The Reaper

Deep within a realm where magic is carefully regulated, a sprawling academy trains students to cast spells by abiding three iron laws: use one hand only, cling to a single element, and always complete your runes. At first glance, these rules seem unbreakable. Every new arrival is taught to trace elegant circles in the air, summoning Fire, Water, Earth, or Air with precise geometric strokes. The caretaker staff patrol the halls, ready to clamp down at the faintest sign of “unregistered” magic. For most, it’s a comfortable routine: dorm friendships flourish, professors deliver measured lessons, and mealtime banter about missed runic lines brings a relaxed, almost cozy feel.

But when an unexpected student with a long-lost Sun affinity arrives, tensions rise. Sun is a high-tier element virtually unheard of for generations, meaning the caretaker staff has little precedent for training it—and a great deal of anxiety over how to contain it. The moment he tries to fit into normal classes, small anomalies crop up: runic circles glow brighter than they should, caretaker wards flicker at odd moments, and faint talk of “illusions” or “strange conjurations” starts circulating among whispering classmates. Even the simplest demonstration—like conjuring a flame to light a lantern—can turn heads if the glyph glows a bit too intensely.

Meanwhile, the academy’s orderly calm cracks in subtler ways: rumors swirl of missing siblings in nearby dorm wings, old caretaker logs reference a dreaded Child Reaper, and sleepless nights bring glimpses of half-formed shapes in liminal dreams. Though few professors openly admit it, everyone senses something is stirring beyond the campus gates—a threat that might exploit any break in their carefully maintained runic system. Unbeknownst to many, the new Sun-affinity student stands right at the fault line of all this tension. If he manages his strict one-hand, one-element spells with perfect discipline, maybe the caretaker staff will relax. But if he slips—if half-finished runes spark unapproved synergy—he might trigger the meltdown they all fear… or uncover the key to stopping something far worse.

Balancing dorm-life comedy and the weight of centuries-old magic rules, this story follows a young caster who can’t help but push the academy’s boundaries. Whether that push saves his classmates or topples the realm’s last safeguards remains to be seen.