System: Daily login!!, jackpot on the first day!!!

After the Great Calamity, the world was torn apart. Continents shattered, breaking into countless islands adrift upon the seas. What once was whole became scattered fragments of history and ruin.

Civilization itself was forced to kneel.

Humanity was forced to change.

The weak were no longer left behind... They were simply erased.

This was the birth of the New Era. An era where survival was no longer a struggle for meaning, but the only meaning left.

In such a world, the idea of learning became a luxury. Before the Great Calamity, magic academies had been common, grand institutions where young minds honed spells, swordplay, and theory as though the future were endless. But after the world's collapse, the concept of an academy became nearly extinct.

There were two simple reasons:

First, Survival left no time for study. When the world itself demanded you kill or be killed for a piece of bread, who could afford to sit in a classroom?

And the other reason is that most academies were destroyed. Those that survived were either ancient fortresses that had withstood the storm, or rare centers of progress, like the Saranjana Kingdom, whose technology even the wonders of the old world could not match.

Many saw this problem, but seeing was not the same as solving. It was only when the Magic Towers, the remnants of humanity's greatest mage orders set aside their rivalries that a solution was born.

Thus, the Astral Nexus Academy was created.

Not merely a school.

Not merely a fortress.

It was a crucible.

A place where survival was taught as surely as sorcery. A place where strength was not just encouraged, but demanded. A place where the next generation would be shaped not to dream of glory, but to carry the unbearable weight of the New Era.

More than that, the Academy became the preparation ground for those who would one day awaken to The System upon adulthood. No longer three short years of study as in the old days, now four. Three years of breaking and reforging the students in blood, sweat, and mana… and a final year of learning to endure the awakening of The System itself.

Here, they did not simply learn magic. They learned everything tied to Mana.

And so, despite its short history, the Astral Nexus Academy rose swiftly. It became a beacon. A rival to even the fabled Saranjana Academy. A place where the future of the fractured world was decided… one survivor at a time.

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The world-shaking beat of Nāgāntaka's wings slowed as the colossal bird descended. Clouds parted like curtains, revealing a structure unlike anything the children of Saranjana had ever seen.

The Astral Nexus Academy.

It did not rise from the earth like a castle, nor stretch into the skies like a tower. Instead, it floated. Yes, floated.

A vast citadel of obsidian and silver suspended upon an eternal whirlpool of mana, its foundations glowing with arcane runes the size of mountains.

Bridges of light reached toward it from surrounding isles, breaking and reforming in an endless cycle, as if the Academy itself chose who may pass.

The air here was different, thicker, heavier with power, almost suffocating to those unprepared. Every breath burned with mana. Every heartbeat echoed with a reminder: only the strong belong here.

"Whoa~…" Anggana breathed, his usually lazy demeanor gone as his green eyes widened. "So this is it. The Astral Nexus… Not too bad"

"It feels… alive," Anindha whispered, her hands clutching the fabric of her dress. "... How do they keep this island afloat? It must require a considerable amount of mana, or... are they using magic stones as their power source? Interesting"

"Hmph," Litani crossed her arms, though her golden hair fluttered in the mana-heavy breeze. "Doesn't matter how big or scary it looks. We'll crush anyone who gets in our way"

"Easy for you to say," Kiara muttered, though her sharp blue eyes gleamed with challenge.

At the front, Askara said nothing. His mismatched gaze, one deep as the ocean, the other burning crimson remained fixed on the Academy.

For the briefest moment, the fog of dreams that haunted his mornings returned, whispering of his father's shadow.

"...Father," he thought, the word silent in his chest.

A sudden rush of wind cut through his thoughts. Nāgāntaka gave a powerful cry, circling once before gliding toward the landing platform, a colossal disk of polished stone suspended above the whirlpool. Waiting upon it were hundreds of figures: nobles, commoners, warriors, and magicians from every corner of the fractured world.

The future of humanity. The next generation of survivors.

And among them, whispers already began to spread.

"The children of Saranjana…"

"Those are the Royal Family of Saranjana…"

"Look at their eyes, look at their aura…"

The murmurs grew into a wave of awe, fear, and curiosity as Nāgāntaka landed, his talons striking stone with thunderous force. The D'Archy children dismounted one by one, Erelythe and Shasha following close behind.

Askara adjusted his uniform with lazy nonchalance, though the corner of his lips tugged into a grin.

"Guess we made an entrance," he muttered.

