Harem System in an Elite Academy

The morning did not feel like a morning at all.

The sky above Ironsong Academy was dim, silver-gray clouds stretched thin as though the horizon itself was holding its breath. The bells had not yet rung, and yet students were already awake, footsteps echoing through corridors and courtyards. Today was the day classes would leave for Isla Nocturna—the island that would decide who remained at Ironsong and who would be expelled forever.

Arios stood at his dorm window, quietly fastening the last buckle on his travel cloak. The fabric was reinforced, the kind of weave meant to resist mana abrasion. He checked his satchel:

standard rations

field mana capsules

medical salve

portable skill-paper recorder

two spare mana cores for emergencies

the wooden token Lucy had given him months ago, still uncracked

He hesitated on that last item, thumb brushing its surface. It had seen everything since the start of this strange life.

A soft knock.

Not rushed. Not anxious. A familiar rhythm.

Arios opened the door.

Lucy stood there, travel pack slung over her shoulder, cloak tied properly but with one loose strand she hadn't noticed. Her hair was tied back, a small braid at her left side—her training style. Her eyes met his, and the silence between them was neither awkward nor heavy. Simply shared.

"You're ready," she said.

"So are you," Arios replied.

She nodded once. Not confident, not frightened. Simply agreeing that the moment was here.

Footsteps clattered from the stairs.

Liza arrived, dragging more luggage than was probably allowed, insisting that at least half of it was necessary. Cloak, padded gauntlets, a box of emergency snacks, three water flasks, several small knives, and a folded tent that looked larger than she was.

"I am prepared for every possible scenario," she declared.

Lucy blinked. "This is a seven-day examination, not a relocation to the wilderness."

Liza crossed her arms, lifting her chin. "And what if Isla Nocturna has—listen carefully—no bakeries?"

Arios actually paused at that. "That is… possible."

Liza gasped triumphantly and pointed at Lucy. "See? Arios understands survival."

Lucy opened her mouth, found no argument that wouldn't lead to spiraling logic, and decided to simply close it.

The academy gates were open, guards posted in full formation. Students from all classes gathered in organized rows. Some were sharpening weapons, others reviewing spell notes. Some trembled silently. A few whispered prayers.

Class D found their assigned position.

Arios stood in front, Lucy and Liza at his sides. Pokner—quiet, calm, eyes always assessing—joined a moment later with minimal belongings, as if the island was a routine walk rather than an exam that decided futures.

Pokner spoke first, tone level: "The air is different. You feel it too."

Arios nodded. "Yes."

Liza leaned closer. "Is it the smell of mystery? Or doom? Or maybe damp seaweed?"

"It's anticipation," Lucy said softly.

And it was.

The council platform rose at the front of the assembly grounds. Members stood in formation. When Damian Ravencroft stepped forward, conversation across the grounds died immediately.

Damian's voice carried without shouting:

"Today, you leave the mainland. What you face on Isla Nocturna will not have mercy. It will not adjust itself for your talent, your lineage, or your excuses. If you return, you return because you earned it."

No one moved.

Damian's eyes swept across the student body like a blade.

"For some of you, this is a chance at redemption. For others, a battle for dominance. For all of you, a measure of truth."

A pause.

And then—

"We begin embarkation."

Ironsong did not transport students by ships as most academies did. Instead, seven large teleport platforms were embedded into the ground, runes pulsing in a slow cycle of white-blue light.

Teams entered in scheduled order.

Class A.

Class B.

Class C.

Then—

"Class D."

Lucy inhaled slowly. Liza stopped talking entirely. Pokner stepped forward first, eyes never leaving the platform.

Arios remained still a moment longer, scanning the surroundings.

A balcony above the courtyard.

A figure watching.

A faint smirk.

Chase.

No words exchanged. No gestures. Just a silent reminder:

Class D was not forgotten.

Lucy followed Arios' gaze and saw nothing—Chase was already gone.

As they stepped onto the teleport circle, the air vibrated, pressure folding around them. The runes brightened. Mana threads spun upward like strands drawn from the sea floor.

Liza exhaled. "Here we go. No turning back now."

Lucy looked at Arios. "We come back together."

"We do," he answered.

Pokner closed her eyes. "Stable grounding. Controlled breath. Mental clarity."

Arios placed one hand lightly on the small charm in his pocket.

Prepared.

Or as close to prepared as anyone could be.

