"Y-You want me to join your academy?!"
I was shocked when Headmaster Thaddeus told me he wanted me to enroll. I went silent, and so did Mother and Father.
"But I'm just a commoner. I don't think I'd even fit in at the academy."
Thaddeus shook his head. He then asked if I remembered what I yelled out at the bookstore.
I nodded, but explained that it was only because I was angry.
Thaddeus didn't seem to care whether I was a commoner or noble. He truly seemed like he wanted me to join. Still, I pressed again.
"Why me? What's so special about me that you're personally inviting me to your academy?"
Thaddeus chuckled, then turned to Professor Elysia and asked her to show me a video from the day I was in the alleyway.
She pulled out her cellular device, placed it on the table, and began playing the footage for my parents and me.
My eyes widened. How did they get this video? I thought I had escaped unnoticed… but it seemed I was being watched all along.
The video showed me getting beaten by the thugs, until a massive outburst of wind exploded from me, launching every one of them back and knocking them out cold.
"We're curious, how is it that your son is able to perform magic at that level?" Professor Elysia asked, retrieving her phone.
Mother explained that I had read a lot of magic books at home as a kid, but none of them actually taught magic. She said I had taught myself.
Thaddeus tilted his head, intrigued.
"Self-taught, you say? With no teacher or guidance besides some fairy tale books? It takes nobles years to perform even basic magic. Yet you pulled that off in what? A few months? That's… quite impressive for someone like you."
Thaddeus stood, his voice firm but respectful.
"Akira, if you join my academy, I promise you'll learn more than just Arcanic Force magic. You'll master Sanctum Magic, and even Hybrid Magic. In return, I'll also grant your family a generous sum—to ensure their future is secured while you study."
Sanctum Magic? Hybrid Magic? What is that I questioned to myself, I've never ever heard of those terms before.
I stepped back, shaking my head.
"You can't just buy me! I won't abandon my family for some academy. There's nothing more important to me than them!"
But then Mother took my hand.
"Akira... maybe you should accept the invitation," she said, voice trembling with hope. "I've always felt guilty I couldn't give you a chance to study properly. This is your chance to grow... to make friends, to become someone stronger."
I looked into her eyes. She meant it. She was trying to let me go, even if it hurt.
Father stepped in beside her, offering a soft smile. "We should leave the choice to him, Castti. This is his path to walk."
Tears welled in my eyes. I clung to their arms. They weren't my biological parents, but it didn't matter. They were my family. The ones who raised me. The ones I loved.
"B-but I don't want to leave you... I can't bear to never see you again!"
They embraced me, holding me close.
"Akira," Mother said softly. "You're not leaving forever. You can always visit. Right, Headmaster Thaddeus?"
Thaddeus had been quiet, moved by the emotion in the room. He nodded solemnly.
"That's correct. You'll have scheduled breaks. I'm not taking you away, I'm helping guide your potential."
I wiped my tears, stepping back and standing tall.
"If I agree... what do I have to do?"
Of course, it wouldn't be as simple as just saying yes. He wanted to test me.
"A friendly spar," Thaddeus said, smiling. "A trial to gauge your abilities and assign you a proper rank. Don't worry, I won't use my full strength."
My eyes lit with determination. I could feel the wind swirl around me, almost answering my spirit.
"Then I accept."
Thaddeus chuckled, clearly pleased.
"Excellent. Let's take this outside. The rest of you, feel free to watch this spectacle."
Ten minutes later…
The backyard was wide and open, surrounded by high hedges and shimmering magic barriers, likely placed by Elysia or Leon to prevent damage. The ground was smooth and well-kept, perfect for a duel. The air buzzed with magical tension.
Thaddeus stood calmly at the end of the field. He didn't take a stance, maybe that was his stance. Effortless. Unshakable.
I stepped forward, grounding my stance in the dirt. I raised my hands, channeling Aura into the tips of my fingers, feeling the energy pulse through me like the beat of a war drum.
A hush fell.
Only the sound of the wind stirred between us.
Professor Leon raised his hand... then brought it down sharply.
"Begin!"
Akira launched forward, his feet kicking off the ground like a spring-loaded bolt. Wind gathered around his arms as he slashed his hand through the air.
