Echoes of the Lost Elf

The soft glow of morning sunlight filtered through the curtains of the old, yet well-maintained estate that Aldren owned near Castellas Academy. Unlike the grand, towering structures of the academy, this house held an air of quiet elegance—a relic of a past era. It was one of the few residences granted to the former heroes who had fought alongside Historias a thousand years ago, ensuring that they always had a place within the academy's grounds.

And now, after a millennium in seclusion, Historias Everglen—now Historias Vaelthorn—was once again waking up within these walls.

He stretched lazily, his white hair falling messily over his golden eyes as he sat up. The air smelled of fresh parchment and brewed tea, likely Aldren's doing. It was a peaceful morning.

That peace, however, was short-lived.

Because when he wandered into the living room, still half-asleep, he noticed a letter sitting neatly on the table.

Sealed with the official emblem of Castellas Academy.

Historias sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I feel like I already know what this is about…"

Still, he picked it up and broke the seal.

The Letter:

To: Historias Vaelthorn,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been officially accepted into Castellas Academy.

Rank: 2nd Place

The final segment of the **entrance examination—the screening test—will be held on 15th March, two days from now. Attendance is mandatory.

Please be advised that this evaluation serves as a security measure to ensure the safety and integrity of the academy. More details will be provided upon arrival at the testing site.

We welcome you to Castellas Academy and look forward to your contributions.

Sincerely,Vice Principal Evelyn Voss

Historias' Reaction

He blinked.

Second place?

That wasn't surprising. He already knew his history and current affairs score had been a disaster. If anything, he was lucky he still placed that high.

What did catch his attention, however, was the last part.

The screening test.

His mind immediately flashed back to Aldren's words from yesterday.

"…They check for contracted void creatures, mana levels, and race."

Historias slowly lowered the letter.

"…Well, that's a problem."

His golden eyes flickered toward the kitchen, where Aldren was probably making tea, blissfully unaware that his morning was about to get much more stressful.

With a sigh, he headed in to break the news.

Historias strolled into the kitchen, letter in hand, and found Aldren already seated at the table, sipping his morning tea like he had no care in the world.

"Morning," Aldren greeted without looking up. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Worse." Historias slid the letter onto the table.

Aldren raised an eyebrow but took the letter anyway, scanning its contents. His expression remained neutral—right up until he got to the '2nd Place' part. Then his lips twitched.

Historias squinted. "Don't say it."

"Oh, I wasn't going to say anything." Aldren took a sip of tea, failing to hide his amusement. "Except—what kind of self-respecting High Elf fails so miserably at history and current affairs?"

Historias crossed his arms. "Not my fault the last thousand years were boring."

Aldren shook his head, moving on to the next section. When he got to the screening test notice, he hummed thoughtfully.

"So, when are you leaving?" Historias asked.

"After your screening test," Aldren replied absentmindedly, already dreading the paperwork that had probably piled up in his absence. But then something else caught his attention. His eyes flicked back to the letter, a contemplative look crossing his face.

"…Maybe I should send another letter to the vice principal."

Historias froze.

"Wait. What?"

"You know, just to reinforce the importance of confidentiality." Aldren tapped his fingers on the table as if considering the wording of his message. "Something along the lines of, 'Should any irregularities be found in the screening, kindly refrain from making a spectacle—'"

Historias nearly choked on air. "Are you trying to make her suspicious?!"

Aldren looked completely unbothered. "Better safe than sorry."

"That's not how that works!"

Historias could already see the disaster unfolding. If Aldren sent that letter, it would basically announce that something was off. He could already imagine the vice principal narrowing her eyes, calling for extra precautions, and increasing security tenfold.

The thought alone made his head hurt.

"No letters. Absolutely no letters," he said firmly, snatching the parchment from Aldren's hands before he could even think about drafting one.

Aldren sighed dramatically, leaning back in his chair. "You're no fun."

"I'm fun when people aren't trying to ruin my cover within twenty-four hours of enrollment."

Aldren smirked. "So you admit it's a cover."

Historias groaned. It was too early for this.

......

Adriana von Atheria (Rank 1)

Adriana scanned the rankings with a composed expression, already expecting to see her name at the top. After all, she had trained relentlessly to maintain her status as the Atherious Empire's prodigy. But then her gaze drifted down to the second place."Historias Vaelthorn…?"Her brows furrowed. She had never heard of this name before—not from noble circles, not from rival academies, and certainly not from her network of informants."Where did this nobody even come from?"She flipped through the practical exam results. Her grip on the paper tightened."Perfect mana control. Perfect frequency adjustment. Perfect mana sensing…"For the first time in a long while, she felt a spark of unease.

Leonhardt Drakos (Rank 3)Leonhardt, heir to House Drakos, was already grumbling under his breath before even reading the results. He expected to rank second at worst. But as his eyes trailed down…1st – Adriana von Atheria2nd – Historias Vaelthorn3rd – Leonhardt DrakosHis eye twitched."Who the hell is Historias Vaelthorn?!"Some random elf had taken his spot. What was even more infuriating was that this guy bombed history and current affairs yet still got ahead of him."That means if this guy actually studied, he'd be in first place."That thought alone was unacceptable.Lucien Nachtwald (Rank 6)Lucien smirked as he read the rankings, resting his chin on his hand."How fascinating…"A complete mystery elf had humiliated the noble brats just by existing. What was even better was that he sucked at history and current affairs, yet still managed to outrank most of them."I need to meet this one."Kael Viremont (Rank 10)Kael scowled at the rankings. As a high-ranking elven noble, he should have been the highest-ranked elf in the entrance exam. Instead, some no-name Vaelthorn had appeared out of nowhere and nearly taken first place."Who even is this guy?"Kael was determined to find out.........