CHAPTER 2: Copper Badge
Morning arrived too early.
Ryou woke to the sound of something exploding three rooms down, followed by muffled cursing in what sounded like Dwarvish. Welcome to academy life.
He got dressed quickly: simple black training clothes, fingerless gloves, his copper badge pinned to his chest like a target. A glance in the mirror showed his usual reflection. Messy black hair, average height, nothing that would make anyone look twice.
Not that he minded. Being unremarkable had its advantages.
A frantic knocking interrupted his thoughts.
"Ryou! Emergency! Crisis! Disaster of epic proportions!"
Ryou opened the door to find Zix in full panic mode, goggles askew, holding what looked like a metal sphere with wires sticking out of it at odd angles.
"What happened?"
"My alarm clock gained sentience and is threatening to explode!" Zix shook the device, which immediately started ticking louder.
"I was trying to build something that would wake me up gently with pleasant smells and soothing sounds, but I think I accidentally created a miniature bomb!"
"You think?"
"Okay, I definitely created a miniature bomb." Zix thrust it toward Ryou.
"Fix it!"
"I'm not an engineer!"
"You're smart! That's close enough!"
Ryou stared at the ticking device, then at Zix's hopeful face, then back at the device.
"Throw it out the window."
"What? But I spent three days..."
"Window. Now."
Zix scrambled to the window and hurled the device outside. It arced through the morning air, falling toward the gardens below.
They both stuck their heads out to watch.
The device landed in a decorative fountain.
Nothing happened for a heartbeat.
Then it exploded with a sound like a sad trumpet, sending a geyser of water fifteen feet into the air and covering three passing elf students in fountain spray.
One of them looked up at their window. Ryou and Zix immediately pulled their heads back inside.
"We're dead," Zix whispered.
"We're moving fast and pretending that never happened," Ryou replied.
"Come on, combat assessment starts in twenty minutes."
They made it out of Azure Blade Hall without being murdered by angry wet elves, which Ryou counted as a victory. The morning was crisp and clear, magical lights fading as natural sunlight took over. Students flooded the pathways, heading toward the Grand Training Grounds for the first-year combat assessments.
"So," Zix said, walking beside him with surprising speed for someone half his height,
"ready to show everyone what you've got?"
"Ready to show them I belong here," Ryou replied.
"That's different."
"Smart answer. Play it safe first, impress them later." Zix adjusted his goggles.
"Speaking of playing it safe, maybe avoid the nobles on your first day? They have a tendency to..."
"Well, well. More copper badges."
Ryou and Zix stopped walking.
Three students blocked their path. Two humans and an orc, all wearing silver badges that marked them as noble class. The one who'd spoken was tall, broad-shouldered, with the kind of face that had never been told "no" in his entire life.
"Morning," Ryou said evenly.
"Is it?" The noble looked them over with undisguised contempt.
"Hard to tell when the view is polluted with commoner trash."
Zix tensed. Ryou put a hand on his shoulder.
"We're just heading to the assessment," Ryou said, keeping his voice calm.
"Not looking for trouble."
"Of course you're not. Commoners never are." The noble stepped closer.
"But maybe you should learn your place before you embarrass yourselves. This academy has standards. Just because they let anyone in these days doesn't mean you belong."
"Everyone who passed the entrance requirements belongs here," Ryou replied.
"That's how schools work."
The noble's expression darkened.
"Did you just..."
"He didn't mean anything by it!" Zix jumped in.
"We're all tired, first day nerves, you know how it is..."
"I wasn't talking to you, rat." The noble's attention fixed on Zix with pure disdain.
"A goblin on scholarship. What's next, teaching trolls to read?"
Something cold settled in Ryou's chest.
"Apologize," he said quietly.
The noble laughed.
"Excuse me?"
"To my friend. Apologize."
"Or what?" The noble stepped even closer, using his height advantage.
"You'll make me? You're a Class D commoner who probably can't cast anything beyond basic party tricks. I'm Marcus Ashford, son of Duke Ashford, trained by private tutors since I could walk. What exactly do you think you can do?"
Ryou met his eyes without flinching.
"I guess we'll find out during the assessment."
Marcus's face flushed red.
"You challenging me?"
"I'm saying if you want to prove you're better, there's a place for it. The training grounds. Official supervision. Fair fight." Ryou smiled slightly.
"Unless you prefer picking on people in hallways?"
For a long moment, Marcus looked ready to throw a punch right there.
Then he smiled. It wasn't pleasant.
"Fine. I'll see you on the training grounds, commoner. Try not to cry when I humiliate you in front of everyone." He shouldered past them, his two friends following.
"Copper badge trash."
They disappeared into the crowd of students.
Zix let out a long breath.
"Well. That was stupid."
"Probably."
"You just picked a fight with a noble."
"He started it."
