Zain's POV
We're going to die.
The ice dragon's breath hits like a frozen hurricane. I throw up every defensive barrier I know—walls of ice, shields of compressed snow, anything to buy us seconds.
It's not enough.
The cold burns through my magic, cracking my barriers like glass. My teammates scatter across the frozen wasteland, desperately running toward the glowing pillars while a monster made of ancient magic hunts them.
This is why I work alone. Teams are liabilities. Weaknesses. People you have to protect while trying to survive.
But Lyra's voice cuts through the chaos: "Nyx—left pillar! Ren—the one with gear symbols! Aria—healing spiral! Zain—shield mark on the far side!"
She's reading the puzzle while running for her life. Translating a dead language under pressure that would break most A-Rank students.
Maybe teams aren't completely useless.
I sprint toward my pillar, ice forming under my feet to increase speed. The dragon sees me moving—its massive head swivels, tracking. It knows I'm the biggest threat.
Good. Chase me. Leave them alone.
"Zain, look out!" Lyra screams.
The dragon's tail whips around faster than something that size should move. I dodge, but not fast enough. The impact sends me flying twenty feet. I hit the ice hard, ribs cracking.
Pain explodes through my chest. Blood fills my mouth.
Get up. Get up or they all die.
I force myself to stand, vision blurring. The dragon is circling back for another attack. Nyx and Ren have reached their pillars, but Aria is still running. She's not fast enough. The dragon will catch her before—
Lyra changes direction.
Instead of going to her pillar, she runs toward Aria. Toward the dragon.
"What are you doing?" I roar. "Get to your position!"
"Not without everyone!" She reaches Aria, grabbing the healer's arm and half-dragging her toward the correct pillar.
The dragon roars. Its jaws open. Ice crystals form in the air—the killing blow that will freeze them both solid.
I don't think. I just move.
My ice magic explodes outward with everything I have left. Not a barrier this time—a weapon. Ice spears erupt from the ground, dozens of them, all aimed at the dragon's head.
The creature screams as the spears pierce its skull. Not enough to kill it, but enough to make it forget about Lyra and Aria.
It turns all its fury on me.
"Zain!" Lyra's voice cracks with fear. "Your pillar! You have to reach it!"
I'm too far away. The dragon is too close. My ribs are broken and my magic is almost gone.
Do the math. I won't make it.
But if I don't, the others can't complete the puzzle. They'll freeze to death in this wasteland. Lyra will never unlock her power. My parents' sacrifice will mean nothing.
Unacceptable.
I run anyway.
The dragon lunges. Its teeth close around the space where I was half a second ago. I hit the ground in a slide, ice forming beneath me like a path, carrying me toward the pillar while the monster crashes behind me.
My hand slams against the pillar's symbol.
"Now!" I shout. "Everyone touch your symbols now!"
Four other hands press against four other symbols at the exact same moment.
The frozen world explodes with light.
The dragon disintegrates. The ice melts. Warmth floods back into my bones. The Codex voice echoes across the suddenly green landscape:
"Trial Two Complete. Primary Keybearer awakening at 8%. Team synchronization: Exceptional. Current rank: D-Level 3."
Lyra collapses. I catch her before she hits the ground—now soft grass instead of deadly ice.
"I've got you," I murmur, lowering her gently.
Her eyes flutter open, dazed. "Did we win?"
"We survived. Same thing."
Aria rushes over, healing magic already glowing around her hands. "Zain, your ribs—"
"I'm fine."
"You're bleeding internally."
"Then fix it and stop talking."
She does, her magic knitting broken bones and torn tissue. It hurts worse than the breaking did, but I don't make a sound. Can't show weakness. Leaders don't get to be weak.
Nyx drops down beside us, breathing hard. "That was insane. We almost died." She grins. "I kind of loved it."
"You're broken," Ren mutters, checking his scanner. "The portal to Trial Three is forming, but we have sixty seconds to rest first. I suggest we use them to panic properly."
"No time for panic." I stand, testing my newly healed ribs. Still sore, but functional. "Next trial could be worse."
"Worse than an ice dragon?" Ren squeaks.
"The trials scale to our strength. Lyra's getting stronger with each one. So the challenges will get harder."
Lyra sits up slowly, staring at her hands. Her magical display flickers: D-Rank Level 3. "I went from F to D in two trials. At this rate, I'll be C-Rank by tomorrow."
