Hundreds of first-year cadets sat in rows beneath the glowing atrium. Instructors lined the walls. Even upper-year students—usually too proud to watch—were here.
The reason? The announcement today mattered.
A soft shimmer lit the stage as Instructor Kaedin stepped forward.
"Three days ago, you completed your first official academy evaluation: Physical Performance, Written Assessment, and Live Combat. The results have been reviewed and finalized."
Above him, a massive display flickered to life.
Rising Ascenders Tournament – Asia Region (First-Year Division)
Location: Seoul, South Korea
"This annual tournament is hosted by the World Ascender Authority to spotlight the most promising first-year cadets from WAA academies across the continent.
Representing the Manila Ascenders Academy, ten cadets have been selected to compete against peers from other institutions in Asia.
The Asia Region includes ten WAA-sanctioned academies — and each is sending their finest. Selection is based solely on Sparring Evaluation results and demonstrated potential during the early cadet trials
The crowd held its breath as names appeared, one by one:
RISING ASCENDERS – QUALIFIED FIRST YEARS
1. Charlotte Gravielle –
Desyre Core: Heartglow- Temporarily borrows abilities from those emotionally connected with.
2. Elise Fontaine –
Desyre Core: Arc Thread- Controls razor-thin glowing threads in midair.
3. Kael Navarro –
Desyre Core: Weapon Mastery- Instinctive, adaptive control of any weapon.
4. Vin Serantes –
Desyre Core: Beastcall- Borrows animal traits to amplify combat performance.
5.Tairen Voss –
Desyre Core: Echoform- Creates temporary echo-clones of himself that fight independently
6. Julienne Arc –
Desyre Core: NeuroLink- Syncs with machines and controls them like limbs.
7. Cyrhelle Elsinora –
Desyre Core: PaintScape- Brings her spell-art to life through emotional sketches.
8. Min-ji Lee –
Desyre Core: Reflect Mind- Copies powers she's observed, but only partially.
9. Enzo Rhavoz –
Desyre Core: Mind Lock- Shuts off emotions to calculate and lead flawlessly.
10. Levi Giarden –
Desyre Core: Gravity Pulse- Generates gravity zones for control and pressure
Levi blinked. "Wait—me?!"
David leaned in, checking his panel. His name glowed at #11.
"Close," he muttered. "Too close."
Charlotte noticed, but didn't speak. Cyrhelle gave David a small, sympathetic smile. Kael said nothing—his focus already drifting.
Then came the stir.
Tairen Voss walked to the stage. Calm. Silent. He exchanged a quiet word with Instructor Kaedin. Whatever passed between them, the air in the dome shifted.
Kaedin turned to the mic again.
"Tairen Voss has chosen to withdraw from the Rising Ascenders roster."
The murmur became a buzz.
"His spot will go to the next ranked cadet… David Ruiz."
David sat upright, stunned. "Wait—what?!"
Kael turned toward him. "You're in."
Levi blinked, then grinned. "Guess we're both going to Korea."
David looked toward the front—Tairen was already gone.
Charlotte folded her arms. "That's strange. He wouldn't give that spot up without a reason."
Kael didn't reply. But he was thinking the same thing.
--------
Location: Strategic Room 012 – North Wing, Manila Ascenders Academy
Time: Two hours after the public announcement
Ten cadets. Ten chairs. One room.
It wasn't a celebration. It felt more like the first draft of a battlefield roster.
Charlotte Gravielle arrived first, calm and upright. Her gaze swept the room like a soldier mapping terrain.
Elise Fontaine followed, her braid flicking like punctuation to each poised step. She didn't sit right away—just circled once, taking in the room.
"Functional," she muttered, then shrugged. "Could be worse."
Next came Julienne Arc, carrying a stylus and panel under one arm. "If this room had more wires, I'd actually feel at home."
Enzo Rhavoz entered like a whisper—no words, no motion wasted. He took a corner seat, opened a file, and scanned data in silence.
Then the double doors banged open.
Vin Serantes strolled in like he owned the room—broad-shouldered, warm grin, muscle-band tank top stretched tight. "Hey, hey," he greeted. "Is this the dream team?"
David Ruiz followed right after, dragging Levi Giarden by the sleeve. "He almost skipped again."
"I thought this was optional!" Levi yawned.
Cyrhelle entered behind them, with her cat curling around her ankles. She nodded at Kael, who walked in just a second later.
No words. No nods. Just quiet, steady steps.
But last—Min-ji Lee.
She half-ran in, oversized lab coat swaying behind her, a lollipop stick poking from her mouth. "Sorry! I got distracted watching a wasp eat a butterfly. Nature's wild!"
Everyone turned. She waved.
Julienne blinked. "That's… morbid."
"I thought it was cute."
She flopped into the closest chair, kicked her legs, then pulled up ten profiles on her tablet. "Anyway, hi! You're all strong and weird and probably unstable. This'll be fun!"
Vin raised a brow. "She's the genius?"
Charlotte answered flatly. "The prodigy."
Min-ji grinned wider. "Genius and cute. I'm both."
"The Official Top 10 – Rising Ascenders – Manila Academy"
1. Charlotte Gravielle – "The Empath Blade"
2. Elise Fontaine – "France's Golden Archer"
3. Kael Navarro – "Walking Arsenal"
4. Vin Serantes – "The Wild Vanguard"
5. Julienne Arc – "The Techhead Engineer"
6. Cyrhelle Elsinora – "The Art Mage"
7. Min-ji Lee – "Korea's Mirror Genius"
8. Enzo Rhavoz – "The Broken Strategist"
9. Levi Giarden – "Just Happy To Be Here"
10. David Ruiz – "The Iron Will"
Instructor Kaedin stepped in, voice clipped and firm.
"Your evaluations earned you these seats. From now on, your training will intensify. One month from today, you'll represent this academy at the Rising Ascenders Tournament in Seoul. Your performance will be watched—by sponsors, scouts, and the world."
"Dismissed."
Vin stretched his arms. "So… anyone else feel like they just got drafted into a war?"
David chuckled. "You say that like we weren't already."
Julienne muttered, "Speak for yourself. Some of us just wanted to upgrade field drones."
Min-ji leaned toward Kael, eyes wide behind her glasses. "Hey, hey, you fight cool. Can I touch your gear sometime?"
Kael blinked. "Uh—"
"She means weapons," Enzo clarified without looking up.
"I definitely meant weapons," Min-ji said, pouting.
Charlotte rolled her eyes, hiding a small smile.
Then Elise spoke. "It's a pity," she said, glancing around. "Only ten seats—David missed by one. Tairen dropped out. This whole thing's already imbalanced."
Julienne raised a brow. "Tairen gave up his spot?"
"Claimed he had reasons," Elise said, voice dry. "More likely he got bored."
Charlotte frowned. "Or tired of pretending."
Kael stayed quiet.
But Enzo glanced toward him and made a small note in his panel.
Ten cadets. Ten secrets. One stage waiting.