The fireball was already flying toward Fred's face when the laughter began.It tore across the assessment arena like a miniature sun, its orange flames twisting around a violently compressed mana core. The heat reached Fred before the spell itself, drying his eyes and making every breath taste like smoke.He had less than two seconds to react. Maybe even less."Move!" someone shouted from the crowd. Fred's feet finally responded.He threw himself sideways just as the fireball screamed past his shoulder and slammed into the reinforced barrier behind him. The impact shook the entire arena, sending fragments of scorched stone skittering across the floor.Fred remained crouched for a moment, one hand pressed against the ground as he fought to steady his breathing. Then he heard the laughter.Hundreds of students had gathered around the Global Academy of Higher Magic's first-year assessment arena. Some wore expensive academy uniforms decorated with family insignias, while others displayed

The classroom door opened before Fred could answer.Professor Vale stood outside.His expression was calm, but his eyes told a different story.Fred's fingers tightened around the edge of his desk as the professor stepped into the room and quietly closed the door behind him.For several seconds, neither of them spoke.The warning from the previous night still echoed through Fred's mind.Don't let the academy know what's inside your core.Fred wanted answers, but instead of offering any, Vale looked directly at him and asked a question."Did you attempt to analyze your core?"Fred hesitated.That hesitation was enough.Vale released a quiet sigh."I thought so."Fred pushed himself away from the desk and stood."You knew?""I suspected.""What is the restriction?"The professor's expression hardened."I don't know."Fred stared at him, struggling to understand the answer."You don't know?""I know enough to understand that you shouldn't try to remove it.""Who put it there?"Vale turne

The alarm bell rang before sunrise, its deep chime rolling across the academy grounds and pulling the dormitories out of their uneasy silence.Fred was already awake.He stood beside the window of his dormitory room, staring toward the enormous black bell tower in the distance as another deep vibration passed through the glass.The bell rang once, then twice, and finally a third time.A moment later, every magical screen throughout the academy illuminated simultaneously.FIRST-YEAR PRACTICAL EXAMINATION — MANDATORYA second message appeared beneath it.LOCATION: CONTROLLED MAGICAL FORESTFred's eyes narrowed as he read the announcement.A survival examination was normal. First-year students were expected to demonstrate their ability to handle real magical environments under controlled conditions.What concerned him was the final line.STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS HAVE BEEN FINALIZED.His wrist bracelet vibrated.Fred lowered his gaze and checked the display.TEAM 17His expression changed almo

The creature lunged before Fred had time to warn the others.He threw himself to the side, barely rolling out of the way as a massive claw smashed into the ground where he had been standing. The impact sent a powerful shockwave through the clearing, throwing loose soil and broken branches into the air.Kael was hurled backward by the force of the attack, while Elara was knocked into a nearby tree.Nia screamed as she stumbled away from the creature.Simon reacted on instinct. He raised both hands, and the earth beneath him surged upward, forming a rough stone wall between the group and the monster.BOOM!The creature tore through the barrier as though it were made of sand.Simon stumbled backward, staring at the shattered remains of his spell."That won't hold it!""It doesn't have to!" Fred shouted.The monster's head turned toward him.Inside its split chest, the second core pulsed with dark energy.The Codex remained fixed in Fred's vision.[Estimated survival probability: 3%.]Fre

“Get away from him!”Professor Vale's shout tore through the teleportation chamber.Fred barely had time to turn before a violent surge of golden energy erupted from his chest. The floor cracked beneath his feet, and every crystal embedded in the chamber walls went dark simultaneously.The armored commander drew his sword.“Professor, what is happening?”“Don't touch him!” Vale snapped. “Nobody touches him!”Fred couldn't hear them properly. Their voices sounded distant, as though they were speaking from the other side of a vast ocean.Inside his mind, the black space had returned.The sealed door stood before him, its golden symbols breaking apart one after another. Beyond it, two enormous eyes watched him with an intensity that made his skin crawl.He was the one who sealed me inside your Codex.The voice echoed through Fred's consciousness.“You said the Headmaster sealed you,” Fred whispered. “Who are you?”The golden eyes narrowed.“Is that truly the first question you wish to as