One by one, the students were called up. The first was a lanky, skinny kid named Miller. He placed his hand over the orb, and it briefly glowed Orange before settling down to a dull Red.

  As suspected, the device reveals the user's true magical aptitude.

  I watched in silence as more and more students tested their mana. Half the class had gone by, and the results were overwhelmingly Red, with the occasional Orange.

  I was just calculating the probability of sabotaging the machine when the teacher looked at his list.

  “Theodore Reinhardt.”

  The atmosphere in the room changed instantly. Whispers broke out the moment his last name was spoken.

  “Woah, isn't he the son of the nobles fighting on the frontline against the Dark Elves?”

  “Yeah, I heard the Reinhardt family controls the second largest province in the kingdom. We definitely need to befriend him.”

  “Tsk.” Theo stood up, looking visibly annoyed, and walked down to the orb.

  “Now, now. I didn't know we had a Reinhardt in our class,” the teacher said, his voice dropping into a flattering tone. “Just gently place—”

  “Yeah, I know. I already saw,” Theo interrupted, waving his hand dismissively.

  That was odd.

  Isn't Theo usually the type to respect authority figures? It seems he is finally showing his true colors to the world.

  Theo placed his palms against the surface of the orb. For a heartbeat, it pulsed with a faint, Ethereal Violet light before instantly dropping to a bright, stable Green.

  My eyes went wide.

  I wasn't the only one. The professor stood frozen, his mouth slightly agape. He had seen it. We all had. That impossible flicker of Violet.

  The heavy silence shattered as the girls in the class erupted, howling his praises. Ignoring the chaos, Theo nonchalantly walked back up the aisle. He dropped into the seat next to me, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes.

  Smug bastard, I thought, suppressing a smirk. He is definitely enjoying the attention.

  I ignored the commotion and focused on the teacher.

  While the students celebrated, the old man was staring at the floor. He looked hollow.

  I knew that look. It was the look of a man who realized he had wasted his life. He was a lifelong scholar, yet he had just watched a thirteen-year-old boy touch the realm of the impossible, even if only for a millisecond.

  It confirmed my suspicions. Violet wasn't just rare. It was a myth.

  I narrowed my eyes, shifting my focus back to the boy beside me.

  Theodore Reinhardt.

  His family and mine, the D'Ardens, were the only ones holding the eastern frontline against the Dark Elves. We were bred for war, durability, and physicality — not magical combat.

  Neither bloodline was known for high-tier magical variance. For him to touch the Violet spectrum, even for a second, was genetically impossible.

  What are you hiding? I suppressed a smirk.

  It didn't matter what his secret was. If anything, his hidden strength made him valuable. A powerful piece is always more useful than a weak one.

  He would make an excellent pawn for my plans in the future.

  “Woah! That was so cool!”

  Elara practically threw herself across my desk. She leaned right over me, invading my personal bubble without a second thought, offering a high-five to the boy sitting on my other side.

  Theo looked at her hand, then at her face.

  “Uh... okay.”

  He reluctantly returned the high-five, looking like he wasn't sure how to handle this much energy.

  “Hehe,” Elara giggled, lingering over the side of my desk.

  nce snapped.

  “Ahem,” I coughed loudly. “Personal space.”

  Elara blinked, realizing she was practically hovering in my lap.

  “Oh! Sorry!”

  She quickly retreated, scooting her chair back to a safe distance.

  The teacher finally regained his composure. He cleared his throat and went back to the list, though his voice had lost its earlier spark.

  The room returned to a monotony of Red lights. Red. Red. Orange. Red.

  “Okay, next is...” the teacher paused, frowning at the book. “Elara? Just... Elara?”

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  He looked up, scanning the room.

  “No surname? Ah. The commoner.”

  “Yes! Coming!”

  Elara didn't seem to notice the disdain in his voice. She stood up happily and strode down the tiered lecture hall.

  The atmosphere in the room turned sour instantly.

  “A commoner? Why is she even here?”

  “I heard the Academy has always allowed them. They allow trash in, as long as they pass the entrance exam.”

  “No way. You are telling me she passed? No commoner has ever passed the practical portion.”

  “Disgusting. The air feels dirtier just looking at her.”

  “Now, carefully put your hand on the orb,” the teacher snickered, looking down his nose at her. “And be sure not to break it. It is quite expensive.”

  Elara didn't seem to care. She placed her palm on the surface happily.

  FLASH.

  As soon as she touched it, a blinding, brilliant Blue erupted from the core. It filled the room, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.