The runes flared—

White swallowed everything.

Sound returned first. Wind over leaves. Waves against distant cliffs. The ground beneath their boots was uneven, moss-covered, rich with mana traces.

A canopy of tall, ancient trees stretched above, branches tangled like interlocking armor.

Arios stepped forward slightly. The mana in the air did not flow evenly. It bent, twisted, converging in irregular pulses.

Not natural.

Pokner noticed as well. "The ecosystem is distorted."

Lucy scanned the tree line. "This island feels alive."

Liza took a cautious step closer to Arios. "And hungry."

A bell sounded in the sky—mana-forged, announcing the beginning of the exam.

A disembodied voice spoke across the island:

"Ironsong Academy Final Examination: Commence."

Arios tightened his grip on the strap of his satchel.

The forest waited.

The trial had begun.

*****

Morning sunlight filtered through the tall windows of the Academy's Grand Strategy Hall, casting long pale beams across a room filled with carefully restrained excitement. Students from every class assembled in gradually forming groups, a low current of murmured discussion drifting in the air like static.

Arios arrived with Lucy and Liza beside him. The two girls, predictably, stood a half step apart—close enough to show trust, but not enough to imply agreement. Arios took his seat at the long central table reserved for the top-performing cadets of Class D.

At the far end of the hall, Headmaster Valefar stepped forward. His presence alone cut the room's noise in half, and his voice completed the silence.

"Tomorrow at dawn, the Academy's Special Examination will commence," he announced. "You will be transported to Blackthorn Isle, a secured training environment owned by the Crown. This will be a full-tactical, live hazard assessment. Survival, strategy, and team synergy will determine your results."

He let the words reach each student individually before continuing.

"You will not be supervised. You will not be given instructions once deployed. The island will test you without restraint."

A slight shift in the crowd—anticipation, and for a few, fear.

Arios leaned forward, listening carefully.

"For this exam," Valefar continued, "you will be divided into units of three. Your performance will be graded both by collective outcome and individual contribution."

Lucy let out a quiet breath. "Units of three. We're fine then."

Liza crossed her arms. "Assuming he didn't change his mind."

Arios ignored the comment for now, though he was keenly aware of it.

Valefar gestured, and faculty aides began passing sealed dossiers down each row. Arios received his last, breaking the wax insignia to reveal a map of Blackthorn Isle—dense forests, cliffs on the northern edge, and a central obsidian mountain where the ink lines tightened ominously.

Lucy scanned the page over his shoulder. "Monsters?"

"Unconfirmed," Arios replied, though his tone suggested the opposite.

Valefar raised a hand for quiet once again.

"On Blackthorn Isle, mana behaves… differently. Expect fluctuations, and do not rely on consistent spell output. Magical storms are known to occur near the mountain."

That drew a visible reaction. Liza frowned. "Mana instability? That changes everything."

"And one more note," Valefar said. "There is an artifact hidden somewhere on the island. The group that retrieves it will receive automatic promotion to elite ranking for the next term."

Quiet turned into a contained storm. Even the most composed cadets stiffened at the news. Promotion meant authority, influence—protection from expulsion. A shortcut to power.

Arios felt both girls glance toward him, waiting.

Before they spoke, Valefar concluded:

"You have the remainder of today to prepare. Rest. Sharpen your minds. Tomorrow, the Academy discovers who among you deserves to stand at the summit."

With that, the hall dismissed. Students moved in waves, some confident, others shaken.

As they exited into the courtyard, Liza stopped first.

"You're thinking about the artifact," she said.

Arios didn't deny it. "If it exists, others will risk everything to claim it."

Lucy tightened her gloves. "Then we get there first."

He studied both of them—two girls he never expected would remain at his side this long.

"A promotion means nothing if we don't all make it back alive."

There was no argument to that.

They walked the path toward the training grounds, the afternoon breeze carrying the distant scent of sea salt from somewhere beyond the academy walls—beyond the horizon they would soon cross.

Blackthorn Isle awaited.

And whatever lay sleeping on it.

Author's Note:

Hey everyone, I just want to say thank you for reading and supporting this story. It truly means a lot. Unfortunately, the book will be coming to an end soon. It's been feeling stagnant lately and hasn't been doing as well as I hoped, so I'd rather end it properly than let it drag on.

Thank you again for sticking with me and the characters till now. I'll do my best to give it a meaningful conclusion.