CHAPTER 52: CHAPTER 52: THE PRICE OF ADMISSION

The low hum of conversation in the Scholar’s Rest pub was a fragile peace against the memory of the rift’s oppressive silence. Yomi sat with his companions at a sturdy oak table, the air thick with the scent of stew and stale ale. Kira, a small shadow nestled at his side, ate with a quiet desperation, her instincts still coiled tight. Across from him, Aeloria and Lirien moved their food around their plates, the tension of their ordeal a palpable presence between them.

Yomi set down his spoon. "Lirien," he began, his voice cutting through the tavern’s noise with practiced authority. "You mentioned the tuition for Astralux Academy was expensive. How expensive?"

Lirien started, pulled from her thoughts. "More than most adventurers see in a lifetime," she admitted, her gaze wary. "Why?"

Without a word, Yomi slid the small, crystalline card from the guild across the worn wood. "See if this is sufficient."

Lirien picked it up, her brow furrowed as she exchanged a glance with Aeloria. "I know the materials were valuable, but..." she trailed off. Her fingertips glowed with a faint pink aura as she channeled a minuscule amount of energy into the card.

Her breath caught. The numbers that shimmered to life on its surface were an impossibility. Her eyes widened, scanning the figures again. Ten million gold. A hundred thousand silver.

"What is it?" Aeloria leaned forward, her voice a tense whisper.

Lirien’s own voice was barely audible, trembling with the weight of the revelation. "It’s enough to buy a noble title." She looked up, her gaze locking with Yomi’s, trying to reconcile the broken slave from the dungeon with the man who commanded such impossible wealth.

Before the shock could fully settle, a high-pitched hum sliced through the air. A small creature, a hummingbird forged from pure, golden light, zipped through the pub’s open door. It darted between patrons with impossible speed before hovering directly before Yomi. A single, sealed scroll was clutched in its ethereal beak. The creature dropped the parchment into Yomi’s waiting hand, pulsed with a final, silent burst of light, and dissolved.

Yomi broke the seal. The parchment was heavy, the script elegant and authoritative. It was a formal letter of recommendation, signed with the unmistakable seal of Helena Voss, Assistant Head of the Adventurers Guild.

****

The registration hall of Astralux Academy was a cavernous space designed to intimidate and awe. Sunlight, filtered through impossibly high arched windows, fell in great columns across the polished marble, illuminating the massive banners of the seven sanctums. They loomed from the ceiling like silent, judgmental gods. The air was cool and still, thick with the scent of old parchment and the reverent whispers of applicants.

Yomi’s gaze swept the hall, dissecting the social pecking order at a glance. Aspiring students of noble or wealthy birth clustered in nervous, self-important groups, their fine clothes a uniform of privilege. They stood apart from the commoners, who hugged the walls as if seeking refuge from the sheer weight of the hall’s prestige.

The administrator at their assigned desk, a man named Valerius, embodied the hall’s arrogance. His robes were immaculate, his beard meticulously trimmed, and his eyes held a severe, dismissive light. His gaze flicked over their group, lingering on Kira with clear disdain before settling on Yomi’s Dra’kesh features with a sneer.

"State your purpose," he clipped, his voice devoid of warmth.

Lirien stepped forward. "We are here to register as students."

Valerius’s eyes settled on Kira. "Beast-kin are not permitted as students. They may be registered as attendants, should their master be of noble standing." The sneer deepened as his gaze returned to Yomi. "And we do not accept.... your kind."

Aeloria’s hand tightened on her staff, but Yomi’s touch on her arm was a silent command to wait. He stepped to the desk, his presence a stark, quiet contrast to the hall’s opulence.

"We are paying for three students and one attendant," Yomi stated, his voice a calm, even current in the still air. "In full." He placed the adventurer’s money card on the polished wood.

Valerius scoffed and took the card, his movements a performance of contempt. The smug certainty on his face faltered as the rune on his terminal glowed a brilliant, steady green, confirming the transfer of a fortune. For a moment, he was speechless. He clung to his authority, opening his mouth to speak. "Payment alone does not grant entry. The academy has standards—"

Yomi cut him off, placing the sealed scroll from Helena Voss beside the card.

Valerius’s eyes widened at the Assistant Head’s official seal. The color drained from his face, his professional arrogance crumbling into a brittle shell of compliance. He cleared his throat. "This... everything appears to be in order." He stamped their forms with sharp, jerky movements. "Proceed to the assessment halls."

As he handed them their trial assignments, a malicious glint returned to his eyes, the petty revenge of a man whose power had been usurped. Lirien and Aeloria were assigned to their respective trials. Yomi’s sheet listed two: Physical and Magical.

****

The physical assessment arena baked under an open sky, a vast circle of sand surrounded by tiered stone seating. An instructor stood with a bored expression before a training dummy of enchanted wood and steel. "The dummy measures impact, speed, and precision," he droned. "Scores range from F to S. A B-rank is exceptional for a new applicant."

The social hierarchy was a tangible force. Nobles in masterwork gear received fawning praise, while commoners were herded through with brusque commands.

"Applicant Lirien," the instructor called.

Lirien drew her twin swords. The familiar weight now hummed with a strange, new energy. She moved, and the world seemed to slow, her blades a blur of steel that landed with a force she’d never before commanded. The scoring crystal flared a brilliant silver: High B-rank.

"Impressive... for a commoner," sneered a young noble, Lord Kaelen. He strode forward. "Allow me to demonstrate true power."

A blazing golden aura erupted around him. "Lion’s Fang Strike!" he roared, his blade carving a luminous arc through the air before it slammed into the dummy, leaving a deep gouge in its chest.