Chapter 63: The Proving
The following morning, the sky above Eldrath was painted in hues of pale gold, and the academy bells rang across the sprawling campus. Students bustled through the open courtyards and stone archways, most of them whispering about a new applicant who had defeated Cernan Vellmont with a weapon no one could quite explain.
That applicant now stood in front of the Examination Hall, wearing a simple black jacket and his signature smirk.
A tall man with a thick beard and monocle, wearing professor’s robes lined with deep red, opened the door and looked Inigo up and down.
"Inigo Velasquez, I presume," the professor said, rolling a scroll in his hand.
"That’s me," Inigo replied casually.
"I am Professor Maelric. I’ll be your overseer for today’s Proving. Follow me."
The interior of the Examination Hall was part dueling arena, part laboratory, and part classroom. Runes glowed softly from the stone walls, and floating lanterns bobbed in midair, illuminating the rows of enchanted testing equipment.
"Before we begin," Maelric said, gesturing toward a small raised platform, "please step into the Affinity Circle. We must determine your natural alignment first."
Inigo stepped onto the glowing circle. As he did, strands of pale light slithered up from the runes, scanning him like unseen fingers brushing over his aura.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then a chime rang—and the circle displayed a strange pattern. A jagged starburst at the center, not aligned with fire, wind, earth, water, or even shadow.