The carriage rattled over the cobblestones, the rhythmic clack-clack of the horses' hooves filling the silence. We were heading toward the testing grounds of the Imperial Academy, but the atmosphere inside the carriage was heavy.

  I sat opposite Celestia, watching the city blur past the window. She had been quiet since we left the inn—uncharacteristically so.

  "Celestia," I broke the silence, my voice cutting through the rumble of the wheels. "Why are you helping me so much? You fed me, gave me a room, became my guardian... and now this. Why?"

  Celestia blinked, pulling her gaze from the passing streets. She looked at me, her golden eyes softening with a melancholic haze. She let out a deep sigh, one that seemed to carry years of hidden weight.

  "Because," she whispered, a sad smile touching her lips, "you remind me of my father."

  I frowned. "Your father?"

  "Not in looks," she clarified quickly, seeing my confusion. "But in spirit. That stubborn, reckless spark in your eyes... the way you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders but refuse to buckle. He was exactly the same."

  She looked down at her hands, twisting a ring on her finger.

  "He was a soldier. A good man. But during the war... we were separated. The chaos was absolute. I was just a child, lost in the smoke and screams. I spent years searching for him, asking every traveler, every soldier... but we never found each other again."

  Her voice cracked. "I was alone in a ruthless world. If the owner of the Golden Griffin hadn't found me and given me shelter... I don't know where I would be. When I saw you—dirty, hungry, but still fighting—I saw him. I saw the same fire."

  I felt a pang in my chest—a sharp, unfamiliar ache. It wasn't pity. It was resonance. I knew what it felt like to lose family, to be adrift.

  Without thinking, I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around her.

  She stiffened for a second, then melted into the hug. I wasn't just a demon or a prodigy in that moment; I was just a boy comforting someone who had lost as much as he had. My heart, which I thought had frozen over in the Death Forest, thrummed with warmth.

  "Thank you," I murmured into her shoulder.

  We stayed like that until the carriage hit a bump, jolting us back to reality. Celestia pulled back, wiping her eyes and straightening her dress. She took a deep breath, the sadness retreating behind her usual bright demeanor.

  "Alright," she said, her voice steady again. "Enough moping. We have an entrance exam to crush."

  Part 2: The Core of the Academy

  "So," I asked, leaning back and trying to look casual. "Tell me about this Academy. What am I walking into?"

  "Right," Celestia nodded, switching into lecture mode. "The Imperial Academy of Razia is divided into two distinct layers: the Outer Layer and the Inner Layer."

  "Outer and Inner?"

  "Exactly. The Outer Layer is for the general populace. It's where most students start. The resources are standard, the training is solid, but it's... normal."

  Her eyes gleaned with intensity.

  "But the Inner Layer... that is where the monsters are raised. The students there are called Core Disciples. It is the heart of the Academy. It houses the greatest treasures, the most ancient technique scrolls, and most importantly—the Qi Density there is astronomical."

  "High Qi Density," I mused. "That means faster cultivation."

  "Much faster," she confirmed. "It’s the most efficient place in the kingdom to grow strong."

  "How do I get in?" I asked immediately. "How do I become a Core Disciple?"

  "You don't just 'get in'," Celestia warned. "You have to earn it. To become a Core Disciple, you must be the absolute strongest in your batch. Only the Top 5 are selected every year based on their cultivation level and battle prowess."

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Top 5..." I grinned. "Challenge accepted."

  Then, a thought struck me. I remembered my earlier confusion with the terms.

  "By the way," I asked. "You mentioned Mana earlier. What exactly is the difference between Mana and Qi here? I know my science, but the magical terminology throws me off."

  Celestia looked at me like I was a bit slow. "It’s simple mechanics, Ragna. Qi is the life force—the raw energy that exists in the atmosphere and within living beings. It’s the fuel."

  She held up a finger, a small spark lighting up at the tip.

  "Mana is what happens when you process that Qi for magic. Think of Qi as the crude oil, and Mana as the refined gasoline that powers the engine of a spell. You cultivate Qi to increase your reserves, but you expend Mana to cast Fireballs or Wind Steps."

  "Ah," I nodded, tapping my chin. "So Qi is the Mitochondria's power source, and Mana is the ATP released for the cell's function. Got it."

  (I was a bit unsure at first but now I'm sure. Don't look at me like that. It wasn't a wrong explanation after all. I was just unsure!)

  "Mito-what?" Celestia blinked.

  (Alright whatever, sorry to telling you the 'right' thing without confirming.)

  "Nothing," I waved my hand. "Just... science stuff. We’re here."

  The carriage slowed to a halt. I looked out the window.

  Looming before us were gates made of black iron and gold, stretching fifty feet high. Behind them lay a campus that looked less like a school and more like a fortress built for gods.

  "Welcome," Celestia whispered, "to the Imperial Academy."

  The carriage swayed gently as we continued through the noble district. Celestia was explaining the hierarchy of the Academy—the Outer Layer versus the elite Inner Layer—with a level of detail that felt... professional.

  "To become a Core Disciple," she explained, counting on her fingers, "you must be the absolute strongest in your batch. Only the Top 5 are selected every year. They judge you on two things: Cultivation Level and Battle Prowess."

  "Top 5," I muttered. "So I just have to beat everyone else. Simple enough."

  I leaned back against the plush velvet seat, my mind turning to the mechanics of this world. I had been using magic instinctively for two years, but I needed the hard theory.

