The airship cut through the clouds like a silver blade, its silent propulsion magic humming softly beneath the deck. Dean leaned against the railing, wind tugging at his hoodie, twin moons casting a pale glow over the massive landscape of Aevaria below. He hadn''t spoken much since they left the Summoning Platform.


    Kaela stood a few paces away, still occasionally glancing at him, like she wasn’t sure if they were allies, strangers, or something in between. Dean didn’t mind. It was better this way—for now.


    Eventually, the floating spires of Arcanum Academy came into view.


    Set atop a massive plateau that hovered in mid-air, the academy looked like it had been carved out of a single piece of crystal and stone. Towers spiraled like helixes, runes danced in the air, and walkways floated between buildings. Everything shimmered with ambient mana. It was both beautiful and intimidating.


    When the airship docked, a stern woman in deep purple robes met them at the landing pad. She had silver hair, dark skin, and a gaze sharp enough to cut through stone.


    “I am Instructor Valeen. You are initiates. You do not yet belong here. But you may earn your place.” Her voice was clipped, her words efficient. “Follow me. Do not wander. Do not fall behind.”


    Dean fell into step with the others, blending into the pack as they walked through the stone arches and into the academy grounds.


    <hr>


    After a whirlwind tour of dorms, mess halls, courtyards, and dueling fields—each more awe-inspiring than the last—they were finally brought into a wide, circular chamber with seats arranged in rings, like an amphitheater. Floating crystals hovered in the air, glowing gently.


    “Here,” Valeen said, gesturing, “you will finalize your initial Class selections for your Elemental Paths.”


    A new window opened in Dean’s vision:


    <hr>


    Elemental Class Selection – Confirm Active Elements


    Active Elements: Ice, Shadow


    Suggested Classes:


    ? Sorcerer – Long-range elemental caster with high mana growth.


    ? Shadeblade – Hybrid close-range assassin with stealth-based shadow affinity.


    ? Cryo-Warden – Defensive controller using ice for barriers, traps, and zone control.


    Note: Full Class path will remain hidden to others. Elementalist retained.


    <hr>


    Dean stared at the options. He didn’t want anything that would draw attention early on. Sorcerer felt the most... basic. The least suspicious.


    Safe.


    He tapped the selection:


    Class Chosen: Sorcerer


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    Class Display: Ice & Shadow Sorcerer


    The window blinked away, and with it, the moment of tension passed. Around him, the others were murmuring, checking their own windows, a mix of disappointment, excitement, and confusion on their faces.


    Thankfully, the universal window reveal was over. Everyone’s system was now private.


    Dean exhaled slowly. No one else would see what he truly was unless he told them.


    Good.


    <hr>


    They were finally shown to their quarters—shared dorms split by element type. Dean’s room was in the Twilight Vault, meant for users with darker or colder elements: Shadow, Ice, and occasionally Wind.


    His room was small but clean—stone walls, a crystal lamp, and a bed with a view that overlooked the misty cliffside below. Not bad for another world.


    As soon as the door closed, he sat on the bed and whispered:


    “Status window.”


    It appeared instantly.


    <hr>


    Name: Dean Everett


    Level: 1


    Race: Human


    Class: Sorcerer (Elementalist)


    Elements: Ice, Shadow


    Title: The Elemental Nexus


    Skills:


    ? Mana Conduit (Passive): Greatly increases mana regeneration and elemental control.


    ? Elemental Weave (Active): Temporarily fuses two elements into a unique spell.


    ? Frost Shard (Active): Launch a spear of sharpened ice. Scales with Intelligence.


    ? Shadowstep (Active): Instantly teleport to a nearby shadow within 10 meters.


    ? Mystic Insight (Passive): Reveals hidden affinities and mana signatures.


    ? ??? (Locked)


    <hr>


    He stared at the title again.


    Title: The Elemental Nexus


    Effect: Grants compatibility with all elemental types. Reduces mana cost of multi-element casting by 50%. Enhances growth rate of elemental skills by 30%.


    That was... insane. Totally broken.


    He remembered Valeen saying none possessed all elements.


    So why him?


    “Why me?” he muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I was just some guy.”


    A gamer. A college kid. Average.


    But now?


    Now he was something more. And something very dangerous, if the wrong people found out.


    <hr>


    Later that evening, they were summoned again—this time to the dining hall. It was massive, with long tables, enchanted chandeliers, and floating trays that drifted between students offering fruit, meat, and strange glowing drinks.


    Dean sat near the end of one of the Shadow-affinity tables, eating something that tasted vaguely like roasted chicken and lavender.


    “Mind if I sit here?”


    He looked up. Kaela again.


    He shrugged. “Go ahead.”


    She sat across from him and stabbed a piece of some glowing root vegetable. “You seem like someone who’s used to being alone.”


    Dean raised an eyebrow. “I don’t talk much. Doesn’t mean I want to be a loner.”


    “Huh.” She studied him. “You don’t seem surprised by any of this.”


    “Oh, I’m plenty surprised,” he replied dryly. “I just process by shutting up.”


    She laughed softly. “Fair. I got Nature and Fire. Weird combo, right?”


    He tilted his head. “Actually sounds kind of cool. Vine-whips on fire?”


    “Exactly!” she grinned. “They stuck me in the Ember Bloom wing. Sounds like a tea shop.”


    Dean gave a small smile. Maybe having one person to talk to wouldn’t be so bad.


    <hr>


    That night, back in his room, Dean practiced.


    He whispered the incantation and pointed at the empty air:


    “Frost Shard.”


    A long, glimmering spike of ice formed in the air and shot into the wall, cracking the stone.


    He winced. Too strong.


    He waited for the mana pulse to settle, then tried again:


    “Shadowstep.”


    He felt his body dissolve into mist for a heartbeat, then reform in the far corner of the room. His head spun a little, but it worked.


    He grinned.


    He could do this. Maybe not all at once. Maybe not loudly.


    But he’d figure it out.


    Dean Everett might not have asked to be summoned to Aevaria. But now that he was here, he wasn’t just going to survive.


    He was going to learn everything.