March 12th, 2012 — 10:15 AM
Asura Academy — Class A
Perspective: Rose Valentine
There were no formal academic lectures scheduled for today.
The academy had suspended regular classes so that all three classes could finalize their six-Knight rosters, coordinate communications, and attend the final rule briefing before our rest day tomorrow. On March 14th, the Tri-Labyrinth Siege would begin.
I stood at the podium in front of the slate board, looking over the quiet, disciplined rows of Class A.
Unlike the chaotic arguments in other rooms, my classmates sat with pristine posture, waiting for my announcement.
"The roster for our first strike squad is finalized," I began, my voice clear, steady, and measured. "I will take the position of the confirmed Soul Anchor. As the anchor, I can project multi-coordinated enhancement mana directly into our attackers, maintain telepathic communication, and reinforce our defensive barriers from the central booth."
I wrote three names beneath my own on the slate board:
Beatrice Danvers*
Julian Esther*
Asier Yeshe*
A ripple of quiet murmurs passed across the front row. Several students blinked in confusion, glancing toward the window in the back.
Sitting in the far corner, staring out at the clouds with one cheek resting on his palm, was Asier Yeshe. His spun-gold hair fell across his brow, his luminescent liquid-gold eyes entirely devoid of emotion.
"Princess Rose," Aurelius spoke up politely from the third row, raising a hand. "Beatrice and Julian are seasoned combatants. But why Asier? He has never volunteered for a single class assignment or spoken in a debate."
"Check your scouted statistics on your Dwarvian phones," I replied smoothly. "Asier holds a 99 in Tactical Intellect and a 98 in Magical Control. His spatial mapping and mana-stress calibration are among the highest in our entire year."
Aurelius tapped his screen, his eyes widening as several classmates gasped softly at the numbers.
"He is quiet," I added, looking at Asier. "He possesses zero social skills. But on a battlefield, precision matters far more than conversation."
Asier slowly turned his head away from the window, offering a flat, neutral glance.
"Those scouted numbers are exaggerated approximations from entrance trials," Asier said, his voice entirely deadpan and devoid of inflection. "Everyone knows scouting algorithms inflate theoretical aptitude over real performance. It shouldn't be treated as a decisive metric."
"Can you heal and stabilize our frontline under my directives?" I asked directly.
"If you provide the mana guidance," Asier replied, resting his chin back on his hand. "Healing broken bones and reinforcing barriers is just basic spellcraft. It requires minimal effort."
"Then you are our third Knight," I confirmed, turning back to the board. "For our second unit—the squad assigned to protect our randomly selected second Soul—we have designated Vyora Deepstone and Cecily Isha."
I picked up the chalk to write the final Knight's name.
"Wait."
A lazy, dragging drawl echoed from the back aisle.
Lucas Reindhardt pushed himself up from his slouched chair. He ran a hand through his messy dark brown hair, his half-lidded green eyes scanning the room as he strolled casually down the aisle.
The classroom tensed instantly. Yesterday, Lucas had fiercely rejected our Class C alliance, snarling that he would hunt the entire labyrinth solo.
"I want the final slot in Unit Two," Lucas announced, stopping near the podium.
Cecily scoffed, crossing her arms. "What happened to the lion's grand declaration? I thought the lion was going to roar and hunt alone across the ruins. Now the lion is meowing for a spot in our squad?"
The room chuckled softly.
Lucas didn't even blink. He offered an easy, disarming shrug, putting his hands into his pockets.
"I was too arrogant yesterday," Lucas said, his tone shockingly calm and relaxed. "I let my temper get the better of me. Fighting two classes alone is stupid. I want to help Class A win this exam, secure the bonus private points, and take first place."
I narrowed my eyes slightly, studying his relaxed posture.
Lucas Reindhardt apologizing to a room full of people...?
He has never apologized for a single thing in his life.
"What is your real demand, Lucas?" I asked quietly, cutting through the pleasantries.
