Noah stood in front of Ironwood Hall, gazing up at the weathered building with a mixture of exhaustion and acceptance.
The stone structure was solid but lacked the grandeur of Silvercrest Hall, where he had once resided.
Now, with only the few belongings he carried, this would be his new home.
He sighed, adjusting the weight of his bag on his shoulder.
The conversation with the Vice Master still rang in his ears, the subtle relief of not being expelled overshadowed by the lingering threat of punishment.
After leaving the office, he and Maya had gone straight to the front desk to inquire about his new room assignment.
It hadn't come as a surprise to him when they handed him a key to Ironwood Hall.
He wasn't from a noble household, after all.
This was the place where commoners stayed—students without family titles or wealth.
"It suits me," he had muttered under his breath at the time.
Ironwood Hall was bound to be peaceful, a place where he could focus on his studies without the distractions of status and politics.
Now, as he pushed open the creaky doors and stepped inside, Maya followed behind him quietly.
The hall's interior was plain but functional, lacking the opulent chandeliers and decorative tapestries that lined Silvercrest's walls.
They climbed the stairs to the second floor and found his assigned room.
The key turned with a soft click, and Noah stepped in, greeted by the smell of aged wood and dust.
The room was... simple.
A bed, a desk, a small wardrobe, and a single window overlooking the courtyard below.
The walls were bare, the floor creaked slightly underfoot, and the air was cold, but it was livable.
No fancy amenities, no rich carpets or plush bedding, just what he needed to get by.
It was normal, the kind of room fit for someone without connections or privilege. A place to quietly exist.
"Not bad," Maya commented with a small smile as she helped him unpack his few belongings, placing them neatly on the shelves and in the wardrobe.
"It's cozy."
Noah hummed in agreement, though his mind was elsewhere.
Once everything was in its place, he sat down at the desk, absently pulling up his status window.
The familiar glow appeared before his eyes, and he scanned the information, his gaze quickly locking onto the section displaying the Demonic Constellation.
[Demonic Constellation: Pending]
He frowned.
Pending?
What did that mean?
Noah muttered under his breath, "It's probably because of the corruption..."
But this was going to be a problem.
He hadn't wanted any affiliation with the demonic constellation, yet here it was, glaring at him from his status window, unresolved and threatening to complicate things further.
He closed the window with a swipe of his hand, shaking his head.
The story had already been altered by Seraphina's death.
The first act had played out in a way that didn't align with the original narrative of [Beyond Horizons].
Now, there was no way to predict how the next events would unfold.
Still, he knew one thing for sure—
'The second act's boss will be her...'
Noah thought as he looked at the girl with dark purple hair and purple eyes.
Maya. Sweet, innocent Maya, who would go out of her way to help anyone who needed it.
But the story would twist her, manipulate her until she became a tragic villain.
The thought weighed heavily on him.
She was kind, far too kind to suffer such a fate.
But that's how the story played out. Until then, I'll prepare, he thought.
For now, though, he needed to catch up on the syllabus.
He couldn't afford to fall behind. Yet, something else was bothering him.
His mana levels—they were higher than ever before.
Far higher than they should have been.
"Was this because of the corruption?" he wondered.
A dull ache throbbed in his chest, reminding him that whatever had happened at Silvercrest wasn't over.
Noah's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by Maya's cheerful voice.
"With mana sensing, you're just detecting the flow of energy around you.
But with Elemental Harmonization, you're actively interacting with that energy, shaping your own mana to match it.
It's like tuning an instrument.
You can't just hear the sound—you have to produce the right note yourself."
Noah smirked.
"I never knew magic could be so musical."
Maya laughed softly.
"It's all about balance and precision. If you're off by even a little bit, the whole thing falls apart."
He leaned back in his chair, thinking about the implications of what she had just explained.
"So, how does this apply to the Placement exams?
I mean, are we expected to harmonize with elements during the test?"
"Professor Jacob didn't say for sure," Maya said, her voice thoughtful.
"But he did hint that the exams might include scenarios where we have to use elemental magic more effectively.
I think learning Elemental Harmonization would give us an edge, even if we're not required to do it perfectly.
Just being able to enhance our spells a little could make a big difference."
Noah nodded slowly.
"I see. It's definitely something worth practicing."
He glanced out the window, his mind wandering again, though this time with a clearer sense of purpose.
The demonic corruption still loomed in the back of his mind, but right now, his focus needed to be on the upcoming exams.
Maya must have noticed his momentary distraction, because she reached over and lightly tapped his arm.
"Hey, don't overthink it. You've always been great with magic, Noah. You'll catch on to this quickly, I'm sure."
He offered a small smile, appreciating her attempt to reassure him.
"Thanks. I'll give it my best shot."
Noah was busy scribbling down notes in his notebook, the sound of his quill scratching against the parchment filling the quiet room.
His focus was sharp, his mind locked onto the magical formulas and key points from their study session.
Across the table, Maya sat silently, staring at him.
Her eyes traced the way his hand moved fluidly across the page, and she found herself mesmerized by how intensely he concentrated on his work.
Her heart skipped a beat, and before she realized it, a soft blush crept across her cheeks.
She quickly looked away, biting her lip.
She hoped Noah didn't notice.
But when she dared to sneak another glance, his eyes flicked up from the parchment, meeting hers.
Startled, Maya's face turned a deeper shade of red.
She quickly averted her gaze and focused on the book in front of her, trying to act as though nothing had happened.
Noah gave her a curious look but shrugged it off, returning to his writing.
Maya, meanwhile, couldn't shake the strange feeling that had been bubbling inside her every time she was near him.
It was a warmth that spread through her chest and down her arms, making her heart race.
She didn't know what it was, but it was becoming harder to ignore.
Her breathing became shallow, and she could feel her pulse quickening.
It was as if just being in the same room as him made everything around her fade away.
Maya placed a hand over her chest, clenching her shirt, feeling the rapid thumping of her heart.
'Why am I feeling like this?'
She thought to herself, squeezing the fabric of her skirt.
Her body felt hot, almost uncomfortably so, and her fingers trembled slightly.
'This has been happening a lot recently, hasn't it?'
She couldn't explain why it felt like this around Noah—why every glance, every moment shared in silence, seemed to ignite something inside her.
She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady her breath.
'It's probably nothing. Just... nerves, maybe?'
But deep down, she knew it wasn't that simple.
There was something about him—something about the way he carried himself, the way he spoke, the way he looked at her sometimes—that made her feel things she didn't quite understand.
Maya's fingers dug into the fabric of her skirt as she tried to calm herself, her mind swirling with unspoken thoughts and emotions.
But no matter how much she tried to push them aside, the warmth inside her only grew.