  This is it. It was the perfect cover. The visual noise was at maximum capacity. No one was watching me.

  I scanned the desk for any projectiles I could use but found nothing.

  I needed to improvise.

  I concentrated mana onto my thumb and index finger. With a sharp pinch, I chipped off a jagged fragment of my own fingernail.

  It was crude, but it was hardened keratin. It would suffice.

  I infused the shard with a burst of kinetic energy.

  Target locked.

  Using concentrated mana, a single, silent flick resounded, and my chipped nail flew off.

  The makeshift bullet tore through the air and struck the glass. It didn't shatter the orb completely, but it left a distinct hairline fracture.

  The Blue light flickered and dimmed instantly.

  Elara yanked her hand back as if she had been burned. She stared at the hairline fracture on the surface of the crystal, panic written all over her face.

  The teacher froze. He stared at the damaged equipment, his face pale. He was caught between rage at the destruction of property and sheer terror at what that destruction implied.

  “This glass is forged from the Sands of Rakumaju,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “It is designed to withstand siege magic.”

  He looked up at the girl, flabbergasted.

  “For your mana to physically crack this... the density must be beyond anything I have ever seen. It is... impossible.”

  The room went dead silent. The gravity of the situation pressed down on the students. They weren't just looking at a commoner anymore.

  They were looking at a monster.

  Unbeknownst to them, it was my projectile that broke the crystal.

  My plan had worked perfectly.

  Elara scratched the back of her head, laughing awkwardly as she looked at the frozen instructor.

  “Ehe... so... do I pass?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

  “Pass? Pass...”

  The teacher just stared at her, gobsmacked. His mind seemed unable to comprehend what had just happened.

  “Teacher?”

  The old man snapped back to reality. The shock vanished, replaced by a frantic energy. He reached out and grabbed Elara's wrist.

  “I am taking you to see the Principal, young lady!” he barked.

  “Eh? What? Why?” Elara stammered, trying to pull back. “I didn't do anything! I just placed my hand on it!”

  The teacher dragged Elara out of the room and slammed the door.

  Bang.

  The heavy wooden thud signaled the end of the test. The class was left in a state of absolute shock.

  Then, the denial started.

  “No way...” a student whispered. “Did that commoner just break the Rakumaju glass?”

  “No! It must be defective!” another shouted, standing up.

  “Are you dumb? It was working perfectly earlier! Did you see that Blue light? It was blinding!”

  “I don't believe it! She must have used a trick!”

  The room descended into chaos. The nobles were in an uproar. Some looked defeated, their pride shattered by a “commoner.” Others were frantically inventing conspiracy theories to explain away her power.

  I sat back, observing the fallout.

  Her magical aptitude is certainly abnormal. That Blue light was impressive, surpassing even the momentary Violet flicker Theo produced.

  Still... hopefully I didn't get her in too much trouble.

  I was suddenly pulled from my thoughts by a voice beside me.

  “Hey, Seraphina.”

  Theo was pointing at my hand resting on the desk.

  “Your finger is bleeding.”

  I froze. I looked down at my index finger. The spot where I had forcefully chipped off my nail to create the projectile was oozing a tiny drop of blood.

  I kept my face perfectly neutral.

  “Ah.” I wiped the blood away casually. “I must have scraped it against the desk when that light blinded us. I flinched.”

  Theo stared at me for a second longer than comfortable. His blue eyes seemed to be searching for something.

  “I see,” he finally said, leaning back in his chair. “Well, be careful.”

  “I will.”

  The classroom was empty. The afternoon sun cast long shadows over the rows of desks, but I couldn't bring myself to leave just yet.

  I paced around the teacher's desk, closing my eyes to reconstruct the image of the orb. I visualized the fracture.

  Something is wrong. I knew it felt wrong, but I am unsure as to what it is.

  I opened my eyes and leaned closer to the wood. That was when I saw it. A tiny, white chip wedged deep into the grain of the desk.

  I picked it out. A broken piece of a fingernail.

  “Theo! There you are, man!”

  My hand snapped shut instinctively. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as the group of guys poked their heads in the door.

  “We are heading to the social gathering at the main hall. You coming?”

  “Yeah, you guys go on ahead,” I said, my voice distant. “I need to check on something first.”

  “Aww, man,” they groaned as they left.

  I opened my hand again, staring at the small nail chip. My gaze drifted up to the back row. To the empty seat next to mine.

  My chest began to tighten. I didn't have solid proof nor a valid reason. But deep down, something deep inside me was howling, desperately trying to crawl out.

  I closed my eyes and slowly walked out of the room.