The moment I clasped Selene's hand, the courtyard seemed to change. The crowd of students watching us subtly shifted, almost imperceptibly, like fish scattering when a predator moves. I felt their gazes dig into me—not curiosity, not fear, but assessment. Everyone in this academy had a hidden agenda, and suddenly, I was part of theirs.
Selene released my hand and stepped back, still smiling, but the fire in her eyes was impossible to ignore. "Good," she said. "We'll need to trust each other. But not too much."
I nodded. That made sense. Or it would, eventually.
Renvor returned cautiously from behind a column, his expression unreadable. "You did what?" he hissed, voice low enough that only I could hear. "You shook hands with her?"
I shrugged. "It was voluntary."
"Voluntary?" he repeated, disbelief dripping from every syllable. "You just signed up for half the chaos in this place!"
"Better to have her on my side than against me," I muttered.
He groaned. "I swear, you're going to get yourself killed before the semester even starts."
I ignored him, scanning the courtyard. Other students were dispersing, murmuring behind their hands, but a few lingered. Their stares lingered longer than they should have—curious, cautious, calculating. Among them, I noticed two figures I hadn't paid attention to before: a tall boy with an eyepatch over his left eye and a petite girl with silver hair tied into intricate braids. They weren't ordinary students; something about their posture, the way they observed without moving, screamed trained killers disguised as classmates.
I frowned. Already?
Selene seemed to notice them as well. She tilted her head. "Interesting," she said, almost to herself. "The watchers arrive early."
I didn't like that phrasing. "Watchers?"
She smiled faintly. "People who keep score. The academy isn't just a school. It's a chessboard. And you've just revealed your strongest piece."
That was… encouraging?
Before I could respond, a bell rang—not the usual class bell, but a sharper, higher-pitched tone. Immediately, instructors' postures stiffened. The students scattered. Even Renvor stiffened.
"Emergency assembly," Selene muttered, eyes narrowing.
We moved toward the main hall with the crowd, my mind racing. This wasn't ordinary protocol. Halvren's involvement yesterday, the duel, the controlled exposure… everything pointed to one conclusion: something was coming. Something that would test not just power, but instincts.
Inside the hall, the assembly was already in progress. Students filled every bench. Instructors stood along the walls, some holding long staves that pulsed faintly with energy. At the center stood Halvren. And next to him, a figure I had not seen before—a woman cloaked in dark robes, her face obscured by a hood, but the presence she radiated was palpable.
Halvren's eyes swept across the hall until they landed on me. For a heartbeat, I felt entirely exposed.
"Today," Halvren's voice carried through the hall like steel scraping stone, "the academy will bear witness to a trial."
A murmur ran through the students.
"A trial?" someone whispered.
He raised a hand. The room silenced. "Not a simple test. Not an exam. A demonstration of worth. The events you witnessed yesterday were but a prelude. Many of you have powers. Many of you have ambitions. Some have already aligned themselves with forces outside this academy. Today, we determine who is ready for what lies beyond these walls."
A chill ran down my spine.
Selene leaned closer. "Did you really think yesterday's duel was about us? That was about you, specifically."
I swallowed. "Me?"
"Don't play dumb," she said. Her crimson eyes sparkled. "Everyone knows something unusual happened yesterday. The instructors, the upperclassmen… even the factions that watch from the shadows."
My pulse quickened. "Factions?"
She gave a faint shrug. "Groups that control influence. They want to know who's dangerous, who can be manipulated, and who can't be trusted. You're one of the latter. That's why you're here."
I glanced around. The tall boy with the eyepatch and the silver-haired girl were still at the back, watching. Their expressions were unreadable, but I could feel the weight of their scrutiny.
"Today," Halvren continued, "you will participate in a controlled encounter. The details are simple: survive, adapt, and demonstrate capability under pressure. Failure is not just personal. It is recorded."
A collective shiver passed through the hall.
Renvor muttered under his breath, "I can't believe we get tested like lab rats…"
I ignored him, focusing on the words that really mattered. Survive, adapt, demonstrate capability under pressure. That wasn't an exam. That was a battlefield simulation. And the stakes… well, the stakes were far higher than any classroom could hold.
Selene's voice cut through my thoughts. "Looks like the game begins."
I clenched my fists. The weight of being seen—truly seen—settled heavily on my shoulders. I'd hidden for so long. I'd pretended weakness, laughed off danger, and avoided attention. But now, there was no hiding. Not from Selene. Not from Halvren. Not from anyone watching in the shadows.
The hall doors opened. Figures stepped in—students, instructors, and a few unfamiliar faces. Masks of anonymity didn't hide their intent. One of them moved directly toward me: the silver-haired girl.
She stopped just short of the barrier line. "You're the one," she said softly, her voice cold but melodic. "The one who controlled the duel yesterday. Everyone's been talking."
I forced a casual shrug. "Flukes happen."
She tilted her head. "Flukes don't break barriers."
Before I could respond, the tall boy with the eyepatch spoke. "You've got their attention now," he said. His voice carried a weight that made people shift nervously around him. "The factions will decide what to do next. Some will test you. Some will challenge you. Some… will try to kill you."
Renvor gasped audibly behind me. I shot him a look. "Quiet."
The girl smirked faintly. "And that's just the beginning."
Selene touched my arm, her hand surprisingly light. "Alliances are fragile. Watch every move. Trust no one completely. But survive. That's the rule here."
I nodded slowly. My chest tightened. The room seemed to grow smaller, heavier. Every eye in that hall was a weighing stone pressing down on me.
The trial began.
Figures dispersed strategically across the hall. Each movement measured. Each breath deliberate. The unfamiliar robed woman stepped forward, raising her staff. A pulse of dark energy rippled outward, signaling the start.
Chaos didn't erupt immediately. It was subtle—a subtle tightening of space, a sharpening of focus, a gradual escalation of tension that set every nerve on edge.
Then a scream—a sharp, high-pitched scream—shattered the temporary calm. Students scattered. Mana flared. Barriers ignited.
And in that moment, I realized:
The academy had changed forever.
I wasn't just a student. I was a player.
And everyone here—including Selene, Renvor, Charlotte, the eyepatch boy, and the silver-haired girl—was already watching how I moved, how I survived, how I adapted.
Because in this place, weakness wasn't tolerated. And being seen was the first step toward either survival—or destruction.
I clenched my fists tighter. My aura flared, invisible but palpable. I was no longer hiding.
And the shadows began to move.