"You promised me something before the trial, Rose," Lucas replied, meeting my gaze with a faint, sharp smirk. "A private, unrestricted one-on-one duel with Elfina Lunaris. You arrange that private match between us after the monthly exam concludes, and in exchange, I will coordinate with Unit Two, follow your tactical signals, and hunt Class B's knights for you."
I looked at him for three seconds, weighing the proposition.
"Elfina is reasonable," I answered evenly. "Once the exam concludes, I will speak with her and arrange your duel. In return, I expect total compliance on the field."
"Done," Lucas smiled, giving a crisp two-finger salute. "We are allies now. You can trust me completely."
I couldn't help but let out a small, dry chuckle. "The lion stopped roaring and decided to hunt with the pack. Miracles truly do happen."
A light laughter rippled across the desks.
Lucas smirked, heading back toward his seat. "I was just joking yesterday. Why would anyone hunt alone when you have a perfectly good pack to do the heavy lifting?"
As Lucas sat down, the classroom door clicked open, and Instructor Columbina entered with our final rule packets.
I looked at the slate board, confirming our official roster one last time:
Soul Anchor 1 (Confirmed): Rose Valentine*
Unit 1 Knights: Beatrice Danvers, Julian Esther, Asier Yeshe*
Unit 2 Knights (Soul Defenders): Vyora Deepstone, Cecily Isha, Lucas Reindhardt*
Soul Anchor 2: Random Lottery Draw (Exam Day)*
---
11:00 AM
Asura Academy — Class B Lecture Hall
Perspective: Victor Sterling
The atmosphere inside Class B was thick with cold, unspoken tension.
I stood at the center of the podium, tapping the holographic tablet in my hand.
Unlike Class A's unified discipline or Class C's chaotic debates, our class was divided into two distinct ideological halves. To my right sat Ivy, Stolas, and Virian. To my left, draped in effortless, moonlight elegance, sat Sylvia Somerset and her inner circle.
"Our roster is officially submitted," I announced in a warm, steady baritone that projected across the room. "I will serve as our confirmed Soul Anchor. My strike squad will consist of Ivy Faerydae, Stolas Malachor, and Virian. Our balanced composition gives us frontline demonic suppression, precision elven wind archery, and Ivy's fairy glamour network."
I turned my gaze toward the left side of the room.
"Our second unit—guarding our randomly selected Soul—will be led by Sylvia Somerset, Belial Selar, and Xeno Feynman."
Sylvia rested her chin on the back of her interlaced porcelain fingers, her silver eyes glinting with freezing amusement as she looked up at me.
"How thoughtful of you, Victor," Sylvia's melodic voice carried a razor-sharp edge of mockery. "Assigning yourself the grand anchor throne where you can safely lecture everyone, while delegating the dirty work of base defense to me."
"A Soul Anchor carries the lifeblood of the entire roster, Sylvia," I replied calmly, keeping my expression composed. "It requires strategic restraint, not personal vanity. If the anchor falls, our Knights lose their mana amplification."
"Restraint?" Sylvia scoffed softly, a beautiful, condescending smile gracing her lips. "You call it restraint; I call it hiding behind your knights. You speak of elevating the weak, yet you know as well as I do that Class A and Class C have allied specifically to crush us. Your precious diplomacy has isolated our class."
"An alliance built on convenience is inherently fragile," I countered smoothly. "Rose and Elfina have different goals. I have already analyzed their movement patterns. I hold the Joker card for this exam, Sylvia. We will bring controlled chaos to their formation and break their momentum."
Sylvia's silver eyes flashed with cold, dangerous delight.
"How delightfully quaint," Sylvia remarked, her voice dropping into an icy purr. "You hold a Joker, while I hold the Ace of Spades and a full royal deck. When your 'controlled chaos' inevitably collapses under Class A's pressure, my unit will eliminate both classes, claim the victory, and save our standing. And after that... you will have no face left to stand on this podium."
"Then let the battlefield decide whose philosophy holds weight," I said quietly, meeting her gaze without flinching.
