The crowd waits — and then Aether arrives
It was as if the entire Capital One Area held its breath. The stands brimmed with first-year students, each buzzing with excitement, unable to keep their eyes still. Some leaned so far forward on their benches it was a wonder they didn't tumble off. Whispers wove through the air like threads of lightning.
"They're all here — the year five chosen ones… now we're just waiting on Aether."
"Is he really going to show up with those crazy machines again?"
"Didn't he nearly flatten the arena last time? I heard these new ones are even bigger!"
Every stray laugh, every shuffle of feet seemed to bounce off the wide arena walls. Then, finally, faint footsteps echoed through the archway that led into the arena floor. Slow. Calm. Almost lazy.
A shadow stretched across the entrance — and then out stepped Aether Ryens.
He strolled into the light like he was taking a casual walk through the academy courtyard, hands shoved in his pockets, a faint smile ghosting across his face. But what truly made the crowd gasp wasn't Aether himself. It was what followed behind him.
Massive constructs rolled, marched, and hovered into view — ten in total. Hulking frames of dark steel, inscribed with elegant lines of mana-imbued runes that pulsed like slow heartbeats. Some had long segmented arms ending in glowing cannon barrels; others bore reinforced torsos thick enough to withstand small siege spells. They towered over Aether by several meters, each one casting a deep shadow that seemed to swallow him whole.
The arena erupted.
"Look at those — they're huge!"
"That's bigger than what he used during the friendly tournament last month. WAY bigger."
Olivia stood on tiptoe to peer over someone's shoulder, eyes wide. "He really did it… he brought ten of them. For ten chosen ones. Amazing."
Aether just continued forward, completely unfazed by the tidal wave of cheers and gasps that washed over him. The constructs lumbered behind in perfect synchronization, their rune cores humming with eerie resonance.
Somewhere in the stands, Lucas clicked his tongue, glaring down at the scene with simmering disdain.
"Tch. Show-off. You just love hogging the spotlight, don't you…?"
Shanny's uneasy awe
Not far from Luke, Shanny found herself frozen. Her wide blue eyes reflected every detail of the marching constructs. Her hands slowly curled into fists at her sides.
Is this real? Am I dreaming?
Aether was just a fifteen-year-old boy — and yet here he was, calmly parading ten colossal war mechanisms as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Each one radiated enough power to make seasoned mages pause.
No wonder he didn't flinch when Luke made that childish demand. And this… this must be why the dean's taken such an interest in him.
Her gaze slipped toward Luke, who stood stock-still at the front of the year five chosen ones. His lips had twisted into a chillingly amused smile.
Not good, Shanny thought with a shiver. That expression… it's like watching a wolf spotting prey it thought would be boring, only to realize it's actually interesting enough to toy with.
She swallowed. Her stomach flipped unpleasantly.
Luke must've expected Aether to show up with simple trinkets — not this. Now who knows what he'll do?
The dean's distant view
Far from the noise and fanfare, the dean sat alone in her office, peering out through her tall window. Though her view of the arena was blocked by towers and old trees, she could still almost feel the crackling excitement drifting across campus.
A small smile played across her lips.
"Let the game begin," she murmured.
Piles of documents still littered her desk, contracts and meticulous plans for the upcoming Familiar Choosing Ceremony. She exhaled deeply and turned back to her work.
Being a dean truly is a tireless occupation… I'd have loved to watch this unfold in person. But paperwork calls.
Still, her mind wandered back to that young craftsman with the sharp golden eyes.
I wonder just how far he'll surprise us all today.
The president's delight
Back on the field, Luke slowly clapped his hands together, smirking as his eyes danced over the ten towering mechanisms.
"Well now," he drawled under his breath, a faint puff of cold air slipping past his lips. "I underestimated you. Very good. If this were too easy, it wouldn't be fun at all."
Then he tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing with cruel delight.
I'll enjoy smashing every last one of them… right before that smug grin of yours fades.
Aether, meanwhile, was utterly unconcerned. He strolled to the center of the field, tilted his head up to breathe in the clear morning air, and sighed.
