"Move, you worthless hunk of flesh!"
The training field shook with the frustrated roar of a student. A ball of flame seared through the air, cleaving off a snarling shadow-beast's head before fading to nothing.
"Damn it, Ryn!" another student swore, his tone dripping with venom. "Are you just going to stand there and watch us meet our end?!
The wooden arena groaned with tension. All around, illusions of demons—constructed from spirit arrays by the masters of the academy—lashed out at the students in waves. Their claws tore against light shields, their jaws gnashed with unholy hunger, and their guttural howls rang across the training grounds.
The crash of clashing weapons, the shattering of Spirit Arts, and the cries of frightened youths filled the air.
"I—I'm trying!" Ryn stammered, backing away as his summoned-up wolf spirit yelped instead of attacking him. Sweat plastered his hair down to his brow. "It won't do what I tell it!"
"Then get off the field!" a twin-dagger-wielding girl growled, slicing through one of the thinner constructs before it was even close to Ryn. "Dead weight like you will get us all killed!"
The ranks of watching students erupt into laughter and catcalls. Some shouted encouragement, some shouted insults. It was practice—it was meant to be—but for fifteen-year-olds keen to prove themselves before the entrance exams, each step was a test, each mistake a stain.
A clawed blow slid past defenses.
"Ahh!"
A boy screamed as a shadow-beast's claws ripped across his arm. The illusion would not harm, but the agony was real, sending him to his knees. His essence became smoke and vanished, sneering at his frailty.
"He's down!" someone cried. "We must get a replacement!"
Another raised his voice in the crowd. "Call for Kael Ardyn!"
Eyes turned to the back, where Kael stood with the bystanders, saying nothing and unmoving.
Almost immediately, protests rang out.
"Him? Don't joke!"
"Kael? He's a coward. Can't even summon properly."
"Yeah, let him on the field and we'll be slaughtered."
Laughter rippled through the students.
But Kael did not move. Did not yell, did not blink, did not even frown at the jeers. His face was unreadable, calm in a way that unsettled those who remembered the old Kael—the boy who would have begged to be chosen, who would have seethed furiously against the derision.
Today he just stood there, arms crossed, eyes steady like rock.
"Weird," a girl muttered, frowning. "He didn't even complain.".
"Maybe he's finally accepted what he is—a scaredy cat," another sneered.
Before anyone could say more, the air split with a sound that froze every heart.
SCREEEEEEECH!
A skull-cracking shriek tore across the heavens. Heads jerked to the east wall of Ironveil City. A demon's twisted outline strained against the cloudy ring of invisibility that protected the academy grounds, claws flashing as it clawed wildly to burst through.
No illusion this time.
The barrier glimmered, shook—but did not break.
Students paled, instinctively stepping back.
"It's real…"
Someone whispered.
"Demon… outside…"
The monster's jaws clicked with hunger, its eyes burning like coals in the dark with a sinister look, a predatory look. And then, with another strangled bellow, it whirled and crawled away back into the wild beyond the city streets.
The stillness it left was crushing.
Then—
"Pathetic."
The voice snapped across the training grounds like a lash. Master Deylan strode out, his black robes billowing across the dust. His rimmed eyes were cold with disappointment as he looked at the battered, shivering students.
You idiots can't even handle shadows. Faint, hollow imitations of the actual terrors out there." He spat as if the words were venom. "How are you going to keep demons away when you tremble in front of mock-ups?"
The students stilled, shame hot on their cheeks.
"Want to be Spirit Masters? Then act like it! Train harder. Exhaust yourselves if you must, because seven days from today the entry trials will decide who of you dies with honor… and who perishes in obscurity."
He slammed the book shut, the crash echoing like a gunshot.
"Dismissed."
With a flick of his cloak, Deylan dismissed the grounds, muttering under his breath, "Pathetic children."
The students had begun to drift apart, some whispering anxiously, others laughing too hard to hide their nerves.
"Did you see Kael? He just stood there, like a corpse."
"Right? The old Kael would've thrown a tantrum to get on the field."
"Maybe he's finally broken."
Kael heard all of those words. But he didn't bother reacting, his face as hard as stone.
