Kaelen Veyl had miscalculated. Again.


    The sun blazed high in the sky, its relentless heat pressing down on him as he trudged along the winding roads leading to Illumnis. The city’s spires were visible in the hazy distance, but to Kaelen, they might as well have been on the other side of the world.


    The toll of his journey—and his constant freezing of time—was beginning to show. His breaths came fast and shallow, his chest heaving with the strain of his well''s exertion. Every step felt like his legs were weighed down with lead, and the familiar, uncomfortable hollowness in his well warned him that he was nearing his limit.


    Stopping in the shade of a scraggly tree, he wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced around, desperate to gauge how much further he had to go. Then he heard it—a faint roar of applause carried on the breeze, so distant it might have been imagined, but unmistakably real.


    “No… no!” Kaelen groaned, the sound escaping him like a broken whisper. He buried his face in his hands for a moment before yanking them away and pacing furiously.


    This wasn’t supposed to happen. He’d crossed the ocean—partially on foot, no less—and navigated days of terrain, using his time-freezing ability to cover impossible distances. But the miscalculations were piling up, and now the ceremony was starting without him.


    For the third time since stepping on dry land, Kaelen raised his hand, the familiar shimmer of his ability flickering faintly around his fingers. His body trembled, his knees weak, and his well dangerously close to empty, but there was no other choice.


    With a deep breath, he clenched his jaw and activated his magic. The world around him froze. The applause cut off mid-cheer, the wind stilled in the trees, and every sound faded into an unnatural, suffocating silence.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    “Just a little further,” Kaelen muttered, his voice oddly loud in the frozen stillness. He forced his legs to move, each step more grueling than the last, as he pressed on toward the city.


    Morning light spilled through open windows, casting warm rays onto rows of neatly arranged goods as a humble shopkeeper settled into his familiar routine. Outside, echos of Aetherion academy''s entrance examinations sounded in the distance, blending with the city''s gentle hum and a creaking of floorboards underfoot as occasional customers wandered through.


    Behind the counter, the shopkeeper, a stout man with a salt-and-pepper beard, polished a set of glass charms meant to enhance spell precision. He took pride in his routine—the quiet predictability of his life near the outskirts of the bustling magical hub.


    Almost an instant later however, that predictability was shattered.


    A loud thud outside the door made him jump, nearly dropping the charm in his hand. His brow furrowed as he moved to the doorway, his heart beating a little faster than he’d care to admit. When he stepped out, what he saw made him freeze.


    A boy—young, disheveled, and utterly drained—was sprawled on the cobblestones in front of the shop. His clothes were damp, his face pale, and his breath came in shallow, ragged bursts.


    “What in the—” the shopkeeper muttered, kneeling beside the boy.


    The boy’s eyes fluttered open briefly, their gaze unfocused but determined. “Examinations,” he croaked, the word barely audible before his head lolled to the side and his body went limp.


    The shopkeeper’s heart sank. He glanced around the empty street, the distant hum of Illumnis now feeling like an ominous pressure. “Hey! Kid! Wake up!” he called, shaking the boy gently, but there was no response.


    Straightening up, the shopkeeper shouted for assistance, his voice carrying over what was once a peaceful morning. “Somebody! Get help! We’ve got a kid down over here!”


    He turned his attention back to the boy, his mind racing. Examinations… he must’ve come for the academy. With no time to waste, the shopkeeper made a snap decision. Grabbing a small teleportation talisman from his pocket, he activated it with a sharp twist. The sigil glowed faintly before enveloping both him and the boy in a soft light.


    “Hang in there, kid,” the shopkeeper muttered as they vanished from the street.