"Alright everyone, get into your pods," Mr. Gustav, the teacher, said loudly.
He pressed a button on his robotic glove, and with a mechanical hiss, thousands of pods slid open in perfect synchronization, the sound echoing through the auditorium like a wave of steel.
The students hurried to the pods, looking nervous but ready to start.
Rebecca began scanning the sea of students, eyes darting from pod to pod, hoping to catch a glimpse of Kai.
He was nowhere in sight.
She frowned. Where is he? she thought, checking the clock. The exam was about to begin.
Then she saw him calm as ever walking toward the last row, hands in his pockets. Their eyes met for a second.
He gave her a small nod.
She didn't nod back, but he thought he saw her almost smile.
He walked through the waves of students, steady and unbothered, until he was standing right in front of her.
"Hi"
"Hi"
For a moment, neither of them said anything. The noise of students climbing into pods filled the space around them, but between the two, there was only silence.
"You seem… different," she finally
"In a good way or bad way?"
She observed his features once more, and it was obvious he stood out even more now. His skin had a faint glow, and there was a sparkle of confidence in his eyes. It had always been there, but now it was a hundredfold.
"Telling you the truth would only inflate your already immeasurable ego," she replied dryly.
Kai chuckled. "Good way it is, then."
"Hmph."
She opened her arms, clearly expecting a hug. Kai sighed and gave in, wrapping his arms around her with reluctance
"She's one persistent girl," he thought.
Ever since they struck their deal, Rebecca had insisted on at least one public display of affection a day to sell the illusion. Kai had resisted at first but eventually gave in.
The last time, he kissed her on the cheek hoping to fluster her enough to abandon the idea entirely but clearly, that plan had failed.
Hugging now was a smart idea, though.
Anyone watching them would see exactly what they were meant to: a devoted girlfriend clinging to her boyfriend before a fight that might lead to his expulsion. Any girl in her position would do the same
That's what made it perfect
"You know," she murmured against his neck, "you don't have to act like it's the end of the world every time you touch me."
Kai stiffened slightly but didn't pull away.
"…Forgive me," he said after a pause. "It's my first time faking a relationship."
Rebecca gave a small laugh " That's not an excuse, Blackwell."
"It's my first time too"
She finally pulled back, her eyes lingered on his for a few seconds
"Good luck today, you're gonna need it"
"Thanks," Kai said simply.
Together, they turned and walked toward their respective pods. But as Kai walked, Rebecca's words replayed in his mind.
First time doing what, Rebecca? he thought. Faking a relationship… or actually being in one?
Kai stood before the pod, and for a moment, the world felt utterly still. His reflection stared back at him in the smooth obsidian glass of the capsule's surface
He exhaled once, slow and steady, then stepped inside.
The walls of the pod lit up in with electric blue, it took some time to scan his vitals, his curse energy signature and neural readings
[Participant Kai Blackwell confirmed. Sync rate: 97.2%. Neural stability: stable. Initiating mental calibration for arena projection]
The pod hummed with power, walls glowing brighter as the system engaged.
5...
4...
3...
2...
"Here we go," Kai muttered under his breath.
1.
The world turned to white.
--------
His boots landed on damp earth.
He stood on top of a small hill, looking out over a battlefield that felt like something from a story. The land stretched far in every direction, with a shiny river with a stone bridg running right through the middle. On both sides of the river were small towns with old, worn buildings.
Behind him stood a huge stone castle, tall and solid. That was his team's base.
To his right was a thick forest. The trees were tall and close together, their leaves blocking most of the sunlight so that only thin beams of light touched the mossy ground
A screen appeared in front of Kai, showing glowing text:
[Leader : Alexandria Morningstar | location: castle]
[Vanguard: 1000]
[Rebellion: 1000]
[Goal: Defeat the enemy leader or take out as many opponents as you can before the time elapses]]
Everything felt so real that Kai almost forgot it was just a simulation. The wind on his face, the weight of the armor on his shoulders, even the smell of dust in the air. it all felt exactly like the real world.
Then a thought crept in. If it can feel this real… how real will the pain be? Would getting cut just sting a little, or would it burn and ache like an actual wound?
