Part I: Shadows & Demons

The trials will happen in a week.

And as Arcane Academy greets its esteemed visitors through the grand gates, it may or may have already begun, as this marks the first day of the pre-trials.

Ever so rarely do the gates open for people other than its own instructors and students, welcoming outsiders. Today is one of the occasions where the academy invites foreign foot on its grounds.

A week before the trials, government officials are dispatched to all ability education units of the City of Leatia, preparing for the compulsory test all students have to go through every year. The trials, a set of mental and physical assessments, are extremely specific to each student's abilities and capacities. Representatives of the authorities arrive one week early to observe the classes and teachings of the institute before conducting the actual examinations that last for approximately a week after.

Lena glimpses through the glass panels of her homeroom now and watches as Arcana, the headmaster of Arcane Academy, personally welcomes the body of around 12 government representatives at the gates of the academy.

A ripple of unease settles through her. Being relatively new to the City of Leatia and Arcane Academy, Lena is still actively learning the ruling systems, culture, and how the world generally works here. And even after asking around, she still hasn't a clue on what the trials are about, mostly because there are various accounts regarding the trials. It is, apparently, different each year and may variate with each student depending on the individual's abilities. Not knowing what is going to happen bothers her as much as the arrival of the government, who will be directly observing the students in the academy.

Lena refocuses on their current lesson. Well, not really—her study screen during General Studies is almost always empty. Ever since she's kicked off her journey in this unique academy and over the few incidents that forcibly engaged her in battle, she has learnt to embrace that culture. She looks forward to physical classes more than anything else; the last Combat Training class Lena had, the fight with Leviathan, has awakened something in her blood, her veins. And it has been yearning for more.

But that leaves her unable to focus on regular lessons such as General Studies or Demon Knowledge, even if the latter is rather interesting. Lena will much rather be out there, on the fields or the simulation practice rooms, harnessing her abilities, exploring what she can do with weapons and her flexibility. She wants to be engaged in battle—whether it's against demons, or her fellow challenging students.

The close call back in Andromeda Sector should have made her afraid; yet it did the opposite, allowing her to have a glimpse of herself that she never believed existed. She'd been weak before, but never again.

Pulling up her schedule she never memorised, Lena shuts out whatever Ms Iparis is saying at the front of the class. Her next physical class isn't until tomorrow. Sighing, she minimises her empty notes spread, and her eyes hover over the screen that marks her own unique seating. Each student are given a desk that activates through palm recognition, and the digital screen that comes to life has a panelled tab that registers Lena as an Azure Dragon ability type user. Her ability class is still blank, and she assumes that will change when she takes the trials. And as for her ability...

It is written as Clairvoyance (Glass). But Lena knows herself that it's not true—at least, the Clairvoyance part. No matter how much she tries to look into the deeper meaning of her visions, she concludes nothing from them. They are as random as the shapes of clouds drifting in the sky. So is this part of the masquerade, then? One of Arcana's schemes—including creating false memories for Lena—to protect her in his own way?

A mask, that's what it is: the fact that her ability written here isn't what she can really do. Her enrolment itself draws attention. Never in Arcane Academy history has a student transferred in—they either start from the first year, the only competitive chance, or not at all. Lena is personally taken in by Arcana, and enrolled in the middle of the second year. Her ability can't be left blank, because that will raise too many questions, not only to students but too outsiders too.

While its nature is latent and passive, clairvoyance is quite strong and even admired if used in the right way. It is one of the less 'flashy'—and yet equally deadly—abilities that gets a student admitted even in Arcane Academy. Besides, not all abilities are aggressive or showy. Azalea and her powers to bend anything may not sound as attractive an ability, but that alongside her hard work still made her one of the top three students of the academy.

Lena thinks back to her first day here. She'd certainly been pressed about her abilities—what she can do, her ability class and type.

Now that the trials are just in one week's time, she might finally find out. Because that's what the trials are for: to test the students, then classify them in the authorities' own system. A system where the strong live, thrive, and control.

A world where abilities determine an individual's worth.

And when Lena thinks back to the times she scoured even the shadiest parts the City of Leatia, all that flashes to mind are the angry, desperate faces of the ungifted, and the despair they live with.

Would she have been so lucky, sitting here this moment, if it isn't for her abilities?

A city falls without a proper governing body and system. And yet, Lena begins to question the foundations of this world.

Demons aren't the City of Leatia's only problem. And the Shadow Syndicate, a group of powerful ability users who abducted there students from Arcane Academy not too long ago, have goals still unknown to the public. They are the first of the problems.

Now that Lena really think about it, the demons here are rather under control. Sure, there was that S-tier demon that rampaged when she took the Aerotrain, and she's learnt from history classes that the City of Leatia isn't as established as it is now—the city was in chaos, with everyone left to fend for themselves against demons on the loose. But in the present, the Catalysts are in control.

A light tap against the back of her shoulder anchors Lena back to reality. Lena starts when a voice behind her drawls, "Ms Iparis is calling for you."

Lena stands on instinct, her index finger up as if to say 'I can explain', fumbling for the notes tab. Empty, she has no answer to whatever question Ms Iparis is going to ask—

A laugh has her pausing, frowning. Lena finally registers the front of the classroom, where it's empty. Around her, students are up and chatting, some of them leaving.

