A Gathering of Stars and Shadows

[Chapter 15: A Gathering of Stars and Shadows]

The first rays of morning light filtered through the crystalline windows of Astralis Academy's Great Hall, casting long glimmers across the polished marble. Students, some yawning and others wide-eyed with anticipation, gathered before the massive board where placements were finally posted.

S-Rank Dormitory Placement Results:

1st – [Name Withheld] – Classified Record – Achievement: Unknown

2nd – [Name Withheld] – Classified Record – Achievement: Unknown

3rd – Dr. Robert Starfield – Strategic Kill of Red Basilisk with Multi-Team Coordination

4th – Tessaline Vire – Chrono-locking E-rank Drake Solo with Time Prison

5th – Barun of Zar'aleth – Solo Kill of E-rank Bone Reaper – Dual Necrosteel Execution

6th – Kaelin Voss – Storm Qi Frontline Leadership

7th – Ryll Mosswood – High Mobility Execution + Lightning Reflex Recovery Operations

8th – Ivan Venn – Midfield Surgical Strike – Shadow Cloak/Disruption

9th – Leihara El'Venn – Defensive Field Control / Healing Ward Construction

10th – Steven Cross – Combat Buffing & Basilisk Pact Completion

11th – Meloy Conners – Defensive Root Bastion + Heal Rotation

12th – Sana Cruz – Empathic Aggression Transfer & Anchor Punch Support

13th – Arlo Reyes – Combat Golem Deployment / Support Fire Engineering

14th – Mirae Thornbell – Aether Bow User from Vaelrin Expanse (Long-Range Confirmed Hit on D-rank Beast)

15th – Zayn Loress – Glassblade Duelist from The Maw Below (1v1 Victory Over Awakened Pantherkin E +)

A-Rank Placement Highlights:

Juno Wraithvale – Human Chrono-Gunner from Cresciaa – High accuracy, no E-rank kills. 15 flags captured.

Theren Nightshade – Beastkin Tracker – F-rank monster control, excellent fieldwork.

Kass Fenmere – Alchemical Slinger – Solid support, minimal offense.

Vylra Dentari – Elf Illusionist – Strong disorientation tactics. Weak follow-through.

Mako Greel – Dwarven Rune Shieldbearer – Tank role. Lacked offense.

Naomi Kess – Earth-native Sonic Dancer – Powerful crowd control, 20 flags retrieved.

Orin Duskwing – Skyborn Wind Magus – Wide area attacks, reliant on team coordination.

Lina Trevane – Beastkin Spearfighter – Good initiative, struggled in prolonged fights.

Bragg Stonehelm – Dwarf Hammermaster – Dominated G-rank beasts. Poor team synergy.

Fen Sato – Gunmetal Alchemist – High potential, wild precision.

---

That afternoon, the S-Ranks were guided to the Observatory Dorms—towering spires with arcane runes etched across their silver trim. A magical elevator lifted them to their personalized suites. Upon entering his room, Robert took a moment to appreciate the view: a sweeping landscape of floating isles, crystal gardens, and the hazy blue dome protecting the academy.

"Third place, huh?" he murmured, running a hand through his hair. "Still not enough."

Meanwhile, other S-Ranks explored the dorm's common area—a grand lounge with glass ceilings that reflected stars even in daylight.

Barun of Zar'aleth reclined on a velvet couch, polishing his necrosteel blades. "Looks like we'll be spending a lot of time together," he said to Tessaline, who was already reading a chronomancy tome.

"I assume you'll try not to lose your temper this time?" she replied without looking up.

Across the room, Steven Cross was grilling meat over a portable fire rune, already preparing a victory feast. Sana Cruz was helping Meloy plant a few spirit-bonded saplings in pots by the windows.

"Smells amazing," Meloy said.

"Flame-fused. Basilisk-grade steak," Steven grinned. "And hey—we're alive."

---

Day One Classes – Magic Theory

Instructor Velandris, a silver-robed elven archmage with crystalline eyes, stood before a rotating blackboard infused with glowing elemental symbols.

"You faced a basilisk. You panicked. You burned mana like frightened goblets tossing water at a forest fire."

Robert raised an eyebrow.

"Had any of you—any—demonstrated fundamental mastery of fire, earth, or sound manipulation, the creature's defenses would've collapsed. Basilisks are vulnerable to auditory disruption, sharp temperature flux, and pressure point explosions via earth magic."

The room fell silent.

"You used power. You didn't use magic."

Tessaline slowly raised her hand. "I chrono-locked it in time."

"And if that had failed?" Velandris snapped. "What if the beast had a temporal resistance? Do not lean on uniqueness—learn your fundamentals."

---

Combat Class – Instructor Marisa's Mayhem

The courtyard was a maze of dummies, enchantment traps, and reinforced targets. Instructor Marisa, a muscular woman with braided white hair and arms like iron, stood at the front, hands on hips.

"Congratulations on your placements. Now run."

"Run?" Kaelin Voss asked.

"Twenty laps. Around the outer perimeter."

"That's almost five kilometers," Ivan muttered.

Marisa grinned. "That's why you're running."

Halfway through the laps, Robert caught up to her walking calmly along the side.

"Rumor has it you're the top healer in the academy," he said between breaths.

She laughed. "I was."

"So why teach combat?"

