A tide of students surged towards the Academy's main gate, not to exit into the city, but to converge on the humming, monolithic structure of the portal gate. This was not a bridge to another world, but a marvel of magical engineering that folded geography, connecting the Academy's grounds to a far-flung and hostile region of the same planet. As Team Adam stepped through the shimmering energy field, the world lurched. It was a sickening, momentary sensation of being stretched thin, the familiar campus greens and grey stone replaced in a dizzying instant by a vast, oppressive expanse of red rock and dust-choked air.
They had arrived in the Cinder Wastes. The portal zone was a stabilized circle of flat stone amidst a sea of orange, brittle grasses that clung to life in the cracked, nutrient-poor soil. The heat was a physical weight, and the air tasted of alkali and sun-baked stone. In the distance, the jagged lips of the massive canyon cut a serrated line against the bleached sky. On a raised, shaded platform a short distance away, the assessment committee observed their arrival.
Once they moved beyond the arrival zone, Raven called a halt. "Form up. Arrowhead formation. Lira, you're the point."
Lira grinned, the crystals on her gauntlets glinting in the harsh light. "Just get me close."
"Adam, Kael, you're the wings," Raven continued. "Flank anything that engages Lira. Wren and I hold the rear. Clear?"
A round of nods confirmed the plan. As they began their trek into the winding canyon paths, the silence was broken by their own murmured thoughts.
"It's hard to believe a place like this exists on the same planet," Adam mused, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword. He focused, trying to sense the ambient energy. "The mana here... it feels different. Thin, but sharp. Agitated."
Kael didn't turn, his eyes continuously scanning the high canyon walls for movement. "It's due to the mana saturation," he stated, his voice flat. "In the cities, mana collectors actively thin the ambient energy. It's a control measure. It stops beasts from spontaneously spawning in populated areas."
He gestured with a slight tilt of his head to the desolate landscape around them. "Places like this... they're left wild. The mana pools here, saturates the environment. It breeds stronger, more aggressive creatures than you'd find in the hinterlands. This isn't a crafted training ground. It's a contained wild zone. The Academy doesn't create the danger here; they merely point us at it." A grim, almost cruel smile touched his lips. "They aren't trying to coddle scholars. They're trying to forge adventurers, not half-baked brats who'll get themselves killed the first time they step outside city walls."
His words, harsh and uncompromising, settled over the group. The truth was sobering. This wasn't a simulation. The danger was real, a fundamental part of the world they lived in.
Wren kicked at a brittle orange grass tuft. "Contained? Feels pretty unchecked to me. And hot. I'm already sweating through my shirt."
"You were supposed to pack your own water, you idiot," Lira shot back, though her attention was on the path ahead, her body coiled and ready.
They walked on, the conversation dying down as the environment's oppressive nature and Kael's stark explanation demanded their focus. The team was all they had out here.
It was Kael who saw it first, his hand rising in a silent fist. The team froze. He pointed towards a deep shadow pooled at the base of a massive boulder. A shape detached itself from the darkness: a Shadowstalker. It was sleek and silent, its fur a void-like black that seemed to absorb the light, and its eyes glowed with a sinister green radiance.
Gear was shed in a practiced, quiet rush. The slide of Adam's sword from its scabbard, the soft snick of Kael's twin daggers, and the solid clack of Lira's gauntlets locking into place were the only answers to the creature's silent threat.
"Remember its tactics," Raven murmured, hefting his spear. "It's a predator of perception. Watch the shadows, not the beast."
Lira initiated contact, pounding her fists together with a metallic clang and roaring a challenge. The Shadowstalker didn't vocalize; it simply flowed back into the shadows and vanished.
"Lira, back to formation!" Kael's command was a whip-crack.
They tightened their circle. The tension was palpable. Then, a blur of motion from above—the beast had scaled the rock face silently and launched itself at Lira from a ledge.
Adam was already moving. "Above!" he yelled, lunging forward. His sword swept down in a fiery arc, scoring a deep, bleeding gash along the creature's flank. It screeched in pain, landing awkwardly before dissolving into another crevice.
"It's testing our defense," Wren muttered, his head constantly turning.
The next attack was a blur from behind. The Shadowstalker rematerialized directly behind Raven, its maw gaping wide for his arm. Raven was already spinning, his spear shaft snapping up to jam crosswise into the beast's jaws.
"Wren, now!" Raven grunted, muscles straining.
A pulse of orange light flared around Wren. "Hasten!" He became a darting specter, slashing his blades across the beast's hindquarters.
The strategy worked. The beast, confused and pained, released Raven's spear and staggered back. It was the perfect opening.
Lira's gauntlets now blazed with a fierce red light. She took two ground-eating strides and delivered a single, devastating punch. The sound was a wet, crushing finality. Her fist punched clean through the Shadowstalker's chest. The creature spasmed and went limp.
She withdrew her arm, clutching a faintly pulsating purple crystal—the beast's core.
Wren was beside her instantly. "Hide is mostly intact. Good for light armor crafting." He set to work with efficient strokes, harvesting what was useful.
As they shouldered their slightly heavier packs, Raven checked the map. "A good start. Stay vigilant."
They moved deeper into the canyon. As they rounded a sharp bend, a new challenge awaited: a pack of five Ironstrider Ostriches, their metallic feathers gleaming dully, their powerful legs capable of shattering bone.
"New formation," Raven commanded quietly. "Adam, with me. We form a shield wall. Kael, flank and harry. Lira, you are the hammer. Wait for my mark."
The team shifted without a word, their movements a silent testament to their growing cohesion, the reality of the wild zone now fully accepted.