Professor Rowan stood stiffly near the window, arms crossed, his sharp eyes locked on the training field below.
"That boy — Aslan. No background. No certifications. And he made a joke of Cael Vireon on day one."
Another teacher smirked from his seat. "Still sore about the football match?"
Rowan's glare could've sliced through steel. "This is about discipline. We can't have random prodigies strolling in and causing chaos. If he's bluffing, I'll expose him."
Across the room, the same man who had watched Aslan from the upper window during orientation leaned back in his chair, arms tucked behind his head. His long silver hair was loosely tied back, and his half-lidded eyes carried the same unreadable calm as before.
Professor Kieran Vale — the academy's most unpredictable instructor — looked quietly amused.
"I like that kid," he said with a half-grin. "He's wild. Like a storm waiting to hit something."
Rowan scoffed. "You want chaos. I want order."
The Headmaster, an older man with silver brows and tea-steady hands, quietly observed both of them.
"Then settle it with a private aptitude trial," he said at last. "One of the upper-rank ones."
A murmur spread among the staff.
"That chamber's meant for ranked students," one of them said.
"He won't last thirty seconds," Rowan declared flatly.
Kieran smirked. "Or maybe he'll surprise you."
Rowan crossed his arms. "Fine. We bet. If he passes, I'll cover your tea for a month."
Kieran's brow lifted. "And if he fails?"
"Then I decide his class schedule. No more exceptions."
The Headmaster took a long sip, saying nothing — but for a second, when Rowan mentioned Aslan's name, a flicker passed behind his old eyes. Recognition? Memory?
Kieran caught it too, but said nothing.
The deal was made.
---
Aslan entered the private trial chamber mid-yawn, arms stretched behind his head. His red hair was still messy from his nap.
"They better not make me run again," he muttered. "My legs still hurt from football."
Professor Rowan stood in the center with a clipboard and zero patience.
"Aslan. This is a voluntary aptitude trial. Step into the circle. Just… observe your instincts."
"…That's it?"
"Trust the process."
Aslan blinked. "Cool. Sounds lazy."
He stepped onto the glowing circle, then disappeared from sight.
A foggy, moonlit battlefield stretched endlessly around him. It was eerie, but peaceful in a weird way.
Aslan looked around. "Is this… a dreamscape? Or one of those 'breathe and center yourself' classes?"
A growl echoed. Something lunged from the mist.
Startled, Aslan stumbled back and fell on his backside. The shadowy beast missed and flew straight into a spike trap.
"...Ow. My tailbone..."
He groaned, rubbing his back. Another trap triggered — arrows flying.
He bent forward to stretch and accidentally dodged one by pure luck.
"Okay… thanks?"
The fog thickened. More monsters came out, screeching.
"Tsk. You guys are loud."
He waved lazily to shoo them away — triggering a lightning rune behind him. The entirey group was electrocuted in a burst of blue sparks.
"…Huh."
He blinked, then sat down in the grass, cross-legged.
"Weirdest meditation session ever."
Five minutes passed.
A golden message appeared above the horizon, unseen by him.
Trial Cleared.
---
In the monitor room, Rowan stared at the glowing crystal feed.
"He didn't attack. He didn't cast a spell. He didn't even know it was a trial…"
The Headmaster was unusually quiet. His teacup paused mid-air.
"There was a flicker," he said slowly. "Just once. When the rune activated."
Rowan's expression darkened. "Something old. Dormant. Like a seal cracked for a breath."
Kieran leaned forward for the first time all day. "You saw it too."
The Headmaster gave him a look — not quite confirmation, but not denial either.
"He's not bluffing," Kieran said. "You're just not seeing him clearly."
Rowan exhaled. "Tea for a month…"
"I drink the expensive kind," Kieran reminded him with a grin.
---
Outside the chamber, Aslan walked out stretching like he'd just finished a nap, not a combat test.
Cael and Alice stood nearby.
"How'd it go?" Alice asked.
"Pretty chill," Aslan replied. "I just sat there for a while."
Cael blinked. "You… passed?"
"Was that a test? I thought it was some stress-relief exercise or something."
Cael stared. "You were in Trial Chamber Nine!"
Aslan shrugged. "Means nothing to me."
"That's a ranked combat illusion for third-year students!"
"…Why would they throw me in that?"
Cael and Alice looked at each other — then said in perfect sync:
"Because you're a monster."
Aslan sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Okay. So the teachers put a weak guy like me into a serious death simulation with fake monsters… while I was half-asleep."
"I didn't even use my powers."
"And I still passed?"
He groaned. "This place is insane."
"I just want a nap."
---