"That's not going to matter when he's using your face to mop the floor!"
Ryou started walking again.
"Then I better make sure that doesn't happen."
"Ryou. Be serious. Marcus Ashford is silver badge nobility. He's been training his whole life. He can probably cast Intermediate spells. You can only use basic magic!" Zix hurried to keep up.
"This is going to end badly!"
"Maybe." Ryou's hands were steady despite his racing heart.
"But I'm not letting anyone talk to you like that. Friend's honor."
Zix stopped walking.
When Ryou looked back, the goblin had the strangest expression on his face. Something between disbelief and gratitude.
"You barely know me," Zix said softly.
"I know enough." Ryou waited for him to catch up.
"Come on. I've got a noble to embarrass."
The Grand Training Grounds were massive.
Multiple arenas spread across the space, each one designed for different types of combat. Stone circles for direct duels. Obstacle courses for tactical assessment. Target ranges for magical accuracy. Sparring rings for close combat. Everything was reinforced with defensive enchantments that could withstand even advanced magic.
First-year students gathered in nervous clusters, copper and silver badges mixing uneasily. A handful of gold badges stood apart, the children of nobility and important families who'd already proven themselves worthy of higher status.
Instructors moved through the crowd, organizing students into assessment groups.
"Listen up!" A scarred orc instructor's voice boomed across the grounds.
"Combat assessment is simple! You'll face an opponent of similar rank. Fight until submission, ring-out, or instructor intervention. We're evaluating combat ability, magical control, tactical thinking, and composure under pressure. Try not to die; healing magic is expensive!"
Nervous laughter rippled through the crowd.
"First matches begin in five minutes! Check the crystal boards for your assignments!"
Ryou moved toward the massive crystal displays that showed real-time match assignments. Names appeared and shifted as instructors organized the brackets.
He found his name.
Arena 3 - Combat AssessmentRyou Lykandor (Class D) vs. Marcus Ashford (Noble Class)
"Oh no," Zix breathed beside him.
"Could be worse," Ryou said.
"How?"
"Could be raining."
Thunder rumbled overhead. Dark clouds were gathering in the distance.
"You just had to say it," Zix muttered.
They made their way to Arena 3. A crowd was already forming: word had spread about the copper badge commoner who'd challenged a noble. Students pressed close to the protective barriers, eager for entertainment.
Marcus stood in the center of the stone circle, rolling his shoulders confidently. His silver badge caught the light. When he saw Ryou approaching, his smile turned predatory.
"There he is! I was worried you'd run away!"
Ryou stepped into the arena. The stone circle was thirty feet across, marked with glowing runes that would contain most magical effects. Large enough to move. Small enough that there was nowhere to hide.
The orc instructor stepped between them.
"Standard assessment rules. Fight until submission, ring-out, or I stop it. Lethal force is prohibited. Excessive injury will result in immediate disqualification and punishment." He looked at both of them.
"Understood?"
"Crystal clear," Marcus said, already gathering mana. The air around him shimmered.
"Understood," Ryou replied calmly.
The instructor backed away to the edge of the arena.
"Begin!"
Marcus didn't wait.
"Flame Pillar!"
The air rippled as he chanted, mana gathering into a structured spell. This was Intermediate magic: Tier 2. A column of fire erupted from the ground beneath Ryou's feet, reaching upward with enough heat to make the watching students step back.
Except Ryou wasn't there.
He'd moved the instant he saw Marcus gathering mana, reading the spell before it formed. The Flame Pillar scorched empty stone where he'd been standing.
"Fast," Marcus admitted.
"But running won't help you forever!"
He fired a rapid sequence of basic Fireballs while moving to better position. Standard mage tactic: keep pressure on while maintaining distance.
Ryou dodged the first two, feeling the heat kiss his cheek. The third was aimed at his feet.
"Wind Gust!"
The basic spell shot from Ryou's hand, not at Marcus but at the ground. The Fireball's trajectory altered slightly, just enough that it sailed past his leg instead of connecting.
The watching students murmured. That wasn't a dodge. That was redirection.
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
"Clever. Let's see you redirect this. Ice Wall!"
Another Intermediate spell. A thick barrier of ice erupted between them, blocking line of sight. Smart move: force your opponent to either go around it or break through while you prepare your next attack.
Ryou went under it.
He dropped into a slide, using momentum to pass beneath the wall before it fully formed. As he came out the other side, Marcus was already casting, expecting him to go around.
"Stone Bullet!"
Ryou's spell fired at point-blank range, not at Marcus but at the ground between his feet. The small boulder materialized and Marcus stumbled, his concentration breaking, the half-formed spell dissipating.
Ryou didn't stop moving. He closed the distance while Marcus was off-balance, getting inside his casting range.
