The stadium was alive.
Mana screens hovered across the air, each one displaying a different battlefield view squads sprinting through mist, mana blades clashing, crystals glinting like captured stars. Cheers erupted every few seconds as names rose and fell on the shimmering leaderboard.
And right there at the top, glowing in gold light, was one team that had everyone talking.
Group 11 – 5 crystals acquired
"Unbelievable!" the commentator's voice boomed through the speakers, brimming with excitement. "Group 11 takes another crystal that's their third raid in under ten minutes! Look at that coordination! The Valecrest prodigy really wasn't bluffing!"
The camera shifted, zooming in on a forest glade bathed in early sun. Ten figures moved like clockwork silent, fluid, precise.
Lucien Valecrest was at the center, cloak fluttering as he signaled his team with two short pulses of mana.
A blur of motion followed.
Ryn dove from a ridge, his glaive slicing through the mist as he cleared the flank.
Auren's sun aura burst outward, coating Cael's fire trail with molten gold as the two tore through an enemy squad's defense line.
Serlene and Seris stood guard beside their own crystal back at base her mana shields pulsing in rhythm with his counter-surge. Together, they repelled a sneak attack before it even began.
The audience roared.
"Beautiful reaction time! Look at that synergy! Serlene stabilizing the flow, Seris retaliating through the barrier that's textbook formation magic right there!"
Lucien didn't even need to shout commands. Every movement felt predicted orchestrated. When Yelena blinked into sight, her twin blades coated in frost . Noah was already there, using her mana distortion to slip behind the last defender and snatch the crystal in a single strike.
"Crystal secured!"
Lucien raised his hand once. The team paused, regrouped, and melted back into the forest as if they'd never been there.
Back in the stadium, the crowd was losing it.
Banners waved, students screamed, teachers nodded in grudging respect.
But in one of the high-level booths, the air was calmer.
Aria Valecrest sat with her legs crossed, a small smile tugging at her lips. Her emerald eyes so much like Lucien's gleamed as she watched her younger brother command an entire squad like a general born.
"He's so serious and in to it , I haven't seen him like this since the incident. It's like he changed overnight," she murmured.
"Serious?" Darius chuckled beside her, his arms folded as he leaned against the crystal railing. " You got that right, he was always uninterested in everything and shielded himself from the world. I'm happy he is so indulged in it and he did say he wants to come first ".
"Typical Lucien."
They both shared a quiet laugh, a moment of sibling pride that softened the usual Valecrest steel. Around them, nobles and instructors watched the feed, murmuring about strategy, power scaling, and house prestige.
Group 11 was dominating.
*****
Outside, the boy at the heart of it Lucien himself stood at the edge of a shattered grove, surveying the aftermath of another flawless strike.
"Two more teams and the top spot's sealed," Noah said, wiping his blade clean.
Lucien nodded once. "We'll regroup. Aurora's stabilizing the next point. Cael, you're with Ryn and Auren intercept anything on the west flank."
"Roger that," Cael grinned, sparks dancing at his fingertips.
Lucien's expression stayed calm, unreadable. "No risks. We've already made enough noise."
He turned away just as another mana flare shot into the sky a signal of Group 5's collapse.
The camera cut again.
"Group 11 scores another capture! They're unstoppable!" the commentator's voice rang across the arena. "The coordination, the precision this is military-level execution from a student team! The Valecrest name continues to define excellence!"
The crowd cheered louder, some chanting his name.
"Lu-ci-en! Lu-ci-en!"
But far below the stadium, past the echoing corridors and mana-lit halls…
A different kind of silence waited.
*****
Down by the exit tunnel, a boy with silver hair and eyes like a frozen storm walked quietly away from the noise. He couldn't have been older than ten. A lollipop hung lazily between his lips, gleaming faintly under the blue crystal lights.
His small hands were in his pockets, his expression unreadable.
Vaelth, he said telepathically, his voice echoing like ripples across still water.
A faint mental reply followed, crisp and nervous. Yes, Rhazar?
"Is everything in place?"
Yes. The agents are in position. The artifact has been deployed inside the exam field as you instructed.
"Good." Rhazar's tone didn't rise — but the air around him seemed to dim. "And Ian? I don't want him interfering. He's too unpredictable when provoked."
" The artifact won't only cover the exam field , we put one in the stadium. So of you say the word it would be activated."
"Good ." Rhazar's voice was soft. Childlike. Yet Vaelth felt his pulse quicken all the same. "If he moves before we're ready, remove him."
There was silence. Then Vaelth whispered, Understood.
Rhazar continued walking, weaving through the cheering crowd unnoticed, just another small figure among hundreds.
"And Nythera?" he asked.
She's already inside the academy. The minions have infiltrated the lower access gates. We're prepared for phase two.
Rhazar smiled faintly an innocent, almost playful curve of the lips.
"Perfect. And Vaelth…"
Yes?
"If anyone touches the fragment before Nythera does," he said softly, "obliterate them."
The mental link went utterly still.
Vaelth's throat went dry. He knew that tone the one Rhazar only used when he wasn't playing around.
After a pause, he managed to reply, Everything is ready, Rhazar. You can… cause as much havoc as you wish. We'll ensure no one escapes alive.
Rhazar stopped walking, the lollipop stick clicking softly between his teeth.
"Good," he whispered, eyes flicking toward the glowing arena dome in the distance where Group 11 still dominated the board.
Then, with a child's grin sweet, almost joyful he said,
"Let's have fun."
And the lights of the arena began to flicker.