The air cracked.
Not with lightning.
Not with sound.
But with pressure.
Rayden's lightning aura—still flickering wildly around his body—suddenly stuttered.
The sparks crawling across his arms spasmed once… twice… then thinned like dying embers.
His breath hitched.
What—?
The ground beneath his boots felt heavier.
Not physically, but spiritually. Like gravity had learned how to crush intent.
Kayden felt it too.
A weight pressing down from above, deliberate and controlled.
The system stirred faintly inside him.
[External Suppression Detected]
[Source: High-Level Cultivators]
Kayden ignored it.
Rayden clenched his fists, teeth grinding as his lightning finally snapped out, leaving only faint static in the air.
"That wasn't me…" he muttered.
Liora sucked in a sharp breath, eyes widening.
"…Seniors."
Three figures stood at the edge of the combat grounds.
No dramatic entrance.
No explosion.
They had simply arrived.
And yet, the space itself bent around them.
The first was tall, broad-shouldered, wearing the academy's senior uniform loosely—like it didn't deserve to sit properly on him.
His hands were in his pockets. His posture relaxed. His eyes… bored.
Cain Mercer.
Behind him walked a girl with long dark hair tied neatly behind her head. Her steps were silent. Her gaze calm, scanning everything with unsettling precision.
Iris Vale.
The last was a mountain of a man. Wide frame. Thick arms crossed over his chest. He said nothing. Didn't need to.
Rook.
The pressure increased subtly.
Rayden's knees bent an inch before he caught himself.
Damn it…
Cain glanced around lazily, then sighed.
"…Man," he said casually, "they're really letting first-years throw tantrums on the training grounds now?"
His voice wasn't loud.
But it carried.
Rayden bristled instantly. "Who the hell—"
Liora grabbed his sleeve.
"Rayden," she whispered urgently, "don't."
Too late.
Rayden took a step forward.
The moment his foot moved—
BOOM.
Not an explosion.
A drop.
It felt like the world slammed downward.
Rayden's vision blurred as the pressure multiplied tenfold. His foot froze mid-step, muscles screaming. Lightning tried to surge back instinctively—
—and was crushed before it could form.
Rayden's eyes widened.
I can't move—
Cain tilted his head slightly.
"…Ah," he said, glancing over. "Still standing. That's better than average."
Rayden trembled, sweat breaking out across his brow.
Liora bowed immediately.
"Senior cultivators," she said respectfully, voice tight. "We apologize. This wasn't intentional."
Cain waved a hand dismissively. "Relax. If it were intentional, you'd already be in the infirmary."
That… did not help.
Rook's eyes shifted.
For just a moment—
Marek Thorne, standing at a distance with other students, felt his chest tighten.
Earth aura…
No.
This was something far heavier.
So this is… senior-level Earth.
His pride twisted painfully.
Iris's gaze finally landed on Kayden.
She paused.
Her eyes narrowed—just slightly.
She took one step closer.
Kayden met her gaze calmly.
No aura flare.
No tension.
Just stillness.
Iris blinked once.
Interesting.
"You," she said quietly. "You're not reacting."
Kayden shrugged. "Should I be?"
Cain snorted. "He's got jokes."
Rayden shot Kayden a furious look.
This idiot—!
Iris circled Kayden slowly, invisible tendrils of Mind & Spirit energy extending outward.
She frowned.
Nothing.
No energy residue.
No fluctuation.
No fear spike.
It was like scanning an empty space that shouldn't be empty.
"…Strange," Iris murmured.
Kayden tilted his head. "I get that a lot."
Cain laughed outright. "Okay, I like him."
Rook spoke for the first time, voice low and rough.
"Enough."
The laughter died instantly.
Cain straightened slightly, tone shifting.
"Alright, kids. Let's reset this before someone does something stupid."
He looked at Rayden.
"You," he said. "Lightning Elemental. First awakening, right?"
Rayden clenched his jaw. "…Yes."
Cain nodded. "Impressive output. Sloppy control. Reckless timing."
Each word hit harder than the pressure.
"If we hadn't pulled you out," Cain continued casually, "you'd be dead."
Silence.
Rayden swallowed.
Liora closed her eyes briefly.
Cain looked toward Kayden again.
"And you."
Kayden met his gaze evenly.
"You fought a Rank IV guardian," Cain said. "Without activating anything noticeable."
He leaned in slightly.
"That's either bravery… or stupidity."
Kayden smiled faintly. "Still deciding."
Cain barked a laugh.
Rook did not.
Iris watched Kayden closely.
"There's something wrong with him," she said calmly.
Rayden snapped, "Wrong?! He's just weak—"
The pressure spiked again.
Rayden choked, dropping to one knee this time.
Cain's smile vanished.
"Careful," he said softly. "You're not allowed to insult mysteries."
Rayden's eyes widened.
Mysteries…?
Liora stared at Kayden.
Kayden scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I really wish people would stop calling me that."
Cain straightened, releasing the pressure.
Rayden collapsed forward, gasping.
"Listen up," Cain said, voice firm now. "This trial is already off-balance. Rank III awakened early. Rank IV showed itself."
His gaze sharpened.
"That doesn't happen by accident."
Iris nodded. "Future missions will not include instant extraction."
Rook added, "Survive or don't."
Kayden muttered, "That's… encouraging."
Cain smirked. "You'll fit right in."
He turned away.
"Next time," he said over his shoulder, "luck won't save you."
His eyes flicked—just once—toward Kayden.
Then the pressure vanished.
Just like that.
The air returned.
Rayden collapsed fully onto his back, staring at the sky.
"…I hate seniors," he groaned.
Liora exhaled shakily. "I hate agreeing with you."
Kayden stretched his shoulders.
"Huh," he said. "That was educational."
Rayden turned his head slowly.
"…You're not normal."
Kayden smiled. "I keep telling people."
High above, unseen—
Principal Aria Nightfall lowered her hand slowly, the faint distortion of space around her dissolving as if it had never existed.
From her vantage point above the academy grounds, she watched the three first-years separate—Rayden still burning with frustration, Liora supporting herself with quiet composure, and Kayden walking away as though nothing remarkable had happened.
Her gaze lingered on Kayden.
No surge.
No instability.
No trace of power.
And yet… that absence was wrong.
"…Even they didn't see it," she murmured, her voice carrying a mix of curiosity and unease.
For the first time in years, Aria felt something stir beneath her calm exterior—not fear, but anticipation. Whatever Kayden Arin was, it lay beyond the academy's standard measurements… beyond even the seniors' perception.
Far below, hidden deep within Kayden's chest, something answered her unspoken thought.
The system pulsed once—slow, restrained, patient.
Waiting.