The board appeared overnight.
No one saw who put it there.
But by morning, it stood in the center hall—tall, black, and impossible to ignore. Names carved into its surface like they had always been there… and yet hadn't.
Kael stood in front of it, shoulders tense.
At the very bottom, under a thin etched line, was his name.
UNRANKED – KAEL
Above him were others already assigned positions. Numbers. Titles.
Some glowed faintly.
Some were scratched out.
"Feels good, doesn't it?"
Kael glanced sideways. The boy from yesterday—the one wrapped in shadows—stood nearby, hands in his pockets, watching the board like it amused him.
"Knowing exactly where you stand," he continued.
Kael didn't respond.
"You're Kael, right?" the boy said. "The one who… snapped."
"I didn't snap."
The boy smirked. "Sure you didn't."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice slightly. "Name's Riven. Remember it. You'll hear it a lot."
Kael didn't like the confidence in that.
"First evaluation's in ten minutes," Riven added. "Try not to embarrass yourself."
He walked off before Kael could respond.
"Charming, isn't he?"
The silver-eyed girl appeared beside him again.
"You know him?" Kael asked.
"I know his type," she said. "Powerful. Unstable. Enjoys it."
Kael glanced back at the board. "And you?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Then—"Top ten."
He blinked. "Already?"
She looked at him. "Try to keep up."
—
The arena felt smaller this time.
Or maybe it was just the pressure.
Students stood in a wide circle, watching as two others faced off in the center.
"Begin."
The moment the word left Instructor Veyr's lips, one of them lunged.
Fast.
Too fast.
The other barely reacted before being thrown across the floor, sliding hard enough to leave a mark.
Silence followed.
Then—
"Winner."
Just like that.
No explanation. No second chance.
Kael swallowed.
"This isn't training," he muttered.
"No," the silver-eyed girl said beside him. "It's selection."
Names began to shift on the board behind them.
The winner's name climbed.
The loser's dropped.
Some… disappeared entirely.
Kael noticed that.
And his stomach turned.
"Kael."
His name echoed through the arena.
He froze for half a second—
Then stepped forward.
Across from him stood a girl—tall, sharp-eyed, her posture steady.
She didn't look nervous.
That made one of them.
"Begin."
She moved first.
Fast, precise—no wasted motion.
Kael barely raised his arm in time to block, the impact sending a jolt through him.
She followed immediately, striking again, then again.
No hesitation.
Kael stumbled back.
Think.
His heart pounded.
Too fast. She's too fast—
Another strike—
He missed it.
Pain flared across his side as he hit the ground.
The crowd didn't react.
They just watched.
Waiting.
Judging.
"You're distracted," the girl said calmly. "That's why you'll lose."
Kael gritted his teeth, pushing himself up.
"I'm not done."
She tilted her head slightly. "Then prove it."
She rushed him again—
But this time, Kael didn't retreat.
He stepped forward.
Into the attack.
The moment her strike came, he caught her wrist—
Not perfectly.
Not cleanly.
But enough.
The same pressure from before surged inside him.
Unstable. Heavy.
He didn't fully understand it.
But he used it.
A burst of force pushed outward—
Not controlled.
Not precise.
But strong.
The girl staggered back, just enough.
Kael didn't hesitate.
He moved.
Closed the distance.
And drove her to the ground.
Silence.
Then—
"Winner."
Kael froze, breathing hard.
He hadn't expected that.
Neither had she.
As he stepped back, he caught the look in her eyes—not fear.
Recognition.
Like she'd just understood something about him.
The board shifted again.
His name rose.
Not high.
But not at the bottom anymore.
And somehow—
That felt like everything.