The question made his chest feel tight, but it also made him strangely curious.
Kai glanced down at the black armor covering him. From the look of it, it wasn't high-grade. It was just enough to stop the weakest of blows. A quick scan of the field showed the same armor on every member of Rebellion. He figured Vanguard's gear was no different; the school wouldn't give one side an advantage.
However, the students were equipped with the weapons that they normally used in the real world
But he knew this wasn't the time to stand still. Right away, he started running to the castle to find Alexandria, the queen of rebellion.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the river, Vanguard was getting ready fast. They lined up in formation, gripping their weapons tightly. Every member wore white armor, standing strong and waiting for their leader's words.
Isaiah marched through the rows of a thousand students, all ready to fight.
"Okay, listen up," he began, "I'm not gonna stand here and feed you some cheesy line about honor or sacrifice. You all know why you're here. You've trained hard, bled hard, and it's time to lay it all on the line and give it everything you have. "
"On the other side of that river are people willing to do the exact same thing. Why? Because they want what you want — they want glory."
He paused, then smirked.
"And honestly… who doesn't?"
"Let's go show them who wants it more."
A thunderous cheer erupted.
Without hesitation, the entire force surged out of the castle like a crashing tide. Boots pounded against stone and soil. Blades gleamed in the light. The ground trembled under the sheer force of their collective momentum.
Their intention was clear
Overwhelm them.
Across the field, at the gates of Rebellion's dark castle, figures stood motionless.
Their silhouettes were ominous in their matte-black armor, and not one of them moved.
Fex cracked his knuckles as he watched the white horde advance.
"A full-frontal charge, huh?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"That red-haired hottie was right after all."
"Pretty sure she'd set you on fire if you called her that to her face," Aurora said, watching the enemy forces approach.
"Haha, maybe," Fex chuckled.
"You remember the plan, right?" he asked.
"Of course I do."
The day before, they had agreed that Fex would lead the charge with 600 students, while Aurora stayed back to defend the castle with the remaining 400.
"Good. Just checking," Fex said.
"I'm going to have some fun now."
Right after he spoke, a strong gust of wind blew past. His eyes lit up with a glowing blue light.
He had activated his Gift : Airborn
Fex took a deep breath as the wind curled around his feet.
With a sharp gust, he launched off the ground and soared high into the sky like a cannonball shot upwards. wind was swirling in every direction as students on both sides looked up.
Then, he stretched out his hand.
The air around his fingertips began to twist and tighten. It spun faster and faster, the pressure rising with every passing second. The sky seemed to bend around him. In moments, a sphere of compressed air about the size of a van and hovered at his command.
Then... BOOM.
He fired.
The massive ball of air tore through the sky, roaring toward the approaching white-clad army like an invisible missile. The shockwave alone sent students stumbling as it ripped across the battlefield.
Incoming!"
One of the Vanguard members shouted, eyes wide as the massive air bullet tore through the sky like a meteor.
Without wasting a second, a squad of students stepped forward all wielders of earth-based gifts. They slammed their hands into the ground, and in perfect sync, stone walls erupted one after another.
Boom!
The air bullet crashed into the first wall, shattering it instantly.
Boom!
The second wall fell.
Boom!
The third one cracked and crumbled.
By the fourth, it stopped as it was wedged deep into the stone.
A wave of cheers spread through Vanguard's ranks.
They thought they had stopped it.
Floating in the sky, Fex smirked.
"Do they really think it'll stay compressed forever?" he said, wind swirling around him.
Suddenly — the air bullet twitched.
Then it pulsed.
And then — it exploded.
The compressed air burst outward in a violent spherical shockwave. Dust flew, the ground shook, and dozens of students on the frontlines were thrown off their feet like ragdolls. Their walls crumbled to pebbles.
Above the battlefield, glowing numbers formed in the sky
1000.
A moment later, the number reduced
975.
Fex smiled.
He stepped forward, not on ground but into the open sky. Each stride formed footholds of compressed air beneath his feet, invisible platforms sculpted by his will.
He looked down at the chaos beneath him.
"That's twenty-five down. Who's next?"
