Klaus spent the better part of the next hour hauling boxes, cases, and bundles into the girl's suite.
She guided him with small written notes, pointing out where each thing went. Once the last trunk was set down, she rolled over to a sleek-looking tablet device resting on her desk.
Her pale fingers tapped quickly, and a smooth mechanical voice emerged from the tablet:"Thank you for your help…."
He blinked in mild surprise. "…You can talk through that?"
She nodded with a small, proud smile before typing again.
"My name is Selene Vaeloria, daughter of House Vaeloria. I apologize if my earlier communication was difficult. This allows me to speak properly."
Klaus studied her calmly before replying, "You can call me Klaus."
Selene tilted her head. "Only your first name?"
"That's enough." His tone was even, but not unkind.
After a pause, she typed again, her voice soft through the device."Would you… like to be friends with me?"
Klaus smiled gently. "Why not?"
Her eyes widened slightly, her lips curving into the most innocent smile—radiant, pure.
For a moment, the room felt lighter, her cuteness disarming.
Klaus gave a short nod and turned to leave.
But as soon as he stepped into the hall, he froze.
Standing there, arms crossed, a faint flame flickering around her shoulders, was Sofie.
"Helping another girl…?" she said sharply, one eyebrow raised.
Klaus immediately raised both hands. "Whoa, whoa—she's disabled. I had to help her out."
Sofie's fiery aura simmered down, though she still gave him a side glance.
Without another word, she marched past him and knocked on Selene's door.
Selene wheeled herself out, blinking curiously.
"I'm Sofie Ignar," Sofie said proudly, hands on her hips. "Klaus's girlfriend."
Selene blinked then giggled, covering her mouth.
Sofie leaned in a little closer, her tone softening but still playful. "You know what, Selene? The three of us you, me, and Klaus we're going to be best friends from now on. How does that sound?"
Selene's smile widened, her eyes shimmering as she nodded eagerly.
---
That night, the grand event began.
All new students were summoned to the Academy Colosseum a sprawling structure that seemed to fuse ancient might with modern brilliance.
Towering stone arches rose high, yet lined with glowing holographic banners.
Floating screens orbited above, projecting images of the massive crowd below.
The colosseum could seat millions, and tonight it was overflowing with fresh youths and their guardians.
Klaus, Sofie, and Selene arrived together.
At the entrance, volunteers in academy uniforms greeted them warmly and directed them to a private waiting room for candidates.
Inside, Sofie kept cracking jokes, waving her arms dramatically to lighten the mood. Even Selene giggled softly behind her tablet.
But then—
An overwhelming aura descended on the colosseum.
The air froze. Every conversation died. The very pressure of existence bore down on every youth present.
Klaus's eyes lifted upward, narrowing.
Floating in the air was a woman cloaked in regal garments of black and crimson.
Her presence was suffocating, a living storm of authority. Her beauty was sharp, her gaze commanding a single look from her was enough to crush a lesser will.
It was Anastasia Vortan, Principal of Eryndor Academy.
Her gaze swept through the crowd slowly, piercing through millions of students.
For a moment, her eyes lingered here and there on prodigies, on noble heirs.
But when they reached Klaus—
She stopped.
The silence stretched. Klaus met her gaze, unwavering, unblinking.
"…Interesting," Anastasia thought to herself, her lips barely curving.
And then—
A shadow fell across the colosseum.
A second figure descended from the skies—a small silhouette falling fast, plummeting straight down. Gasps erupted.
"She's going to crash!"
But the moment the girl hit the ground—she landed gracefully, the impact barely stirring dust.
Every youth turned in shock.
The girl who stood there could only be described one way.
A younger mirror of Anastasia.
The same sharp silver eyes. The same cascade of dark hair. The same air of nobility, though unrefined—still growing, still forming.
The colosseum was stunned into silence.
---
The world around Klaus dissolved in light.
A brilliance so blinding it erased the colossal colosseum, the murmurs of millions, even the faint warmth of Sofie standing at his side.
For a fleeting instant, Klaus felt as though his body had been torn apart and scattered across endless fragments of sky.
Then—
Boom!
He landed hard on solid ground, dust rising beneath his boots.
When his eyes adjusted, he was no longer in the academy's grand colosseum.
The place resembled an ancient battlefield: towering cliffs of jagged stone, colossal trees whose roots split mountains, rivers of molten light flowing through deep canyons.
The sky itself shimmered with violet storms, arcs of lightning splitting the horizon as if the world was forged to test them.
The youths appeared in groups, scattered across this vast realm, each one blinking in shock.
Some fell to their knees, others immediately summoned weapons or elemental cores to steady themselves.
Beside him, Sofie landed gracefully, a flicker of flame briefly enveloping her feet before dimming out.
She let out a low whistle."Klaus… this doesn't look like any test I've ever heard of."
Klaus's eyes swept the terrain, cold and calculating. This place… it feels alive. Like it's watching us.
A soft sound of wheels followed, and Selena—appeared not far from them.
Unlike the others, she looked more fascinated than afraid, her bracelet glowing faintly blue as it pulsed like a heartbeat.
The crowd of youths shifted, turning toward the girl who had landed like a shadow earlier the one whispered to be Vortan blood, granddaughter of Emperor Malrik Vortan and Anastasia Vortan herself.
She stood there, calm and detached, her dark hair brushing across her eyes, a silver shimmer in her bracelet that none of the others shared.
She didn't bother to speak, didn't bother to acknowledge the crowd gawking at her. Her gaze only flicked forward landing on Klaus.
Just for a heartbeat.
And Klaus felt it again. That odd pressure.
Not the crushing dominance of a Monarch like Anastasia, but something subtler like standing before a storm cloud waiting to burst.
Then she turned away, expression still bored.
The murmurs spread through the masses:
"She's here too…Annabeth Vortan. Damn it, rank 1 is already sealed."
"Forget leading the first years, who would even dare challenge her?"
"We might as well fight for second place."
But Klaus's lips curved into a faint, almost amused smile. His fingers flexed at his side.
So, rank 1 determines the leader of the first years? …That sounds interesting.
Almost as if answering his thought, the bracelet on his wrist pulsed with golden light, lines of runes weaving across it.
A cold, mechanical voice resonated in his mind.
[Initiating Leaders' Summit Trial.]
[Objective: Ascend the Battlefield and Claim the First Summit Crest.]
[Warning: Only one may stand as First Year Leader.]
The ground beneath them shook violently, and in the far distance, a monolithic tower of obsidian erupted from the earth, stabbing through the storm-filled skies.
At its peak, a blazing crest radiated with untold power, shining like a beacon to every youth scattered across the battlefield.
A hush fell.
Then chaos.
Elemental bursts tore through the field as thousands of youths surged forward, eyes fixed on the tower.
Firestorms roared, rivers froze, the earth itself splintered as combat broke out instantly.
Klaus's eyes sharpened, his body loosening as the old thrill of combat sparked in his blood.
Sofie glanced at him, fire beginning to crackle at her shoulders."Looks like it's a race to the top."
Klaus smirked coldly. "Then let's not waste time."
With that, he moved like lightning itself, vanishing into the fray.