The room stayed quiet for a full five seconds after the door closed.
Not awkward quiet.
Measured quiet.
Everyone in the room was doing the same thing—evaluating.
Ren leaned back in his chair, fingers drumming lazily on the desk. The silver-haired girl didn't look up from her book, but I could feel her awareness locked onto every movement. The broad-shouldered boy sat rigid, like he wasn't sure whether to relax or prepare for impact.
Then the air shifted.
A presence appeared at the front of the room without sound.
The blue-eyed instructor.
She hadn't opened the door.
No footsteps.
Just there.
"Good," she said calmly. "You're all alive."
Ren grinned. "That's the requirement?"
"For this class," she replied, "it's not guaranteed."
She turned, drawing a symbol in the air. Runes flared, sealing the room.
"No outside interference. No complaints. No protection."
My eyes narrowed slightly.
Figures.
"This is the Special Observation Class," she continued. "You are here because something about you does not fit the academy's system."
Her gaze passed over each of us—and lingered on me for half a second longer.
"You will not be taught like other students. You will be tested."
The broad-shouldered boy swallowed.
The silver-haired girl finally closed her book.
Ren looked amused.
"What kind of tests?" he asked.
The instructor smiled faintly.
"Survive each other."
That was all the warning we got.
Ren moved.
His chair scraped back as he surged forward, mana flaring openly. The air distorted around his fist as he swung—fast, precise, confident.
A provocation.
A challenge.
I stepped aside at the last second, his punch slicing past my shoulder and cracking the wall behind me.
The room shook.
"So the rumors were true," Ren said, eyes bright. "You really are interesting."
The blade remained suppressed, but my instincts were sharp.
"You didn't need to do that," I said calmly.
He laughed. "Yes, I did."
The broad-shouldered boy stood abruptly. "Hey—wait, aren't we—"
Too late.
Ren came at me again, this time faster, his movements layered with technique. This wasn't a street brawler.
He was trained.
I blocked, redirecting his strike, twisting his balance just enough to send him stumbling a step.
His grin widened.
"Oh, I like you."
Mana pressure spiked.
Before the clash could escalate—
"Enough."
The instructor's voice cut through the room like a blade.
Ren froze mid-motion.
I stopped as well.
She hadn't raised her voice.
She didn't need to.
"This," she said, eyes sharp, "was lesson one."
She looked at Ren. "You attack without understanding your opponent."
Then at me.
"You restrain yourself despite advantage."
Her gaze shifted to the others.
"And you hesitate."
The room felt heavier.
"In this class," she continued, "hesitation gets you killed. Restraint keeps you alive. And arrogance—"
Her eyes flicked back to Ren.
"—gets corrected."
The seal faded.
She turned toward the door.
"Tomorrow," she said, "you will be sent into a controlled combat zone."
Her steps paused.
"Fight seriously," she added. "Or don't come back."
The door closed.
Silence returned.
Ren rolled his shoulders, still smiling—but sharper now. "Looks like we're classmates."
The silver-haired girl spoke softly for the first time. "Try that again without permission," she said, "and I'll end it."
The broad-shouldered boy exhaled shakily. "Name's Doran," he said. "Guess… we're a team?"
I looked around the room.
No.
We weren't a team.
We were weapons kept too close together.
And sooner or later—
One of us was going to break.