The Trial of Ancient Magic
1163 Words
The towering gates of the Royal Alpha University stood open, welcoming students from every corner of the Wolf Realm.
Royal carriages and luxury vehicles continuously entered the vast campus, each carrying future leaders of the four Great Packs and countless noble families.
Astera stepped out of the Ocean Tide Pack's royal car.
A cool breeze swept across the enormous courtyard.
She slowly looked around.
The academy was even more magnificent up close.
Ancient crystal towers pierced the sky, their walls engraved with glowing runes that had survived for thousands of years. Floating bridges connected different departments, while magical waterfalls flowed upward instead of downward. Massive training arenas surrounded the central campus, and beyond them stood the Grand Library, said to contain every known record of the Wolf Realm.
Students filled every pathway.
Some possessed fiery red hair and golden eyes, clearly belonging to the Inferno Pack.
Others had blue, silver, or sea-green hair, carrying the calm aura of the Ocean Tide Pack.
A large group with emerald, brown, and moss-green hair represented the Earth Pack, their powerful physiques making them stand out immediately.
Farther away, students with silver-white and pale violet hair laughed as the wind danced around them—the heirs of the Sky Pack.
Each pack reflected the element it was born from.
Each carried centuries of pride.
Astera adjusted the strap of her backpack.
The tiny dragon shifted quietly inside before settling down again.
"Stay hidden," she whispered.
The little creature obeyed.
---
A loud bell echoed across the academy.
Every conversation stopped.
A dignified voice filled the courtyard through magic.
"All students enrolling in the Faculty of Magic and Ancient Arts, please proceed to the Hall of Arcane Trials."
Astera exchanged a glance with Nerina.
"Let's go."
The two walked through the bustling campus until an enormous circular building came into view.
Unlike the other academy structures, this one seemed impossibly old.
Its white stone walls were covered in glowing silver runes.
Towering statues of the Moon Goddess surrounded the entrance.
An invisible barrier shimmered above the roof.
Astera immediately felt it.
Magic.
Pure.
Ancient.
Far older than anything she had encountered before.
---
Hundreds of students gathered inside the examination hall.
The room resembled an ancient temple rather than a classroom.
Floating crystals illuminated the chamber.
Dozens of professors stood upon a raised platform.
In the center floated a giant transparent crystal nearly three stories tall.
Its light pulsed like a heartbeat.
Astera couldn't stop staring at it.
The energy surrounding it felt...
Alive.
One elderly professor stepped forward.
His long silver robes brushed against the marble floor.
"I am Dean Aurelius, Head of the Faculty of Magic and Ancient Arts."
His calm voice instantly silenced the room.
"Many of you believe today's examination will measure power."
He slowly shook his head.
"It will not."
"Raw strength can be learned."
"Knowledge can be acquired."
"But wisdom..."
"Cannot be forced."
The enormous crystal behind him glowed brighter.
"This crystal has judged students for over one thousand years."
"It recognizes not only magical ability..."
"But the mind behind it."
Astera listened carefully.
Interesting...
---
Assistants began distributing small palm-sized crystals to every candidate.
When one reached Astera, she accepted it carefully.
It felt surprisingly warm.
Dean Aurelius continued.
"Your task is simple."
"Activate your crystal."
"Once activated, it will guide you into the Trial of Ancient Magic."
"Inside, you must solve the path prepared for you."
"No candidate will face the same challenge."
"The trial adapts to your abilities."
"If you fail..."
"The crystal will return you safely."
He paused.
"If you succeed..."
"You become a student of this faculty."
---
Students immediately began channeling mana into their crystals.
Blue light.
Green light.
Golden light.
One after another, the crystals awakened.
Astera quietly looked down at hers.
Nothing happened.
She tried again.
Still nothing.
The crystal remained completely dark.
Whispers spread through the hall.
"It didn't react."
"Does she have no magical affinity?"
"I heard she's from the Ocean Tide Pack."
"Impossible..."
Nerina looked toward Astera with concern.
Astera ignored the whispers.
Panicking wouldn't solve anything.
She slowly examined the crystal instead.
Tiny runes covered its surface.
They weren't decorative.
They formed a pattern.
A circuit.
Almost like...
An invention.
Her inventor's instincts immediately awakened.
She rotated the crystal several times.
Every symbol connected to another.
Not randomly.
Mathematically.
Interesting...
Very interesting.
---
A deep voice interrupted her thoughts.
"You're studying it."
Astera looked up.
Standing beside her was a tall young man.
Broad shoulders.
Dark brown hair.
Emerald-green eyes.
His academy uniform bore the crest of the Earth Pack.
He smiled politely.
"Most people try forcing mana into it."
"You seem more interested in understanding it."
Astera nodded.
"I prefer knowing how something works."
The young man chuckled.
"I'm Flint Earthclaw."
"Heir of the Earth Pack."
Astera offered a small nod.
"Ariana Tidewell."
"So you're the famous student everyone has been talking about."
Astera sighed softly.
"I'd rather not be famous."
Flint smiled.
"Unfortunately..."
"I don't think that's possible."
Before either could continue—
The examination began.
---
The moment Flint activated his crystal...
He vanished in a burst of emerald light.
One after another...
Students disappeared into their individual magical trials.
Soon...
Only Astera remained.
Every eye in the hall turned toward her.
The whispers grew louder.
"She can't even activate the crystal."
"Why did she choose Magic?"
"She should have joined Engineering."
Astera completely ignored them.
Instead...
She gently traced one of the runes with her thumb.
The crystal suddenly vibrated.
Not because of mana.
Because she had completed the missing rune sequence.
A soft silver light appeared.
Then another.
Ancient symbols floated into the air around her.
The professors immediately stood.
Dean Aurelius's eyes widened.
"Impossible..."
Astera carefully rotated the crystal once more.
Every rune aligned perfectly.
The magical circuit completed itself.
Brilliant silver light erupted throughout the hall.
The crystal awakened.
Without a single trace of wolf mana.
Without elemental magic.
Only through understanding.
A portal slowly opened before her.
Silence filled the chamber.
One professor whispered,
"She solved the activation sequence..."
Another shook his head in disbelief.
"That method was forgotten centuries ago."
Dean Aurelius never took his eyes off Astera.
"No candidate..."
"...has activated the Arcane Crystal like this in over four hundred years."
Astera looked at the glowing portal.
She hadn't broken the rules.
She had simply read the language hidden within them.
Taking a steady breath...
She stepped forward.
The portal swallowed her whole.
As the light disappeared, every professor remained frozen.
Far above them...
Hidden within the giant crystal suspended in the center of the hall...
An ancient symbol briefly shimmered before fading once again.
So quickly...
No one noticed.
No one...
Except Dean Aurelius.
His expression slowly changed.
For the first time in decades...
The Trial of Ancient Magic had chosen to awaken something of its own.
And he had a feeling...
The quiet girl calling herself Ariana Tidewell would change the history of the Royal Alpha University forever.
- Writer