Blades of compressed wind surged toward Headmaster Thaddeus, but the man didn't even blink. He stood completely still, hands behind his back.
The cutting wind made contact, or at least, it should have. Akira narrowed his eyes. The gusts dispersed before they could even touch him. It was like they'd hit an invisible wall.
"A barrier?" Akira muttered, teeth clenched.
Thaddeus raised an eyebrow, voice calm and almost amused.
"Wind Cutter, hmm? A good start. I wonder what else you've got."
Akira wasn't about to back down.
He gritted his teeth, forced more Aura into his limbs, and swept his hands through the air again.
The second barrage was sharper, faster, but he didn't fire it immediately.
Instead, he bolted toward Thaddeus.
"Maybe if I hit him up close, I can bypass that barrier!"
His wind spell surged at the last second, launched point-blank.
But just as it was about to release, Thaddeus casually raised his hand and flicked his wrist.
"Gale Force."
A powerful gust blasted outward, catching Akira mid-stride and launching him into the air like a ragdoll.
Akira twisted midair, wind gathering around his boots to stabilize himself, and landed in a crouch. Dust kicked up beneath his heels.
"Oh, you used the wind to stabilize yourself, I've never seen a student with basic wind powers ever do that in their test"
On the sidelines, Professor Leon watched with crossed arms, unimpressed.
"He's reckless. Does the kid not know any other spells?" He glanced at Elysia. "There's no way he can last at this rate."
Elysia didn't respond right away. She adjusted her glasses with a faint smile.
"Look closer."
Leon arched a brow. "Huh?"
Elysia continued, her eyes keen behind her lenses.
"He recognized the presence of a barrier almost instantly. He didn't panic, he adapted. His second cast wasn't just stronger, it was a distraction. He rushed in to test the barrier's reach."
Leon gave a low hum, reconsidering.
Back on the field, Akira was already moving again.
He wasn't giving up.
Akira's breath came in ragged gasps. Sweat clung to his brow, his chest rising and falling with effort. And yet, not a single scratch marked Headmaster Thaddeus.
"Damn it..." he hissed, fists clenched.
His eyes began to glow faintly green, pulsing with raw Aura. Rage flared in his chest.
"TAKE THIS!"
He thrust out his hand, Aura surging into his index and middle finger. With a rapid flicking motion, he slashed the air repeatedly, sending out a barrage of Wind Cutters one after another.
Each blade of wind slammed into Thaddeus's invisible barrier… and dissipated, harmless as a breeze.
Not even a shimmer of strain.
"Tch… Fine then!" Akira roared. "If you won't move, then I'll force you to!"
Green energy surged around his body in waves, crackling with violent pressure.
He brought both hands together, Aura gathering between them into a glowing orb of wind magic. The ball pulsed once, then again, and with a cry, he hurled it forward.
At first, it was just one spell.
But then it splintered.
Twenty wind blasts fractured from the orb mid-flight, forming a deadly scattershot of spinning crescents.
Thaddeus's eyes widened.
"Impressive... you didn't use that trick in the alley." He smirked as he calmly raised his hands. "Learning on the fly? I like that."
In response, his own magic flared, forming sigils in the air as a barrage of golden wind disks shot out, each one intercepting and neutralizing Akira's attacks with precise bursts.
The sky lit up with tiny explosions as spell clashed against spell.
Akira's jaw dropped.
The final blast detonated too close. The shockwave hit him, sending him skidding back across the field. Smoke clouded the air where he stood.
Silence followed.
Then, a burst of movement.
Akira shot from the smoke, leaping into the air, channeling everything he had left into one final attack.
He hurled a large spinning orb of wind straight at the headmaster.
Thaddeus didn't even blink.
"The same move? Predictable—"
But then, just before the spell made contact, Akira swept his left hand sideways.
The orb shifted with the motion, veering off-course mid-air.
"W-what the—?" Elysia gasped aloud. "He redirected it?! Mid-flight?!"
Akira grinned, teeth clenched.
"I'VE GOT YOU NOW!"
He yanked his left arm backward, the spell obeyed, slingshotting behind Thaddeus before exploding in a concussive blast.