"Hoo… nice day. Not too hot, not too cold."
But a moment later he stiffened. The hairs on his arms rose.
"Eek. Bad vibes. Really bad vibes. Where is it…?"
He turned his head slightly — and immediately spotted Luke watching him like a cat might watch a cornered mouse.
"Oh. Who else but him?" Aether muttered. "Man, I'm getting chills just standing here."
Then he casually flicked his gaze up to the stands. His eyes met Lucas's furious scowl — and Aether just grinned brightly, giving a tiny wave. Lucas practically vibrated with restrained fury, his glare sharp enough to cut stone.
Aether laughed under his breath. "Hehe… this is fun."
But then he noticed something that actually did make him awkward. As he led his constructs forward to join the chosen ones, he felt hundreds of eyes pinned on him — or rather, on his creations.
"Ugh… why is everyone staring at them like that? Is there something on their faces?" he grumbled under his breath.
Greetings and subtle barbs
Finally he stopped before the assembled year five elites, giving them a polite half-bow.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Took a little extra time to check for flaws — and to carefully pick which ones would be… entertaining for all of you."
The way he said "picked" earned him an exasperated look from Shanny.
Picked? Like he's selecting apples from a stall? The disrespect…
Luke, however, only gave a lazy grin, teeth flashing.
"No, no. You're right on time. Shall we begin then?"
He turned, projecting his voice across the field. "Students of year one — today, we, the chosen of year five, will demonstrate the might of mages bonded with their familiars… and show you why we stand as the academy's top elites."
The demonstration begins — Luke's casual cruelty
Aether set his ten constructs evenly across the arena floor. As he stepped back to the edge, he gave them a small nod. Blue and gold runes briefly flared to life all across their frames, their stance tightening into combat readiness.
Then Luke stepped forward, his lion familiar pacing by his side, claws scraping small furrows into the stone. The air around him seemed to warp faintly from the combined aura of man and beast.
"I'll start us off," Luke announced lightly. Then he gave Aether a sidelong smirk. "Of course, I'll keep it simple. It wouldn't be fair to use my best tricks on such… toys."
Aether's brow twitched.
"Heh. So he's saying he doesn't even need to try to wipe them out."
Luke raised a hand, flames gathering in a swirling vortex above his palm. It burned bright enough that many students in the stands shielded their eyes. He chanted a brief incantation — and then, to everyone's shock, didn't hurl it at the mechanisms.
Instead, he pressed his hand onto the shoulder of his lion. The flames vanished into its fur, disappearing completely.
Then the lion exhaled. Flames burst from its jaws, cloaking its entire form in a living inferno. Its golden eyes glowed through the wreath of fire like molten jewels. The ground beneath its paws blackened.
"It… absorbed the spell?" someone in the crowd gasped.
"That's a familiar bond for you," a senior student whispered back. "Their synergy amplifies both partners' powers. That's not just Luke's spell anymore — it's fused into the beast."
Aether swallowed. "It's even stronger now…"
Then the lion roared — a deep, thunderous bellow that seemed to rattle the very stands — and launched itself forward. In the blink of an eye, it crossed the arena. One massive, flame-cloaked claw slammed into Aether's nearest construct.
With a deafening screech of tearing metal, the construct was split clean through, molten rivets spraying out like tiny meteors. The force was so immense that it wasn't merely dented or crushed; it was literally shredded, pieces of enchanted steel clattering across the ground in a smoking heap.
Gasps erupted. Even Aether flinched, eyes widening.
I knew they'd be strong enough to destroy them… but in one hit?
Up on the edge, Luke dropped his hand, expression cool. "Hmph. That was one of my lesser affinities, combined with a basic offensive synergy. I can't exactly reveal my trump cards before an audience."
Aether let out a long, slow breath, then scratched his cheek.
"They're monsters. The synergy between mage and familiar… that lion wasn't just stronger — it was exponentially more powerful. And that was him holding back."
His chest tightened faintly.
I'm still nowhere near ready to face people like this head on. Not even close.