The Grand Imperial ArenaThe imperial arena was a colossal structure of white marble and sapphire-veined stone, its towering stands filled to the brim with nobles, scholars, and commoners alike. Banners bearing the crest of the High Empire of Sapphire fluttered in the wind, their deep blue hues shimmering under the midday sun. At the center of the arena floor, a circular platform hummed with ancient runes—the proving grounds of Mysticrium Academy's future students.
Sebastian stood among the other participants, his fingers brushing the four beast-rings hidden beneath his sleeve. Around him, the air buzzed with nervous energy.
This wasn't just a test.
This was a gateway to power.
A horn blast silenced the crowd.
A robed officer stepped onto the arena's central dais, his voice amplified by wind magic.
"By decree of His Imperial Majesty and the Grand Council of Mysticrium, the Selection Trials shall now commence!"
The crowd erupted into cheers.
The officer unfurled a scroll, his eyes scanning the gathered participants.
"First, the noble candidates!"
One by one, he called out names, talents, and bonded beasts.
"Prince Theren Arindhelm!"
Talents: Phoenix Blood (Mythical-tier), Iron Skin (Rare-tier)
Rune-Beasts: Emerald Grove Keeper (Spark Guardian), Flamecrest Phoenix (Flame Warden).
Gasps rippled through the stands. Phoenix Blood—a Mythical-tier talent!
Sebastian's jaw tightened. The prince stood with effortless grace, his crimson-and-gold robes marking his royal status. His twin, Princess Maelis, was next.
"Princess Maelis Arindhelm!"
Talents: Mystic Dancer Steps (Legendary-tier)
Rune-Beasts: Mystic Miragewing (Spark Guardian)
Her movements were fluid, almost ethereal—like she wasn't entirely bound by gravity.
The list continued,
Hadric Corvain (First grandson of Grand Duke Marcellus Corvain)
Talent: Glacier Soul (Mythical-tier)
Rune-Beast: Hibernic Glacial (Flame Warden)
Torran Blackberk (Third son of Duke Tharion Blackberk)
Talents: Gale Armor (Epic-tier), Fleet Foot (Rare-tier)
Rune-Beast: Sundial Tortoise (Spark Guardian)
Ysara Greyfen (Third daughter of Duke Emrick Greyfen)
Talent: Radiant Veil (Legendary-tier)
Rune-Beast: Hail Caller (Spark Guardian)
Tavric Flinthearth (Second son of Count Darius Flinthearth)
Talent: Flame Worshipping Body (Legendary-tier)
Rune-Beast: Blazemane Stallion (Flame Warden)
Sylas Lysmere (Second son of Countess Freya Lysmere)
Talent: Axe of Molten Earth (Epic-tier)
Rune-Beast: Geode Guardian (Flame Warden)
Vaelen Duskmoarn (First son of Count Renhart Duskmoarn)
Talent: Nightmare Wings (Epic-tier)
Rune-Beast: Shadowpaw Bear (Flame Warden)
Coelira Skyfell (First daughter of Baron Eron Skyfell)
Talent: Life Sense (Legendary-tier)
Rune-Beasts: Tempest Lynx (Spark Guardian) and Aqua Lynx (Spark Guardian)
Selyre Wyrmdancer (First daughter of Baroness Silene Wyrmdancer)
Talent: Earth Commanding Hands (Legendary-tier)
Rune-Beast: Moss Mammoth (Flame Warden)
Sebastian exhaled slowly. So many strong opponents.
Then, the officer's voice shifted."Now, the commoner candidates!"
Unlike the nobles, the commoners had no titles, no ancestral wealth—just raw talent and the beasts they had tamed through sheer will.
"Kael the Unbroken"
Talents: Titan Strength (Mythical-tier) and Iron Will Mind (Legendary-tier)
Rune-Beasts: Stoneclaw Grizzly (Flame Warden).
A mountain of a boy, barely twelve, stepped forward. His arms were corded with muscle, his gaze unyielding.
"Liora of the Wilds"
Talents: Beast Emperor (Mythical-tier) and Green Thumb (Uncommon-tier)
Rune-Beasts: Thornfang Panther (Flame Warden) and Verdant Serpent (Spark Guardian).