  "By the way," I asked. "You mentioned Mana earlier. I know the basics, but what is the exact relationship between Mana and Qi? In my head, I use them interchangeably, but they feel different."

  Celestia nodded, shifting into lecture mode again.

  "Think of it like a vessel, Ragna. Qi is your foundation. As you cultivate, you aren't just gathering energy; you are refining the quality and increasing the amount of Qi your body can hold."

  She gestured to my chest, where my core hummed.

  "The higher your Cultivation Level, the higher your Qi Quality and Amount. And here is the key: Qi fuels your Mana Capacity."

  "So Qi is the source," I summarized.

  "Exactly," she smiled. "High Qi equals a massive Mana Capacity. And a massive Mana Capacity allows you to cast higher-tier spells and sustain them for longer. A Stage 1 cultivator might cast a fireball the size of an apple. A Stage 5 cultivator, with denser Qi, can cast a fireball the size of this carriage."

  "I see," I murmured, translating it into my old world's terms. "So Cultivation is upgrading the hardware (Body/Core) to handle a higher voltage output (Mana). If I try to output high-voltage Mana with a low-level Qi foundation, I'd burn out my circuits."

  "I don't know what circuits are," Celestia laughed nervously. "But yes. That is the essence of it."

  I stared at her.

  She knew a lot. She knew about the Core Disciples, the exact selection criteria, the density of mana in the Inner Layer, and the theoretical application of magic. That wasn't knowledge you picked up wiping tables at an Inn.

  "Hey, Celestia," I asked, keeping my voice casual.

  "Hmm?" She looked out the window, humming a tune.

  "How do you know this much? You know the internal structure of the Academy better than the guards."

  Celestia froze for a fraction of a second. She quickly covered it with a cough.

  " Cough... Oh, well... my cousin graduated from the Razia Academy. He used to tell me stories all the time."

  My eyes narrowed.

  Cousin?

  "Celestia," I said slowly, leaning forward. "Yesterday, you told me you were separated from your father in the war. You said you were lost, alone in a ruthless world, until the Inn owner took you in. You said you had no one."

  The air in the carriage instantly became awkward.

  Celestia stiffened. She turned to me, her golden eyes darting away, refusing to meet my gaze. Sweat beaded on her forehead.

  "I... well..." She stammered, wringing her hands together. "He... he wasn't my real cousin. You know? Just... a distant relative! Adopted, actually! We lost touch! Long story!"

  She is lying.

  My "Lie Detector" (basic common sense) was pinging off the charts. She was hiding something massive. A simple receptionist doesn't have "cousins" in the elite Academy while claiming to be a war orphan.

  "Is that so?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because it sounds like—"

  "LOOK!"

  Celestia practically shouted, pointing frantically out the window.

  "We have reached! Look at that! It's huge! Wow, so big!"

  She was deflecting so hard it was painful to watch. But I followed her finger.

  Through the window, the Academy finally came into view. And despite her terrible lying skills, she wasn't wrong about the size.

  It was a fortress. The walls were miles long, and behind them rose towers that scraped the clouds. It wasn't just a school; it was a city within a city.

  "Saved by the view," I whispered to myself, watching Celestia fan her face, trying to cool down from the panic. "But I'm watching you, Guardian."

  Celestia’s distraction worked, mostly because the scenery demanded attention.

  The carriage rolled to a stop, and we stepped out. If the Academy looked big from the window, it looked titanic from the ground.

  We stood before the main entrance gate. There were already thousands of people gathered there—students, parents, servants, and guards. But even with thousands of bodies, the crowd looked small. That’s how massive the Academy walls were. It felt like standing at the foot of a mountain range that someone had carved into a school.

  "Let's go," Celestia said, regaining her composure and checking her pockets. "We have to register at the front desk and show them the pass."

  We navigated through the sea of people. Celestia flashed a badge (probably her 'Guardian' identification) to the guards, and they waved us toward the administrative office. The registration was quick—mostly because Celestia had already done the paperwork. They stamped my form, handed me a numbered token, and pointed us inward.

  We walked through the main gates.

  "Wow," I whispered.

  Even though this was just the Outer Layer, it was beautiful. The entrance gate was flanked by massive pillars, and coiled around each pillar were statues of dragons. Not the bulky Western drakes I fought in the forest, but Eastern Dragons—serpentine, elegant, and majestic, just like Mizuki.

  Beyond the gates lay a wide pathway paved with white stone, decorated with ancient, sprawling trees on both sides. Their leaves were a vibrant autumnal gold, creating a canopy that filtered the sunlight.

  We walked down the path, the noise of the city fading behind us, replaced by the murmurs of nervous students.

  At the end of the path, the trees cleared to reveal a massive structure.

  "The Colosseum," Celestia announced.

  It was a huge, open-air arena. The stone seats rose high in a perfect circle, easily large enough to hold 5,000 people.

  "This is where it begins," I muttered, feeling a familiar itch in my fingers. The itch to fight.

  We walked in. The floor of the arena was already packed. Thousands of examinees were forming long, snaking lines, waiting for instructions. The air was thick with tension, mana, and the smell of teenage anxiety.

  I took my place in the line, adjusting my Azure Frost jacket. Celestia stood on the sidelines with the other guardians, giving me a thumbs-up.

  Suddenly, a magical amplification array hummed to life. The sound echoed across the entire arena, silencing the thousands of students instantly.

  "Attention, Examinees!"

  An announcement boomed from the center of the Colosseum.