The Iron Descent transport platform descended with a grinding shriek, sinking deep beneath the Regime grounds.Torches flickered along the descending shaft, their pale blue flames casting long, trembling shadows across the metal walls.
Kellan cracked his knuckles eagerly.
Jarek trembled.
Aria's breath glided evenly—quiet, measured, disciplined.
Elias watched the descending walls with calm eyes.
The deeper they sank, the colder the air grew, until frost began to curl along the metal plates beneath their feet.
When the platform ground to a halt, a heavy gate rose ahead of them.
Beyond it lay darkness.Cold.Still.Waiting.
Captain Bram's voice boomed through the metal intercom.
"Cadets. The Iron Descent Trial is as follows:
Enter the zone.Complete your objective.Return alive."
Another pause.A colder one.
"No protective overrides.No monitoring interference.No rescues."
Silence followed.
Then:
"Begin."
The gate rose with a metallic roar.
Fog spilled out like a living thing.
Kellan grinned wide.Jarek whimpered.Aria narrowed her eyes.
Elias stepped forward first.
The zone revealed itself in fragments—shards of iron platforms suspended over a dark abyss, connected by thin walkways.Broken towers jutted upward like jagged teeth.Rust-red mist coiled through the air, carrying the metallic taste of mana and old violence.
Far above, faint lights flickered and died.
"This place…" Jarek whispered."…it feels haunted."
Aria scanned the shadows."It's meant to."
Kellan strode ahead.
"Good. Lets weed out the weak early."
His boots echoed across the metal, each step like a challenge thrown at the darkness.
Elias followed in silence, Jarek scrambling behind him, Aria gliding beside them like a ghost.
A faint hum drifted through the mist—mechanical, rhythmic, like distant gears shifting.
Aria spoke quietly."We're not alone."
Kellan chuckled."I was hoping for that."
But Elias wasn't listening to them.
The System brushed his senses with a cold whisper.
Observation intensifiesThreat proximity: NearEntity presence: Confirmed
He slowed his pace.
Aria noticed."Something wrong?"
"Yes," Elias said softly."Something's here."
Kellan scoffed."You're just spooked."
But then—
A sharp crack echoed across the metal field.
A shape blurred ahead, leaping from one tower to another before landing on a suspended walkway with a heavy thud.
A cadet.
But not alone.
Three more emerged behind him.
Then five.
Then nine.
A full squad.
Their leader stepped forward—a tall boy with a scar that cut across his cheek and eyes cold enough to freeze steel.
His name was Rowan Hale.
One of the Cadet Regime's rising stars.Gifted.Merciless.Intelligent in the worst possible way.
He looked at Kellan, Aria, Jarek… and then at Elias.
"Well," Rowan said softly."I was wondering when the anomaly would arrive."
Jarek jolted."H-He knows?! How does he—"
Rowan smiled thinly.
"Word travels. Especially when someone survives a Termination Unit without a scratch."
His squad murmured behind him.
Aria stepped forward, her stance lethal.Her eyes had already begun to glow faintly.
"State your intent."
Rowan tilted his head.
"Oh, it's simple. The Iron Descent doesn't forbid eliminating the competition."
He lifted a hand.
His squad spread out instantly, fanning across the walkway platforms like wolves surrounding prey.
Rowan's voice softened.
"And you four are very valuable targets."
Kellan's smile grew razor-sharp.
"Well I like these odds."
Jarek nearly fainted.
Aria's expression didn't change.
But Elias…
He wasn't looking at the squad.
He was looking past Rowan.
Into the mist.
Where a pair of golden eyes hovered silently.
Watching.
Waiting.
Rowan didn't see them.
Aria didn't.
Jarek didn't.
Only Elias.
The presence pulsed.Like a heartbeat syncing with his breath.
Then the System whispered with cold, perfect clarity.
Unknown entity evaluating targetsPrimary interest: YouSecondary interest: None
Elias's grip tightened.
He barely noticed Rowan stepping closer.
"We'll start with your brute," Rowan said lightly."Then your noble."Then he smiled directly at Elias."And then we'll see what secrets you bleed when cornered."
Kellan tensed, delighted.
"Try it, pretty boy."
Aria stepped forward, palms glowing subtly.
Jarek squeaked.
Elias inhaled slowly, letting the world compress into lines, angles, distances.
Rowan's first command came like a blade.
"Attack."
His squad surged forward, weapons drawn.
But something moved first.
Something faster.
Something silent.
A golden flash streaked through the mist—landing between both squads with a metallic thud.
The presence stepped fully into view.
Not a cadet.Not an instructor.
A creature.
Humanoid.Tall.Lean.Skin black as forged steel.Eyes golden and bright, but cold like a winter night carved into flesh.
Every cadet froze instantly.
A single whisper passed through the fog.
"…What… is that?"
Aria's grip tightened.
Jarek stumbled backward.
Kellan's grin vanished.
Rowan's eyes widened for the first time.
Elias watched the creature step toward him, movements fluid, almost human—but wrong in ways the mind couldn't process quickly.
It spoke.
Its voice was soft.
"Marked."
Every muscle in Elias's body went still.
The creature tilted its head.
"You… are marked."
Aria inhaled sharply.
"Ward—get back—"
But she was too slow.
The creature moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
It stopped directly in front of Elias.
Close enough that Elias felt the cold breath against his skin.
Rowan's squad scrambled into terrified stances.
Kellan lifted his staff, sweat beading on his brow.
Aria took a single step forward, eyes blazing.
The creature raised a hand—
—and placed one finger gently against Elias's forehead.
An icy current surged through him.Memories flickered.Past and present merging for a blink.
Then:
"You will survive this trial."
Its voice was almost… gentle.
And then it said something only Elias heard.
"You must."
Before Elias could respond, the creature turned toward Rowan's squad—eyes flashing with predatory fury.
"Obstacles."
It vanished.
A scream tore the air.
Rowan's leftmost cadet dropped instantly, his weapon falling from limp fingers.
Jarek shrieked.Aria cursed.Kellan took a step back.
Elias stood still.
Because he understood something terrifying.
The real trial hadn't begun.
But the hunt had.