A girl with sun-browned skin and leaves woven into her hair. Wild creatures seemed to lean toward her instinctively.
"Dren the Shadowborn"
Talents: Void Walker (Mythical-tier) and Night Walker (Epic-tier)
Rune-Beasts: Obsidian Stalker (Flame Warden).
A boy who seemed to flicker in and out of vision, his very presence unsettling.
"Mira of the Stormpeaks"
Talents: Storm Caller Body (Legendary-tier) and Lucky Star (Uncommon-tier)
Rune-Beasts: Thunderbeak Roc (Flame Warden).
Her hair crackled with static, her eyes alight with storm energy.
"Garrik the Forgeborn"
Talents: Immortal Craftsman Hands (Legendary-tier) and Strong Back (Rare-tier)
Rune-Beasts: Emberback Boar (Spark Guardian).
A blacksmith's son, his fingers scarred from years at the forge.
Sebastian's grip tightened. These weren't just commoners—they were monsters in their own right.
The Trial Began,
The officer raised his hand.
"The rules are simple! Each participant will face a series of challenges testing their bond, combat prowess, and adaptability. Only the strongest will earn a place in Mysticrium."
A pulse of energy surged through the arena.
The ground trembled.
"First Trial, The Gauntlet of Elements!"
The arena floor split open, revealing a shifting labyrinth of fire, water, earth, and wind—each section guarded by wild Rune-Beasts.
Sebastian's eyes narrowed.
This was where the real test began.
He activated his Book of Beast Records, scanning the battlefield.
[[Fire Zone: Dominated by Ember Wolves (Tier II). Weak to water.
Water Zone: Lurking Depth Serpents (Tier II). Weak to lightning.
Earth Zone: Stoneback Rhinos (Tier III). Weak to wind.
Wind Zone: Gale Shrikes (Tier II). Weak to earth.]]
He had options.
But so did everyone else.
Prince Theren's Flamecrest Phoenix took to the skies, its wings scattering embers. Hadric Corvain's Hibernic Glacial froze an entire section of the water zone in seconds. Kael the Unbroken simply charged through the fire, his Titan Strength letting him shrug off burns.
Sebastian smirked.
Time to make an impression.
"Blairon Giant—frontline!"For the first time, his fourth beast-ring flared.
The crowd gasped as the massive blackiron construct materialized, its rune-core pulsing.
Even the professors of Mysticrium leaned forward in interest.
Sebastian Stormwright wasn't holding back.
Sebastian's Blairon Giant crashed forward like a living avalanche, its iron fists slamming into the earth zone's Stoneback Rhinos. The impact sent shockwaves through the arena, throwing dust into the air. Around him, other participants surged into the elemental gauntlet—some alone, others forming temporary alliances.
Prince Theren's Flamecrest Phoenix soared overhead, raining fire upon the water zone's Depth Serpents, steam hissing where flames met liquid. Nearby, Hadric Corvain stood unmoving as his Hibernic Glacial exhaled a blizzard, freezing an entire section of the battlefield solid.
Sebastian didn't have time to watch.
A Gale Shrike dove at him, its razor-edged wings slicing through the air.
"Gale Shield Cicada—Windwall!"
The cicada's wings hummed, erecting a shimmering barrier just in time. The shrike screeched, deflected, but two more took its place.
Sebastian gritted his teeth. This wasn't sustainable.
He needed to move.
"Storm Hawk—lightning sweep!"
The hawk shot upward, then unleashed a crackling arc of electricity, frying the shrikes mid-dive. Sebastian sprinted forward, his War God Body enhancing his speed, his mind racing through the Book of Beast Records' data.
[[Gale Shrikes – Tier II (Spark Guardian)]]
[[Weakness: Sustained wind disruption]]
"Thunderjaw Wyvern—static storm!"
The wyvern roared, its wings generating a localized tempest. The gale shrikes faltered, their precision flying ruined by the turbulence.
One obstacle down.
But the real challenge was just beginning.
Deep in the fire zone, the ground trembled.
