The first student placed was Freya Nolan. Freya had spent most of the year certain she would receive Velmor. Everyone knew because Freya had explained weather systems to half the year group at one point or another and treated maps as a form of recreation. She entered the basin. Water reached her knees by the central marker. For two seconds nothing happened. Then the current turned toward Calyx. Freya looked startled. The Calyx platform erupted in applause. She laughed and followed the current. Jasper felt something inside him loosen. The ceremony was not a test students could prepare answers for. One by one, first-years entered. Mia went Brannor. Soren went Nocten.

Theo went Velmor after spending months insisting he had no idea. Benji stopped once halfway through when the current strengthened unexpectedly. Staff let him step out, warm up and try again later. Nobody treated the pause as failure. When he returned, Nocten took him gently. Ava watched everything without writing. That might have been the strangest sight of the morning. Harper grew quieter with each name.

"Still Brannor?" Jasper whispered.

She looked at the gold platform. "Yeah."

"You okay?"

"Ask me after."

Ava's hand touched Jasper's sleeve briefly. Then Thorne called, "Harper Vale." Harper stood.

The first student placed was Freya Nolan. Freya had spent most of the year certain she would get Velmor. Everyone knew because Freya told everyone. She loved weather work. Loved maps. Had once spent an entire lunch explaining cloud types to Harper, who had listened only because Freya was holding the last brownie. Freya entered the basin. The water moved around her knees. She reached the central marker. The current caught gently at her uniform. For two seconds she stood still. Then the water turned right. Calyx. Freya's face fell. Not dramatically. Enough. The current guided her across the shallow channel until she stepped onto the Calyx platform. Calyx students applauded. Not explosively. Warmly. Freya looked toward her parents. Freya smiled. Small at first. Then bigger. Jasper watched closely. Next came Theo.

The gallery laughed. Mia went to Brannor. Harper almost screamed. Ward looked at her. Harper converted the scream into a cough that convinced nobody. Mia stepped onto Brannor's platform, dripping and grinning. That changed Harper's nerves. Jasper could see it. Brannor now had someone she already loved as a friend. If Harper joined her, excellent. If not, Mia would still be there. Benji went to Calyx. He looked surprised. The Calyx mentor met him at the platform edge and handed him a towel. Soren went to Nocten. That surprised Jasper until he remembered the boy who loved old machines, patient questions and books nobody else cared about. Soren looked delighted. He caught Jasper's eye across the basin and made Ashcroft's disappointed-sigh face. Leila went to Velmor. Another student to Brannor. Another to Nocten. Ava counted anyway.

Jasper watched the water rather than the totals. He could feel the Choosing magic faintly. Not like Water. This magic lived in stone channels, old enchantments and hundreds of repeated ceremonies. It had structure. A direction changed after each student reached the centre. Sometimes immediately. Sometimes after a pause. The actual presence Jasper associated with the Sea remained distant. That relieved him. The distinction was clearer now than during the tour. Choosing Tide was not Water sorting children one by one. It was academy magic using seawater as medium. Old. Complex. Maybe originally inspired by something deeper. But not the same consciousness Jasper had felt beneath the cliffs. At least not normally. A nervous boy named Callum entered. Jasper recognized the look. Callum raised both hands. Every current stopped. Immediately. No argument. No ceremony pressure.

Thorne said, "We will try later if and when Callum wishes." Now he knew. Nothing terrible. The ritual waited. Good. He entered. Breathed. Jasper felt something unclench. The ceremony continued. Families reacted. Friends cheered quietly. Others needed a moment. Jasper saw Thorne notice.

Then the next student was called. Jasper's mother had asked what happened if someone stopped. Tradition survived a child's no. Two placements later Callum returned voluntarily. This time Ward stood near the centre. The current moved him slowly to Nocten. When he reached the platform, Nocten's older representative greeted him exactly as if his first attempt had never been a failure. Because it had not been. Each student altered the room. Some children looked immediately pleased. One girl cried after being sent to Velmor when she had wanted Calyx. An Velmor mentor sat beside her on the platform rather than telling her to stop. That, more than speeches, showed what an Order could be. A place where disappointment was allowed to enter with you. Then Elowen called:

For months she had joked about fighting the current. Now she looked at Jasper and Ava, gave them a small nervous smile and stepped toward the water.