Scene 1
The first benchmark arrived wrapped in courtesy.
Maxwell received the notice during morning training. No seal this time. No wax. Just a formal academy transmission flagged with noble priority.
Strategic Assessment.
Live Crisis Simulation.
Public Observation Enabled.
Rachel read it over his shoulder.
"They want your mind before your blade," she said.
"They want to see how I fail when force is not enough," Maxwell replied.
The arena had been reconfigured by the time they arrived. No dueling floor. No clear opponents. Instead, a simulated urban district rose around them. Collapsed structures. Flickering shields. Panicked projections of civilians running in every direction.
Faculty observers stood behind layered barriers. Noble representatives occupied the upper tier. Lucien stood among them, arms folded, calm, confident.
Dr Timothy's voice echoed.
"Scenario parameters are undisclosed. Objective clarity is part of the evaluation. Begin."
The world broke into motion.
Explosions echoed. A tower buckled. Fire spread fast. Wind shear tore through narrow streets. Illusions screamed convincingly enough to tighten the chest.
Several students rushed forward immediately.
Maxwell did not.
He closed his eyes for half a breath.
Appraisal activated.
The world reorganized.
He saw threat vectors. Mana density shifts. Illusion anchors. Civilian projections clustered around stress points designed to overload decision making.
"This is a triage trap," he said quietly.
Rachel glanced at him. "Meaning."
"They reward visible action," Maxwell replied. "Not correct action."
Tobias frowned. "So what do we do."
Maxwell opened his eyes. "We slow the disaster."
He moved.
Not toward the fire. Not toward the screams.
He cut across the map, blade flashing once to sever a concealed mana conduit embedded beneath the street. The fire weakened instantly. Wind turbulence destabilized.
Rachel followed without question, water mana reinforcing cracked structures instead of extinguishing flames outright.
Tobias rerouted fleeing projections, guiding them away from collapse zones rather than shielding them directly.
Other teams fought heroically.
They lost ground.
Maxwell watched. Adjusted. Copied.
He mirrored a barrier technique from a senior student. Modified it. Deployed it where panic would peak, not where damage already existed.
Lucien leaned forward in the gallery.
Minutes passed.
The city did not collapse.
Instead, it stabilized.
The simulation fought back. Secondary threats emerged. Illusionary beasts. Sudden mana surges.
Rachel countered one head on. Maxwell redirected the rest.
He did not dominate the field.
He orchestrated it.
When the final alarm sounded, the city stood damaged but intact. Civilian loss minimal. Structural integrity above threshold.
Silence followed.
Dr Timothy lowered his tablet slowly.
"That concludes the assessment."
Students looked around, exhausted, confused.
Lucien's eyes narrowed.
Rachel exhaled. "You didn't play their game."
Maxwell wiped his blade clean. "I played the system."
Above them, noble observers exchanged looks.
The first benchmark had not broken him.
It had revealed him.
And that unsettled them.
Scene 2
The aftermath mattered more than the trial.
Maxwell learned that within minutes.
He stood alone at the edge of the arena while faculty reviewed data projections. No applause. No announcement. Just quiet recalculation. Noble silence carried weight. It meant reassessment.
Rachel waited nearby, arms folded, eyes sharp. Tobias paced, unable to stand still.
Lucien descended from the gallery.
He moved with purpose. No entourage. No smile.
"You avoided confrontation," Lucien said. "Deliberately."
"Yes," Maxwell replied.
Lucien tilted his head. "Fear."
"Efficiency," Maxwell said.
Lucien stepped closer. "You allowed others to burn."
Maxwell met his gaze. "No. I allowed systems to stabilize so fewer burned later."
A pause.
Lucien studied him differently now. "You do not think like a duelist."
"I am not one," Maxwell said.
Lucien scoffed quietly. "Titles are not won through restraint."
"Empires are not kept through recklessness," Maxwell replied.
Rachel stepped forward. "The benchmark was survival, not spectacle."
Lucien glanced at her. "You defend him well."
"I observe truth," she said.
Dr Timothy approached then, tablet in hand.
"The council has recorded the result," he said. "The benchmark stands as passed."
A ripple moved through the watching students.
Lucien's jaw tightened.
"But," Dr Timothy continued, "performance deviation has been noted."
Maxwell nodded. "Expected."
"Your approach complicates future metrics," Dr Timothy said. "Be advised. Adjustments will be made."
"I assumed so," Maxwell replied.
Dr Timothy studied him for a moment longer. "Rest. The next benchmark will not favor patience."
He turned and left.
Lucien lingered.
"You bought time," he said. "Not victory."
Maxwell nodded once. "Time is leverage."
Lucien's eyes hardened. "Enjoy it."
He walked away.
Tobias exhaled hard. "That felt like standing between gears."
Rachel looked at Maxwell. "They are going to escalate."
"Yes," Maxwell said. "They always do."
Rachel's voice softened. "Do you regret choosing this path."
Maxwell looked at the sky above the arena. Clear. Calm. Artificial.
"No," he said. "I regret believing it would be fair."
Rachel nodded. "Then we adapt."
Maxwell allowed a faint smile. "Always."
Above them, unseen hands adjusted the clock.
The second tick had passed.