The impact shook the ground, and a cloud of dust blanketed the battlefield.
Akira landed hard, knees buckling beneath him. He could barely stand.
He panted heavily, eyes locked on the smoke.
"Did I…?"
The dust cleared.
And there he was.
Thaddeus stood tall, unharmed.
A second barrier shimmered faintly behind him, fading as it absorbed the blast.
Akira's expression fell.
"H-he had a barrier behind him too...?!"
Thaddeus clapped slowly, his deep chuckle echoing across the training ground.
"Amazing." He stepped forward, eyes gleaming with amusement and approval. "In all my years of teaching, I've never seen a child manipulate wind magic like that. Controlling your spells mid-flight... you're something special, Akira. I can already see it. You have potential, but you'll need a lot more training to master it."
He reached out and gently patted my head, his expression softening into a warm smile.
"Will you join my academy, young one?"
I exhaled, shoulders finally relaxing. My body still ached from the fight, but deep down... I felt proud. I straightened up and nodded.
"Yes, I'll join."
Thaddeus grinned.
"Wonderful! I have no doubt you'll thrive there." He turned slightly, calling over his shoulder. "I'll send a carriage to your home tomorrow morning. You'll be given your school uniform—and as promised, your parents will receive one hundred thousand gold as thanks. I expect to see you ready."
He then glanced at my parents, his voice shifting to something more solemn.
"He's gifted. I'll see to it that he's safe. You have my word."
As if on cue, a white, ornate carriage pulled into view, its frame lined with gold, the wheels polished to a mirror shine. Thaddeus climbed in with Professors Leon and Elysia.
Just before the door closed, he leaned out one last time.
"Oh—and what's your name, boy?"
I looked him in the eye.
"Akira."
Thaddeus stroked his chin, thoughtful. Then he smiled.
"A strong name. I'll remember it. Tomorrow, we'll talk, just the two of us. Until then, enjoy this time with your family. You've earned it."
The carriage began to roll away, disappearing down the path toward the kingdom.
I stood in silence, watching it go... until I felt two warm arms wrap around me.
"You did it," Dad said, hugging me tightly. "My one and only son. You're going to do great things, I just know it."
Mom kissed my forehead, her smile radiant with pride.
"Come inside, sweetheart. Let's eat. You've got a big day ahead of you."
I nodded and followed them back inside.
Tomorrow, everything would change.
But tonight—I'd cherish this moment.
Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was warm and lively.
Headmaster Thaddeus leaned back into the plush cushions, hands folded behind his head as the carriage rumbled along the road.
"So," he began, glancing between the two professors with a knowing smile, "what did you think of the boy? Bright, isn't he? Sweet-hearted, too. There's something... promising about him."
Professor Elysia crossed her legs and adjusted her glasses with a gleam in her eyes.
"I like him. He's no different from the noble students in raw potential. In fact..." She raised her hand slightly. "If I may, Headmaster Thaddeus, I'd like to formally request that you assign him to my class."
Professor Leon's head snapped toward her.
"What?! Absolutely not!" he barked, sitting upright. "I should be his instructor! I'll teach him more in a week than this witch could in a semester!"
"Witch?!" Elysia scoffed, leaning over to pinch his cheek sharply. "At least I don't almost torch my students on fire you hot headed idiot!"
Leon retaliated with a tug on one of her curls, and the two professors devolved into playful bickering, pinching and poking each other like children on a long trip.
Thaddeus chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Alright, alright. Enough. How about this, let the boy decide who he wants to be taught by."
That shut them up.
Both turned to look at him, blinking in surprise.
"Very well," Elysia said at last, smoothing her coat smugly. "But I'm confident he'll choose the pretty, intelligent lady over the cranky man."
"Y-you—! You take that back!" Leon growled, lunging forward as she cackled.
Their laughter and antics continued as the moonlit road stretched ahead.
And so the night carried on, the stars shining bright above a new chapter that had only just begun, for Akira, for the academy, and for the world he was about to enter.
Back at the house, Akira was in his room looking up at the moonlight, he smiled and held out his hand to the moon.
"I'm ready..."