
—
Non-human entries followed.
NAGA VAMSHA — ENTRY VERIFIED
Heat rippled outward, then snapped inward with perfect restraint.
Zyra Vaelthrix smiled as her token formed.
Her eyes flicked briefly toward Vajrin.
He noticed.
He scowled.
—
YAKSHA–RAKSHA CLADE — ENTRY VERIFIED
Threx Emberhorn's evaluation triggered an audible strain in the pillar.
Physical metrics spiked.
Control lagged.
Pass.
Barely.
Threx laughed, stamping the stone as he moved away.
—
NIGHT-ELF OBSERVER LINEAGE — ENTRY VERIFIED
Lysara Noctyrr's evaluation returned minimal data.
Too minimal.
The pillar accepted her anyway.
Several observers marked her file manually.
—
PISHACHA BLOODLINE — CONDITIONAL ENTRY VERIFIED
Khal-Zuun did not place his hand on the pillar.
The pillar adjusted itself.
Pass.
No further data recorded.
A supervisor frowned, then closed the file.
—
Registration concluded.
The tokens in the candidates' hands pulsed once in unison.
A neutral voice filled the hall.
"Registration complete."
"Theory examination results will determine initial placement."
"Combat examination parameters will be announced immediately after."
The floor shifted.
Platforms descended.
Walls retracted.
The hall transformed—clean lines giving way to transit corridors leading deeper into the academy.
No downtime.
No orientation.
The next phase had already begun.
Arav moved with the flow, token secure in his grip.
Ahead of him, the academy opened.
And with it, the first real sorting of strength.