Morning sunlight filtered through the grand windows of House Aetherwyn, casting soft golden rays across Aaron's room. He sat cross-legged on the floor, half-asleep, sipping a cup of mediocre tea he had steeped far too long.
"Too bitter," he muttered, grimacing. He took another sip. "Still better than yesterday's."
He was shirtless, bandages wrapped carelessly around his forearms—remnants from the "hill" he'd tried to clear for a meditation spot. That hill turned out to be a minor mountain formation, now split clean down the center. Aaron assumed it had already been cracked from erosion.
Just as he reached for a book titled Beginner's Channeling Techniques for the Subtalented, a knock echoed through the room.
"Enter," Aaron called, still flipping the book open to the first page.
His father's butler, a pale, meticulous man named Elric, stepped inside holding a silver tray. Upon it rested a scroll, sealed with a star-shaped crest that shimmered with shifting hues of violet and silver.
"A letter has arrived from the Mysterious Academy of Elarith, my lord," Elric said with a bowed head.
Aaron blinked. "Already? I thought... I mean, I didn't think they'd respond at all."
With the grace of someone handling a snake, Aaron took the letter and unrolled it. His eyes scanned the text slowly, then widened.
"Dear Aaron Aetherwyn," he read aloud, "we are pleased to extend an official invitation to join the faculty of the Mysterious Academy of Elarith as a probationary professor in celestial theory and starlight application."
He paused. "...Probationary?"
Elric's eyes twitched. "That is the highest starting position possible, my lord."
Aaron reread the letter, brow furrowed. They must be desperate. Maybe they need a filler professor. Or this is their polite way of saying no.
His thoughts were interrupted by the final lines.
"You are also requested to attend a formal gathering tonight at House Aetherwyn to commemorate your appointment. Representatives from the Nine Great Houses will be present."
Aaron's heart dropped.
"A gathering?! Tonight?!"
"Yes," Elric said, unbothered. "Preparations are underway."
---
Two hours later, Aaron stood before a tall mirror in ceremonial robes. The black and deep-blue fabric shimmered faintly with enchantments, tailored to suppress his mana output and project noble dignity. He had no idea.
He tugged at the collar. "This is... too formal."
His reflection stared back at him: lean, tall, elegant. Sharp cheekbones framed cool silver eyes that glowed faintly beneath his starlight-infused bloodline. He tried to smile. The reflection smirked like a villain in a murder trial.
Aaron sighed. "Why do I always look like I'm plotting something?"
He stepped out of his room, unaware that every servant in the hallway stopped breathing the moment they saw him.
"His gaze could kill," one whispered.
"He's suppressing it… so terrifying."
"Don't make eye contact!"
---
The grand hall of House Aetherwyn had not seen this many nobles in years.
Banners from the Nine Great Houses hung high above, fluttering from the ceiling enchanted with calm breezes. Ornate tables filled with delicacies from the continent lined the sides. Crystal chandeliers glowed with ambient starlight.
One by one, noble heirs, lords, and ambassadors arrived.
First came the fiery emissaries from House Virelith, their dragonblood making their presence heat the air around them. Then House Myrravelle, exuding dignity and calculation. House Albrecht, House Raventhorn, and others followed.
Conversations hushed when Aaron entered.
The chandeliers flickered. A ripple passed through the air—heavy, unexplainable. Nobles turned.
There stood Aaron, cloaked in midnight light, expression unreadable. He walked in silence, and with each step, the marble beneath his feet seemed to tremble. He didn't notice. He was too busy rehearsing small talk lines in his head.
"Good evening. May your house prosper." Wait, too stiff. Maybe: 'Nice weather'? No, it's indoors!
He paused to take a glass of wine. As he brought it to his lips, the fragile stem cracked in his fingers. The glass shattered in his hand.
Aaron blinked. "Oh no. These must be poorly made."
Nobles nearby turned pale.
He crushed it without effort… while smiling…
A noblewoman from House Albrecht cautiously approached him. "Lord Aetherwyn," she began, voice quivering slightly. "Your... aura tonight is most... imposing."
Aaron tilted his head, confused. "I showered."
She retreated immediately, whispering, "He's toying with me!"
---
From across the hall, Lily Virelith's cousin approached.
"Lord Aaron," he said with a courteous bow. "A pleasure. House Virelith congratulates you on your appointment."
Aaron tried to remember noble customs. He stood straight, placed his hand over his heart, and bowed with a cold smile.
The floor rumbled slightly.
The emissary flinched. "Y-You honor us… greatly."
Aaron blinked. Did I bow too low? Was it too formal? Ugh, I really need to study etiquette.
---
Meanwhile, from the shadowed corner of the balcony above, a pair of glowing eyes watched.
Nova, headmistress of the Mysterious Academy, leaned against the railing with a wine glass in hand, lips curled in a small smile.
"So this is the 'lazy disappointment'?" she murmured. "He's a walking paradox."
Behind her, her assistant Kaelen stood rigid. "I told you, Headmistress. He reeks of danger."
Nova chuckled. "He reeks of cluelessness. But yes... terrifying cluelessness."
---
Back in the hall, a high-ranking noble from House Raventhorn stepped forward. The music quieted. Conversations stopped.
"Lord Aaron," the man said, voice clear, "if I may be so bold—what qualifies you to be a professor at the most prestigious academy in the realm?"
Aaron blinked. "Pardon?"
"You're young. And until recently, you were… shall we say... lesser known." He smirked, assured of his support. "Would you demonstrate something—anything—to prove your worth?"
Aaron froze. He didn't want to cause a scene. "I—I just teach theory…"
"Anything at all," the man insisted.
Aaron raised his hand hesitantly. "Well, I was practicing this earlier…"
A simple starlight ripple formed at his fingertips. It floated lazily into the air.
But the ripple distorted. Without his realizing, it absorbed mana from the room, growing into a massive spiral of rotating celestial flames, twinkling like a newborn star.
Nobles screamed.
The ripple collapsed into itself with a soft pop, leaving the chandelier above frozen in place, flickering.
Aaron looked around. "...Did I do something wrong?"
---
As silence fell again, a single noble dropped to one knee.
The others followed.
Aaron stared, mortified. "Please get up! I'm just... I'm just an average guy!"
To everyone else, it sounded like a monarch testing their loyalty.
Nova, watching above, sipped her wine with a smirk.
Oh yes, she thought. You'll do nicely.
---
[To be continued in Chapter 20: "The Gathering's Gambit"]