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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.

"Hey, are you ready to start the study session?"

He looked up from the desk, blinking as his mind shifted away from the weight of the demonic constellation and back to reality.

Maya stood by the door with a bright smile, her hands holding a stack of books and notes, clearly eager to begin.

Despite everything that had been going on, she was determined to help him catch up on the syllabus.

"Yeah," Noah said with a slight smile, though his mind was still distracted.

He pushed his status window away and cleared some space on the desk for her materials.

"Let\'s do it."

Maya moved a chair next to him and sat down, laying out the books and notes neatly.

"So, today\'s lesson was pretty advanced," she began, flipping through her notes.

"Professor Jacob covered a topic that\'s normally discussed in second-year classes, but he said we should be prepared for it because it might come up in the Placement exams next week."

Noah nodded, trying to focus.

The Placement exams were critical.

They would determine which students were assigned to advanced courses, which ones would receive special training, and which ones would be left behind.

He couldn\'t afford to mess this up, especially not after everything that had happened.

Maya pulled out a piece of parchment with detailed diagrams and arcane symbols.

"So, what Professor Jacob discussed was something called \'Elemental Harmonization.\'

It\'s a technique that allows you to synchronize your mana with the natural elements around you, amplifying the power of elemental spells.

It\'s really tricky because it requires you to not only control your own mana but also interact with the mana present in nature."

Noah raised an eyebrow.

"That does sound advanced. How exactly does it work?"

Maya leaned forward, pointing to one of the diagrams.

"Okay, so, let\'s take fire magic as an example.

Normally, when you cast a fire spell, you\'re using your own mana to create and control the flames, right?

But with Elemental Harmonization, you\'re tapping into the natural fire mana that\'s present in the environment.

So, instead of just using your own energy, you\'re drawing from a much larger pool of power."

"Wait," Noah interrupted, "are you saying we can just pull mana from nature? Like, there\'s fire mana just floating around?"

Maya nodded, her expression serious.

"Exactly. Every element has a presence in the natural world—fire, water, earth, air, and so on.

When you harmonize with the element, you\'re essentially connecting your mana to the elemental flow that exists all around you.

But it\'s not as simple as just pulling in power. You have to be in perfect sync with the element, or the spell could backfire."

Noah frowned, leaning over the diagram. "So, how do you achieve this synchronization?"

"Professor Jacob explained that it\'s about matching the frequency of your mana with the natural mana of the element you\'re working with," Maya explained.

"Each element has its own unique mana signature.

For fire, for instance, it\'s wild and aggressive, so your mana has to reflect that kind of energy.

If you can do that, you\'ll harmonize with the fire mana around you and be able to cast much stronger spells."

Noah absorbed this for a moment, thinking it over.

"That sounds… dangerous. What happens if you fail?"

"Well," Maya said, grimacing slightly, "if you don\'t match the frequency correctly, you could end up with a spell that\'s too weak to work, or worse, a spell that\'s too unstable and explodes in your face.

That\'s why Elemental Harmonization isn\'t taught until later years—it requires a lot of control over your mana and a deep understanding of elemental magic."

Noah nodded.

"Makes sense. I guess that\'s why it\'s considered advanced."

He looked over at the diagram again, his curiosity piqued.

"Did he give any practical examples? Like, how do you even start practicing something like that?"

"Yeah, he did," Maya replied, flipping through her notes again.

"He mentioned starting with meditation exercises to get a feel for the elemental mana in the environment.

For fire magic, you\'d sit near a source of fire—like a candle or a bonfire—and try to feel the mana in the flames.

It\'s a subtle energy, so it takes a lot of focus to even detect it at first.

Once you can feel the elemental mana, the next step is to slowly merge your own mana with it."

Noah tilted his head.

"That sounds a lot like mana sensing."

"It\'s similar, but more advanced," Maya clarified.

"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.