The great hall had emptied, replaced by a tense, waiting silence. Hundreds of students now stood in formation beneath the open sky of the academy's combat arena. The walls loomed around them, stone giants casting long shadows, as if even they watched in judgment.
Kieran stood among the crowd, silent but alert, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar faces, the air crackling with nerves and anticipation.
Then, the Headmaster stepped forward. His long cloak stirred in the breeze, and the silver clasp at his throat shimmered like firelight. With every step he took, the students quieted.
When he spoke, his voice was iron — sharp, measured, unyielding.
"This is Aether Academy's first test — and its most important.
Over one thousand of you registered.
But only five hundred will be selected to remain."
Gasps rippled across the field.
Now, the crowd wasn't just silent — it was stunned. Kieran felt a chill pass through him, not from the wind, but from the weight of that number. Half of them... would be gone by the end of today.
"Strength without control is chaos. Talent without courage is hollow. Today, the academy decides who is ready — and who is not."
Then, the sound of gears grinding.
Behind the Headmaster, massive stone gates began to open, groaning as they revealed a dark, twisted landscape beyond. Vines crawled across broken ruins. Trees spiraled skyward from fractured stone. Mist curled like smoke between shattered bridges and jagged ledges.
"This is the Labyrinth Field. Your goal is simple: reach the central tower.
You will not be stopped. But the field is alive. It watches, adapts, deceives.
And the clock has already begun."
The ground beneath them vibrated — just slightly, just enough to make the hair on Kieran's arms rise.
"Survive. Reach the tower. Or fall."
Without another word, the Headmaster turned and vanished through an archway.
A loud horn split the silence.
The gates stood wide, the field beckoning.
And then — motion.
Students surged forward like a tide. Some ran in groups, others bolted alone. The competition had begun.
Kieran took a breath and stepped forward.
Not too fast. Not too slow.
His mind raced, analyzing terrain, movement, patterns. He didn't have powers like the others — at least none he understood. But he had trained. And he had instinct.
The Labyrinth Field yawned open before him like the maw of a sleeping beast — waiting to see who would wake it.