Academia - Ability Wielders

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Beyond the Veil

Pain.

It was the first thing Fin felt.

A dull ache spread through every muscle as if she'd run for days without stopping. Her eyelids fluttered open, greeted not by the familiar wooden ceiling of her cottage, but by a ceiling painted with thousands of glowing constellations that shifted like a living night sky.

"...Am I dead?"

"Fortunately, no."

The voice was calm, smooth, and annoyingly matter-of-fact.

Fin turned her head.

A boy sat at a desk by the window, completely absorbed in a thick book. His black hair fell over his eyes, and thin silver-framed glasses rested neatly on his nose. He looked about her age, dressed in a dark academy uniform with a silver tie.

He didn't even bother looking up.

"Good," Fin muttered. "Because I'd be really disappointed if heaven looked like a school."

The corner of his mouth twitched.

"That's... surprisingly funny."

"Oh, so you can smile."

"I didn't."

"You almost did."

"I absolutely didn't."

"You almost smiled."

"I almost blinked."

Fin smirked.

"So you're one of those people."

Now he looked up.

His gray eyes were sharp—too observant, as if they were constantly piecing together puzzles no one else noticed.

"I'm Zanne."

"Fin."

"I know."

"...Right."

Silence lingered for a moment.

"So..." Fin said slowly, "...want to explain why I woke up in Hogwarts' cooler cousin?"

"It's not Hogwarts."

"I know that."

"You compared it."

"It was a joke."

"I understood the joke."

"...You don't seem like you understand jokes."

"I've been told that."

Fin laughed.

For some reason, she liked him already.

A knock echoed through the room.

The door swung open before either of them answered.

A woman in a navy-blue uniform entered with graceful confidence. Her long silver hair was tied into a braid, and a sword rested at her side.

"My name is Professor Seraphine."

She smiled warmly.

"It's good to see you're awake, Miss Fin."

Fin crossed her arms.

"I have approximately three hundred questions."

"I expected more."

"That's because I haven't started counting."

Professor Seraphine chuckled.

"Come with me."

The academy was...

Impossible.

The moment Fin stepped outside the infirmary, she forgot how to breathe.

Massive floating islands drifted through the sky, connected by glowing bridges of crystal.

Students flew overhead on creatures with shimmering wings.

Some manipulated water into intricate sculptures as they walked.

Others ignited tiny flames in their palms while laughing with friends.

One girl floated upside down while reading.

Another casually teleported between benches.

"...I'm dreaming," Fin whispered.

"No," Zanne replied.

"I've hit my head really hard."

"You did."

"So this is a concussion."

"It isn't."

Professor Seraphine smiled.

"Welcome to Academia."

"The world you knew," she began as they walked, "is called the Human Realm."

"And this?"

"The Veiled Realm."

"A parallel world?"

"In simple terms."

"So magic is real?"

"We call them abilities."

"And everyone here has one?"

"Almost."

Fin glanced around.

No one seemed surprised to see floating staircases or dragons perched on rooftops.

It was normal.

She was the only one staring like a tourist.

"I don't belong here."

Professor Seraphine stopped walking.

"You belong here more than most."

Those words unsettled Fin.

Eventually, they reached a massive circular hall.

Hundreds of first-year students filled the seats.

Some looked excited.

Others terrified.

A giant crystal floated in the center.

It pulsed with every color imaginable.

Professor Seraphine addressed the room.

"Welcome, first years."

The conversations died instantly.

"You have been chosen because your abilities awakened naturally."

She paused.

"Some of you come from gifted families."

Murmurs spread.

"Others discovered your powers only recently."

More whispers.

"And..."

Her gaze landed on Fin.

"...One of you has awakened after sixteen years of complete suppression."

Every head turned.

Fin wanted the floor to swallow her whole.

"Great," she muttered.

"Everyone's staring."

"They are," Zanne whispered.

"Helpful."

"I try."

A boy suddenly stood from the back row.

Tall.

Broad shoulders.

Jet-black hair.

Amber eyes that practically glowed.

His blazer hung carelessly over one shoulder as if rules were merely suggestions.

He looked equal parts confident and dangerous.

"So that's her?"

His voice carried easily through the hall.

"The famous hidden child?"

Professor Seraphine's expression hardened.

"Sit down, Priston."

"So she caused yesterday's energy spike?"

He ignored the order.

"I expected someone..."

His eyes swept over Fin.

"...stronger."

The room fell silent.

Fin's eyebrow twitched.

"...Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"No, I heard an i***t talking."

A few students snorted.

Priston grinned.

"You've got attitude."

"I've got standards."

"Clearly not high ones if you're talking to me."

Laughter erupted around the hall.

Priston's smile vanished.

"Oh."

"So you can lose."

Fin folded her arms.

"That's refreshing."

His amber eyes narrowed.

"I'd wipe the smile off your face in five seconds."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Oh, I will."

Professor Seraphine clapped once.

A shockwave rippled through the hall.

Every student instantly quieted.

"If either of you destroys my auditorium..."

She smiled sweetly.

"...you'll rebuild it with toothbrushes."

Fin blinked.

"...She's terrifying."

Zanne nodded.

"Very."

After orientation, students dispersed across the academy grounds.

Fin wandered through the courtyard, trying to memorize everything.

A fountain flowed upward instead of down.

Birds made of pure light perched in crystal trees.

Somewhere nearby, music echoed through the air despite no visible instruments.

"This place is insane."

"It grows on you."

She turned.

Zanne had followed her.

"Do you always sneak up on people?"

"I was walking normally."

"You walk quietly."

"I've been told."

"So what can you do?"

"My ability?"

"Yeah."

He hesitated.

"I'd rather show you later."

"Ooh."

"Mysterious."

"It's practical."

"So you're mysterious."

"I said practical."

"You keep proving my point."

For the first time...

Zanne laughed.

A genuine one.

It was small.

But real.

Fin smiled.

"There it is."

"What?"

"The smile."

He sighed.

"...You noticed."

"I notice everything."

"That may become a problem."

Meanwhile...

High above the academy...

Inside a tower no student was allowed to enter...

A hooded man stood before a wall covered in ancient symbols.

"The girl has arrived."

A voice emerged from the darkness.

"And?"

"The seal is breaking faster than expected."

Silence.

Then...

"Send the Ravens."

"What about the Headmaster?"

"He knows nothing."

"And if she awakens completely?"

The hooded figure slowly turned.

His crimson eyes glowed beneath the hood.

"Then the war begins."

That evening...

Fin finally unpacked in her dorm room.

Hidden beneath neatly folded academy uniforms was something she didn't remember packing.

A small leather journal.

Its cover was burned around the edges.

No title.

No name.

She opened the first page.

Only six words were written in elegant handwriting.

For my daughter... when the stars awaken.

Fin frowned.

"...Daughter?"

Her parents couldn't have written this.

The handwriting was unfamiliar.

As she turned the page—

A folded photograph slipped onto the floor.

She picked it up.

It showed a young woman with silver-white hair holding a baby wrapped in a midnight-blue blanket.

The woman smiled warmly at the camera.

Around her neck hung the same glowing crest that had appeared behind Fin during the attack.

On the back of the photograph, someone had written:

Princess Elara and her daughter... Fin.

The last Starborn heir.

The room suddenly felt cold.

Fin stared at the photograph, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

"If... she's my mother..."

She looked toward the moonlit window.

"...then who have I been living with all this time?"

Outside, hidden among the academy's towering trees, a pair of crimson eyes watched her dormitory window.

A whisper drifted through the darkness.

"We've found her."