Waldkran hung above the clouds like a torn fragment of an ancient world that had forgotten the laws of gravity. The huge platforms, connected by bridges, trembled with magical tension: airships slowly circled above the city, guards in light-blood robes flew on patrols, and in the center, a tower with a pulsating crystal broadcast to the entire city.
"...there are exactly 6 days left before the start of the Victriada..." a hollow voice echoed from the upper levels. It sounded both in my ears and directly in my chest, as if someone were shaking my heart from the inside. "All students are required to attend the drawing ceremony tomorrow at 7 a.m.
Kallen, standing on one of the hanging balconies overlooking the abyss, gripped the railing.
"6 days..." he muttered. "And we still don't know the rules. The damned Academy..."
Reina stepped up behind him. She wore a thin black cloak with a clasp at the throat, perfectly pressed as always, as if she simply didn't have time for wrinkles. Her scarlet eyes shone softly, but her gaze was heavy.
"The Victriad is not a game," she said. "They'll try to kill you there. Even if it's forbidden. Especially you."
"You're a romantic," Kalen chuckled without turning around. "Is the entire Academy dreaming of breaking my neck?"
"Not all of them. But those who saw you survive the dungeon trial, yes."
He turned around and exhaled quietly. Over the past week, he had become accustomed to the new sensations in his body: the way his energy flowed differently, the way his shadow responded to his thoughts. Sometimes, he found himself listening for whispers even in the silence.
"Do you think we'll be paired up again?"
"No," Reina replied. "The Victriad is individual. For everyone. Only in the finals will the survivors be allowed to fight as a team."
Kallen clenched his teeth. So everything he'd worked for with her over the past few weeks was wasted again?
"Then I'll have to tear them apart myself. As usual." He laughed, but there was no joy in his voice.
She remained silent, her head slightly bowed, and for a moment everything was dark, as a shadow slipped from her feet, like a snake slithering over the railing.
A light flashed in the sky. The announcement crystals flared at all ends of the platform, forming letters in the air that burned with golden light:
— FIRST STAGE: SURVIVAL
"Survival," Kalen repeated. "Of course. It's a classic. They always start with that."
"Only now it's in the sky. And anything that falls over the edge will be lost forever," Reina added coldly.
And indeed. There was no earth beneath the city. Only clouds and a frightening, bottomless abyss.
Kallen felt his magic, like an echo of the Shadow, beginning to pulse in his back, in his spine, under his skin. He still had training to do.
***
Kallen stood at the enchanted screen, a massive slab that hung over the central arena. Students from all the platforms of Voldkrana flocked there. Dust from magical ashes hung in the air, and alchemical pipes thundered in the sky, spewing green vapors.
Names appeared on the stove. There were many of them. Too many.
"...And what, all these bastards are our rivals?" Kallen muttered, squinting at the light.
Reina stood nearby, her red hair tied in a knot and her eyes sparkling with tension.
"No, not all of them. Only those who passed the pre-tests." She pointed a slender finger at the edge of the plate. "Over there. 'List of confirmed participants in the Survival phase.'"
185 names were highlighted in gold.
"Too much," Kallen thought. "And of course, everyone wants to show that they're better. Or that they're still alive."
But then the magic began to cycle through the highlighted names. The list shrank. Only three remained, highlighted in scarlet.
1. Linard Strax is a demon, element: Blood + Sand. Specialization: Absorption and Drying.
2. Elearah Weintal - Elf, Element: Ice + Eye. Specialization: Freeze Perception.
3. Gorr Bronzebone - Dwarf, Element: Claw + Iron. Specialization: Armor and Destruction.
Each of them was of rank A. And Kallen, even though covertly, only came close to B.
"Who are they?" he asked quietly.
Reyna didn't answer immediately.
"Linard is the son of one of the High Demons. In training, he... drank the blood of all his opponents, so that there would be no "foreign power" left. Elearah is blind. But she can see the magical fields. She can freeze your reflexes. And Gorr..." she paused, "...he defeated a battle troll single-handedly. With his hands."
Kalen swallowed silently.
And then a new voice rang out:
"Hey, Lionheart."
He turned around. A light-skinned man in a black academic robe with no insignia approached them. His hair was the color of graphite, and his eyes were gray-blue. His gaze was cold and distant.
"You're the fourth.
"Who are you?" Kallen asked sharply.
"Melas Veorn. Element: Rot + Wind. I was on the list of the dead, but I didn't die. I was just waiting." He tilted his head. "Now there are five of us. And you are the target."
He left, leaving behind the smell of rotting leaves and blood.
Kalen cursed under his breath.
"They're all crazy. This won't be a competition. It'll be a massacre."
Reina silently placed her hand on his shoulder.
"But you're no worse. And they know it. That's why they're afraid of you."
"I'd rather they didn't breathe at all," he replied.