It was a new day in Nexus Academy.
The morning sun spilled across the combat dome, a colossal training hall forged from blackstone and reinforced steel.
Its vaulted ceiling arched high above, echoing the restless murmurs of one hundred and sixty four Freshers as they gathered for their next core class.
Whispers darted through the crowd like sparks.
"Did you see Kairo knock Valek down yesterday?"
"Monster Trio or not, Valek bled. That… that damned slumrat did that."
"Yeah, but Valek will recover, just wait."
The tension was palpable, two factions glaring across the rows.
The nobles clustered around the Monster Trio, their pride stung, while the survivors of the scholarship path, battle-scarred youths who had endured the massacre of the coliseum clustered to themselves and around Kairo.
Mira leaned closer to Kairo, whispering, "You'd think they'd be too tired for posturing after yesterday, but guess what, they're not".
"It's crazy how relentless they can be," she smirked.
