Thalgor leveled the red bloodfork at Naro. The weapon hummed with a sinister vibration, then—without warning—he threw it. The air cracked as the monstrous weapon tore through the space beside Naro, embedding itself into the stone floor with a booming clang.
The crowd gasped.
Naro's eyes followed its trajectory long before it landed. He had already known it would miss. With three centuries of battle carved into his soul, his instincts were sharper than any blade. In truth, he would not have moved. But appearances mattered. So he forced himself into a sharp dodge, body twisting just in time, deceiving both Thalgor and the crowd into believing he'd felt danger.
Whispers rippled through the onlookers—admiration, surprise, mockery all at once.
"Did you see that? He dodged it!"
"Dodged what? That was a mercy throw! He's lucky Thalgor didn't aim for his head."
But their chatter was silenced in an instant.
"Light Dash Nyx," Thalgor murmured, barely louder than a growl.
PZZT! In a flash of crackling energy, his massive frame disappeared—reappearing exactly where the fork had landed. In the blink of an eye, the Hero stood right behind Naro.
"Too fast—" Naro's thoughts barely kept pace as Thalgor's huge arm swung towards him, a strike that could shatter stone. But just as before, the blow pulled back at the last instant, restrained. Naro slipped away, calm as ever.
The crowd could hardly believe it.
"No way… he's actually dodging Thalgor's strikes?"
"Idiot. Thalgor's holding back. The boy's just a rank one."
Yet even those who mocked felt unease worm into their chests. Naro moved with a precision that seemed impossible for a newbie.
Then Thalgor's expression changed.
The playful gleam in his eyes darkened into something far more menacing. He no longer looked like a teacher entertaining a child. He looked like a predator that had finally scented prey.
And then—his aura erupted.
BOOM!
The entire arena trembled as Thalgor unleashed the full force of his rank five realm. The golden torches along the walls flickered violently, their flames bending under the crushing weight of his presence. The air itself seemed to grow heavy, pressing down on everyone like a mountain.
Students collapsed to their knees, clutching at their chests. Others froze where they stood, unable to even breathe. It was similar to the suffocating aura emitted by the abandoned knight.
Naro's body locked up instantly—he couldn't move a finger.
Thalgor strode forward, each step booming like a war drum. His massive fist drew back, veins bulging, the air around it howling with force. His killing intent flooded the arena like a tidal waves.
So this is it? Naro thought, his mind racing. Shit! Why is he attacking me with blood lust? Could he have found out about my blood dash nyx!?
Panic took over him for the briefest moment. The punch carried a weight that screamed death. If it landed, there would be nothing left.
But then—clarity cut through Naro's mind.
"No… I see it now."
His sharpened instincts picked up the subtle distortion in the aura, the trick hidden beneath the terror. This wasn't pure killing intent—it was something else. A Nyx. An ability that twisted the mind into believing in inevitable death: a Fear Infliction Nyx.
No ordinary student would have recognized it. Even a rank four veteran would crumble, convinced Thalgor's strike carried true annihilation. But Naro had centuries of experience, knowledge carved from countless refinements and Nyx's. He saw through the lie.
So that's it. A trial of will, not of strength.
The fear still punched at him, gnawing at his chest, suffocating his lungs. Every instinct screamed at him to flee. But Naro forced his muscles to tighten, his body to stand tall. He lifted his chin, locking eyes with Thalgor.
His gaze burned with resolve. He stood there, immovable, as if prepared to die.
The crowd stared in stunned silence. No one breathed. To them, it looked as though Naro had chosen death itself—staring down Thalgor's killing blow without so much as a flinch.
At the last instant, Thalgor's fist halted an inch away from Naro's face. The shockwave of the strike blasted against his skin, ruffling his hair.
Then Thalgor's massive hand settled heavily on Naro's shoulder.
"Good job, kid," he said, voice low but carrying across the arena. "You pass."
The students erupted into a frenzy of disbelief.
"He passed?"
"Impossible. No one breaks through a fear-nyx at rank one…"
"Unless… unless he isn't rank one at all."
Suspicion began to ripple among the students, but none dared voice it too loudly under Thalgor's shadow.
Naro, for his part, wore the mask of a humble novice. He forced his lips into a faint smile, eyes flickering with just the right mixture of awe and exhaustion. He even let a bead of sweat trail down his face, an act to sell the illusion that he had nearly broken.
But Thalgor wasn't so easily deceived.
Behind the hero's fiery gaze, thoughts churned like molten steel.
"This boy… too composed. His eyes—when my aura crushed down on him, they didn't scream like the others. They steadied. He analyzed it."
Thalgor withdrew his hand slowly, arms folding across his chest once more. His fiery presence dimmed, but not entirely—it lingered like smoldering coals, watching. Testing.
Even seasoned knights take months to recover after facing the Fear Infliction Nyx. But this boy? He saw through it in seconds… as if he'd faced it before.
The crowd roared with chatter again, their awe loud and foolish. But Thalgor ignored them, his eyes never leaving Naro.