A Molten Behemoth—a Tier IV wild Rune-Beast—erupted from the magma pools, its molten rock body dripping like liquid flame. It wasn't part of the trial.
It was a test within the test.
The arena erupted into chaos.
Nobles and commoners alike scrambled back, but a few stood their ground.
Kael the Unbroken grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Finally, something worth hitting."
Liora of the Wilds whistled, and her Thornfang Panther lunged, fangs bared.
Prince Theren merely raised a hand, his Phoenix Blood flaring as embers danced around his fingers.
Sebastian hesitated only a second before barking orders.
"Blairon Giant—distraction! Storm Hawk—aim for the eyes! Wyvern, Cicada—support Kael and Liora!"
He didn't wait to see if they listened.
He charged.
The Molten Behemoth swung a massive fist, but Sebastian ducked, his War God Body letting him move faster than should be possible for an eight-year-old. His fist connected with the beast's molten knee—and it actually staggered.
The crowd roared.But the behemoth wasn't done. It inhaled, its chest glowing—
"Incoming breath attack!" Sebastian yelled.
His Thunderjaw Wyvern shot forward, intercepting the blast with a lightning-infused roar of its own. The two forces collided—
And then, the wyvern's mutation activated again.
Its body split apart, not in pain, but in adaptation—its form shifting into something sleeker, deadlier.
[[Thunderjaw Wyvern → Stormfang Leviathan (Tier V – Mythic Sovereign)]]
For three seconds.
A pulse of raw storm energy exploded outward, shattering the Molten Behemoth's chest core.
Then, just as quickly, the wyvern reverted, panting, its body smoking.Silence.
Then—the arena erupted.
Even the Mysticrium professors shot to their feet.
High in the imperial balcony, Empress Liora didn't cheer.
She watched.
Her violet eyes locked onto Sebastian with an intensity that made his skin prickle, even from a distance.
Her lips moved, whispering something to the Emperor.
He nodded slowly.
Sebastian didn't have time to wonder why.
The trial wasn't over.
With the Molten Behemoth down, the remaining wild beasts faltered. The gauntlet's magic faded, leaving only the exhausted participants.
The officer stepped forward again."The first trial concludes! Those who remain advance to the next round!"
Sebastian's chest heaved, but he stood tall.
Around him, the other survivors did the same—Prince Theren, Hadric, Kael, Liora, Tavric, and a handful of others.
But one pair of eyes burned hotter than the rest.
Princess Maelis.
She hadn't fought.She had danced through the gauntlet, her Mystic Dancer Steps making her untouchable.
And now, she was staring right at him.
"Interesting," she murmured, just loud enough for him to hear.
Sebastian said nothing.
But he knew.
This was only the beginning.
The dust settled over the shattered battlefield as the surviving candidates stood panting, their Rune-Beasts wounded but unbowed. The crowd's roar had faded into a hushed murmur, their eyes locked onto the eight-year-old boy who had just forced a Tier V evolution—even if only for a moment.
Sebastian's hands trembled, not from exhaustion, but from the Book of Beast Records' frantic updates.
[[Thunderjaw Wyvern – Post-Mutation Analysis]]
-Temporary Ascension: Stormfang Leviathan (Tier V) –
3-second duration
-Aftereffects: Severe energy depletion, 12-hour cooldown
-Evolutionary Path Confirmed: Celestial Thunderbeast (Tier VI Potential)]]
He exhaled sharply. That wasn't supposed to happen.
A hand clapped his shoulder.
"Not bad, Stormwright."
Sebastian turned to see Kael the Unbroken, the commoner Titan Strength wielder, grinning down at him. The older boy's Stoneclaw Grizzly lumbered behind him, its fur matted with soot but its eyes still fierce.
"But save some glory for the rest of us, yeah?"
Sebastian nodded, but before he could reply, the arena's announcer boomed again.
"Second Trial, Rune Puzzles!"
The ground shifted. The broken terrain of the gauntlet sank into the earth, replaced by floating platforms, each inscribed with glowing runes.
"Participants must solve elemental puzzles using their Rune-Beasts' abilities. Speed and precision determine ranking!"
