Fire, water, wind, and earth.

Around Leon, the four elements began to glow, swirling like stars in the universe, dancing mysteriously in perfect harmony. All eyes in the room turned toward him.

Leon had chosen not to summon his familiar, as it wasn’t necessary for what he was about to do.

A subtle vibration emanated from his fingertips—the power created by the clash of the elements.

Combining elements into a single destructive force was magic that only high-level mysticism could achieve. Arpina’s Sixfold Heavenly Radiance was a prime example of this.

To Arpina, harmony was the ultimate union where everything merged into one. Her Sixfold Heavenly Radiance embodied this philosophy, a dazzling beam that split the heavens and devoured all before it. Its overwhelming destructive power was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

But Leon had chosen a different path.

Instead of restraining his power, Leon intensified the magic, pushing even more mana into the swirling elements around him. The colors of the four elements brightened and vibrated intensely as they tried to merge, but like opposing magnetic poles, the elements repelled each other.

Trying to fuse four different elements without limiting their individual properties made the process significantly more difficult.

Leon’s eyes reflected the swirling colors, shining like a rainbow. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his fingertips trembled slightly with the effort.

He wasn’t trying to create one singular powerful force by merging the elements, but rather, he was attempting to maintain the inherent qualities of each element while allowing them to influence one another and evolve into something new.

What he sought was not a grand, unified spell, but the fleeting moment when the elements intertwined and crossed paths—the boundary where new possibilities emerged.

'If I’m ever going to combine SSS-level spells, I need to master this.'

Fzzzt—

But the elements wouldn’t come together as he wanted. They simply wavered, resisting the fusion.

Leon didn’t rush.

His fingers pulsed with mana as he tried to identify the points where the elements could complement and amplify each other, while still preserving their unique traits.

Even amidst this struggle, new insights were forming in Leon’s mind.

Yet, despite his efforts, the four elements failed to harmonize and scattered in a moment’s notice. He had failed with just four elements, and the difficulty of what he was attempting became clear. Achieving such harmony with a mere flash of insight was no easy feat.

Leon wiped the sweat from his brow and looked toward Glirios.

"..."

Glirios, like everyone else in the room, remained silent, lost in thought as he observed Leon.

For a long moment, Glirios stood with his hands behind his back, his brow furrowed in contemplation before he finally spoke.

"Are you aware that the magic you just displayed is far beyond the level of a personal student? Specifically, the realization you’re aiming for."

Was he saying it was strange for a fifth-level apprentice to be thinking about such things?

"Coexistence of the elements..." Glirios said, as if he immediately grasped what Leon was trying to do.

His gaze pierced through Leon, and for a moment, Glirios seemed to struggle to find the right words, pausing frequently.

"..."

The other students, witnessing this interaction, stared at Leon in bewilderment.

They couldn’t fully follow the conversation between Glirios and Leon.

The high-level magic this boy had just demonstrated before Glirios... His supposed status as a mere fifth-level apprentice... And the fact that Glirios, known for his clear and insightful teachings, was taking this so seriously.

Not long ago, the rumors about a light attribute personal student joining under Arpina had caused quite a stir in Astellia. That student, Ria, was now a third-level apprentice. Yet here was a boy, seemingly around the same age, claiming to be at the fifth level?

Reaching such a level would have required someone with a light or dark attribute to have started training from the age of seven or eight.

Was this boy, too, gifted with a divine attribute?

If that were the case, today’s events would send another ripple through Astellia.

"Your magic... it’s Arpina’s, isn’t it? But you’ve thought of something different..." Glirios mused, lost in thought once again.

"How long have you been working on this idea?" he asked.

"...Quite a while," Leon admitted.

"Not fusion, but coexistence..." Glirios muttered.

He raised his palm, and six small glowing lights representing different elements appeared above it. They spun and merged effortlessly into one, but Glirios then clenched his fist, scattering the light.

"Harmony is crucial for any magician dealing with elements. If you truly pursue this concept of harmony to its limits, you will undoubtedly discover a new world—a new form of magic. But it is a difficult path, one only those with extraordinary talent can walk. Arpina is a prime example. Beyond her rank, she may understand this even better than I do. As for what I can offer you..."