This was the fundamental weakness of most mages: they trained to fight at range. Close combat made spellcasting harder, more frantic, more likely to fail.
Marcus recovered faster than expected. Credit where it was due: he had good training.
"Lightning Spark!"
The basic spell crackled from his palm at close range. Ryou twisted, the lightning missing by inches, and grabbed Marcus's extended wrist.
For a heartbeat, their eyes met.
"Lightning Spark," Ryou said quietly.
His spell discharged directly into Marcus's arm. At this range, with contact, even basic lightning magic caused muscles to seize. Marcus's arm went rigid, his mana circulation disrupted.
Ryou didn't hesitate. While Marcus was stunned, he drove a quick punch into his solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him, then swept his legs.
Marcus hit the stone hard, breath exploding from his lungs. Before he could recover, Ryou had a hand on his chest and another glowing with gathered mana.
"Fireball," Ryou said, the spell hovering an inch from Marcus's face.
"Submit."
Marcus stared at the small flame, feeling its heat. His face cycled through shock, disbelief, and finally, rage.
"I submit," he forced out.
"Match over!" The instructor stepped forward.
"Winner: Ryou Lykandor!"
Ryou dismissed the Fireball and offered a hand.
Marcus slapped it away and stood on his own, face burning with humiliation. The watching students were silent, processing what they'd just seen.
A commoner had just defeated a noble.
Using only basic magic.
In under sixty seconds.
"You got lucky," Marcus hissed.
"Maybe," Ryou replied evenly.
"But you got cocky. You started casting Intermediate spells immediately, showing off instead of assessing your opponent. You maintained distance like the textbooks say, but you didn't adapt when I closed it. And you assumed basic magic couldn't hurt you."
Marcus's jaw clenched.
"This isn't over."
"It is for today." Ryou walked toward the arena exit where Zix was jumping up and down excitedly.
"But if you want a rematch later, I'll be here."
As he left the arena, whispers followed him.
"Did you see that?"
"Basic magic only!"
"He made it look easy!"
"Who is that guy?"
Ryou kept his expression neutral, but inside, his heart was racing. That had been close. Marcus was genuinely skilled: in a few months, after more training, he'd have adapted to those tactics. Ryou had won through surprise and tactical thinking, but those advantages wouldn't work twice.
He'd need to keep evolving. Keep improving. Keep finding new ways to use what little he had.
"THAT WAS AMAZING!" Zix crashed into him, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Did you see his face? Did you see everyone's faces? You destroyed him! Absolutely destroyed him!"
"I won the fight," Ryou corrected.
"There's a difference."
"Don't ruin this with your humility! Let me enjoy the moment!" Zix grabbed his arm.
"Come on, we need to tell everyone! Well, everyone already knows because they just saw it, but we need to celebrate! I know a guy who smuggles good bread from the kitchens!"
Before Ryou could respond, a shadow fell over them.
They both looked up.
Grisha Bragnar stood there, her green skin marked with ritual scars, white hair pulled back in a warrior's tail. Her gold badge caught the light. Rank 4 of the Elite Ten.
"You," she said, voice blunt and direct.
"The tactical fighter."
Ryou's mouth went dry.
"Uh. Yes?"
She studied him with the kind of attention a predator gives to potentially interesting prey.
"Good instincts. Solid environmental awareness. Acceptable execution." She paused.
"Weak body. Poor physical conditioning. No real striking power."
"Thanks?" Ryou said uncertainly.
"That wasn't a compliment. That was analysis." Grisha crossed her arms.
"But you have potential. Most first-years panic under pressure. You stayed calm. Observed. Adapted. Rare qualities."
Zix was making frantic hand gestures that seemed to mean both "be respectful" and "don't make eye contact" and "why is an Elite Ten member talking to us?"
"Thank you," Ryou said, bowing slightly.
"That means a lot coming from..."
"Don't care about flattery." Grisha cut him off.
"I'm telling you this because I respect efficiency. You won that fight efficiently. No wasted movement. No showing off. Pure tactical execution." She turned to leave, then paused.
"If you survive the first month without embarrassing yourself, I might spar with you. Might. Don't get your hopes up."
She walked away, her presence parting the crowd of students automatically.
Zix stared after her, then at Ryou, then back at her retreating form.
"Did an Elite Ten member just acknowledge your existence?"
"I think so?"
"Did she basically say she respects you?"
"Maybe?"
"Did she offer to spar with you?"
"Conditionally."
Zix grabbed Ryou's shoulders and shook him.
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS MEANS?"
"That I should survive the first month?"
"It means you're on their radar! The Elite Ten! The top students in the entire academy!" Zix was practically dancing.
"This is huge! This is incredible! This is..."
"Attention all students."
The voice came from everywhere at once, magically amplified. Headmaster Aldric's voice.
