The halls of the luxury inn shimmered with morning dew as Zend Kly stepped into the lobby, guided by the warmth of his friend, Chris Xavier. After the brutal first trial, Chris had insisted Zend stay at his family's residence.
"You've earned a bed better than a wooden bunk tonight," Chris had said, slinging his arm around Zend's shoulder.
Chris's family had rented out an entire wing of the Violethall Grand Inn, and that night, the two boys shared a double suite two beds, heavy velvet drapes, polished marble floors, and a scent of lavender in the air.
As they lay in their respective beds, Zend broke the silence.
"Didn't think you'd wipe the floor with so many kids that easily."
Chris chuckled. "Didn't think you'd outwit half a battlefield with a needle."
They laughed. But the warmth of friendship soon gave way to slumber. Zend turned to the ceiling… and once again, he dreamed.
A Dream from the Needle's Depth
The world around Zend twisted he stood in a sea of shadows. There, cloaked in obsidian smoke, was a man-like figure, his face hidden, holding a needle identical to Zend's.
"The eye sees not the true path, child," the figure whispered. "But the hand… the hand that guides the needle must feel everything."
Before Zend could speak, the shadow dissolved. A monstrous screech echoed—and he jolted awake.
"Zend! Wake up! It's starting!" Chris shook him by the shoulders.
The Second Trial Arena of Beasts
Morning light streamed over Skyviolet Coliseum, now refitted with massive cage-like arenas. Over 300 remaining children stood before a council of representatives from the Five Great Academies.
The announcer's voice rang out:
"Today, each of you will face a Three-Circle Beast. Victory means progression. Defeat… well, pray not to meet it."
Zend's name appeared on a glowing crystal.
ZEND KLY FIELD 8 OPPONENT: SPIKETUS TIGER
Zend took a deep breath and walked into the stone-walled arena. The gates clanked shut behind him.
A guttural growl echoed.
Emerging from the opposite gate was a massive, feline beast twice Zend's height, covered in black and crimson spikes that jutted out of its back, shoulders, even its cheeks. Eyes like molten gold locked onto Zend.
It roared a scream that shook the dust loose from the arena walls.
Zend's hand twitched. From his Soul Chamber, his black needle Aether emerged—light as air, yet deadly.
The Battle Begins
The Spiketus Tiger lunged, claws forward. Zend ducked, rolled, and threw his needle toward its eye but with a whip of its head, the beast spun, and the needle pinged off a hardened spike.
Damn… its body is covered in armor.
Zend retrieved his needle with a flick of telekinesis, barely dodging the tiger's tail as it lashed out like a morning star. His breathing quickened.
The tiger pounced again Zend flipped backward, needle poised, and threw again, this time aiming for its exposed belly. But a wall of spikes jutted out from under its skin, blocking the strike.
It can shift its spikes?
Zend's mind raced. "Alright. No more random shots."
He circled the arena, forcing the beast to move. Every time the tiger pounced, Zend studied its behavior. Every turn. Every flick of its tail. He realized there was one moment when the beast's eyes widened slightly, exposing a weak spot before it shifted spikes to defend.
He had one chance.
The tiger snarled and lunged fast. Zend didn't run.
Now!
He sprinted toward the tiger.
Mid-charge, the beast widened its eyes in surprise and in that exact instant, Zend slid beneath its leap, his needle spinning in midair, guided by light telekinesis, and
THUNK!
It buried itself deep in the tiger's left eye.
The beast shrieked, flailed, slammed into the arena wall then collapsed.
Zend stood slowly, chest heaving, needle returning to his hand.
Aftermath
The gate opened as a healer team rushed in to sedate the beast and drag it away.
From the viewing balcony, one of the instructors from the Academy of Combined Forces leaned in, intrigued.
"That boy again… the needle-wielder. He reads movement like a hunter."
Another nodded. "And he didn't panic. That tiger has disemboweled full-grown men."
Chris POV
While Zend was locked in his own intense battle, Chris Xavier stood calmly inside his assigned arena Field 10. The crowd buzzed with excitement as his name appeared on the sky-crystal above.
