Red Spire Academy, Forgotten Courtyard.
Cid stood still.
Eyes closed, shoulders loose. A soft current shimmered around him, not visible but undeniable.
Yuri and Elias watched silently, sensing it.
Then, Cid moved.
A sharp flick of his hand and the aura around him focus on one direction. His dagger, with concise flicks of his fingers he was able to control the dagger mid-air like telekinesis.
Yuri eyes widened slightly.
"Can you control more daggers or only one?"
Cid opened his eyes.
"This is what i figured out," he said simply. "If i apply Aura first... before using Power Attribute. I sort of get telekinesis. I don't just get telekinesis, I gain control of every object in the area but I takes too much stamina."
Elias whistled low, "That's terrifying."
Then Elias stepped forward.
He closed his fists.
Aura bled around him like heat rising from black iron.
He tapped the ground.
The dirt didn't explode.
It compacted. Hardened. Turned pitch black and compressed.
"My Power is Crush," Elias said. "Before Aura, I could only destroy things if i focused directly. But now..."
He raised his hand toward a log ten feet away.
"Crush."
The air around the log bent. With a soft crack, the log caved inward silently, no violence, just annihilation.
"I can crush even from afar. So long as i can sense its mass with Aura."
Cid smirked. "Remote Compression."
Yuri nodded slowly. "You two really got great abilities."
Then he looked up.
"...But we still have a long way to go."
After a silence of about 30 seconds.
"You can gain more abilities using Aura and Power Attribute but it depends on your imagination."
"And also, you have to name your ability, it increases the speed at which you activate but reduces power."
"Then mine will be Remote Compression," Elias said.
Cid thought, "This is so lame."
"I'll call mine, Absolute Hands."
Yuri walked towards them and said:
"You have to learn to control."
Capital, Throne Hall, Bolt Kingdom.
The Four Table Senates sat in cold silence.
King Edoras Kael stood before the table, hands behind back, his expression unreadable.
A fresh military report had just been read.
One line stood out:
"Germa Kingdom declared war against us. They are upholding their honor and stating they will attack in a year."
The Senate of Arms, Zeldris exhaled. "Germa's playing a long game."
The Senate of Whispers, Soei added, "They haven't claimed we hold responsibility… but they've been emboldened ever since the Colossal flattened Luthadel. They're testing us."
The King nodded.
He hesitated for a second.
"Then we give them what they want."
He turned.
"Effective immediately, Elite Class 5 students from all four Power Academies will be drafted into the Royal Army. No more waiting. We need soldiers who can survive the front lines."
Gasps.
The Senate of Rites, Ali protested. "What about the tournament?"
A heavy silence followed.
Then he dropped the second command.
"It will proceed as planned but only from Elite classes 1 through 4."
"Let them fight. Bleed. Prove themselves."
"Those who survive will qualify for Power Zone training. We'll need them ready when the war breaks out."
The Senate of Whispers leaned forward. "And what of your son Yuri Falk Kael?"
The King paused.
Then...
"If he fights in the tournament, the others will break."
"He won't fight even though he got repeated to Elite Class 4 for lacking will and pride."
"The others might still have a chance."
Red Spire Academy, Yuri's room.
Yuri sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the royal parchment.
His hands trembled.
He'd been exempted.
No draft. No tournament.
But… why didn't it feel good?
He thought of Cid and Elias.
He thought of their Aura, of their Power, of how fast they were catching up.
He whispered, "I didn't make friends just to watch them get torn apart."
He stood, gaze firming.
He then sighed a relief.
"They are strong enough and smart."
"I will just ensure they are stronger than me."
Two Months Before The Tournament.
Red Spire, Assembly Grounds.
The entire Elite Division, Classes 1 through 5 had gathered for the first time since the year began.
Hundreds of students stood shoulder to shoulder in formation.
At the front, a massive stone stage loomed, built into the Academy's southern wall
Principal Valdros stepped forward.
His eyes swept across the crowd, unreadable and sharp.
"You've all heard the news," he said.
"The King's Tournament will take place in the Holy Arena of Zareth, the jewel of the Bolt Kingdom."
"Only Elite Classes 1 to 4 students are eligible. Class 5 has been drafted. They are soldiers now."
The students murmured quietly, exchanging looks. Some proud and others grimmed.
"You have two months."
"One month and a half of that will be spent travelling to Zareth."
He paused, eyes sharp.
"Only four of you have reached Aura Stage Two, proving yourselves capable of wielding your Power as true warriors."
A hush fell over the students.
Valdros glanced at the students one by one.
"Cid Eiran."
"Elias Varnell."
"Myra Vale."
"Ryn Galhart."
The names echoed across the courtyard.
Ryn, a tall, stoic student from Elite Class 4, stepped forward silently.
Cid looked at him and his Power felt faint and cold like frost.
Valdros continued.
"You four are as strong as Yuri Falk Kael was when he reached Aura. One or more of you may be stronger now."
A ripple of disbelief passed through the crowd. Some students looked at Cid and Elias with awe. Others with jealousy.
"The rest of you will watch and observe. You will learn what it means to fight not as students, but as warriors."
He stepped aside, motioning toward a row of instructors standing beside a large iron vault.
"Now," he said, "before you depart... choose your weapons."
Instructor Drakon pulled open the vault doors, revealing racks of weapons.
Valdros turned to the chosen four.
"Step forward and name what you'll wield in Zareth."
Elias moved first.
He looked at the weapons for only a moment before grabbing a blunt, heavy gauntlet made of darksteel.
He raised it and nodded. "Same as always."
Next was Ryn but...
"These weapons are unworthy. My father, the greatest swordsman, forged this with..."
Myra walked and pushed him while saying.
"God, he's doing the dad monologue again…"
Ryn was silent but annoyed.
Myra selected twin knives shaped like crescent moons.
Then Cid stepped forward.
He didn't even look at most of the options.
"I want a dagger."
He turned slightly, voice calm.
"And a gun."
Murmurs broke out.
"A gun? Guess he is dumber than he looks."
"A toy in a fight of Power."
A few students laughed under their breath until Instructor Drakon nodded and stepped behind the vault.
He returned moments later with a black pistol, sleek and modified for fast draw.
Cid took it carefully, eyes narrowing. "Perfect."
He tucked it into his coat and strapped the dagger to his leg.
Valdros studied him with interest, then addressed the crowd one final time.
"You will march at dawn."
"The path ahead will test you more than any class, any exam, any sparring match."
"You four..." he looked at Cid, Elias, Myra and Ryn, "...you now carry the weight of this academy."
"You are no longer just students."
"You are our answer to the chaos coming."
Then he turned away.
"Dismissed."
Note: The story evolves significantly in pacing, power depth, and character arcs by Chapter 20. Thanks for sticking with it!