The Anomaly's Path

Following Caster’s hurried directions, I spent most of my break walking through the big maze of the academy’s inner campus.

I cursed the architects under my breath the whole time. With Caster’s scattered memories of the campus layout, I finally found the right wing and reached the lecture hall just as the heavy oak door swung open.

I stepped through the door, expecting the usual wall of heat, noise, and crowded rows of competitive noble students. Instead, the big room was dead quiet. Rows of empty stone desks stretched upward, completely empty.

Huh...?

I blinked, wondering for a second if Caster had sent me to the wrong place out of spite. Am I actually the first person here?

For the first time since I joined this academy, I was early.

Shaking my head, I walked down the stone steps and sat in a middle row, dropping into the seat. With time to spare, I leaned back against the stone wall and let my thoughts drift to what Caster had told me about the instructor on our way out of the garden.

I had asked him if he knew anything about Professor Isolde Veyra. Even with my knowledge of the game’s story, I could not remember every single teacher in the academy’s staff, but Caster’s nervous rambling had filled in the blanks.

From what he said, she sounded like an amazing person to learn from — a Grandmaster Low powerhouse from the Magic Tower City. Despite being over forty, she still looked like she was in her late twenties, a common side effect of reaching higher ranks where the body ages slower and mana keeps the skin and vitality strong.

A true expert in elemental theory.

Caster had explained how she spent thirty years inside the Magic Tower’s top academy, publishing famous research papers on affinity control and precise mana handling that were personally recommended by the Arcanum Sage.

She was not just a fighter.

She was a scholar who could control her mana so perfectly that she could hold many spells at once without wasting a single drop. But under that genius, Caster warned me she was strict, fair, and had a sharp tongue that could cut through any noble student’s pride with perfect aim.

I had not realized how deep I was in my own head until the heavy thud of the front doors signaled the arrival of the rest of the class. The room started to fill, the quiet air breaking into the familiar murmur of voices and the rustle of heavy coats.

I looked around, watching the mix of students from different classes, when two very familiar voices cut through the noise.

Walking through the doorway, laughing softly together, were Amelia and Lyssaria.

I frowned a little, my eyes narrowing as I spotted them. They are taking this class too?

It made sense when I thought about it. Lyssaria, as a support mage with the World Tree power, needed perfect control to use life magic without draining herself.

And Amelia... ever since she became the Spirit Queen’s Apostle during the exam, her water magic sat right on the edge between healing and destruction. They both needed to learn how to refine their affinities rather than just throwing raw power around.

As they looked for seats, Lyssaria’s jade-green eyes found me. She nudged Amelia, a gentle smile on her face as they walked straight toward my row.

”Can I sit here?” Lyssaria asked softly, pointing to the empty space directly next to me.

I looked at the seat, then up at her face, letting out a quiet sigh. Well, damn it. ”Go ahead,” I said, nodding.

Lyssaria sat beside me, while Amelia took the spot next to her. Amelia’s silver-violet eyes flickered toward me, flashing with a brief, guilty look before she faced forward.

”Are you also taking this class, Leo?” Lyssaria asked, turning her warm gaze to me. ”I didn’t expect to see a swordsman like you in a theory class.”

I shrugged, leaning my elbow on the desk.

”I need to learn how to control what I have and push it to the limit. Even if I am not a mage, learning how to handle the currents is better than letting them tear me apart. I take it you two are here for the same reason? As magic users, getting the fine control right is life or death.”

Lyssaria smiled, her hand resting over her uniform sleeve. ”Exactly. Roan thinks raw power solves everything, but—”

Before she could finish, the heavy front doors clicked. The whole room went quiet at once as a striking woman stepped in.

Professor Isolde Veyra walked with the quiet, steady grace of someone completely comfortable with her own power.

Her long, flowing blue hair fell past her shoulders like deep ocean water, shining with silver hints under the lights. Her pale blue eyes moved over the rows, carrying a calm, distant wisdom that made every student sit up straight.

She walked to the front desk, her elegant blue and silver robes rustling softly.

”Welcome to Elemental Control and Theory,” her voice echoed. It was not loud, but it had a soft, powerful authority that made everyone listen.