Sebastian's eyes narrowed. This wasn't just combat—this was strategy.
Princess Maelis stepped onto the nearest platform, her Mystic Miragewing fluttering beside her. Unlike her brother, she hadn't broken a sweat in the first trial.
"Watch her," murmured a voice.
Sebastian glanced to his left. Coelira Skyfell, the girl with Life Sense, stood there, her twin lynxes prowling at her feet. "She's not just fast. She's reading the runes before they activate.
"Sebastian frowned. "How?"
Coelira's eyes glowed faintly. "Her talent isn't just movement. It's perception."
As if hearing them, Maelis glanced back—and winked.
Then she blurred.
Her Miragewing's wings scattered prismatic dust as she danced across the platforms, her feet barely touching the unstable runes before they could react. Fire traps fizzled. Wind barriers parted like curtains.
She wasn't solving the puzzles.
She was cheating them.
Prince Theren smirked from his own platform, his Flamecrest Phoenix melting through an ice barrier with contemptuous ease. "Hurry up, slowpokes."
Sebastian clenched his fists.
Time to adapt.
The Book of Beast Records flickered open.
[[Rune Puzzle Analysis,
Fire Runes: Triggered by earth, countered by water
Wind Runes: Triggered by lightning, countered by earth
Water Runes: Triggered by wind, countered by lightning
Earth Runes: Triggered by water, countered by wind]]
A pattern.
"Blairon Giant—earth strike on the third platform!"
The Giant obeyed, slamming its fist into the ground. The impact triggered a water rune, which the Storm Hawk immediately shattered with a lightning bolt.
Platform by platform, Sebastian advanced, his mind racing ahead.
But he wasn't the only one.
Liora of the Wilds moved like a forest spirit, her Thornfang Panther and Verdant Serpent weaving through traps with eerie synchronicity.
Hadric Corvain simply froze everything, his Hibernic Glacial turning entire sections into ice sculptures.
And then—
A scream.
One of the noble candidates, Torran Blackberk, stumbled as his Sundial Tortoise failed to block a flame jet. His Gale Armor saved him, but the message was clear.
Mistakes meant elimination.
Just as Sebastian reached the final platform, a horn sounded.
"Halt!"
The platforms froze mid-shift.
Emperor Aurelius IV stood from his throne, his voice carrying effortlessly. "The final puzzle requires a partner. Choose wisely—your teamwork here determines your worth to Mysticrium."
Murmurs spread.
Sebastian scanned the remaining candidates. Kael was strong but blunt. Liora was brilliant but unpredictable. Coelira—
"You."
Princess Maelis stood in front of him, her golden eyes gleaming. "Let's see what the Stormwright heir is really made of."
The crowd gasped.
Prince Theren's smirk vanished. "Maelis, what are you—?"
She ignored him, extending a hand to Sebastian. "Well?"
Sebastian hesitated only a second before taking it.
"Don't slow me down."
Her laugh was like wind chimes. "Oh, this'll be fun."
The last platform expanded, revealing a massive, shifting rune matrix—a fusion of all four elements, constantly rearranging.
"Solve it before the sands run out!" the announcer called, pointing to an hourglass.
Maelis didn't wait. She dashed forward, her Miragewing scattering illusions that tricked the runes into stabilizing.
Sebastian's All-Seeing Eyes caught what others missed—she was creating false triggers to force the puzzle into submission.
Clever. But reckless.
"Storm Hawk—lightning strike at the northeast node!"
The hawk obeyed, and the matrix stuttered.
Maelis shot him a look. "You can see the ley lines?"
"I see everything."
Her grin turned sharp. "Then let's break it."
Together, they worked—Sebastian directing precise strikes, Maelis bending the rules with her supernatural grace. The puzzle shuddered, then clicked.
A pillar of light erupted.
"Winners, Sebastian Stormwright and Princess Maelis Arindhelm!"
The crowd exploded in cheers.
As the applause faded, a servant approached Sebastian, bowing deeply.
"His Imperial Majesty requests your presence. Privately."
Sebastian's stomach dropped.
Behind him, Maelis sighed. "Told you he'd notice."
"Notice what?"
