The announcement falls on an ordinary morning.
Too ordinary.
The kind of morning where students still linger in the corridors, where conversations revolve around classes, training, and meaningless little things. Nothing suggests that something important is about to be said. Nothing warns us that, once again, the Academy is about to decide in our place.
The bell rings. We are summoned to the main hall. All of us.
When I arrive, I understand immediately that this is not a simple reminder. The professors are here. All of the main instructors. The deputy headmistress as well, standing straight and immaculate, her face as smooth as the marble columns surrounding her.
The students murmur. "What's happening?" "Another announcement?" "Isn't it too early for an event?"
I join Brask and Serah. Kaïros stands a little farther away, leaning against a pillar, already observing the scene as if searching for what has not yet been spoken. Oryn arrives last. He looks at no one. His steps are calm, but his gaze is sealed shut.
The deputy headmistress raises her hand. Silence falls.
"Students of the Pyrrhès Academy," she begins, "today marks an important step in your formation… and in the relations between kingdoms."
I feel the tension rising.
"This year, for the first time since the end of the Second Great Elemental War, an Elemental Academies Tournament will be organized."
A wave of breath runs through the hall. "A tournament?" "Against the other kingdoms?" "Seriously? Now?"
"The five great kingdoms will participate: Fire, Earth, Water, Air, and Lightning," she continues.
The murmurs explode. "A tournament…?" "With the other realms…?" "Right after Sarn…?"
"This tournament is meant," she says, her voice never wavering, "to be a friendly encounter, designed to demonstrate cooperation, mutual respect, and the excellence of our younger generations."
I clench my jaw. Friendly. Always that word.
"Each Academy will send three representatives."
The number echoes heavily. Three. No more. No less.
"These representatives will carry the image of their kingdom and their Academy, and will prove that competition can exist without war."
I feel Brask tense beside me.
"The representatives of Pyrrhès Academy have been chosen."
Total silence.
"Aydan Arin."
A shock. Every gaze turns toward me instantly. Some are surprised. Others irritated. A few are openly hostile.
"Brask Helor."
Brask barely reacts. He inhales slowly.
"Oryn of Braiselune."
This time, the murmurs grow darker. Oryn does not react—not a single muscle. For a second, no one speaks. Then, voices rise.
"Seriously?" "Them again?" "Is this a joke?" "They were on the island, that's why!" "Favoritism!"
I feel eyes burning into the back of my neck. "Why them?" "There were other students!" "What about the other classes?"
A student from 1C almost shouts, "That's not fair!"
The deputy headmistress lets the noise die down on its own. "The choice was made according to strict criteria: performance, potential, and endurance under extreme conditions."
I clench my fists. Extreme conditions. Always that phrase.
"This choice is final."
Clear. Cold. Unquestionable.
I turn my head toward Serah. She is frozen. Her face is calm, but her eyes… I see the disappointment. Not jealousy. Not anger. Something more painful. She stays; we leave.
"Congratulations," she says, catching up with us in the courtyard. Her voice is steady. Too steady.
"Serah…" Brask starts.
"No, it's true. You deserve it." She forces a smile. "But it pisses me off. They take you because you survived a hell they created… and they call it a reward."
I have nothing to answer.
"And I stay behind," she adds. "With Kaïros."
I glance over. Kaïros is there, a few meters away, silent. He watches us. When our eyes meet, he inclines his head.
"I will keep an eye on her," he says calmly.
Serah looks at him, surprised. "I can defend myself."
"I know," he answers. "But the Academy is watching, too."
A chill runs through me. "It feels like they want to display us," I murmur.
"To who?" Brask asks.
I think of the other kingdoms. The delegations. The forced smiles. "To the world."
Silence settles between us.
"Be careful," Serah says at last. "All three of you. Especially you."
I nod. "You too."
She looks away. "We'll see each other before you leave."
It isn't a promise. It's a need.
Later that night, I train alone. The Carmine Fire rises calmly around my hand. Stable. Precise. I think about the tournament. About the other kingdoms. About Earth. About political smiles. About "non-lethal" fights. About the showcase.
And I finally understand. This tournament isn't meant to unite. It's meant to measure. To compare. To prepare something greater.
And us… we are the chosen pieces.
I close my fist. The fire dies. The Academies Tournament begins soon. And behind the smiles… war is watching.