The ship lowered without a sound.
A ramp extended, polished to a mirror sheen.
From inside, a boy and a girl exited. Both dressed in ceremonial uniforms stitched with planetary runes. Expressions unreadable. Regal.
To say luxurious...was an understatement.
Prince Samuel Elyndor, every line of his stance tight with restraint. His short, golden hair resting, even as the wind clattered as his crimson eyes scanned.
And Princess Saphira Elyndor, her gaze identical to her brothers, scanned the stadium and her surroundings like a chessboard.
Both golden icons shone loudly, contrasting with the cold colours of Eldris.
Their arrival was grand.
Under the hushed whispers, cameras and calls, neither of them reacted.
Samuel stood unmoving, his crimson eyes staring. Saphira shifted slightly, expressionless.
All the attention turned to them.
"Wonder if the king will show up now." a man muttered in the background.
Flash flash flash
Cameras flashed and clicked.
Amid their noise.
A shimmer passed over the sky.
The barrier that encased the academy flared once, sealing shut.
"That's the signal."
A loud chime echoed.
Ding.
One of the floating screens flickered high above.
It cast a sharp glow across the academy below. Ayling's voice rang out, bright and practised:
It seemed he'd appeared in-front of camera this time too.
He floated beside a drone, a device on feet propelling him upwards.
He was a middle aged man; curled moustache, wearing a flat cap and a classic jumpsuit. His outfit was....eccentric.
"Ladies and gentlemen across the sectors, and viewers watching from across world. Today begins the Eldris Showcase!"
"A celebration of might, of growth, and the next generation. Whether you're here for the show, the scores or stakes.... we welcome you!"
A soft pause followed.
Clearing his throat, his voice deepened. Shifting tone ever so slightly, enough to generate a slight silence over the arena and those watching via broadcast.
"Now then...over the next few days, we'll have a-lot of activities to show you!"
"Today we have a special one for you folks! It's the infamous...Gauntlet!"
He pointed inside the arena.
"A trial of adaptability, instinct and control. One that will test not just raw strength, but ability to survive the unknown."
The crowd stirred. Cheers. Surprise. Intrigue.
"Three minutes. One exit. No hints." he smiled.
"The terrain is alive, shifting for each challenger. The only constant-!"
A low hum echoed.
"-is that it will try to crush you!"
The screen flickered.
A new feed came online - the camera panning sharply across a vast waiting chamber.
Cold walls. Rows of benches.
Harsh lighting.
300 first-years.
Some standing, arms crossed, eyes closed.
Others sat, fists clenched, bouncing knees.
There was no talking between them all.
A quiet tension.
A girl sat with her hands glowing faintly, regulating her breaths with short, silent bursts of mana.
One boy paced slowly, muttering something under his breath. A prayer?
In this large space, in the far corner was a closed off section.
Marked 'Elite Class Entry', a group sat separately.
Unbothered. Waiting.
"All first-years have been summoned. And the order... is completely random!"
The screen glitched once.
Then:
[ENTRY 001: DONMAR ESQUE]
A sharp chime echoed.
Donmar stood up slow.
Rolling his shoulders, he cracked his fingers.
Crack crack
The others turned, slightly.
Some with pity. Others with curiosity.
It seemed most didn't wanna be first.
He stepped forward from his seat.
Broad shouldered. Burn marks on both arms. His cloak flaring behind him.
He seemed cool.
His eyes betrayed his nerves.
"First up - from Class B, known for Ki. Donmar Esque!"
A name.
A gate creaked open.
He stepped out, into a colisseum of thousands. Cameras everywhere. Lights all around.
His eyes blinked rapidly, but he didn't slow.
Tap ta- tap
The crowd gave him a respectful ripple of applause.
"Class B? Not bad. Let's see what he can do." someone commented.
As he reached onto the platform, the terrain in the arena began to shift.
His hands were already sweating as he had forced a calm.
Slabs twisted. Heat bled from one side of the arena. Gravity readings flickered red.
But then a countdown -
3...
2...
1...
WOOSH!
He launched forward.
The gravity snapped, nearly yanking him into a wall.
He spun midair, flames blasting from his palms.
The crowd gasped. Then cheered as he landed hard on a rotating platform.
It was sequence of madness.
He didn't have any time to breathe, as a crystal covered beast lunged from the mist.
He didn't hesitate. Flame bursting from both arms...his fists crashed through its chest.
FWASH!
The platform cracked at his feet.
He ran.
Time left: 00:55
Another shift. Slippery terrain. A collapsing floor.
Donmar grit his teeth...diving towards the finish line.
"Time: 2 minutes 10 seconds!" Ayling called. "Not bad, Donmar. Not bad at all."
