Cael slowly walked to the sparring stadium.
Overhead lights lined the pathway, their soft white glow flickering to life automatically as the sun continued its descent.
As he walked, he checked his status.
-----
[Status]
[Na: Caelir Vayne]
[Class: Iridescent Monarch (SSS)]
[Rank: Gold 3]
Elents:
• Wind (79% Mastery)
• Water (58% Mastery)
• Earth (49% Mastery)
Unique Elents:
• Moonlight (33% --> 34% Mastery)
• Frostfla (49% Mastery)
• Black Lightning (55% Mastery)
• Space (20% Mastery)
• Ti (Locked --> 5% Mastery)
• Death (Locked)
Spirit Contract:
• Grade: Mythical
• Rank: ---
• Affinity: ---
• Type: Yet to be born
• Sigil: Leaf
Skills:
• Copy (SS)
• Cloning (SSS)
• Fusion (SS)
• Teleportation (S)
• Wrong Eye (S)
• Faceless Mask Construct (A)
• Mana Sovereignty (SS)
• Ti Deceleration (SS)
• Death Reaper’s Requiem (SS)
• Temporal Reverie (SS) [Locked]
• 150 skills
Weapon Mastery:
• Sword (63% Mastery)
Techniques:
• Gale Weave Swordsmanship
• Mana Strengthening Body Technique
• Unification Art
-----
Cael closed the panel and continued walking.
His Ti elent was unlocked, and the moonlight mastery had increased by one percent. Small progress, but progress nonetheless.
Soon enough, he arrived at the sparring stadium.
The building was large and circular, with open walls that allowed spectators to watch from all angles.
Cael searched for his teammates. The noise was constant, a mixture of cheers, argunts, and the occasional shout of encouragent.
Cael found Brania and Aria near the eastern corner of the stadium.
They stood together, their postures stiff with anxiety.
Aria kept twisting a strand of hair around her finger. Brania’s hands were clenched at her sides.
Both kept glancing toward the center of the arena, where two figures were preparing to fight.
Cael’s voice reached them.
"What is going on?"
They turned and saw Cael approaching. The relief on their faces was imdiate and visible.
Aria spoke first, her words tumbling out quickly, almost breathless.
"During the evening, while we were touring around, these people approached us. They asked for our contact information. Edwin stepped in and said no. Then they started trash-talking. Provoking him."
"Edwin ignored them at first, but they kept pushing. Eventually, he accepted their spar."
Cael raised an eyebrow. He looked past them toward the other side of the stadium.
A group of students stood in a tight cluster; their postures were confident, almost arrogant. A few of them were even sneering in the direction of the arena.
According to Aria, they were from Black Ember Academy. A fairly renowned institution, rivaling Everbright Academy in both prestige and power.
Cael studied them for a long mont.
Then he looked back at the arena.
Fortunately, it was a one-on-one battle between [Silver] rankers.
Edwin was [Silver 1]. His opponent was also [Silver 1]. The match was fair on paper.
But if the opponent underestimates Edwin, this would not take long.
The electronic countdown began on the large screen above the arena.
Three.
Two.
One.
Start.
As soon as the signal flashed, Edwin moved.
He did not charge forward. He did not announce his attack. He simply stepped into the shadow cast by his opponent’s body and disappeared.
-Shadow Step
The Black Ember student blinked. His eyes darted left, then right. He spun around, searching. He had lost sight of Edwin completely.
For a single mont, confusion flickered across his face. His confident stance loosened. His guard dropped. His eyes widened.
That was all Edwin needed.
He erged from the shadow directly behind his opponent. His dagger pressed against the other boy’s neck, cold and sharp.
The blade caught the floodlights, reflecting white light into the crowd.
"You lost."
Edwin’s words were quiet but sharp. And it contained a trace of anger.
The stadium fell silent for a heartbeat. Then murmurs spread through the crowd like ripples in water.
So students were shocked. Others were impressed.
Then, like a tsunami, the crowd erupted, cheering Edwin’s na.
A few Black Ember students looked furious, their faces reddening.
Edwin did not wait for a response. He stepped back, sheathed his dagger in one smooth motion, and walked away.
He did not gloat. He did not look back. His expression was calm, almost bored.
Edwin crossed the arena floor, climbed the steps, and t his teammates, then he said,
"Let’s go."
Without another word, Team Gray turned and left the stadium.
They ignored the stares from the Black Ember students.
Cael walked at the back of the group. His eyes lingered on the Black Ember students for a mont longer than necessary.
He morized their faces again. Their builds. Their mana signatures.
If they tried anything funny, he would not mind teaching them a small lesson.
But then he recalled his eting with Seraphina earlier. Her cold voice. Her warning.
Cael sighed.
’Forget it.’
He turned away and followed his teammates into the night.
They walked in silence toward the cafeteria for dinner, the overhead lights casting their long shadows across the pathway.
While they walked back to the guest dorm, Aria and Brania congratulated Edwin on his victory.
Aria said, her voice still carrying a hint of excitent.
"You ended it in seconds."
Brania nodded.
"He didn’t even see you move."
Edwin shrugged, his hands in his pockets.
"He underestimated . That is all."
Cael said nothing, but he watched Edwin with a quiet sense of approval.
Soon, they all had a al together in the cafeteria.
They had small talks while eating. Aria talked about the different academies she had seen during the tour.
Cael also joined in. Not because he wanted to. But because the topic shifted to sothing he could not ignore.
"So," Aria said, leaning forward with a grin,
"Moonlight? Really? When were you going to tell us?"
Brania nodded vigorously.
"You just casually materialized swords out of nowhere and destroyed everything in three seconds."
Edwin set down his fork.
"I have been training with him for months, and even I did not know."
Cael took a slow sip of water. He had expected this conversation eventually. He just did not expect it to happen over dinner.
Soon, the conversation drifted to other topics. Training schedules. Upcoming trials. The other teams that had passed Phase 1. Cael listened more than he spoke.
After the al, they arrived at the guest dorm.
The building was quieter now. Most students had retired to their rooms. The hallway lights humd softly, casting white light across the carpeted floor.
Cael was about to ask Edwin for more details about the Black Ember Academy students when a knock ca at the door.
Three sharp raps.
Edwin frowned. He walked to the door and opened it.
A Golden Scale Academy student stood in the hallway. He wore the standard uniform, a clipboard in one hand and a sealed envelope in the other.
"Here," the student said, handing Edwin the envelope.
Edwin took it. The student turned and walked away without another word.
Edwin closed the door and opened the envelope. Inside was a paper and a list.
He read it once. Then his expression darkened.
"What is it?"
Cael asked with a curious tone.
Edwin looked up at his teammates.
"The students of Black Ember Academy want to challenge us."
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