CHRIS XAVIER FIELD 10 OPPONENT: EARTHDRILL PANGOLIN (3rd Circle Beast)
The moment the name of his beast opponent appeared, Chris's brow twitched.
"Earth-type, huh?" he muttered, stretching his arms. "Guess this won't be easy."
A low rumble echoed through the coliseum as the massive metal gates opened.
A hulking beast, over two meters long, slithered and stomped forward on short but muscular limbs. Its entire body was covered in thick, overlapping stone plates, like armor forged from earth itself. Dust rose with each of its heavy steps. Its claws were like drills, spiraling and jagged, designed to burrow through rock.
Chris summoned his Aether: the Dragon-Etched Thunderblade, arcs of lightning dancing along its edge.
Let's see how well you hold up against the storm.
The Clash of Elements
Chris raised his blade, gathering mana to its edge. Lightning sparked violently as he took his stance.
"Thunder Fang."
He slashed and a wave of crackling lightning raced toward the pangolin.
The beast didn't dodge. Instead, it curled into a ball and its scales shimmered with a soft glow. When the lightning struck, it simply dispersed, the energy scattering harmlessly across the creature's armor.
What?!
Chris narrowed his eyes. "It absorbed it?"
The announcer's voice echoed from the sky above:
"The Earthdrill Pangolin's natural armor absorbs and grounds elemental energy! Electricity is particularly ineffective!"
Chris exhaled sharply.
So brute force, then.
The pangolin lunged forward, uncurling mid-air and swiping at Chris with its massive foreclaws. Chris ducked, sliding to the side, then retaliated with a lightning-charged upward slash—only to see his blade strike harmlessly against the thick stone hide.
"Tch. You're a tough one."
The beast spun, drilling one of its claws into the ground, causing the arena floor to tremble. Spikes of stone erupted from beneath, and Chris jumped just in time, flipping backward with sparks trailing from his boots.
Adapting the Storm
Realizing his lightning was being nullified, Chris stopped attacking.
Instead, he began moving fast. He dashed, leapt, and spun around the arena, launching feints and shallow strikes. Each time, the pangolin tried to react, but its slow turning speed left openings.
You're durable, but not fast…
Chris began to alter the charge in his blade not releasing it as lightning, but instead superheating the air, focusing all the charge into the metal, making it hum with raw, unstable energy.
"Let's try this differently…"
He dashed toward the pangolin, pretending to strike its face but feinted left and slid beneath it, dragging the electrified blade against the creature's underbelly, the only place unprotected by stone.
CRACK!
A direct hit the blade hissed, burning into soft flesh, and the beast screeched, stumbling back.
"Got you."
The Final Strike
Enraged, the pangolin roared and curled up again, spinning at high speed toward Chris like a massive boulder. Chris stood still, lightning dancing in his eyes.
"No more games."
He raised his blade to the sky, focusing all his mana into a single point. The thunder roared above and a bolt of pure lightning struck down from the clouds and into his sword.
"Dragon Flash: Piercing Arc!"
Chris threw himself forward, sword-first, and met the spinning beast head-on. At the moment of contact, he twisted his body, channeling the lightning around the pangolin instead of into it redirecting the energy to launch himself underneath again.
With a final burst of speed, he jammed his blade deep into the beast's wounded underbelly embedding it to the hilt.
The Earthdrill Pangolin screamed, then collapsed, motionless.
Chris landed beside it, breathing hard, his blade humming faintly in his hand.
Eyes Watching
From the viewing platform above, instructors from the Offense Academy whispered among themselves.
"He turned his element into momentum, not damage. Adaptable, fast-thinking… just like his father."
Another nodded. "This one's dangerous."
Chris stepped out of the arena just in time to see Zend walking toward him from the opposite side.
"Looks like we both survived," Zend said.
Chris smirked. "That overgrown worm made me work for it."
They exchanged a tired high-five, both aware that this was just the beginning.
Together, they walked toward the staging area, awaiting results and the next trial.
But Zend's thoughts wandered back to the dream.
What did that shadow mean? What path does the needle truly follow…?