The outer ring of the candidate camp bore little resemblance to the refined interiors of noble tents. There were no floating crystals or obsidian tables here. Instead, the warmth came from makeshift fire pits, the scent of bread roasted over open flames, and voices that held hope like a fragile treasure.
Children of farmers, craftsmen, hunters, even former street rats — they had all come here chasing the same dream: admission to the Valeborne Magic Academy, a place that, for most of them, was as mythical as the stars above.
Here, status didn't matter. Only the fire in your chest did.
The Fire Pit Circle
One of the largest commoner clusters had gathered around a roaring fire. At its center, Riven of Hollowbrook held court like a seasoned storyteller, his hands dancing with harmless embers that lit up eager young faces.
"…and then, the merchant's wife says—'That's not a wand, that's my cooking ladle!'"The group burst into laughter, nearly knocking over a kettle.
Riven grinned, basking in their reactions. Despite being dirt-poor and wearing clothes stitched at the seams, his charisma glowed brighter than any enchantment.
Next to him sat Lyra Mirkvale, scribbling notes in her thick-bound journal.
"Mana fluctuation under stress… behavior shifts with confidence," she murmured. "Social interaction possibly boosts elemental output. Noted."
Riven peeked over her shoulder. "Are you making formulas again?"
Lyra didn't look up. "You're an anomaly. I'm cataloging you."
"Oh, don't make me sound special," he said with mock humility, throwing a tiny flame into the air and catching it on his finger like a spark of applause.
"You're not," Lyra replied flatly. "But I might still pass thanks to watching you."
Several others chuckled nearby.
Kieran sat a few paces away, wrapped in shadow, observing. His presence was deliberately muted — no eye contact, no expressions. Just silence and stillness.
[System Notification]Target Profiles: • Riven – High Social Influence, Fire Element, Instinctive Control, Strategic Potential: Moderate. • Lyra – Analytical Mind, Mental Affinity, Memory Trait, Recruitment Viability: High.
Note: Riven unconsciously boosts morale in low-spirit environments.Note: Lyra possesses early-stage Magic Theory Pattern Recognition. Possible talent for support command structure.
'Both are good seeds,' Kieran mused. 'Let them grow a little more first.'
Other Figures in the Shadows
While the larger fireside groups laughed and shared food, a few individuals remained on their own, out of instinct or trauma.
Kieran noted each one with care.
A half-dwarven girl with soot-smudged cheeks and bandaged fingers, quietly sharpening a bent wand. Her name was Tula Stoneborn, a blacksmith's apprentice from the Ironbarrow Outpost.
A beastkin boy with twitching ears and wild, yellow eyes named Krell, who kept muttering battle chants to himself in the tongue of the Northern Wastes.
A cloaked girl named Mira, who hadn't spoken a word since arriving. When someone tried to mock her, her eyes turned a glowing violet — telekinetic push blew the bully straight into a pile of hay.
[System Notification] Mira – Hidden bloodline detected. Affinity: Psionic/Unknown Hybrid. Latency: 70%.Recommendation: Extreme caution or potential recruitment.
Kieran raised a brow. Interesting.
This camp may not have nobles, but it had unpolished gems — many of them more dangerous, more desperate, and more capable than their royal-blooded peers.
Dreams and Doubts
As the fires dimmed and stars thickened in the sky, the laughter faded to murmurs. Doubts crept into the quiet.
"I heard some nobles can already cast Tier-2 spells…"
"Did you see that girl with the priestess mark? She could probably pass the exam with her eyes closed."
"What if I fail the mana test tomorrow?"
Riven, still lounging by the fire, leaned forward. "You know what I think?" he said, voice softer now. "I think they want us to feel small before we even begin."
"But what if we are small?" a girl asked, arms hugging her knees.
He grinned. "Then we just have to grow so fast it scares them."
That got a few smiles.
Kieran turned his gaze up toward the stars.
"That's what they'll all do," he thought. "They'll grow. Struggle. Compete."
But unlike them, he didn't need to hope. The System was with him. The knowledge of countless worlds burned behind his calm gaze.
He would build from the shadows.
And when he extended his hand to them — Riven, Lyra, Mira, and others like them — they wouldn't even realize how far they'd already stepped into his web.