Litani cracked her knuckles, smirking. "Good. Let them watch"

From the far side of the platform, a chime rang out, clear, resonant, woven with mana itself. A figure in white robes, tall and imposing, stepped forward. His voice carried without effort, reaching every soul on the platform.

"Welcome... Welcome to the Astral Nexus Academy. From this moment onward… your old lives are over. Here, you are not princes or paupers, nobles or wanderers. Here, you are only survivors. And those who cannot survive-"

He raised a hand. The mana in the air surged violently, pressing down like an ocean. Dozens of weaker students buckled under the weight, gasping for breath.

"... will be erased"

Silence fell. Only the Academy itself seemed to hum in satisfaction.

And Askara… smiled.

If Taufik were here, he would recognize the man instantly. Eldrin, the Master of the Singularis Magic Tower. But now, before the gathered students, he stood as the Principal of Astral Nexus Academy. (Chapter 319 - 320)

Eldrin's sharp gaze swept across the platform like a blade. His presence was suffocating, his aura controlled yet boundless, as though he could strip bare the soul of anyone he looked upon.

When his eyes passed over the D'Archy children, a flicker of recognition stirred within them.

The mismatched eyes of Askara. The radiant defiance of Litani. The calm sharpness of Kiara. The twin resonance of Anggana and Anindha.

It was impossible not to know whose children these were.

For the briefest of moments, surprise glimmered in Eldrin's gaze. But then it vanished, buried beneath a mask of cold indifference, as if the thought had never existed.

Yet his attention snagged, not on them, not even on the colossal form of Nāgāntaka, whose wings still carried the scent of divinity... but on her.

Behind the children, quiet as shadow, stood a maid in black. Her raven hair cascaded like liquid night, her crimson eyes glowed faintly beneath the sun. She did not move. She did not breathe. But the moment their eyes met, Eldrin's composure cracked.

A shiver ran down his spine.

The weight of inevitability, the suffocating silence of endings… he felt it press against his very existence. His skin crawled as though unseen fingers traced the threads of his soul.

Erelythe.

Her gaze was calm, unblinking. And yet, within it, Eldrin glimpsed something no mage, no warrior, no god wished to see... not hatred. Not even hostility.

But recognition.

For an instant, the entire platform felt colder, the mana currents faltering as though the Academy itself held its breath.

Then, Erelythe tilted her head ever so slightly, her crimson eyes never leaving his. It was not a greeting. Not a warning. Simply… inevitability made manifest.

Eldrin's lips thinned. He forced his gaze away, resuming his address to the students as though nothing had transpired.

But the faint tremor in his fingers betrayed him.

'…Anything related to that man is never ordinary,' Eldrin thought. He cleared his throat, forcing his voice into composure. "…*Ukhum* Once again, I welcome all of you. First, I know each of you has come here for a reason, but keep this in mind: Astral Nexus Academy does not welcome just anyone. There is a trial before you can be recognized as a student of this Academy. A trial we call the Entrance Ceremony. It is not a celebration, but a judgment-"

"For that, let me explain"

The interruption came sharply, feminine.

A sudden blaze erupted at Eldrin's side. Flames spiraled upward, roaring skyward before folding inward like a blooming flower of fire. Heat washed across the platform, yet it carried not destruction, but authority.

From within the blaze, a woman stepped forth. Her long hair shimmered like molten gold under sunlight, her robes a deep crimson threaded with glowing sigils. Every movement she made radiated command, every breath a reminder of fire's duality, warmth that nurtures, flames that consume.

"…Allow me to introduce myself," she said, her voice calm yet carrying through the entire platform. "I am Ember Solstice, Vice Principal of Astral Nexus Academy"

A ripple passed through the gathered students. Some straightened, others shrank back, recognizing the name. Ember Solstice, the former Master of the Red Magic Tower, is one of the Seven who once held dominion over the elemental pillars of the world.

Her presence beside Eldrin was not lesser, but equal.

"Your Principal speaks true," Ember continued, folding her hands before her, her crimson eyes scanning the crowd. "Here, your status means nothing. Your bloodline, your kingdom, your treasures are s worthless. Only one thing matters" Her smile curved like fire licking the edges of dry wood. "... Can you survive what's to come?"

The flames around her guttered, not out of weakness, but as if retreating in respect for her will.

All across the platform, students shifted nervously, excitement and fear tangling in their chests.

Askara, however, only smirked faintly, mismatched eyes glinting.

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