Glirios smiled slightly.

"Instead of talking, it’s better if you experience it firsthand. Try it again."

As Leon summoned the elements once more, Glirios subtly interfered with his mana.

Leon felt Glirios’s mana touch one of his elements, and suddenly, all the elements began to merge naturally, without resisting each other. A brilliant light erupted before Leon’s eyes as the elements coalesced.

In that moment, Leon’s mind flashed with realization.

He immediately poured more mana into the three elements he was controlling.

"...!"

The harmonious fusion of elements started vibrating wildly.

Glirios had no choice but to pour even more mana into the element he was controlling. His expression twisted in surprise.

He hadn’t expected Leon to push further using his assistance.

The momentary shock passed quickly, and Glirios refocused his mind. The surge of mana was too intense—if things went wrong, the elemental power could explode and harm the other students.

With the refined control of a high-level insight magician, Glirios began adjusting the flow of mana, calming the vibrations.

The light gradually turned gray and stabilized, shining beautifully as the four elements coexisted in perfect harmony. In that fleeting moment, Leon felt an indescribable sensation, close to pure joy.

Soon after, Glirios withdrew his interference with a chuckle of disbelief.

Leon, maintaining control over the fused elements on his own, held them steady for a short while. The power pulsed dangerously as though it might unravel at any second, yet the fusion held.

A torrent of grayish mana flowed through Leon. Even with his immense mana reserves, managing the flow at such speed was a challenge.

Eventually, Leon had no choice but to pull back his mana, and the elements scattered once again.

"Haa..."

Leon exhaled deeply, feeling drained.

'It was only four elements...'

Despite the exhaustion, this experience had given Leon a profound understanding. He now grasped the true meaning of harmony and its potential. The path ahead seemed clearer than ever.

Leon bowed his head.

"Thank you."

"..."

Glirios watched Leon silently, his eyes reflecting a mix of complex emotions.

Outside the tower, a yellow-tinged moon hung quietly in the sky. Its faint light filtered through the window of the tower master’s office, casting a soft glow over the room.

In the office, Glirios stood with his hands behind his back, while Kalderick sat quietly at the table.

"..."

A deep silence stretched between them.

After a long while, Glirios, still facing the window, finally spoke.

"He asked for guidance on harmony."

The memory of the day’s lesson resurfaced in his mind—the calm-faced boy’s request.

A normal magician of that age would have just begun learning the fundamentals of magic. But Leon's power had already far surpassed that stage.

On the surface, it appeared as though his mana was limited to that of a fifth-level apprentice, but to Glirios’s trained eye, it was clear that this was merely a veil. Beneath it, Leon’s true power was far greater.

Though Glirios couldn’t determine the exact depth of Leon’s magic, he knew it reached far beyond what was visible.

Yet that wasn’t what concerned Glirios the most.

'He’s trying to create new magic...'

Glirios could sense Leon’s goal.

'A multi-element spell...'

He didn’t find this ambition arrogant. He had seen enough to know it wasn’t a pipe dream.

'To think he’s already reached that level of insight.'

Glirios thought back to the moment he had allowed Leon to experience true harmony by manipulating his mana. In that brief instant, Leon had not only sensed it but had truly understood and internalized the experience.

'He maintained the fusion even after I withdrew my interference.'

From a single fleeting moment.

Was that possible at the age of fifteen?

Glirios asked himself.

He, too, had been recognized as a prodigy from a young age. Though he hadn’t surpassed his master or reached the transcendent level, there had been a time when he was considered full of potential.

And Kalderick, his son, was even more talented than he had been.

It wasn’t just fatherly pride—Kalderick’s talent was objectively brilliant.

But could even Kalderick have achieved something like that at fifteen?

'...I should speak with Arpina.'

Was Leon simply hiding his power, or was he concealing something greater for a larger purpose?

What was the boy’s true intent?

Would he become a danger to the school... or a beacon of brilliance for its future?