Noah stepped out of the Wild Trial Grounds, his boots pressing against the smooth stone pathway leading back into the Academy. The massive iron gates stood wide open, as if inviting him in, but the crowd beyond them told a different story.
A crowd of students and instructors stood gathered in the courtyard, their faces filled with shock, curiosity and disbelief.
Noah had been expected to die. Instead, he had returned and seemed to be stronger.
His dark green eyes swept across the crowd, catching sight of Kane Smith standing near the front. Kane's storm-gray eyes widened for half a second, but he quickly masked his surprise with a slow, mocking smirk. His golden uniform, pristine and polished, gleamed under the morning sun, as if he had been waiting for this moment to humiliate Noah all over again.
Noah knew that smirk, it meant trouble.
Kane took a slow step forward, his voice carrying easily over the murmuring crowd. "Look at that. The trash actually crawled back in one piece." He tilted his head, eyes narrowing. "Did you hide in a hole all night and wait for sunrise?"
The students laughed, some jeering, but Noah didn't react. He wasn't the same person who had been mocked and thrown into the Trial Grounds.
He smirked. "You tell me. Do I look like someone who was hiding?"
Kane's smirk faltered just slightly as he took in Noah's new presence. His movement was smoother, his posture looser yet controlled, his eyes sharper. Something was different, and Kane wasn't the only one who noticed.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
"He's… different."
"Did he actually bond with a beast?"
"But where is it? I don't see anything."
Kane scoffed. "No beast in sight, no proof you bonded with anything. What, did a squirrel accept you as its master?"
Noah let out a mock gasp, placing a hand on his chest. "Kane, did you just admit you can't sense my power?"
A ripple of laughter moved through the students.
Kane's smirk disappeared completely. His fingers twitched. Noah knew that meant he was losing patience.
"You think you're clever, don't you?" Kane said, voice low. "Fine. If you really bonded with a beast, then prove it."
The crowd oohed.
Noah barely held back a grin. "You want a demonstration? Alright."
The air shifted as Noah reached inward, tapping into the presence coiled inside him. Energy crackled through his body, his muscles tightening with familiar power.
And then, the shadows beneath him stretched unnaturally, dark tendrils flickering around his feet like living ink. The temperature dropped slightly. His pupils narrowed, glowing faintly as his senses expanded beyond human limits.
Students gasped.
Kane took an involuntary step back before catching himself.
"What…" Someone whispered. "What is that?"
Noah took a lazy step forward, his movement eerily smooth, his footsteps silent.
"Is this proof enough?" he asked.
Kane's jaw clenched. "You think you're tough now just because you learned a few tricks?" He exhaled sharply, his frustration evident. "Alright, then. Let's see how you handle a real opponent."
Noah knew it was coming, but he still barely had time to react when Kane raised his arm summoning his beast.
"Lightning Drake," Kane commanded, "crush him."
The air exploded with power.
A deafening crack of thunder split the sky as a massive, serpentine beast appeared behind Kane, lightning flickering across its violet scales. It let out a piercing shriek, its glowing yellow eyes locking onto Noah like he was already dead meat.
Noah had about half a second to process the situation before the Lightning Drake lunged at him with terrifying speed.
His body moved before his brain could.
Shadow Step, and in one second he was there and next, he wasn't. There was a blur of black mist and he reappeared several feet to the left, just as the Lightning Drake's claws slammed into the ground where he had been standing.
A deep gouge was carved into the stone, sparks crackling along the damaged floor.
The crowd erupted into chaos.
"He dodged it?!"
"What the hell was that?!"
"That wasn't normal movement!"
Kane's eyes darkened. He wasn't amused anymore. "Hmph. Quick reflexes, but let's see how long you last."
The Lightning Drake snarled, electricity dancing across its body. Noah's mind raced. Shadow Step was good, but he couldn't dodge forever, he needed more.
And the system heard him, it actually read his thoughts, then responded.
[Warning: Opponent vastly outmatches current strength level.
Solution: Activate Force Evolution.
Risk: Unstable mutation. Unpredictable results.]
Noah inhaled sharply. The system is basically saying, "It can make me stronger, but it might ruin my body in the process."
…
'Screw it' Noah had no time to compare the risks and rewards, he was done being weak.
'Activate Force Evolution.' The moment he thought of it , pain slammed into him like a collapsing mountain.
His body burned, every inch of him feeling like it was being rewritten from the inside out. His vision blurred, his heartbeat thundered in his ears, and for a split second, he thought he might actually die.
Then, the world snapped back into focus and he was no longer the same. The shadows around him surged, twisting and warping as his presence grew heavier, darker, more terrifying. His body felt different, stronger, more refined.
Then a sound ringed in his mind followed by a prompt.
Ding!
[Force Evolution Successful.]
[Shadow Panther has evolved into Shadow Lord Beast.]
Noah lifted his head.
Kane took a step back, the Lightning Drake hesitated.
This made, Noah smiled. Then With courage . "Your turn," he said.
The Lightning Drake lunged again, but this time, Noah didn't dodge. He moved forward instead, faster than even he expected. He could see everything, the lightning crackling, the muscles shifting, the exact moment when the beast's guard dropped.
Noah struck first.
A burst of shadow energy erupted from his palm, colliding directly into the Lightning Drake's chest. The massive beast reeled back, letting out a furious screech as its entire body shook violently from the impact.
It tried to attack again, but hesitated. It was afraid of something.
Kane's eyes widened. "What…?"
Before he could react, the Lightning Drake collapsed, sparks flickering weakly across its scales.
The courtyard fell into stunned silence.
Kane's beast had just been defeated.
Noah dusted off his sleeves, turning toward Kane with a smirk. "Huh. Guess your 'real opponent' wasn't much of a challenge after all."
Kane's face darkened, but before he could say anything, a loud cough interrupted them.
Noah turned.
At the far end of the courtyard, Master Robert Blackwood had been watching.
His expression unreadable, he turned to one of the academy officials and whispered something. The official gave a quick nod and hurried off.
Moments later, A tall, gray-robed instructor came with a letter in his hand, the man stepped forward, his expression unreadable as he held an official-looking envelope out. "Noah Green."
Noah raised an eyebrow and took it, "An invitation?" Noah muttered, his brow raising.
"You've been summoned by the Academy's higher council," the instructor said, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Noah's smirk faded. He flipped the letter open. It was a formal letter from the Academy's administration. They weren't just acknowledging his return but were marking him as a dangerous anomaly.