Naro bowed his head slightly, his act flawless. "Thank you, sir Thalgor. I… I only did what I could." His tone carried just the right amount of humility.
Thalgor's fiery eyes lingered on Naro for a few heartbeats longer than necessary. His mind whispered doubts, swirling at the edges of his mind. That wasn't the reaction of a mere rank one… For a brief moment, suspicion burned hot in his chest—then he exhaled slowly, forcing it down.
Thalgor released Naro's shoulder and straightened to his full height, "I'll have to keep an eye on this kid" he thought inwardly.
Suddenly his laugh boomed across the hall.
"Alright, enough everyone! You've seen what you came to see—back to your dorms!"
The crowd hesitated for only a moment before leaving, whispers still slipping between them, though none dared speak too loudly under Thalgor's gaze.
He turned back to Naro, his tone firm but less thunderous."Naro. Come with me. You'll be assigned a room with the other trainees and given a schedule to follow."
…
Within the heart of the Radiant Kingdom, in the towering king's castle of marble and gold, sat its ruler—a man whose shadow stretched across the world. The King of Radiance; Darius the Luminant, a rank five expert, unmatched not merely in strength, but in brilliance. His mind was sharper than any blade; his cunning strategies had bent rival thrones to his will, shaping his dominion into the greatest kingdom of this age. Yet conquest alone did not define him—his keen grasp of trade and wealth had turned him into a monarch who ruled not only armies, but markets, his influence woven into every corner of the realm.
Now, upon the throne made with runes of authority, he rose, his voice rolling through the great hall like thunder wrapped in velvet.
"Althea.." he said, his gaze cutting through the air, both fatherly and imperious, "how dare you cast aside my command and abandon the safety of these walls? Do you not understand what you risked?" His voice lowered, heavy with restrained anger. "You wandered beyond the kingdom's walls and sought out the devil himself—the Abandoned Knight. Do you comprehend the danger you invited not only upon yourself, but upon all who bear this kingdom's crest?"
A silence followed, weighty and suffocating, He drew a slow breath, the sound of it filling the quiet hall.
"You are precious to me, Althea. More precious than all the crowns and banners of this world. Yet your recklessness wounds me deeply. Must my own daughter risk everything, when I have built this kingdom to protect her?"
The king's voice softened, but the disappointment in his tone lingered like a shadow.
Althea lowered her head, her hands clenched tightly at her sides.
"Father… I know I've disobeyed you. I know I've shamed your trust. But I could not stay behind marble walls while danger grows beyond them. I had to see it with my own eyes, to understand the enemy we face. If meeting the Abandoned Knight was reckless, then let that recklessness be mine to bear—but I do not regret it. I want to be worthy of this kingdom, worthy of your name."
The throne room fell into silence, the weight of Althea's words hanging in the air. The king's stern gaze lingered on her, but beneath it flickered something unspoken—pride, worry, and the burden of a ruler who was also a father.
At last, he exhaled slowly and turned his eyes toward the glass windows overlooking the kingdom.
"Enough for now," he said, his voice calm but edged with command. "Return to your chambers, Althea. We will speak of this again when my temper has cooled… and when you've had time to reflect."
The heavy doors of the throne room creaked open, sunlight spilling in like judgment itself. Althea bowed deeply, her heart heavy, and walked away—her father's gaze following her long after she was gone.
…
The city stretched out in magnificent order, its proud walls gleaming and, at its heart, the great academy stood like a jewel—grand, unshakable, the forge of future knights.
Back within the academy's fences, Naro had just been assigned a room, though he had not yet entered it. Instead, curiosity pulled him elsewhere. He wandered through the courtyards and echoing halls, his presence already stirring whispers. Some eyes followed him with awe, marveling at the boy who had just faced Thalgor, others glared with envy or suspicion, unable to accept what they had seen.
Meanwhile, on one of the academy's upper floors, a council meeting was held. In a vaulted chamber lined with banners, the trainers and teachers gathered, with both Thalgor and the principal in the chamber. The discussion soon turned to the new boy.
Thalgor spoke with his usual iron tone, recounting the events of Naro's test. "The child is unpolished, yet his composure is rare. With the right training, he could rise beyond the ordinary. I will keep my eye on him. Perhaps, in time, he may even be worthy of adoption into one of the legendary clans."
At the mention of clans, the room stirred. The Radiant Kingdom's academy was not merely a school—it was a stepping stone that sorted its graduates into the four great clan paths. Investigators, the sharp-eyed and cunning, who served as the kingdom's hidden knives and seekers of truth. Scavengers, daring souls who braved the wastes beyond the walls to gather rare resources. Guardians, the defenders who stood as shields before the kingdom. And finally, Strikers—the most common path—those who bore the kingdom's banner into battle, its sword-arm against all foes.
The meeting stretched on, teachers voicing praise or criticism of various trainees, but soon a decision was reached. To test the trainees, and to ignite the flames of competition, a contest would be held in three days' time.
The prize: a cluster of rank 2 Nyx—seeds of power that could change a trainee's destiny.