The academy felt different that morning.
Sharper.
Louder.
More alive.
Students filled the massive stone walkways long before sunrise had fully broken across the horizon. Conversations overlapped endlessly beneath the cold morning air, tension spreading through the campus in waves.
Some students looked excited.
Others looked terrified.
Kael noticed both.
He walked through the crowd quietly, dark grey eyes scanning the surroundings with practiced stillness. His black hair shifted lightly in the wind as students passed around him in groups, discussing strategies, rankings, rumours.
"…I heard S-Class already organized teams."
"Aurel Virex is leading them apparently."
"No surprise."
"They said Selene Arclight already secured alliances with two other classes."
"F-Class is finished."
Laughter followed that last statement.
Kael kept walking.
The massive evaluation grounds became visible ahead soon after.
Even from a distance, the structure looked overwhelming.
Towering mana barriers surrounded an artificial battlefield large enough to resemble a small district. Dense forest sections connected to ruined stone structures, rivers, elevated platforms, narrow pathways, and towering observation points that overlooked the entire zone.
Everything about it screamed scale.
Control.
Power.
Above the battlefield floated massive translucent displays formed entirely from mana constructs, waiting to track scores and rankings once the assessment began.
Kael studied the terrain immediately.
High ground near the eastern ruins.
Limited cover near the river crossings.
Too many choke points near the central sectors.
Strong classes would dominate those areas first.
Meaning weaker students would be forced outward.
Forced into conflict over what remained.
"…Troublesome."
The word barely left his mouth.
---
F-Class gathered near the outer entrance gates.
The atmosphere there was noticeably worse than the other classes.
Arguments had already started.
"We should avoid fights completely."
"And lose every point?"
"You think we can beat higher classes?"
"We'll get crushed either way."
"Then target weaker students."
"Like who?"
Several eyes drifted briefly toward Kael before moving away again.
Not subtle.
Not unexpected.
Kael ignored it.
A tall student near the center folded his arms tightly.
"The central zones are probably worth the most points," he said. "If we move fast enough—"
"We'll get destroyed," another interrupted.
The argument escalated instantly.
Voices layered over one another.
Nobody listened.
Nobody coordinated.
Kael watched silently for several seconds before finally speaking.
"If stronger classes secure the central sectors first," he said calmly, "then weaker groups will be forced into smaller outer zones. Once resources become limited, lower classes will start fighting each other instead."
The conversation paused briefly.
A few students looked at him.
Then someone scoffed.
"Right. Like the no-path freak suddenly understands strategy."
Several others laughed quietly.
Kael stopped talking.
The discussion immediately devolved again.
From nearby, Tovin stood silently against the wall, hands inside his pockets.
For a brief moment, his eyes shifted toward Kael.
Then away again.
---
A pulse of mana suddenly spread across the grounds.
Every conversation stopped instantly.
Several instructors stood atop the elevated stone platform overlooking the battlefield.
The pressure they released alone silenced the entire area.
One instructor stepped forward.
"Today marks your first official practical evaluation."
His amplified voice echoed across the academy grounds effortlessly.
"This assessment will determine early class performance rankings, resource allocation, instructor recommendations, and future opportunities within the academy."
Students visibly stiffened.
The instructor continued.
"Points may be obtained through territorial control, objective capture, combat victories, and resource acquisition."
Massive glowing sections across the battlefield lit up one after another as he spoke.
Towers.
Capture zones.
Storage points.
Strategic sectors.
"Combat between students is permitted."
That statement immediately changed the atmosphere.
"You may steal points from opposing students and classes directly."
Nervous whispers spread through the crowd.
The instructor's expression never changed.
"The academy does not reward potential."
Silence fell again.
"It rewards results."
The words settled heavily across the grounds.
Kael watched the battlefield carefully.
This wasn't an exam.
It was controlled conflict.
A system designed to create winners quickly.
And expose losers even faster.
---
Several students from higher classes began passing nearby toward their assigned entrances.
Kael saw compressed wind spinning around one student's fingertips effortlessly.
Another reinforced his body with crackling lightning mana while casually stretching.
One girl carried a blade coated in flowing blue energy that distorted the air around it faintly.
The difference between classes was visible instantly.
Visible everywhere.
Kael understood it clearly.
The gap was enormous.
---
Then—
his eyes met Rhett Kaine's across the crowd.
Rhett stood beside Brann and Kellis near the D-Class entrance, hands loosely in his pockets.
Brann smirked immediately upon noticing Kael.
Kellis laughed under his breath.
But Rhett simply looked at him quietly.
Observing.
Like always.
Then the gates began opening.
Massive mana barriers shifted slowly upward as students prepared to enter the battlefield.
The tension became suffocating.
Kael's eyes moved across the terrain one final time.
Escape routes.
Blind spots.
Elevation.
Movement flow.
Everything mattered now.
Because this assessment would not protect the weak.
It would expose them.