She twirled a strand of silver hair around her finger. "That you're hiding something. And not just that fourth beast of yours."
Sebastian's blood ran cold.
"Don't worry," she whispered, leaning in. "I won't tell. But he might."
She nodded toward the imperial balcony—where Empress Liora's gaze burned into him like a brand.
At The imperial palace,
The imperial palace's inner sanctum was a place of quiet power. Sapphire-veined marble floors reflected the glow of enchanted lanterns, and the air hummed with restrained energy. Sebastian followed the servant through vaulted corridors, his mind racing.
What did the Emperor want?
The grand doors swung open, revealing Emperor Aurelius IV standing before a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Celesthaven. He turned, his violet eyes piercing even in the dim light.
"Sebastian Stormwright." His voice was calm, but the weight of authority pressed down like a physical force. "You've made quite the impression today."
Sebastian bowed deeply. "Your Majesty honors me."A faint smile touched the Emperor's lips. "Rise. We speak as men, not as emperor and subject."
Sebastian straightened but remained wary.
The Emperor gestured to a nearby table where a silver teapot steamed. "Sit. You've earned that much."
As Sebastian took his seat, the Emperor poured tea with practiced ease. "You rejected my offer to join the imperial vanguard. Why?"
Sebastian kept his voice steady. "My path lies elsewhere."
"Ah." The Emperor sipped his tea. "With Mysticrium, then?"
Sebastian nodded.
"A wise choice." The Emperor's gaze sharpened. "But tell me—how did you force a Tier V evolution, even temporarily?"
Sebastian's fingers twitched. The Book of Beast Records remained hidden, its secrets his alone. "Luck. And a strong bond."
The Emperor studied him for a long moment before chuckling. "Modesty doesn't suit you, boy. But very well. Keep your secrets."
He set down his cup. "However, know this—the empire rewards talent. But it demands loyalty."
Sebastian met his gaze. "My loyalty is to my family. And to myself."
Silence stretched between them.
Then, to Sebastian's surprise, the Emperor laughed. "Spoken like a true Stormwright." He waved a hand. "Go. But remember this conversation."
Sebastian stood, bowed again, and left.
The moment the doors closed behind him, he exhaled.
That had been too close.
The palace gardens were a welcome respite from the arena's intensity. Moonlight filtered through crystalline trees, casting shimmering reflections on the pathways. Sebastian wandered, sorting through his thoughts—until a voice interrupted.
"Rejecting the Emperor's favor? Bold."
Prince Theren leaned against a tree, arms crossed, his Flamecrest Phoenix perched on a branch above him. The usual arrogance in his gaze was tempered by something new—curiosity.
Sebastian tensed. "Did you follow me?"
Theren shrugged. "I wanted to talk. Alone." He pushed off the tree, stepping closer. "You're interesting, Stormwright. Most nobles grovel for my grandfather's attention. You walked away."
Sebastian eyed him. "And?"
"And," Theren smirked, "I like that." He extended a hand. "Be my rival."
Sebastian blinked. "What?"
"You heard me." Theren's crimson eyes gleamed. "I've never had a real challenge. Everyone either fears me or flatters me. But you? You're different."
Sebastian hesitated, then clasped his forearm. "Fine. But don't expect me to hold back."
Theren's grin turned feral. "Wouldn't want you to."
The journey back to Stormwright Keep was uneventful. Duke Galen rode beside Sebastian, his expression unreadable.
"You made the right choice," he finally said. "The imperial court is a nest of vipers."
Sebastian nodded. "I know."
Galen glanced at him. "That prince. He's taken an interest in you."
"As a rival."
"Hmph." Galen's lips twitched. "Better than an enemy."
As they crested the hill overlooking Rainmere, Sebastian's fingers brushed his beast-rings.
The Storm Hawk, loyal and swift. The Thunderjaw Wyvern, mutated but growing stronger.
The Gale Shield Cicada, ever-dependable.
And the Blairon Giant, his hidden trump card.
But beyond them—the Book of Beast Records, his true edge.
No one knew.
No one would know.
He had a path now.
Mysticrium awaited.
And with it, the future.