The announcement came at dawn.
The bell tolled three times—different from the daily call to assembly. Across the dormitory wings, cadets stirred with a mix of dread and anticipation. Olivia sat up immediately, heart pounding.
Hana was already lacing her boots. "It begins."
Darius groaned, dragging the blanket over his head. "Why can't they haze us with pushups like normal schools?"
"Because," Hana said evenly, "this is war college. Strength is proved by steel, not sweat."
Olivia tied her braid with quick, practiced fingers. Her stomach fluttered, but she welcomed the feeling. Fear was fuel.
The Arena
The Academy's central arena was a vast dome of black steel, its interior configured into a dueling ground. Tiered seats rose in sharp arcs, packed with cadets from every year. The noise was deafening—cheers, jeers, and bets shouted across the stands.
In the center, the floor gleamed like a mirror, waiting.
Captain Kade stood at the podium, his presence commanding silence.
"Cadets," he thundered. "The first-year challenge begins. By tradition, upperclassmen test the mettle of our newest recruits. Rules are simple: one-on-one mecha duels, until one pilot yields, is disabled, or is judged unfit to continue. Death is not permitted. Injury is inevitable. Victory is honor. Defeat is lesson."
The crowd roared.
Olivia's pulse quickened. Around her, first-years shifted nervously. Marcus, of course, grinned like a wolf, already basking in attention.
The First Match
The first duel was chosen at random. A first-year named Callen faced a second-year with a reputation for cruelty.
The cadets climbed into their mecha, the hangar gates opening to reveal the machines—slimmer than full combat models, but still towering steel giants.
The match was brutal. Callen barely lasted two minutes before his mecha was disarmed and slammed to the ground, sparks spraying.
The crowd erupted. Some cheered the victor. Others laughed at Callen's humiliation.
Olivia's hands curled into fists. So this is how they measure us.
Selection
Kade's voice cut through the din. "Next: Olivia Corvinus."
Her breath caught. Whispers exploded around the arena. The Alpha. The prodigy. The troublemaker.
"And your opponent…" Kade paused, his eyes scanning the upperclassmen. "Cadet Rourke."
A murmur swept the crowd.
Rourke stepped forward from the second-years—broad-shouldered, with a scar across his jaw. His smirk was cruel, confident. Olivia could feel the weight of his reputation.
"Try not to cry, little girl," Rourke called, loud enough for the arena to hear. Laughter rippled through the crowd.
Olivia's jaw tightened, but she said nothing. She walked to her machine with steady steps.
Entering the Cockpit
Her cadet mecha awaited—three meters tall, steel-gray armor gleaming. She climbed the ladder, settled into the cockpit, and felt the neural crown descend.
Her breath steadied. The world shifted. She became steel.
[Name; Olivia Corvinus]
[Compatibility; Rank A / Alpha]
[Innate System Function; Technology Communication]
[Strength; 6]
[Dexterity; 7]
[Agility; 7]
[Intelligence; 9]
[Endurance; 6]
[Perception; 9]
[Additional System Functions; 1 Pending Unlock]
Her HUD flared alive. She flexed the mecha's arms, hearing the hum of servos.
Across the arena, Rourke's machine rose to its full height—bulkier, reinforced, painted with second-year stripes. He raised his blade in mocking salute.
The Duel Begins
"Begin," Kade commanded.
Rourke lunged first, his heavy mecha moving with surprising speed. His blade came down in a brutal arc.
Olivia darted aside, her lighter frame barely slipping past the strike. Sparks erupted where steel met steel.
The crowd roared.
Rourke laughed. "Fast. But not enough."
He swung again, relentless. Olivia's machine staggered back, arms trembling under the force of his blows. His power was overwhelming.
If I meet him head-on, I'll lose.
Her System pulsed in her mind, streams of data highlighting servo stress points, predicting attack patterns. She breathed deep, letting the whispers guide her.
The next strike came. Instead of blocking, she sidestepped, twisting her mecha low. Her blade slashed upward—glancing Rourke's shoulder joint. Sparks flared.
The crowd gasped.
Rourke snarled. "Lucky hit."
But Olivia smiled tightly. Not luck. Precision.
The Pressure Mounts
The duel raged on. Rourke pressed harder, his brute force battering Olivia back. She dodged, weaved, striking in quick bursts. Each clash rattled her frame, draining endurance.
Her HUD flashed warnings. Servo strain rising. Armor integrity dropping.
But Rourke's machine wasn't unscathed. Her precision strikes had carved glowing scars across his armor. His movements slowed, fractionally.
Still, he was stronger. He could afford mistakes. She couldn't.
Think. Don't fight his battle. Make him fight yours.
She baited him, feinting weakness, retreating toward the arena wall. Rourke roared, charging in for the finishing blow.
At the last instant, Olivia sidestepped. His blade smashed into the wall, embedding deep.
"Now!"
She drove her blade into his exposed flank, sparks exploding. His machine shuddered, power surging unevenly.
The crowd erupted, half cheering, half shouting.
The Turning Point
Rourke wrenched free, staggering. His voice snarled over comms. "You little—!"
He swung wildly, fury overtaking precision. Olivia dodged, but one strike clipped her side, alarms screaming.
Pain jolted her through the neural link, like fire in her ribs. She gritted her teeth.
I won't fall here.
Her System pulsed—one more whisper. A diagnostic stream from Rourke's machine, exposed for a heartbeat through the damage she'd inflicted. She seized it, interpreting the flow of corrupted data.
Left knee actuator—overstrained. Vulnerable.
She lunged, low and fast, blade slicing across his leg joint. Metal screamed.
Rourke's machine buckled, collapsing to one knee.
Olivia pressed the advantage, driving her blade against his chest plate. Sparks rained. His machine froze, locked by system safeties.
"Match over!" Kade's voice thundered.
The arena exploded with noise. Cheers. Shouts. Disbelief.
Aftermath
The neural crown lifted. Olivia slumped back, chest heaving, sweat soaking her uniform. She climbed from the cockpit on shaky legs, the roar of the crowd pounding in her ears.
Rourke emerged from his machine, face twisted with fury. For a moment, Olivia thought he might strike her outright. But under Kade's glare, he swallowed his pride and stormed off.
Hana and Darius met Olivia at the edge of the platform, eyes wide.
"That was insane," Darius breathed. "You beat him."
Hana's lips curved faintly. "Not just beat. Outthought."
Olivia managed a tired smile. But her gaze swept the arena. She saw Marcus watching from across the crowd, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
And beyond him—Kade, staring at her with sharp, calculating eyes.
She had won. But she knew this was only the beginning.
Night Reflections
That night, Olivia lay in her bunk, every muscle aching. Her System flickered faintly, updated by the duel.
[Name; Olivia Corvinus]
[Compatibility; Rank A / Alpha]
[Innate System Function; Technology Communication]
[Strength; 6]
[Dexterity; 8]
[Agility; 8]
[Intelligence; 9]
[Endurance; 6]
[Perception; 9]
[Additional System Functions; 1 Pending Unlock]
Her dexterity and agility had risen. Proof of growth.
But more than numbers, she felt something deeper. The mecha wasn't just a tool. It was a partner, whispering to her in battle, guiding her blade.
This is my path, she thought fiercely. Not Marcus's. Not anyone else's. Mine.
Outside, the Academy buzzed with rumors of the duel. Olivia Corvinus had defeated Rourke, one of the fiercest second-years. Some called it luck. Others called it talent.
But all agreed on one thing.
Olivia's name was no longer just whispered. It was remembered.