Night in Aevaria came slowly, like the world itself was reluctant to sleep. The skies above Arcanum Academy shimmered with constellations that shifted ever so slightly—stars alive with mana, never quite where you left them. Rivers of light traced patterns across the sky, threading between floating islands, glowing softly as they pulsed with ancient magic.
Dean sat cross-legged on his bed, a half-eaten mana fruit roll forgotten beside him. The Twilight Vault was quieter than usual. Not silent, but subdued—like everyone was holding their breath.
The rankings were coming.
He stared out the window, eyes following the drifting lights in the distance. Every student in the academy was doing the same thing—some clustered in lounges, others training under the moons just to stay distracted. No one admitted they cared.
But everyone did.
Then it happened.
A low pulse vibrated through the floor, not loud enough to hear, but deep enough to feel. The mana rivers outside flared silver, casting shimmering lines across the stone floor.
Above the center of the academy, glowing projection panes bloomed into existence, unfurling like banners of light. Dozens of them—one for each elemental affinity, each class bracket, each category.
The first-year rankings had arrived.
<hr>
Dean’s eyes locked on the closest pane. The text shimmered into view:
ICE AFFINITY – FIRST-YEAR RANKINGS
<ol>
<li>Kaelen Voss – Rank A+</li>
<li>Lira Seraine – Rank A</li>
<li>Daren Ulis – Rank A
…
13. Dean Everett – Rank A-</li>
</ol>
Dean blinked. Thirteenth?
That was... high. Higher than expected, anyway. He’d figured he might land somewhere in the twenties, especially since he’d tried not to draw too much attention.
He scrolled the listings and found the Shadow Affinity Rankings next:
SHADOW AFFINITY – FIRST-YEAR RANKINGS
<ol>
<li>Veyna Myr – Rank S-</li>
<li>Cassel Thorn – Rank A
…
19. Dean Everett – Rank A-</li>
</ol>
Top twenty in both of his publicly registered elements. Not great for staying invisible.
He leaned back, exhaling slowly. “Could’ve been worse,” he muttered.
Then another panel appeared.
Smaller, glowing in a different hue. One he hadn’t seen before.
DUAL ELEMENT BRACKET
<ol>
<li>Veyna Myr – Rank S-</li>
<li>Kalen Sera – Rank A+</li>
<li>Alix Fen – Rank A+</li>
</ol>
<ol start="4">
<li> Dean Everett – Rank A-</li>
</ol>
Dean stared at it.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
Fourth.
What was this bracket?
No one had mentioned anything about a dual-element ranking. It hadn’t come up during class, or evaluations, or even orientation.
At the bottom of the bracket, a glowing note scrolled across the display:
“Dual Element Rankings are based on combat synergy, elemental integration, mana control, and skill synthesis potential.”
He scanned the list again. A few A-ranked students had placed below him—even with better raw scores.
He’d outplaced stronger students.
<hr>
The next morning, the academy was different.
Quiet in a loud sort of way.
In the mess hall, students gave him space. They didn’t ask questions. They didn’t try to talk.
But they stared.
Even the upper-years reading the ranking boards in the courtyard took notice of the dual-element chart. Dean heard one of them mutter his name.
“Everett? Never heard of him.”
“Fourth on combo ranking? With an A-?”
“Class says Sorcerer.”
“Then how the hell did he get that close to Fen with an A-?”
Dean walked past them without slowing, his coat brushing against his legs in the breeze. He didn’t look back.
But he did change direction.
<hr>
He found Instructor Valeen on one of the stone terraces above the Stormspire overlook, watching training drills far below. Her cloak fluttered gently in the high-altitude wind, the silver trim glowing faintly with layered runes.
“Everett,” she said without turning. “You’re here to ask about the rankings.”
Dean hesitated. “Yeah.”
“Walk with me.”
They paced along the terrace edge, the academy sprawling out beneath them—wind halls, elemental districts, shimmering waterfalls of pure mana. Dean kept his gaze forward.
“My final grade was an A-,” he said. “But I placed higher than students with higher scores. Especially in the Dual Bracket.”
“That’s correct,” she said.
He waited.
She didn’t elaborate.
“So why?”
Valeen finally looked at him, her silver eyes sharp as cut steel.
“Because the system doesn’t rank only what’s visible. It analyzes intent, adaptability, and potential for advancement. Your spellwork was subtle, efficient, and demonstrated early-stage synthesis.” She paused. “Obsidian Hail, correct?”
Dean nodded slowly.
“A new spell,” she said. “Created mid-battle under pressure, using a fusion of Ice and Shadow. Your mana balance was clean. Your control was excellent. And you demonstrated restraint.”
He blinked. “Restraint?”
“You didn’t try to win by force. You didn’t overuse your mana. You avoided unnecessary damage while still adapting to your opponent’s aggression. That is not common in first-years.”
Dean let that settle.
“So... the ranking is based on how I fought, not just how strong the spells were?”
“Partially,” Valeen said. “But also on what you might become. The system is predictive. And the faculty take notice of outliers.”
That last part landed harder than he liked.
“I wasn’t trying to be an outlier,” he said.
Valeen’s lips curled slightly.
“Too late.”
<hr>
Dean left the terrace with more questions than he’d started with.
He didn’t want a spotlight.
But now he knew—whether he liked it or not—the system had flagged him. Not for fame. Not for flash.
For potential.
Back in the Twilight Vault, the atmosphere was hushed. He passed by groups of students who stopped mid-conversation as he walked by. One girl tracked him with her eyes until he disappeared around the corner.
Nobody spoke to him.
But they all knew.
And somehow... that was worse.
<hr>
That night, as the moons rose over the academy, Dean stood at his window again, watching the stars ripple through the mana-streamed sky. The world below seemed so big now—so much more than just spellwork and school halls.
He opened his status screen, eyes scanning slowly.
<hr>
Name: Dean Everett
Class: Elementalist (Registered as Sorcerer)
Level: 2
Elements: Ice | Shadow (Active)
Title: The Elemental Nexus
Skills:
? Mana Conduit (Passive)
? Elemental Weave (Active)
? Frost Shard (Lvl 3)
? Shadowstep (Lvl 2)
? Obsidian Hail (Custom – Lvl 1)
? Mystic Insight (Passive)
<hr>
The system had seen through him once.
Next time, it might see even more.