She turns to the still laughing student behind her. His blonde hair is neat and half gelled back, the blue in his eyes shining with amusement, one hand still stretched outward and shaking with laughter. Lena's cheeks burn as she stares Roen down from where she stands, at where he is sprawled across absent Caelus' desk, finishing his little joke.

"Funny," Lena says as she turns to shut her screen.

Roen stands and rounds the desk to be beside her. "What's on your mind this morning?"

"Just the trials," she admits, glancing toward the windows once more.

"Worried?" Another familiar voice drifts over. Lena smiles as the golden-skinned, amber eyed class president strides over, her short hair a little longer now as the ends now brush her uniform collar. "You'll be fine. I had my first trials last year here in Arcane Academy. If there's any comfort, I was pretty nervous about it too."

"Neesha," Lena greets, and she loosens a breath. "Right, you're rather new to this City, too."

Neesha elbows Roen, who then rests his arm on her shoulder instead, smirking at their height difference. She rolls her eyes, and replies, "Yet I am still nervous. I'm hoping my ability class has improved since last year—you see, you don't get to be tested every other day unless there's a special circumstance. The trials, therefore, is a perfect opportunity to really showcase your strength."

"I've taken the trials annually since I was seven and enrolled in pre-school," says Roen. "Abilities are always the focus of schools for us in the City of Leatia, they are what defines a prodigy. I've made progress since; I was just C-class when I started."

"The A-class is now getting cocky," Neesha supplements, to which Roen beams with pride.

"Oh." Lena leans against the glass panes, watching them both airily. "I'll be assessed for my ability class, I suppose. But I don't think 'being able to see visions on glass surfaces' is exactly B or above class worthy."

Neesha indicates for the three of them to move out of their class for the next lesson—Ability Mastery. As they make way for the door, them being the last to leave, Neesha reassures Lena, "Not all high ranking ability users have destructive powers or something that is, well, visible. My aggressive abilities are just B-class, and will probably stay there," she points out. "And you don't need to be, like, A-class to become a full-fledged Catalyst. Most of them aren't. Do you remember Illeanna?"

"One of the Catalysts who came during the Aerotrain attack?" Lena recalls. "The one with the fluffy clouds?"

"Yes," Neesha affirms. "Her abilities are passive, you see. Nothing violent or destructive. Her ability classification isn't in the higher tier, either, but she's a Catalyst nonetheless because of the abilities' versatility."

"And what about the abilities that are not versatile?" Lena dares question. "It's not as if every single one of us is going to be a Catalyst, and that the City needs an infinite number of them, right?" The agony of the poor and the weak flashes through Lena's mind. She shakes it away; she hasn't told anyone of her little excavation these days. "There must be some bottleneck somewhere."

"Ah." Turning a corner, Roen smirks at a group of giggling girls before he responds, "Arcane Academy sells itself for the best of the best, an elite school for Catalysts to be, indeed."

"But," Neesha chimes in, the two of them talking together as if they've known each other forever, "being a Catalyst, it is just a dream, a goal everyone is so set on achieving because of the way this City is governed. It's the way society is shaped—to walk down the road they think best because of the penetrative influence around them. When we are but puppets of what defines greatness, how many are willing to defy these so-called standards?" Neesha pauses, as if pondering about the question herself. "But no one really knows what they want to be, don't you think? We're just in our teen years, is it really wrong to be saying you don't know? People change, so do your goals. We discover more of ourselves each new day, narrating and navigating our own lives. But determining how to live? That decision is ours alone."

Lena blinks at the sudden realisation from Neesha's words. Her friend is right: Who is to narrate your life script but yourself?

Everyone is always respecting the strong, celebrating the Catalysts. Lena herself wants to be one of them, because power is everything in the City. And yet, Neesha's words brings a new perspective.

"Rambling on again, Ms Righteousness," Roen teases, and Neesha huffs while he laughs. "But that's what I admire about you. You and these thought provoking challenges about how the world is like. Though I am not so much a master of philosophical exchanges, I hope I do entertain you at least in my own way. Soccer is my only talent."

The trio stop before a door in a lone corridor. Ability Mastery, much like Weaponry, is held indoors with much training equipments to cater for every type of ability and every situation abilities are being used.

"Don't worry too much about the trials," Roen emphasises before they make their way in, noticing Lena's returned frown. "You'll do just fine. They are individual specific—different for each talent—just like Ability Mastery. That's only fair. The objective is simply to measure what you can really do with your abilities, and how well you have control of them."

Lena winces. That might be worrying, not because she doesn't have good control over her own abilities. She doesn't even know the depth of what she can do with these visions—portals—within glass pieces, and that makes her own account dangerous. Will she have to demonstrate a time leap? But that will imply that the previously registered ability of hers is false.

Or perhaps Lena is reading too much into it. Arcana never warned her about hiding her abilities—even if she, once again like her endeavours around the City, hasn't told anyone about it. It is a dangerous ability, one that comes with a price. But the trials are just part of the controlling systems of the City of Leatia, and nothing more. If anything, this world respects power. Lena should be proud of her abilities. So why does she feel insecure?

She decides that she will think about it when the trials come for her. It eventually will—in a week.

But for now, there's a lesson to attend.