The Black Trial wasn't on any map.It wasn't a place you could stumble into by accident.It was a secret that lived in whispers and dark corners — a dueling ring where rules didn't exist, and the only currency was dominance.
Kiro found the entrance in the back alley of a half-collapsed warehouse. A single steel door, unmarked, guarded by a man the size of a small bear.
The man's eyes slid over Kiro's visor. "Name?"
Kiro tilted his head. "Do I need one?"
The man smirked. "Here, everyone has a name. You can make one up, or you can earn one."
Kiro's visor reflected the man's stare. "Call me… Null."
Inside, the air was thick with heat and noise. A circular pit sat in the center, surrounded by tiered wooden benches packed with spectators. Sparks, frost, and bursts of raw kinetic force filled the air as fighters clashed in the ring.
Here, Talents weren't for show.They were weapons.
A bookie with an eyepatch approached. "First time?"
"Yeah."
The man scanned him from head to toe. "What's your Talent?"
Kiro's voice was low. "You'll find out."
The bookie barked a laugh. "Cocky. Alright, Null, you're up after the next bout. You win, you get paid. You lose, you walk out — if you can."
The next fight ended with one man encased in ice from the neck down. The crowd roared approval. Coins exchanged hands in a flurry.
Kiro stepped into the ring. His opponent was a tall woman with arms like coiled steel and glowing tattoos along her forearms. Sparks danced between her fists.
"Another no-name," she said, cracking her knuckles. "Let's make this quick."
The bell rang.
She moved first — a blur of speed and electricity. Kiro sidestepped, barely.The golden threads flared into his vision. One led straight to her.
He caught it.Tense your legs.
Her step faltered, just for a fraction of a second — but enough for Kiro to slip behind her. He didn't strike. Not yet.
She swung a fist, and lightning split the air. Kiro ducked, the threads shimmering brighter.Misjudge distance.
Her punch whistled past his head, missing by inches.
The crowd jeered. "Come on, Arc! Fry him already!"
Frustration bled into her movements. That was good. Anger made the threads easier to pull.
Kiro gave one a sharp tug.Swing wide. Overcommit.
She lunged, and he caught her wrist mid-motion, twisting hard. She staggered forward, balance broken.
Kiro stepped in close, helmet nearly touching her ear. "You're not fighting me," he murmured. "You're fighting yourself."
Before she could react, he swept her legs. She hit the dirt hard.
The bell rang. The crowd erupted — half in shock, half in delight.
The bookie pressed a small pouch of coins into Kiro's hand afterward. "Not bad, Null. Didn't even see your Talent. Which means they didn't either."
"That's the point," Kiro said.
The bookie grinned. "You come back tomorrow, I'll have something bigger lined up for you."
That night, lying in bed, Kiro replayed the fight in his mind. His ability wasn't just control — it was influence. He couldn't force someone to act against their instincts completely, but he could nudge them. Break rhythm. Warp decisions.
In a real battle, that was lethal.
Two nights later, he returned. The bookie kept his word — the next opponent was a man with stone skin and a grip strong enough to crush steel.
The fight was brutal. Every blow from the man's fists was like a hammer. Kiro danced around him, threads weaving and snapping in his vision.
Step left. The man stepped into open space.Look at my visor. The man locked eyes — just long enough for Kiro to slip a knee into his ribs.
It took three minutes before the man was face-down in the dirt, breathing hard.
The crowd began chanting his name. "Null! Null! Null!"
By the fourth night, whispers were spreading — a fighter with no visible Talent, yet no one could touch him.
After his latest win, the bookie leaned close. "There's talk upstairs. The kind of people you don't say no to. They want you in the main event."
"Who's the opponent?"
The bookie's grin was all teeth. "They call him the Mindbreaker. Never lost. Rumor says his Talent lets him crush someone's will just by looking at them."
Kiro's visor hid his expression, but his heart beat faster. Another mental Talent user.
This wasn't just another fight. This was a test.And he couldn't afford to fail.