The capital buzzed with restless anticipation.
Eidaleon Imperial Academy — the heart of the Empire's elite education and training system — was hosting its annual entrance trials.
From all corners of the realm, nobles, gifted commoners, and war-orphaned prodigies had gathered to take their shot at prestige, power, and a place among legends.
Caelum Virellian stood amidst the crowd, unassuming in his black travel cloak.
His sharp gray eyes swept the courtyard of the academy's outer arena — a vast, circular plaza ringed with elevated stands and mana-imbued pillars. Students lined up beneath floating glyphs that marked their turn.
His turn would come soon.
Whispers moved around him. Some were already looking his way — not because they recognized him, but because the faint silver stitching on his collar hinted at nobility. One boy from a mid-ranked house sneered quietly to his group.
"Another washed-out branch family. What is he even doing here.."
Caelum ignored it. Not because he didn't hear it, but because his mind was elsewhere.
Despite standing in the academy he once burned to the ground, his expression remained unreadable.
This place — the same academy that played a hand in his execution — now stood before him again, untouched and proud. He should've felt rage, maybe even fear, but all he felt was distance. Like he was watching a play unfold he'd already seen before.
His mind wasn't on the petty nobles. It was on the trial ahead — the Resonance Pebble, a tool used by the academy to gauge a student's core potential. Not actual strength — but the depth of their affinity with aura or mana. The stronger the potential, the brighter and more complex the reaction.
The Pebble was calibrated to measure potential up to Tier S – Exalted, the standard ceiling for even elite talents. Anything beyond that — into Crowned or Primordial territory — was considered beyond measurable scope. If such potential existed, the Pebble would either overload or respond with undefined brilliance.
And Caelum? He already had a suspicion of how it might respond. As that's what happened last time.
"Next!"
A sharp voice cut through the chatter.
The line shuffled forward. Caelum stepped into the center ring. Instructors sat along the viewing perimeter, including a silver-haired woman with striking amethyst eyes — Instructor Avyra.
An S-Tier Exalted and one of the academy's most powerful figures, she watched the newcomers with a neutral gaze.
But when Caelum walked in, her fingers twitched.
Her eyes narrowed, not in recognition… but intuition.
She folded her arms.
Let's see.
At the center of the ring, a robed examiner gestured toward the stone pedestal, upon which the Resonance Pebble floated.
"Place your hand on the crystal. Let it read your core potential."
Caelum stepped forward.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then — a low hum.
The Pebble pulsed, shifting through colors — green, blue, violet — before flaring suddenly into a radiant platinum-white light. The glyphs floating around it flickered erratically, and a faint ringing filled the air.
Gasps erupted from the stands.
Even the instructor's eyes widened.
"That's—" one of the assistants whispered. "It broke the sequence—did it bypass even S-Tier?"
"No classification," another muttered. "It's beyond the scale... The Pebble can't interpret it."
Caelum pulled his hand back.
The Pebble dimmed instantly, as if overwhelmed and exhausted, then it broke.
He turned slightly toward the crowd. He didn't smile. He didn't bow. But neither was he cold. His expression was composed — respectful, but unreadable.
"Is that all?" he asked the examiner, voice even.
The man hesitated. "…Yes. Proceed to the arena."
As Caelum walked away, murmurs followed him. Some voices were jealous. Others cautious.
But a few, very few, were terrified.
____
Instructor Avyra remained still, her mind racing.
That kind of resonance…
She knew power. She stood against demons, warlords, and even false prophets. But this? This felt like something else.
She turned to one of the robed officials. "Check the archives. I want to know if any noble bloodline recently awakened a new affinity."
"Understood."
She didn't mention the strangest part — the brief, nearly imperceptible thrum she felt when he touched the crystal. It wasn't just reacting, but listening.
____
Meanwhile, Caelum stood beneath a shaded archway, glancing at his palm.
Still there, huh... the hum.
His Primal Resonance hadn't diminished. His very own talent, the talent that was feared in his past life, the talent that made everyone kill him.
____
The second trial was held in a coliseum-like arena adjacent to the testing grounds. While the first exam gauged potential, the second tested application — specifically, how well a student could utilize the power they possessed.
Caelum sat on a bench with other candidates, his cloak folded beside him. A low murmur ran through the gathered crowd, louder now. After the Resonance Pebble's reaction, many were watching him from a distance.
"Instructor Avyra is observing the duel phase too," a short-haired girl beside him whispered nervously. "That means they're looking for combat scholarships."
Another boy scoffed. "Scholarship? He'll need it. Doubt he has any backing with that no-name crest."
Caelum barely blinked. His gaze was fixed on the dueling ring. He didn't react to the insult — not because he was disinterested, but because his mind remained on deeper matters. His return. His purpose. The ghosts of betrayal still haunted the halls of this place, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was walking straight back into a storm that had already killed him once.
A referee stepped forward. "Caelum Virellian vs. Lenard Roquille. Prepare to enter."
His opponent stepped up first — tall, well-built, with a crimson coat lined in gold thread.
The Roquille family was known for their aggressive aura combat and military heritage.
Caelum followed him into the circle.
The referee raised a hand. "This is a duel to submission or ring-out. First to yield losses. Begin on my mark."
Lenard grinned. "Didn't think they'd match me with a ghost from a ruined family. Don't worry — I'll go easy."
Caelum didn't respond. Not out of arrogance — but because there was no need.
"Begin!"
Lenard surged forward, his aura flaring in scarlet wisps around his fists. Each step cracked the stone beneath him. He closed the distance in a blink.
Caelum sidestepped — not with flash or power, but with calm precision. His footwork was too clean, too disciplined.
Lenard blinked, surprised. "Fast, huh?"
But caelum's fist met his ribs before he could recover.
The crowd barely saw it.
Lenard flew back, skidding across the stone before groaning and trying to rise.
Another step. Caelum was already above him.
A hand pressed to his shoulder.
"Do you yield?"
Lenard gasped, sensing the overwhelming pressure behind that still hand. He gritted his teeth — then nodded.
"Y-Yes, it's my lost.."
Cheers erupted, but not out of joy — out of awe.
He didn't even use magic, some realized.
No spells.
No flashy tricks.
Just refined skill, perfect control, and a depth of presence that spoke louder than any explosion.
Caelum stepped away, not bothering to celebrate.
Still the same shitty nobles, they've so arrogant without knowing they're weak.
As he returned to the bench, he noticed Instructor Avyra watching him.
This time, her eyes held something new.
Curiosity.