She smiled. "Because someday, you'll have to fight without anyone left to heal you."

---

History Class – Basilisk Lore

A thin man with three monocles and a voice like a scraping quill introduced himself as Professor Darmin.

"Basilisks, like the one you faced, have known elemental vulnerabilities. Their scales are sensitive to sonic resonance—singing blades or harmonic disruption spells can crack their defenses."

He looked at the class.

"Had you known this, your fight would've ended in minutes."

Robert scribbled notes furiously. Across from him, Steven was half-asleep.

"They're not unbeatable," the professor finished. "They're predictable. If you study."

---

The Celebration – Evening of the First Day

The sun dipped below the magical dome, and the S-Ranks, with permission from their dorm overseer, took an enchanted tram into the nearby district of Starlight Row—a bar-filled promenade catering to students.

They ended up in a place called The Flickering Flask, its interior lit by floating lantern spirits. A bard strummed gently in the background.

"Here's to surviving," Ryll said, slamming down a mug of spiced cider.

"To third place," Ivan teased, nudging Robert.

"To not being dead," Steven added, already halfway through a glowing cocktail.

Even Kaelin cracked a smile, raising a carved stormwood mug. "To the next hunt."

They drank, laughed, and shared war stories. Barun tried to challenge Kaelin to an arm wrestle. Sana meditated while half-drunkenly balancing a glass on her forehead. Tessaline observed everything, quietly sipping a time-slowed brew.

When Robert slipped away to the balcony, he found Tessaline already there.

"You did well," she said.

"You did better," he replied.

She shrugged. "Doesn't matter. The real test hasn't even begun."

They stood in silence, watching the stars slowly shift. Behind them, the laughter continued, but both of them could feel it—an invisible thread pulling toward something greater.

Far away, in the academy's observatory tower, Principal Raevius Altharn watched the constellation map shimmer in response.

"This year's class…" he whispered. "They will shape more than a continent. They will shape worlds."

Far above the towers of Astralis Academy, past the swirling mana currents of the sky, and beyond even the floating continent of Cresciaa, a table shimmered into existence in the celestial realm.

Six divine thrones ringed a cracked, ancient obsidian platform floating in the void. The cosmos bent gently around them. The stars were close, flickering like lanterns caught in wind.

Seated first, lounging with a crooked smile and flickering eyes like stardust: Virell, God of Imagination.

Across from him, composed and serene, the goddess with silver threads running down her skin and a hundred open books floating in the air behind her: Ysera, Goddess of Wisdom.

To her right, wearing a crooked grin and a robe made of dice and coin flips, sat Nael, God of Luck. He leaned back with his boots on the table.

Beside him, muscles rippling with tension, claws tapping against the table impatiently, sat Khorus, God of Beasts and Instinct.

Next came Elryn, Goddess of Willpower, her seat rising from living crystal. Her eyes burned with layered intent, and her hands rested calmly on a blade she never needed to draw.

And finally, watching in silence with shifting eyes of smoke and glass, wrapped in tattered memories, stood Amnesh, the Lost One — God of Chaos and Outsiders. He did not sit. He hovered like a suggestion forgotten mid-thought.

A slow, satisfied chuckle echoed across the void.

Virell raised his hand dramatically. "So… remind me, dear siblings. Who did wager that the mortals wouldn't just survive, but coordinate their way into a proper basilisk execution?"

Ysera gave him a glance. "I did not wager survival. I wagered potential. There's a difference."

"Semantics," Nael chimed in, spinning a coin on his fingertip. "I said one of them would tame the beast. I was half right. Steven made a pact. That should count for at least partial payout."

Khorus growled. "The pact woke the greater basilisk. Which almost killed them. Fool's move."

"Ah," Elryn mused. "But they adapted. That's willpower. Discipline. Strength through chaos. Sana and Ivan showed exceptional cohesion. Even the pilot boy. What was his name? Arlo?"

"Grav-hammer kid," muttered Khorus.

"And the third-ranked one…" Amnesh's voice was like wind passing over forgotten bones. "Robert. Starfield. That one is… interesting. Not only because of his link to Virell and Ysera. But because he listens to the threads."

"He cheated," Khorus spat. "Used foresight. Threads and constellations. He saw too far ahead."

"Not cheating," Virell said, raising a drink that appeared from nowhere. "It's called strategy. You should try it."

Elryn smiled faintly. "He led them. Took charge. Called the plan. Chose roles. Trusted his team."

Nael stretched and sighed. "But he only got third place in the ranking. Imagine that. Two kids we barely got names for, and they scored higher. Isn't that curious?"

Amnesh's smoky form pulsed gently. "Those two are shrouded… even from us. Part of a deeper weave. Possibly not of this cycle."

Ysera turned a page in a book suspended behind her. "They are hidden. Intentionally. Perhaps by someone else. Not even Raevius Altharn has their full record."

Virell chuckled. "So no one really wins the bet?"

Nael groaned. "Again?! Ugh. I hate draws."

Ysera smiled calmly. "No. We all won. The mortals grew. That is the only victory that matters."

Khorus bared his teeth. "Then what now?"

Amnesh raised his translucent hand. "Now… we wait. The game has begun. The Outsider's Thread stirs."

Silence followed.

Then, slowly, Virell grinned.

"Round one goes to imagination."