Reina_D

"To escape the weight of a name that never felt like hers, she hid her stars behind a mask."

In a world where the powerful dominate and the weak are discarded, Celeste has every reason to shine. As the daughter of one of the realm’s most powerful families, and the sole wielder of Zodiac Constellation Magic, she could rule empires.

But all she wants is freedom.

Tired of being judged by her lineage, her power, and her face, Celeste disguises herself as plain and powerless. She joins Astralis Institute—the elite academy for magic users—not to rise, but to vanish. A nobody. A background name. A girl no one expects anything from.

Then Auren crashes into her world—loud, brilliant, maddening. The academy’s golden boy with fire in his veins and kindness in his smile. His dream? To become the strongest and protect those he loves.

Hers? To never need protection.

Forced to partner up during trials that test not just strength but secrets, their clash becomes a storm of tension, emotion, and slow-burning attraction.

But the stars she's buried begin to stir... and so does her heart.

Can she remain unseen when the stars themselves are calling her name?

Constellations in Disguise

The semi-final matches drew the largest crowd the Astralis Institute had seen all year.

The Trial Grounds had shifted once again—this time into a vast coliseum-style arena with shifting platforms, magic-infused hazards, and traps designed to test both strategy and instinct. This wasn't just about brute strength anymore. It was about control.

Among them were the familiar names: Auren, Valric, Kael, Rhydan, Lyra, Iris, and Leonel. And now, stepping into the spotlight for the first time—a mysterious girl cloaked in ocean-blue robes, with a quiet grace in her every step.

Though no one had noticed her much before, her magical aura was undeniable. A child of the House of Echo—a noble house from a distant empire known for the rare and dangerous ability to wield illusion and memory magic.

The first match of the day was between Richa and Zira Emberlyn.

Zira began with sonic bursts, her magic ringing through the arena, aiming to disorient her opponent. But Richa simply raised her hand, and the sound... vanished. The audience gasped.

Richa didn't attack head-on. She let Zira exhaust herself against illusions that weren't real—mirages of platforms, fake opponents, and warped space.

In the end, Zira fell into one such illusion and was gently knocked unconscious by a spectral copy of herself.

Leonel Vaess's match followed. His opponent wielded ice, sending spears and frost blades at him from all directions. Leonel, calm and unshaken, drew his runed hammer and slammed it into the ground.

A surge of earth erupted beneath him, swallowing the attacks.

He then leapt forward, fist glowing with sigils, and ended the match in a single blow.

Her opponent had lightning at their fingertips, moving like a storm. But Lyra didn't panic. She closed her eyes—and summoned her light.

Golden beams lanced from her palms, forming radiant barriers that neutralized the lightning. The battlefield turned into a blinding field of purity and focus.

She waited. Then struck with a beam of solid light, forcing her opponent to surrender.

Kael Vireon vs a wind-wielder was next.

His opponent tried to keep distance, flying above and striking from afar.

Kael narrowed his eyes and merged into the shadows cast by the arena towers. He blinked in and out of visibility, creeping closer until a burst of shadows wrapped around his opponent mid-air—dragging him down and locking him in place.

Rhydan Valehart faced a dual-sword user, agile and unrelenting.

But Rhydan didn't dodge—he broke.

Every attack, every weapon, every shield—shattered by his fists and the aura of destruction around him. His power wasn't flashy. It was final.

Then came Valric Drakonis, the water-summoner with dragonblood.

He faced a flame-user, fast and furious. But water flowed where fire could not.

Valric conjured a tidal serpent, crashing over the arena, snuffing every flame with a roar. When the field cleared, only Valric stood.

His match drew the loudest cheers. His opponent tried to trap him with stone spikes and magma traps—but Auren soared above them, flames spiraling around him in the form of a dragon.

He dived, fire trailing behind him like a comet, and with one fist, shattered the entire battlefield platform his opponent stood on.

By the end of the semi-finals, thorty-two had become sixteen.

Chapter 31 – Echoes of Power