”I am Professor Isolde Veyra. In this room, we do not care about how big your spells are or how destructive your paths can be. We focus on precision, balance, and the basic control of the forces given to your souls.”

She turned to the big blackboard, raising her right hand. The simple silver ring on her finger pulsed with a faint elemental glow as she started to outline the course.

”Affinities are important, but they are not everything,” Professor Veyra went on, her calm voice cutting through the quiet room.

”In this world, an affinity is just the natural link a person has to a certain type of mana or idea. It decides what kind of magic or fighting style comes most easily to you. Someone with a fire affinity can learn fire magic faster and use it better than someone without it. Someone with a sword affinity will understand swords better than any other weapon. But... because the human body must adapt to survive the thick mana in the air, an Awakener can only have one affinity. Your element shapes what you can do, but it is a starting point, not the end. Mastery is not born. It is trained.”

She paused, turning back to face the students, her sharp gaze scanning the rows.

”Affinities are usually found during the First Awakening at age ten, when a person’s core forms and their mana starts to flow. The affinity is tied to your soul, your personality, and sometimes your bloodline. Ever since the First Descent — when the sky cracked open and raw, wild mana flooded our world — the human body was forced to specialize. For centuries, the rule of our world has been simple: one core, one person, one affinity. To have more is a death sentence, a mechanical impossibility for this era.”

Isolde’s pale blue eyes moved slowly up the rows, locking onto my spot. A knowing, dangerous smile played on her lips.

”However... it seems we have a living anomaly among us today. A student who breaks the post-Descent rules by having three different, clashing affinities. Lightning, Space, and a Flame. A mix that should have broken his core the moment it woke up.”

The whole room turned, hundreds of eyes shifting to stare at me. The air filled with whispers and burning curiosity.

I closed my eyes for a second, cursing under my breath. Of course. I just cannot catch a break.

Beside me, Lyssaria let out a soft, teasing chuckle, leaning in a little. ”Well, you are quite famous, Primus.”

”I wished I was not,” I said back, keeping my eyes on the teacher.

Professor Veyra tapped her silver ring on the wooden desk, the sharp sound cutting off the whispers as she turned back to the board.

”Before we talk about how such an exception handles these clashing elements, you must understand the exact nature of the tiers he is dealing with. First are Simple Affinities — the basic elemental types like Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Light, and Darkness. They are simple and common.”

Her pale blue eyes sharpened as her chalk drew a heavier line.

”Above them are Rare Affinities, like Metal, Ice, Plant, Sound, and Gravity, which need special training and are often tied to certain bloodlines. Then, we look at the basic ideas of reality: Legendary Affinities, such as Time, Space, and Void. They need strong willpower and sharp mental focus to stop the user from being swallowed by their own power. And finally, the rarest of all — Conceptual Affinities. These are tied to abstract ideas rather than physical elements, like Structure, Reave, Authority, or Order. They are almost impossible to measure, rooted in the soul rather than blood.”

She stepped down from the board, moving toward a stone stand in the center of the stage that held a big, clear crystal ball filled with a swirling, colorless mist.

”Affinities can be trained and improved,” she went on, pulling the room’s attention back to the front.

”A fire user can learn to control heat, shape flames, or make explosions. A water user can learn to heal, freeze, or drown. A space user can learn to fold distance, teleport, or store things. The more a person uses their affinity, the stronger and more flexible it becomes. But it takes years of practice to master even one. And... remember: affinities are not the only thing that matters. Mana capacity, control, skill, experience, and willpower all count. A person with a weak affinity but perfect control can beat someone with a strong affinity who wastes their mana. That is why control is taught before power at this academy.”

She rested her hand just above the crystal orb.

”...Today, we start by testing how your mana paths work under pressure. When your core is forced into a tight spot, it will naturally lean on its main affinity to protect itself. If your control is weak, the element will fight back, and your core will push against you.”

Isolde looked up, her sharp gaze locking onto me once more.

”Mr. Celestial. Since your existence breaks the normal rules of elemental balance, let us see how your three conflicting forces react under pressure. Step down to the stage.”

A heavy silence fell over the room as every eye tracked my move. I sighed, expecting that much, and stood up, fixing my coat as I walked toward the swirling crystal ball, knowing that whatever happened next would be a pain in the ass.