sion was

as sharp, sudden, and completely unexpected, a burst of white light and a crack of s

e smoke

tone was s

lit cleanly d

at it. Nobody spoke for a full five seconds, and in that silence the only s

udied both halves carefully, running one finger along the clean split as if checking whether it was

nts," he said quietly, "I have never

ened hi

t mean to

ssor look

er does,"

the weight of every stare in the room pressing against him at once, and he had the disti

halves of the stone

apart like it had simply been waiting for an excuse. His panel had not changed. He had n

stone wa

robes and turned to fa

assessment tools," he said fla

smaller measuring stones, round and smooth, each one glowing faintly blue. Ha

the profe

el something, anything, the way the other students had looked when they stepped forward. Calm. Cent

elt no

stone flic

t went

ent very q

ined the stone. His brow fur

," the assistant said in

that," Ha

down carefully on t

owly, "does that

at him for a

fessor said, "that

ddle benches say the words weakest mage clearly enough that there was no pret

words

and the room went qui

said, his eyes still on Kael. "However, your earlier dis

ed. "Earli

Fragment,"

trip, the bracket, or the arc of the flame across the corridor. He could not explain any of it in a wa

lucky,"

ttled over

, "That is one

ssment for the remaining students wit

d sat down. His status panel rea

ength

ana

eed:

mina:

terit

ck:

e blond boy from the hallway, Darius, was watching him with narrowed eyes and a jaw held tight with something between ir

o rows away, wa

tilted slightly

ten

nd looked back

thirty years had broken, not through skill, not through force, not through anything he could

eople were pa

. Some students celebrated in quiet, restrained ways. Others looked disappointed and stared at the floor. The room moved forward w

s world with a reputa

ad a lar

of it w

king among themselves in low voices. Kael was one of the last to stand. He

ed him before

ave

tur

clasped behind his back. His expression had not changed since the moment the ston

sor said. "You and I nee

broken stone. The

is was not going to be a short conversation, and

ng up in this world, Kael fel