Instead, he walked toward the edge of the training ground, away from the voices, away from the weight of their stares. His gaze lingered briefly on the glinting barrier that had deflected the real demon's claw.
Within his chest, his heart pounded in a quiet, steady rhythm.
How weak had this body been before his arrival? He could feel almost the pathetic remnants of the original Kael's cowardness clinging to the skeleton he now inhabited.
But Kael Ardyn was not the same boy they had grown up with.
Seven days ago, he hadn't been in this world at all.
He remembered the night clearly, like it was yesterday—walking home from a late-night work schedule, the smell of rain on asphalt, the fatigue of a day's hard labor. And then the pain, the plunge into darkness, and the coppery taste of blood in a body that wasn't his.
This body.
The broken shell of a dying boy named Kael Ardyn.
He clenched his fists.
Kael walked in silence, ignoring the clusters of students that spilled from the battle grounds. Their whispers trailed him like gnats:
"That's Ardyn, right? The coward who always hides behind others.""Hah, I'd bet he doesn't even last one round in the exams.""Strange though, he didn't mouth off like usual… did he finally give up?"
Kael's expression didn't twitch. If anything, the stillness in his eyes unnerved them more than his silence.
As he crossed the courtyard toward the dorms, a faint chime rang inside his skull—ding—followed by a glowing panel that shimmered into existence before his eyes.
[System Notification]User: Kael ArdynSpirit Potential: UnawakenedSpirit Pet: Not chosenCombat Rating: E—InsignificantRemaining Time before Entrance Exams: 6 days, 14 hours, 52 minutes
Kael frowned at the translucent screen, though no one else could see it. He muttered under his breath, "Why the hell do I need a spirit pet anyway? Isn't raw strength enough?"
The panel rippled, then responded with floating letters that morphed into images.
[Explanation:] Spirit pets serve as conduits for greater power. Without one, Spirit Energy output is unstable, incomplete, and limited.Failure to bond with a spirit results in certain failure at the Academies.
The words shifted into shimmering silhouettes—beasts of flame, shadow, ice, and steel—spirits bending to their masters, ripping through demons.
Kael scoffed. "So, basically, you're telling me I'm crippled without one."
The system pulsed as if annoyed.
[Correction:] You are already crippled. Bonding raises probability of survival from 2% to 35%.
Kael pinched the bridge of his nose. "Great. My own damn system insults me." He shook his head, muttering as he climbed the dorm stairs, "Fine. Show me what I can choose from then—"
He swung open the dorm door—
—and froze.
On his bed, tangled together, was his roommate Jorin and a girl from Class C. Their laughter and muffled moans drowned out everything else. Too busy with each other, they didn't even notice him enter.
Kael's lips twitched. Not in embarrassment, not in anger—just cold amusement. He quietly crossed the room, slipped into the washroom, and pulled free the shower hose.
The hiss of running water was the only warning they got.
A splash drenched them both in freezing water.
The girl's scream cracked the air as she tore herself off Jorin, dripping wet, her hair plastered to her flushed face. Jorin roared in shock, scrambling to cover himself with the nearest blanket. Both of them were naked—completely caught in the act—now shivering and soaked under Kael's merciless downpour.
The stench of sweat and lust evaporated instantly under the cold spray.
Kael stood there, hose in hand, expression calm and flat, as if he had merely stepped on an insect. His voice cut through their panic like a blade dipped in ice:
"Don't stop on my account. I just thought two stray dogs rutting on my bed could use a bath."
Jorin's face went crimson with fury. "You bastard—!"
Kael turned off the water, dropped the hose, and walked toward his own desk as though nothing had happened. His voice, dry and razor-sharp, cut through Jorin's rage before he could rise:
"Relax. Be grateful I didn't snitch on you both. Imagine explaining why you can't keep your pants up during training week."
The girl, cheeks flaming, quickly put on her dress and bolted for the door. Jorin sat fuming, fists clenched, but Kael didn't even look at him. He simply dragged out a chair, sat down, and stared at the glowing system screen that still hovered silently above his palm.
"Now… where were we?"