Everyone stood frozen. No one spoke.
They had just witnessed something that shouldn't have been possible—an unawakened student defeating a gravity user.
Even the instructors nearby looked stunned.
Saren Vel, a level three gravity awakening user, laid unconscious far below the shattered platform.
Above him, Raze stood where he had landed, battered but upright, his chest rising and falling unevenly.
The moment his vision cleared, realization hit.
Raze looked down at his hands.
They were shaking.
Not from exhaustion.
From fear—fear of what he had just done.
A low murmur spread through the crowd.
"Did you see that…?"
"He grabbed him by the neck—"
"How is he even still standing?"
Ray didn't join them.
His gaze stayed locked on Raze. He had seen it—the brief change in the boy's body. The dark pulse beneath his skin. The unnatural strength behind each strike.
That hadn't been adrenaline.
Ray's jaw tightened.
'That was something else. Something not human.'
"That's enough," Ray said at last, his voice steady but firm.
"This match is over."
He walked toward the platform as soldiers rushed in, securing the area.
Raze barely noticed.
He remained where he was, dazed, only snapping back when Ray called out.
"Raze."
Raze looked up.
"That was quite a match," Ray continued. "You handled yourself well."
The words were calm but carried weight. Enough to make Raze uneasy.
"Thanks," Raze replied, still working to steady his breathing.
Ray studied him for a moment longer.
"Tell me something. How did you recover from those hits so quickly? You were on the brink of collapse."
Raze hesitated.
The regeneration.
The hunger warnings.
The way his instincts had taken over.
"I… don't know," he said. "Maybe adrenaline."
Ray hummed quietly. He didn't believe it but he didn't press.
"Hm. I see."
A medic stepped in, breaking the tension.
"Both students need to be checked. Gravity exposure can be dangerous without resistance."
Ray nodded. "Take them to the nurse room."
Raze didn't argue. He followed as soldiers lifted Saren onto a stretcher and escorted them away.
Behind them, the remaining students buzzed with disbelief.
"That punch—"
"There's no way that was just strength."
"Maybe he's hiding his awakening…"
Ray crossed his arms, watching Raze disappear down the corridor.
'I know you're not normal,' he thought.
'It's only a matter of time.'
Elsewhere on the training grounds, lightning cracked through the air.
Felix's fist collided with Thomas's, red and blue sparks exploding outward on impact.
Several students turned their heads at the sound. Even Aria paused, her eyes narrowing.
Felix's gaze flicked briefly toward the distant smoke plume—the broken platform, the movement of soldiers.
His focus slipped for half a second.
"What the hell just happened over there…?" he muttered, ducking a strike.
Thomas smirked. "Losing focus already?"
Felix clicked his tongue. "Don't get cocky."
Red lightning flared hotter as he surged forward, throwing a feint before slamming his fist into Thomas's chest.
The impact forced Thomas back several steps. Felix followed immediately, snapping a kick into his torso and sending him rolling across the platform.
Before Felix could press the advantage, the platform shuddered.
The air thickened.
Pressure slammed down on them.
The lightning around both fighters flickered, unstable.
Felix grimaced.
'So this is what she meant…'
His lightning resisted him, the familiar flow turning erratic.
Thomas pushed himself up with a grunt.
"Great… now it's harder."
Felix clenched his fists. Red sparks sputtered unevenly, breaking their usual rhythm.
'It's like the air itself is fighting me.'
Thomas tried to gather his own lightning, but the arcs bent awkwardly, fizzling out.
"This isn't normal," Thomas muttered.
The platform creaked as unpredictable gusts twisted around them. Felix adjusted his footing, movements less precise than before.
Still—he saw it.
An opening.
Thomas lunged with a bolt aimed at Felix's chest.
Felix rolled aside, letting it tear harmlessly through the air.
Red lightning flared again—sharper this time.
Felix smirked.
'So that's how it wants to be.'
He surged forward, feinted left, then drove a punch into Thomas's side.
Thomas staggered, nearly losing his footing.
"Not bad," Thomas growled. "But I'm not done."
He thrust both hands forward, launching a volley of lightning bolts.
The pressurized air warped them—some fizzled, others bent wildly.
Felix dashed through the chaos, weaving between the distorted arcs. He landed a clean kick that sent Thomas sprawling backward.
The platform tilted violently.
Felix stumbled, then recovered mid-roll.
From the sidelines, whispers spread.
"His lightning—it's different."
"He's keeping control somehow."
Felix grinned faintly.
Thomas rose again, breathing hard.
"You think tricks like that will save you?"
Felix answered with movement.
He rushed forward, throwing rapid jabs and hooks, each strike laced with red lightning. Some blows fizzled. Others landed clean, forcing Thomas back.
The pressure increased again.
Felix's lightning flickered just for a heartbeat.
He slowed his breathing.
Shifted his stance.
Then he moved.
A low sweep forced Thomas off balance.
Felix followed with a heavy punch that drove the air from his lungs.
Thomas staggered.
"You're… different," he snarled.
Felix's eyes gleamed. "Gotta keep up."
He pressed forward, strikes flowing more cleanly now, forcing Thomas into defense.
The crowd leaned in.
"I've never seen lightning behave like that…"
Thomas's movements slowed. His attacks lost precision.
Felix felt it. One last surge.
He spun, landed a heavy punch to Thomas's torso, then followed with a precise kick that dropped him to his knees.
Aria raised her hand.
"Enough," she said calmly. "Felix Blaze wins."
Silence followed.
Felix powered down, red lightning fading into harmless sparks. He exhaled and ran a hand through his hair.
As he stepped off the platform, his thoughts drifted back to the earlier crash.
He glanced toward the smoke.
"That explosion… was that Raze?"
Aria answered without looking away. "If I had to guess—yes. I'll check once this session ends."
Felix nodded, his attention lingering in that direction