**Some memories in Kaelen's mind had faded, while others remained etched like a brand.**
Fifteen years...
Even for Kaelen, such a long time felt like another lifetime. But the significance of today outweighed the weight of all those years. The entrance exam for the Eldorian Miracle Academy... Kaelen was about to take it. And exactly fifteen years ago, he had lived this very same day.
His mind had filtered out most unnecessary memories, but today... Today would stay with him for the rest of his life.
Just then, the shrill ringtone of his phone echoed through the room.
**Caller: Prof. Alfia Hall**
Kaelen hesitated. His finger hovered over the green icon on the screen. Talking to her again... would be harder than he thought.
He took a deep breath, answered the call, and raised the phone to his ear. But just as he was about to speak, the words caught in his throat.
What was he supposed to say?
What *could* he say?
Should he apologize?
Or should he expect praise for what he had done?
Maybe he needed to beg forgiveness for both...
Lost in his thoughts, a familiar, stern voice pierced his ears.
*"Damn brat! Didn't I tell you not to be late? Where the hell are you?"*
For a moment, Kaelen felt the line between past and present blur.
The Alfia Hall in his mind and the Alfia Hall on the phone now... They felt like two different people. In his memories, she was still that strict yet wise mentor—her words, her advice, her booming voice on the battlefield, the weary but determined look in her eyes... But hearing her now, that image cracked.
It was like the high-pitched sound of thin glass shattering in his mind.
Everything he remembered about his teacher belonged to the past. She wasn't the person he had fought alongside, struggled for, or lost. She, like everyone else who vanished in that war, was long gone.
What remained was just a shadow.
Kaelen swallowed hard and steadied himself, his voice measured and formal.
*"Ahem... My apologies, Master Alfia. I overslept. I'll be there soon. I'm sorry for worrying you."*
His words were polite and controlled. But the turmoil inside fought not to seep into them. Keeping his composure was hard enough—especially when the person on the other end was Alfia.
*"Whatever. Just get your ass here and drop the fake courtesy. Even if you become an Eldorian Academy student, don't you dare talk to me like that... Ugh, annoying brat."*
When Alfia ended the call, Kaelen stood frozen for several seconds.
He slowly set the phone down on the table and closed his eyes.
For a moment, the idea that everything he had experienced might just be an illusion seized his mind.
All those losses, the cities destroyed, the friends who vanished before his eyes... Were they all just a trick of his mind? Maybe nothing had changed. Maybe it had all been a dream.
But no.
Kaelen immediately banished that thought.
This was real. The future was merciless. As someone who had lost everything, he couldn't dare believe his past was just a dream. He had fought too hard, sacrificed too much. He couldn't forget that.
He clenched his fists tightly, nails digging into his palms.
His focus locked onto one thing: changing the fate of this world.
No matter the cost.
With that thought, he turned his gaze to the entrance exam paper in front of him. He folded it slowly and placed it on the desk.
He picked up the Eldorian Academy uniform hanging behind the door. The fabric felt foreign between his fingers. He remembered how badly he had once wanted this uniform—back when becoming a Mirakel, entering the academy, had felt like someone else's dream.
But now...
He deserved far more.
As he slipped on the uniform, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. The black uniform was slightly too large for his lanky frame.
The face staring back at him belonged to a stranger. This new body... still felt unfamiliar. There was a chasm between his old self—his old power, his old dreams—and this new reality.
He gave himself a brief once-over.
A scrawny, frail boy greeted him.
*"It'll take some time to get used to this."*
He took a deep breath and stepped out of the apartment.
The air was cold, but Kaelen barely felt it.
The city's noise buzzed in his ears. *Vaelion...* This wasn't the place he remembered.
The buildings, the streets, the lights... Everything looked brighter, more orderly, more advanced. But his eyes only saw the voids—the missing people, the missing memories.
His world was different now, yet it carried a familiar sorrow.
Kaelen slung his bag over his shoulder and stepped forward.
Today, he would take the entrance exam for the Eldorian Academy. But this was only the beginning.
---
### **Continuation (Vaelion & Academy Description):**
This had to be Vaelion.
The golden shimmer of the floating city dazzled his eyes, while the cold brush of wind against his fingertips dragged him back into the past.
He remembered the ruins of a decade later—marble streets cracked and broken, screams replacing laughter, ashes swirling in the air... Now, the sounds of children laughing, wandering mages singing in the square, merchants with stalls full of colorful crystals... Everything was *alive*. Just like the world he had lost in that *cursed future*.
Vaelion, located on the North American continent, was formed when an entire state ascended into the sky.
Hovering a kilometer above the ground like a massive eagle's nest, the city glowed with the density of mana. Unlike the monsters growling in the dark forests below, Vaelion's stable energy offered mages a *divine touch*. Every step on its streets left a faint vibration underfoot; the blue particles of light dancing in the air left a *honey-sweet* energy on the tongue with each breath. This floating fortress, built by the Lyons Family, now symbolized safety. The *golden towers* in the northwest seemed to carve the family's power into the sky itself.
Discovered and established by the Lyons Family, Vaelion was currently one of the safest places. The family's deserved gatherings were also held in the city's northwest.
This was why Eldorian had been built here.
Because of mana—and the abominations it brought into the world—nations had collapsed. The Council, formed by mages, had saved the leaderless people. These events, a century ago, were considered humanity's darkest era.
Now, the Council could fight back against the mana beasts and the gates that brought them.
At least, that was how things stood *for now*. In the future Kaelen had lived, the world had already lost the war.
---
### **Academy Entrance & Exam:**
Kaelen made his way toward the city center.
When he reached Eldorian's entrance, he showed his exam pass to the guards.
The moment he stepped into the hexagonally domed building, a shockwave hit him. Kaelen inhaled deeply. The amount of mana he drew in made him smirk slightly.
*"Nothing like being home."*
The Eldorian Academy was the continent's finest magic institution. Kaelen was an alumnus—he had graduated ten years ago.
Yet now, somehow, he stood at its gates again. His mind reeled at the irony.
The elegant buildings surrounding the campus immediately caught his eye. The Victorian-style architecture exuded solemnity, and the meticulously trimmed gardens showed the staff's care for the grounds. But towering above it all was the main building, its peak resembling a castle spire.
Under the dome's vast expanse, he closed his eyes, feeling the academy's sheer scale. Conflicting emotions surged through him—happiness at returning here, guilt twisting beneath it.
Endless pain and torture. The blood of fallen comrades, the tears he had shed. All for nothing. He had failed to save the world.
Kaelen looked at the buildings that still stood in his memories. The time he had spent here in his past life hit him like a physical blow.
When he reached the front of the main building, he paused.
A tall student stood at the entrance, checking the passes of incoming examinees.
**Sohona Academy Admission Letter**
**Exam Entry Form**
**Examinee Number: 5420-A**
**Name: Kaelen**
*"You have qualified for the Eldorian Academy entrance exam for the 2125 academic year. Details below:"*
1. **Date:** April 17, 2025, 09:30
2. **Location:** Eldorian Academy Grand Hall
3. **Items to Bring:** No personal items permitted. Do not cause trouble for the proctors.
*"You're Kaelen, right?"*
The girl examining his pass studied it for a moment.
*"Did you bring any weapons?"*
*"No."*
She handed the card back. *"The exam's in the amphitheater on the west side. Follow this path—you'll find it easily."*
Kaelen nodded in thanks.
He followed the stone path the girl had indicated. With all the students heading the same way, it was impossible to get lost.
Kaelen stepped into the enclosed amphitheater—once a gymnasium in his time.
---