Chapter 219: A Fourth Element

Elara:

"Impossible."

Professor Elowen’s voice sounded almost dazed as the word escaped her lips, her eyes fixed on the results hovering above the assessment pedestal.

For once, the usually composed professor seemed to have forgotten that there were people watching her, and I couldn’t exactly blame her. I felt precisely the same way as I stared at the glowing globe suspended in the middle of the hall, its surface pulsing with colours that represented the elemental magic residing within me.

I had known what to expect when I agreed to undergo this assessment. Ice and Wind were supposed to appear, considering I had already awakened both elements inherited from my biological parents. My Illusion efficiency was hardly a mystery either, given that Professor Elowen had previously established its connection to my biological mother’s magical abilities.

However, the purpose of today’s assessment had been to confirm something else entirely - the presence of a third elemental magic, Shadow, which both Professor Stroll and Professor Elowen had detected during my earlier practical examination.

And yet, as the assessment results continued to pulse before us, there was absolutely no sign of Shadow. Instead, there was something else.

Earth.

I stared at the faint green light shimmering among the familiar colours, waiting for the assessment to correct itself or for someone to announce that the magical machine had malfunctioned.

Neither happened. The globe continued its slow rotation, displaying the same results with infuriating certainty, as though it hadn’t just overturned everything the professors believed they knew about my magic.

I had apparently gone from possessing three elemental signatures to possessing four, except one of the original three had mysteriously vanished and been replaced by an entirely different element. If I hadn’t been sitting down, I might genuinely have needed to find something to hold on to.

Looking around the hallway, I realised I wasn’t the only one struggling to make sense of the situation. Professor Fenrith wore a deep frown, Professor Stroll looked as though she was mentally retracing every second of my earlier examination, and Professor Elowen hadn’t taken her eyes off the globe.

Vice Headmistress Noctis stood with her usual composed expression, although the faint tension around her mouth suggested that she was considerably less calm than she appeared. Lorien was silent, his silver hair catching the light from the magical apparatus, while Jasper stood directly beside my chair with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes fixed on the globe.

If some of the most knowledgeable people at Moonveil Academy had no idea what was happening, I was beginning to suspect that my magic had developed a personal vendetta against my sanity.

Professor Stroll was the first to break the silence. "I don’t understand why Shadow is missing," she said, shaking her head slowly. "I distinctly remember detecting its presence in Ms. Argentis’ spell during the practical examination. I was certain of it."

Her eyes moved from the globe to Professor Elowen, as though expecting her colleague to offer an explanation that would somehow make the impossible possible. "I wouldn’t have reported it otherwise."

To be perfectly honest, I was surprised that her greatest concern was the missing Shadow element rather than the fact that I apparently possessed an entirely different elemental signature. If I had discovered that a fourth element had quietly taken up residence inside me, I would have considered that a rather significant development.

Apparently, the professors had reached the point where a surprise fourth element was merely another problem to add to an already complicated list.

"I can confirm Professor Stroll’s findings," Professor Elowen said immediately, drawing herself out of her daze. "The data from that examination is still recorded in my files. Shadow was present, although its signature was considerably weaker than those of Ice and Wind. Given the seal placed on Ms. Argentis’ magic, that discrepancy was understandable. The seal suppresses her magic and restricts access to her abilities, so weaker elements might remain difficult to identify."

She paused, her gaze returning to the globe. "But that still doesn’t explain why the current assessment cannot detect Shadow at all."

Silence settled over the hall again, heavier this time, as everyone seemed to consider the implications of her words.

I resisted the urge to rub my temples. I had spent months trying to understand my magic, and every time I believed I was finally making progress, another mystery appeared to remind me that my life would apparently never be simple.

First, there had been the seal, then the unexpected awakening of Ice, followed by Wind, and the disturbing traces of Shadow that had emerged during a practical exam. Now Shadow had disappeared, and Earth had apparently decided to take its place.

At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next assessment revealed that I could control the stars or summon a thunderstorm by sneezing.

"Then we must consider the other possibility," Vice Headmistress Noctis said, her measured voice cutting through my increasingly ridiculous thoughts. "The assessment has identified a fourth elemental signature. Earth."

Her gaze lingered on the green glow. "Its presence is extremely weak, certainly too weak to be registered under ordinary circumstances. Without this particular assessment process, we might never have detected it."

She folded her hands before her, looking at the other professors. "That raises an entirely different question. Why does Ms. Argentis’ possess a fourth elemental signature, and why has it appeared in place of the Shadow element previously detected?"

I looked at Jasper, hoping that the man who had spent his entire life preparing to protect me might possess some secret knowledge about magical assessments.

Unfortunately, his expression remained unreadable, and his attention never wavered from the globe. I couldn’t blame him. Even he couldn’t protect me from an elemental mystery that seemed determined to rewrite its own rules.

Around the room, the professors exchanged glances, each seemingly trying to piece together the scattered fragments of information. No one spoke for several long moments.

Professor Fenrith, meanwhile, had turned his attention to the tablet in his hands, scrolling through the recorded data Professor Elowen had provided. His handsome face grew increasingly serious as he examined the figures, his brows drawing together until a deep crease appeared between them.

I watched him in silence, suddenly aware that whatever he was discovering might be far more important than the strange results glowing above us.

Eventually, Professor Fenrith lowered the tablet and looked directly at the globe. His gaze shifted to me before returning to the other professors, and something in his expression changed. It wasn’t quite shock, nor was it the confusion I had seen on everyone’s faces a moment earlier. It was the look of someone who had finally noticed a possibility he wished he hadn’t.

Lorien seemed to recognise it as well. He straightened slightly, his blue eyes sharpening as he studied Cedric’s expression. "What is it?" he asked quietly. "What have you found?"