"Due to excessive property damage from this morning's assessment matches, all first-year students are required to attend a mandatory lecture on responsible magic use. Report to the Grand Hall immediately. That includes you, Class D students who thought throwing explosive devices into fountains wouldn't be noticed."
Ryou and Zix locked eyes.
"Run?" Zix suggested.
"Run," Ryou agreed.
They didn't make it ten feet before an instructor appeared in front of them.
"Grand Hall. Now."
The lecture was exactly as boring as expected.
Headmaster Aldric spent thirty minutes explaining why "creative magical experimentation" didn't excuse "destroying academy property" or "endangering fellow students" or "traumatizing the decorative fountain koi."
Ryou sat in the back row, trying not to fall asleep. Around him, first-year students shifted restlessly. A few nobles looked offended at being lumped in with commoners for punishment. Most just looked tired.
His eyes wandered across the hall.
That's when he noticed her.
Bellavere Darkvorn sat several rows ahead, her silver hair immediately recognizable. She was listening to the lecture with perfect posture, hands folded in her lap, the picture of a proper noble daughter.
As Ryou watched, her hand moved slightly.
She was drawing something on her palm with magic. He couldn't see what, but the small smile on her face suggested it was probably inappropriate for a vampire princess to be thinking during a lecture about responsible magic use.
As if sensing his attention, she turned.
Their eyes met. Crimson and black.
She didn't look away. Neither did he.
For just a moment, the corner of her mouth turned up in something that might have been amusement.
Then she turned back to the lecture, leaving Ryou wondering what that look meant.
"You're staring at the vampire princess," Zix whispered.
"Stop staring at the vampire princess."
"I wasn't staring."
"You were absolutely staring. And if her father finds out..."
"All students are dismissed." Aldric's voice cut through the hall.
"Return to your dormitories. Classes begin tomorrow morning at dawn. Try not to explode anything else."
The hall emptied in a rush of relieved students. Ryou and Zix joined the flow, heading back toward Azure Blade Hall.
The afternoon sun was warm on Ryou's face. His first day at Phantom Crest Academy. He'd fought a noble, won, caught the attention of an Elite Ten member, and survived a lecture about fountain koi.
Not bad for a copper badge commoner.
"Hey Ryou?" Zix said as they walked.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. For earlier. With Marcus."
"Don't mention it."
"No, I mean it." Zix stopped walking.
"Most people wouldn't have stood up for a goblin. Especially not against a noble. You barely know me, and you risked getting yourself hurt or expelled. That..." He trailed off, then grinned.
"That's why we're going to be best friends."
"We just met yesterday."
"And? Time is a social construct. We're best friends now. I've decided."
Ryou laughed despite himself.
"Alright. Best friends."
"Excellent. As your best friend, I should warn you that Marcus is absolutely going to try to get revenge."
"I know."
"And that the nobles probably think you're uppity now."
"I know."
"And that you're going to have to keep winning to maintain any respect you just earned."
"I know."
"And that you were absolutely staring at the vampire princess."
"I wasn't..." Ryou cut himself off.
"Okay, maybe a little."
"She's way out of your league."
"I know."
"And her father is Dracula. Literal Dracula. One of the Six Phantom Kings. He could erase you from existence with a thought."
"I know that too."
"Just wanted to make sure we're clear on the danger level." Zix adjusted his goggles.
"So... you going to do it anyway?"
Ryou thought about crimson eyes and a small smile during a boring lecture.
"Probably not. I've got bigger goals than romance. Like surviving the first month so Grisha might spar with me."
"Now that's just a different kind of dangerous."
They reached Azure Blade Hall as the sun began to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and gold. Tomorrow, classes would begin. Real training. Real challenges. Real opportunities to climb the ranks.
Ryou touched his copper badge. Class D. The bottom.
But today, for just a moment, he'd made the top students notice him.
It was a start.
"Hey Ryou?" Zix said as they reached their rooms.
"You're really going to do it, aren't you? Climb all the way to the Elite Ten."
Ryou looked out the window at the training grounds below, where students still practiced, pushing themselves to be better.
"Yeah," he said simply.
"I am."
"Cool." Zix opened his door.
"Just try not to die before you get there. I've already invested in this friendship. Would be a shame to waste it."
Ryou smiled.
"I'll do my best."
That night, as he lay in bed, Ryou thought about the day. About Marcus's overconfidence. About Grisha's blunt acknowledgment. About Bellavere's mysterious smile.
And he thought about the Six Phantom Kings, the legends who built this academy, who fought a war and sealed away a destroyer of worlds.
Someday, people would tell stories about this generation too. About the students who faced Knabok's return.
Ryou was going to make sure he was more than a footnote in that story.
He closed his eyes and let sleep take him, dreams full of combat strategies and creative applications of basic magic.
Tomorrow, the real work began.
END OF CHAPTER 2