Chapter 10: First Gathering

Nara

The class hummed with a quiet tension thicker than Veridia's ambient mana. Nara sat slightly apart from the rest, the marble floor beneath her boots offering little comfort against the uncontrolled energies of the class. Her frost Aura was a tightly controlled shield, but she could still feel them auras stronger than the rest the chaotic signature only a S rank could give off.

Kaelen sat near the window like a statue carved from stone His storm-grey eyes not leaving the view outside 

As the others entered the classroom she looked at them all scanning them with her system as they stepped through the door.

The novel never mentioned them. Not a whisper. In the story she remembered, Kaelen fought alone, The idea that three other S+ Rank Primes existed was never part of the plot. "What happened to them in the original timeline?" The chilling thought slithered through her mind. "did they die?" Were they assassinated like I was supposed to be? Or did they simply… not exist back then? Their presence was undeniable proof this timeline was changing. Her survival hadn't just saved her it had unveiled characters who were either hidden or erased in the narrative she knew.

Forcing herself calm, Nara subtly activated her system again. The world sharpened, the unknown now becoming visible like shimmering ID cards. She focused on them again appraising them with the detached persona that was slowly taken over her old.

**Lyra Thornwood (RANK: S+. AFFINITY: Nature Domain(PRIME) She was a whisper of vibrant life amidst the Atrium's sterility. Petite, with skin the warm sandy brown of earth and eyes like deep forest pools, her vibrant green curls seemed alive, woven through with delicate, tiny blossoms that seemed to pulse She sat near the front of the class.

**Assessment:** Gentle but immensely powerful. Her connection to life-force felt deep and nurturing, but Nara wondered about its defensive or offensive potential. Could she drain life as easily as she gave it? Her obliviousness to the tension suggested either profound calm or naivete. perhaps the most approachable. 

**Brennus Ignis (RANK: S+. AFFINITY: Flame Domain (PRIME):** He was a contained fire. Solidly built, with skin like polished obsidian and loc'd dark hair that was the color of embers His dark eyes burned with a focused intensity, fixed on the Headmistress's empty podium. He sat with the grounded stance of a warrior, radiating heat like a furnace. When he shifted, a faint ripple of superheated air distorted the space around his clenched fists. He caught Nara's analytical gaze and met it with a challenging, almost dismissive stare before his eyes flickered towards lighting boy with a similar appraisal.

**Assessment:** Raw power tightly leashed. A fighter. Competitive. His heat clashed subtly but persistently against her frost Aura, a constant, low-level friction. Definitely not someone to underestimate in close quarters. His presence felt volatile,

**Enzo Alvarez (RANK: S+. AFFINITY: Energy Domain(PRIME):** He sat near the middle, radiating restless energy even in the Veridia uniform – the crisp white shirt, , black slacks, and boots looking slightly rumpled on him, the black silk ribbon missing from his collar Tan skin, a bleached buzz cut, and eyes so dark they were almost black… except when they weren't. As she watched, a brilliant streak of violet-white lightning *flickered* deep within his irises, vanishing as quickly as it He had his hands shoved into the pockets of the slacks, shoulders tense, scanning the room with a wary, almost street-smart suspicion that felt utterly out of place here. His very posture screamed defiance. The air around him hummed faintly with static discharge. When their eyes met briefly her violet to his lightning-flecked dark brown Nara felt an unexpected, minuscule jolt. It wasn't just the clash of their opposing elements (ice and lightning), it was… something else. A flicker of awareness, sharp and human beneath the suspicion. He was undeniably attractive in a rough edged, unpredictable way.

**Assessment:** Wild card. , powerful, clearly uncomfortable and potentially hostile to the situation. His lightning felt chaotic, instinctive, but potentially devastatingly precise. The street-smart wariness made him unpredictable. Dangerous? Absolutely. But also… intriguing. That flicker in his eyes held a spark she hadn't seen in the others, Attraction? The thought was a tiny, unwelcome crack in her focus. Stupid. He could be another Key marked for death. She ruthlessly suppressed the feeling, locking it away behind layers of frost. Survival required cold calculation, not distractions.

Nara took a slow, controlled breath, the air chilling visibly before her lips. Four Keys Plus Kaelen. All gathered. All potential targets. This class the headmistress didn't know it but it was painting a bullseye on Veridia Academy.

Her gaze swept over them again could they learn to work together? Or would their clashing natures tear them apart before the real enemy even showed his face?

Before the tension could snap, A figure materialized on the central podium, not walking in, but simply appearing as if woven from reality itself.

Headmistress Vera. Her robes absorbed the light, her silver hair pulled back . Her eyes swept over the assembled Dawnbreakers, lingering for a fraction of a second longer on Nara then on Kaelen

"Welcome," she said, her voice resonating through the sudden silence, calm and carrying the weight of galaxies. "Dawnbreakers let class began.