------
Six hundred members of Rebellion charged toward Vanguard, hoping to strike while they were reeling.
Vanguard's front line had already taken heavy losses. Many were dead, and the survivors were badly wounded. Above them, Fex kept firing air bullets, making it impossible for Vanguard to regroup.
But as soon as one Rebellion fighter stepped on the bridge, he dropped dead. The rest froze in place.
"What the hell?" A boy in black armor shouted, staring at his comrade's body. An arrow was sticking out of the man's neck.
"Oh shi—"
Splurt!
An arrow shot straight through his throat, cutting him off mid-word.
Several meters away, on the walls of Vanguard's castle, stood Rebecca in gleaming white armor. Beside her were other students ready for long-range combat.
"Make sure none of you miss," she commanded
In an instant, the air filled with death. Arrows, glowing energy blasts, and crackling beams rained down toward the charging army.
The first wave of projectiles hit like a storm.
Rebecca sprinted along the wall. Her white armor caught the sunlight in flashes as she ducked behind cover and fired an arrow, and darted to the next gap.
One shot dropped a swordsman mid-charge.
The next punched through a shield, pinning a spearman to the dirt.
Then another—an arrow that split in midair into three, each finding a target.
In just a few seconds, Rebecca had already fired forty arrows, and every single one found its mark
Arrows and other projectiles from Rebecca and the long-range fighters slammed into the ground with sharp thunks, some piercing straight through armor and dropping enemies where they stood. Energy blasts gouged craters into the damp earth, spraying mud and shrapnel in every direction. A crimson beam skimmed across a girl's arm, melting through her metal plate before he even realized she'd been hit.
Rebellion's push crumbled beneath Rebecca's deadly aim and Vanguard's flawless defense. Their first assault had failed, but the line remained unbroken.
Her gaze shifted upwards to see Fex already shaping another massive bullet of compressed wind. It swirled and roared in his hands before he launched it straight toward Vanguard's defenses.
Rebecca's chest tightened. At that speed, it would tear through the wall and take half the defenders with it.
Without a second thought, she pulled an arrow from her quiver. Her fingers began to glow as she drew the string back, power flooding her arms and wrapping the shaft in a thin layer of light.
She let go.
The arrow tore through the sky like a lightning strike.
BOOM!
The two projectiles met midair. For an instant, a blinding explosion ripped across the sky, visible from every corner of the fight.
Beside her, soldiers stood frozen, their eyes wide.
They looked at the silver-haired beauty in gleaming armor as if a war goddess had stepped down from the heavens to fight at their side.
The speed she fired was almost impossible to believe. It made no sense... until you know what her gift is.
Rebecca used Chronosis, one of the rarest and most feared gifts in the world
Chronosis can work in many ways, but Rebecca used it like this: she deleted time.
If an arrow normally takes a moment to travel from point A to point B, she cuts out most of that time. The arrow still leaves A and lands at B, but the middle of its flight is erased. To everyone watching, the arrow simply appears to move really, really fast
The scale of her gift was almost impossible to imagine, let alone manifest in reality. But every use drained a staggering amount of Essence—something only someone of her lineage could afford. And Rebecca, born of one of the Five Great Families, had more than enough to burn.
She demonstrated again. A Rebellion warrior on the far bank was mid-swing, shouting orders.
One instant, the arrow was between her fingers.
The next, it was buried in his chest.
Rebecca had given Vanguard hope. The students fought harder, pushing Rebellion back. But things were about to get much worse for Rebellion.
A huge crack of lightning split the air. Before anyone could blink, a figure blasted down from above like a human thunderbolt. He slammed into the middle of the fiercest fighting.
The ground cracked under his feet, sending dirt and rocks flying. Bright lightning snapped and danced all over his body. As the dust cleared, everyone saw his face.
He stared coldly at a Rebellion student who had just broken his leg in the crash landing. The air buzzed with raw power.
"Where's Malakai Blackwell?" His voice was hard and clear, cutting through the sudden quiet.
The injured student looked up. His eyes went wide with pure fear. His face went white. He recognized who this was...
Damian Knight had entered the fight.