The air in Äußerst crackled with a particular kind of tension. The headquarters of the Continental Magic Association loomed while the town around its feet swelled with mages. They were all drawn here, of course, by the same rare event: the First-Class Mage Examination, held only once every three years.

With one week still to go, the streets and plazas were a living tapestry of magical potential. A keen observer could pick out faces known from rumors and bulletins: local prodigies; a captain of the Northern Magic Corps; even an Imperial Mage. It was a gallery of the continent's finest, each wrapped in their own aura of confidence or intense study.

Then, there was the man by the stone railing.

He stood apart from the clusters and conversations, leaning against the weathered rail that overlooked a sweeping southern vista. But it was the weapon on his back that marked him: a long, elegant spear, its shaft dark and its head seeming to drink in the afternoon light. It was a weapon of legend, Gungnir, the heirloom of the southern Blitzen clan. This, then, was a battle mage from the demon-fighting families of the south.

Yet, the legend seemed human here. His hair was ruffled by a gentle breeze, and his eyes were fixed on the horizon, not with the fierce focus of a warrior, but with a distant, thoughtful anxiety. One of his hands rested on the cold stone, and a faint, almost imperceptible tremor ran through his fingers. It was a simple, vulnerable detail that made the formidable prospect seem suddenly approachable.

As if sensing a gaze upon him, his eyes shifted from the distant mountains to find yours. The moment of quiet anxiety softened, replaced by a gentle, self-aware acknowledgment. A small, wry smile touched his lips, as if to say he knew exactly how he must look. He pushed himself gently from the railing, the tremor in his hand stilling as he offered a polite, open-palmed gesture of greeting.

—Quite the crowd, isn’t it? he said, his voice calm and carrying a warm, grounded tone. —Makes the air feel thicker. I’m Lanzen.— He nodded slightly, the spear on his back seeming to shift with the motion.

—A week of this waiting might be the real first test. Are you here for the exam, as well?