A rumble of applause followed as he caught his breath.
'...I made it' , he thought, smiling as he panted.
------
Time soared as multiple first-years partook the Gauntlet.
It's always changing terrain, stifling some of them.
Caygley Velmire - a Mage from C-Class entered next. Slender and fast, she charted across wind tunnels, barely touching the ground as he hovered. Her foot tapped the last pillar just as it collapsed behind her.
Time: 2:32.
Ruvo Skett - muscular, Ki-heavy. He charged straight through two conjured lower-tier beasts. His strategy? Smash first, survive after.
Time: 2:46
Mareen Almir - quiet lean, Class D mage. She used short range teleportation. Clean, sharp movements. Skipping across danger with light ease.
Time: 2:01
A few murmurs rose for her.
Ayling chuckled over the feed.
"Seems like the other first-years have some bite...."
But the tension spiked again when the next name was called.
"Let's see what this next student has in store for us...."
"Lyria Skorne! Elite Class!"
Silence.
She appeared at the gate.
Strolling as the stares increase.
No words. No flair.
A quiet presence.
The terrain changed immediately, it seemed to adjust to her tier.
A jagged battlefield. Narrow, hardly any space to manoeuvre. Heat distortions in certain spots. Shadow beasts twice the size of Donmar.
It appeared daunting.
Tap tap
She walked through it.
When the beasts charged at her...
SHAAA!
Her contract beast. Tall, sleek, violet-eyed, materialised behind her. It sliced through the first wave in a blink.
Drip drip
She hadn't flinched.
"She's a monster..."
It was too easy.
By the time she reached the finish line, across multiple sections.
She left a wake of death.
"Time: 52 seconds."
The crowd just stared.
Then a tidal wave.
Elite after Elite.
Enyx Virell - red hair glowing, tattoos burning. Magical flames coated on his arms, he hurled them towards generated robot creations. Rocket blasting himself through mid-air obstacles. He made it look reckless. But it wasn't
Time: 1:14
Torin Vale - Heavyset, calm - anchored himself through the changes. Stone terrain rose. He bulldozed his way through, showing clarity unfitting of his large frame. Gathering from his Ki centre, cracking the core of the walls.
CRASHHH!
Time: 1:37
Veyna Aris - composed, fluid, completely unreadable. She didn't dash. She didn't brute force.
She danced.
Time: 1:05
A trail of smooth Ki pulses following her steps, flickering faintly beneath her feet. She didn't touch the terrain, gliding. Weaving around conjured attacks with surgical calm.
"Time: 1:05. Veyna Aris - smooth as silk", Ayling muttered. "Was she even trying?"
A few exchanged glances.
Next up...Elite Class - Aelana Cael".
The crowd stirred further. Cheers rising.
Camera lenses whirred.
Elite after Elite, this was the power period.
She walked with poise, her charcoal cloak fluttering behind her. Her snow white hair caught the sun just right; glinting, as she flexed her fingers.
crackle
Small sparks licked the air.
"The flame herself", Ayling said. "Let's see what she burns."
The gauntlet read her entry.
Jagged walls rose high, crisscrossed with narrow bridges and floating platforms. The centre a shifting field of pressure plates. All different levels of danger.
The countdown began.
3...2..1 -
She strutted instantly.
Each step timed to perfection. A pressure plate snapped upward? She'd already flipped over it.
A fire-blast beneath her boots launched her to a spinning platform; she somersaulted midair, landing gracefully.
Bowing to the stunned crowd.
They stirred. Shocked. Expressions giddy.
Then came the summoned construct - a two headed serpent made of molten iron and mana.
It lunged, hissing violently as it snapped across.
She didn't dodge.
Spinning inward, hand aflame, she painted a wide arc of fire through the air. The blast scattering the construct into flaming shards...
"That's not just control", Ayling murmured on the broadcast. "That's style folks."
She dropped to one knee, sliding beneath a boulder trap. Rolled. Launching herself in a firey leap.
The exit was there.
1:23 seconds.
"That my friends..." he paused for dramatic echo.
"Was art. Aelana Cael - 1 minute, 23 seconds."
The crowd erupted. Applause. Whistles. Someone screamed her name.
She didn't bow again.
Just turning, vanishing into the gate's shadows.
"Show-off..." Fayl whispered from the waiting room.
"Aelana!"
"Aelana you're the best!"
The crowd cheered.
The mood was positive
The first day carried moments of joy.
It was almost lighthearted.
The true tests were yet to be seen.
This was a...sample.
But still the future was looking bright...
"Next...Kalen Voss."
The reaction to his name, was different from the others.