Stars of Destiny

Phaistos closed his eyes and let his mind immerse itself in meditation. The pain in his body seemed to ease slightly as he focused on his breath and the light surrounding him. The light from the mini sun became a guide, a source of energy he needed to connect with.

Phaistos had already gained the ability to enter into meditation thanks to his previous training. Additionally, the mini sun at the center of the room was like a beacon in this solitary exercise of meditation. His spiritual core was being drawn towards the sun.

While he usually could only imagine a sliver of light in a dark space, he could now admire a ball of light the size of a fingernail. The difference might seem minimal, but it was definitely there. This small ball seemed to hold knowledge that Phaistos couldn't even begin to comprehend.

However, he felt that access to it wouldn't come easily. For now, the only thing he could discern from this ball was a mysterious feeling.

"Maybe I should try to feel this ball with my magical power," Phaistos thought. What he was considering was a practical use of his magical power that he had learned this morning from Thalor.

Thalor had taught them that their magical power could be used to probe objects or even living beings. This technique might seem unrelated to magical ethics, but it was actually a central point. Indeed, if one couldn't control their magical power, they might end up analyzing a person close to them. It's important to know that this is equivalent to seeing them completely naked, which has caused numerous problems throughout the history of magicians.

Nevertheless, this spell remained very practical as it greatly improved the daily life of magicians. Phaistos had only made a few attempts in class, so he didn't have a very good level of mastery in this art yet. It took him several minutes to finally manage to project his power into the luminous sphere.

When he finally succeeded, he regretted it immediately. Indeed, he felt his magical power burning in consequence. It was as if he had been plunged into a bath of burning oil. Fortunately, he managed to withdraw his magical power from the sun after a few moments. It is important to understand that magical power is a personification of the power of one's soul. When projecting his power, part of his soul followed the process as well.

If Phaistos hadn't reacted quickly, Earth would have lost an apprentice and gained a dead person. He understood that the sun was light-years beyond his capabilities. He needed to start by sensing something smaller.

Unfortunately, this sphere emitted absolutely nothing. Despite his attempts to observe less aggressive elements, it remained there like a marble statue. After multiple attempts, Phaistos nonetheless noticed a particularity emitted by this sphere: heat.

Indeed, he could feel the heat transmitted by the light produced by the sun. He could therefore try to meditate on that.

Phaistos then focused on his breathing, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly, seeking to harmonize his breath with the pulsations of heat around him. He felt a fleeting connection, like a flash of understanding, but it quickly vanished, leaving him frustrated.

Over time, he became more and more in tune with the heat pulsations emitted by the sun. He also began to notice a resurgence of light in his mind when they occurred. It seemed that each constituent element of this sun had its own rhythm that eventually fit into a larger rhythm. This sensation of understanding something completely new caused his attention to shift from the heat or light produced by the sun to the rhythm.

However, he was no longer just focused on the rhythm of the sun; he started analyzing the rhythm of his magical power. Its comings and goings within his spiritual core, the rotation of his spiritual affinities, and even the blood pulsing in his body.

Just as he was about to make a breakthrough in his understanding, his consciousness was expelled from his spiritual core by a violent jolt produced by the mini sun. As he woke up, he could see all the apprentices who were stunned by this sudden change.

"The hour of training offered by the academy has expired. Come and take the test to see if you are eligible to enter the Hall of Light," Aurora declared with a smile, standing right next to the sun. It seemed that the heat emitted by it was unable to affect her body. One couldn't even detect a hint of sweat.

Phaistos, still a bit dazed by the jolt from the mini sun, got up slowly. He felt a wave of disappointment wash over him, sensing that he was just a step away from making a breakthrough in his cultivation of light. He could even feel that what he was about to understand was something very special. Nevertheless, he couldn't quite remember that sensation, as if what he was trying to master was as elusive as the wind.

As he headed to the center of the room to take the test, he noticed that some of the other apprentices had smiles on their faces. They had evidently made a breakthrough or understood something specific in their art. Others, like him, seemed still to be struggling with their understanding of the light element. This reassured him somewhat, seeing that he was not the only one experiencing difficulties.

Aurora stood next to the mini sun, observing each student with a benevolent gaze. "Step forward, one by one," she said softly. "Show me what you have learned and felt during this hour of meditation."

The students took turns, some succeeding in influencing the light with apparent ease, while others failed to create even the smallest spark on its surface. For each student, Aurora offered advice that seemed to clear all the confusion from their faces. When it was Phaistos' turn, he stepped forward, a ball of apprehension in his stomach.

He closed his eyes and focused, trying to recapture the connection he had felt with the heat and rhythm of the sun. He extended his hands towards the mini sun, seeking to channel the luminous energy through his palms. But despite his efforts, he couldn't interact with the sun. He felt that something essential was missing to influence this structure.

Aurora said to him: "I can feel that your perseverance is strong, given your progress facing the sun before the test. However, I sensed during your meditation that you deviated from the classic path of light. This shows that you have a hidden talent, but you need to improve your understanding first before working on that. I can also tell you that your understanding has reached the limit of its bottleneck. Have confidence in yourself, just a little more effort and it will get better."

Phaistos had been one of the first students to take the test, so he had to wait several more minutes for all the apprentices to complete their tests. When the last student failed the test, Aurora concluded: "Of the 200 students in the Hall of Light, 25 of you have succeeded in entering it in one day. That's a rather good average. But I want to reassure the others: the 25 students in question have a slightly better spiritual aptitude than the school average, which is B+. Moreover, some of them also experienced an illumination in their practice, which improved their results. You can very well experience one too. As long as you work hard, it goes without saying that you will be able to reach the minimum level of understanding required to pass this test."

As the day drew to a close, Phaistos joined his friends in the grand hall of the academy. To get there, Phaistos had to take the space shuttle once again. When he saw the students who had arrived at the same time as him being able to use the teleportation portal, he felt a certain form of envy. He also wanted to be one of those who had that privilege, and he promised himself that he would soon be among them.

In the grand hall of the academy, they were all curious to know how his first specialization session had gone. Nevertheless, Phaistos couldn't forget that, according to Aurora's words, his talent was below the school's average. He felt a bit heartbroken for Zara and Freya, who, like him, had below-average talent. He hoped everything would be okay despite this. However, he was curious to see how far high-grade talent could go in its cultivation.

"So, how was it?" Freya asked enthusiastically.

"Intense," Phaistos replied, trying to hide his disappointment. "Light is more complex than I imagined. But Aurora is an excellent instructor. And you? How were your classes?"

Freya, Zara, Kibi, and Miki exchanged excited looks, ready to share their own experiences. They knew that this first day was just the beginning of their incredible journey at the Ætherion Academy, a journey that would transform them into great magicians.