"If we survive that long," Nyx adds cheerfully.
"We will." I don't know why I'm so certain. Maybe because watching Lyra risk herself to save Aria proved something important: she's not just unlocking power. She's unlocking courage.
The third portal opens—this one looks like swirling water.
"Ocean world," Ren announces, scanning it. "Probably underwater trials. Maybe sea monsters. Definitely drowning risk."
"Perfect." Nyx sheathes her knives. "I hate water."
Aria looks at Lyra with concern. "Can you keep going? Your body is adapting to new power levels. You need rest."
"I'll rest when my brother is safe." Lyra stands, legs shaky but determined. "When Headmaster Vorn answers for what he did. When the people who sealed my power pay for stealing my childhood."
There's steel in her voice now. Fire beneath the fear.
Good. She'll need both.
We move toward the portal together. But before we can jump, Ren's scanner explodes with alerts.
"Wait wait wait—" He stares at the screen, face draining of color. "I'm picking up a transmission. Someone hacked into the Codex signal. They're tracking our location."
"Who?" I demand.
"The Obsidian Syndicate. And they're not alone." Ren's hands shake. "Zain, there are six different criminal organizations converging on our coordinates. They're offering bounties—huge ones—for whoever captures Lyra alive."
My blood runs cold. "How much?"
"Ten million credits."
Lyra gasps. "For me? Why would—"
"Because you're Starborn," I say grimly. "Your DNA is worth more than gold. Every black-market researcher, every illegal tech dealer, every crime boss in the galaxy wants to study what makes you special."
"How long until they reach us?" Nyx asks, already pulling her knives.
Ren checks his scanner. "The portal destinations aren't random—they're following a specific path through Starborn ruins. And the criminals figured out the pattern. They're waiting at the next trial location." He looks up, terrified. "We jump through that portal, we land in a trap."
Silence.
We have two choices: stay here and eventually get found, or jump into a known ambush.
"We jump," Lyra decides. "If they want me, they'll have to catch me first."
"There could be hundreds of mercenaries," Aria warns.
"Then we fight hundreds."
I study Lyra's face—the girl who was hours from expulsion, who's been beaten down for three years, who just discovered her entire life was a lie. She should be broken.
Instead, she's burning.
"Everyone stays close," I order. "We land, we fight, we survive. No heroes. No sacrifices. We all make it through or nobody does."
Nyx grins. "Now you're talking like a proper criminal."
"I'm talking like someone who's tired of losing people."
We jump.
The water world materializes around us—endless ocean under a green sky. We surface, gasping and swimming toward a metal platform.
But we're not alone.
Ships circle overhead. Dozens of them. And standing on our platform, waiting with a smile...
Kael Vantris. Lyra's ex-best friend. The boy who betrayed her at the ceremony.
He's holding a weapon I recognize—a Starborn power dampener. Illegal technology that shuts down magic within a hundred-foot radius.
"Hello, Lyra," Kael says cheerfully. "Miss me? Because the Syndicate is paying twenty million for you now. Apparently, your power jumped three ranks in three hours. You're becoming quite valuable."
Fifty mercenaries emerge from the water around us—professionals with underwater gear and weapons designed to capture, not kill.
Kael activates the dampener.
My ice magic sputters and dies. Nyx's shadows fade. Ren's technology goes dark. Aria's healing stops glowing.
We're powerless.
Trapped on a platform surrounded by the ocean with an army closing in.
Kael smiles at Lyra. "You always were predictable. Scared little F-Rank girl trying to be brave." He gestures at me. "And you brought the academy's perfect prodigy. How sweet. Too bad his magic won't save you now."
The mercenaries move in, weapons raised.
Lyra looks at me, terrified. "Zain?"
I meet her eyes, calculating odds, running through scenarios. None of them end well.
But I don't tell her that.
"Trust me," I say quietly.
"I don't even know you."
"Then trust this: I don't lose."
Kael laughs. "Big words for someone who's about to—"
Lyra's hand suddenly erupts with starfire—pure white energy that shouldn't be possible with the dampener active.
The Codex voice echoes across the water:
"Primary Keybearer endangered. Emergency Protocol activated. Releasing fourth seal early. Current rank: C-Level 1. WARNING: Premature advancement detected. Physical damage imminent."
Lyra screams as power floods her body—too much, too fast, tearing her apart from the inside.