Sitting just behind me, Ivy Faerydae puffed her cheeks in silent fury, her translucent wings fluttering with irritated sparks as she glared at Sylvia.
Look at her, acting like a haughty goddess... Ivy thought bitterly to herself, her fists clenching over her desk. She's nothing but an arrogant, narcissistic bully. This exam is going to put her right in her place. With the tactical counter-traps Mother Sylaphine gave me, Victor and I are going to take first place and wipe that smug grin off her face forever! ✨
Before the argument could escalate further, the back door opened, and our homeroom instructor walked in to distribute the finalized rule protocols.
---
11:45 AM
Asura Academy — Class C Lecture Hall
Perspective: Elfie
While Class A was reviewing battle formations and Class B was having an ideological war... Class C was currently holding a high-stakes, championship-level paper airplane tournament. ✈️🌸
"Look at this cute birdy, Axel!" I giggled excitedly, holding up my masterpiece.
I had carefully folded a piece of thick, enchanted parchment into a super-sleek, twin-winged star jet, drawing tiny little smiley faces and golden stars all over the wings! ✨📄
"Behold, the Starlight Bird!" I chirped proudly. "It has a curved fuselage for maximum lift!"
Beside me, Axel was wearing his oversized trench coat, squinting intensely as he folded a bizarre, jagged piece of paper that had twelve different sharp creases and three toothpicks sticking out the back.
"Child's play, Elfie," Axel declared in a deep, brooding whisper. "You are looking at the Midnight Phantom Alpha. It is aerodynamically tuned to pierce the sound barrier. Watch and weep."
Axel reeled his arm back, took a dramatic breath, and threw his paper plane with all his might!
WHOOSH!
The plane flew majestically for exactly two feet, stalled mid-air, nosedived straight down, and crashed nose-first into Kai's half-empty cup of diluted lemon juice with a sad, soggy SPLASH! 🥤
"Noooo! My Phantom!" Axel cried out dramatically, falling to his knees and clutching his head in utter despair. "The wind currents were sabotaged! There was biased turbulence!"
Kai didn't even look up from his engineering manual. He calmly reached out, picked the dripping, soggy paper plane out of his juice by the tail, and placed it neatly on Axel's desk.
"Weird ahhh plane game," Kai noted in a completely deadpan voice. "Next time, fold the wings at a 45* angle."
I covered my mouth, bursting into a fit of bubbly giggles. 🌸
At the front of the room, Rigel cleared his throat with an amused sigh, leaning against the podium.
"Alright, alright, settle down," Rigel called out with a smile. "Instructor Aisha just sent over the finalized Tri-Labyrinth Siege rule sheet on our phones. Everyone open your apps. Let's make sure we know every detail before tomorrow's rest day."
The blue light from our Dwarvian phones lit up the room as the official rule document downloaded as Instructor Aisha also entered our class.
---
### [2ND MONTHLY EXAM: TRI-LABYRINTH SIEGE — FINAL RULE DIRECTIVE]
1. Battlefield Setting — The Sunken Isle:
The exam takes place on an isolated volcanic island surrounded by an electrified ocean barrier. Falling into the water or attempting to cross the sea results in instant disqualification.
2. Soul Anchor Victory Condition:
A class is only defeated when both of its Soul Anchors are eliminated. If the 6-hour time limit expires, the class with the lowest single Soul Anchor HP is eliminated. Total class HP is not combined—only the highest remaining single Soul Anchor HP is compared against other classes.
3. The 3-Wish System:
Each class is granted 3 wishes before the match begins. Classes may wish for custom magical gear, special barrier tools, or environmental items to give their roster a specific combat advantage.
4. Dense Forest Mana Drain:
The island's ancient jungle naturally absorbs free-floating mana. Continuous spellcasting costs 25% more mana, making brute-force elemental spam exhausting for long fights.
5. Knight Defeat & Lockout Penalty:
When a Knight's barrier breaks, they enter a 20-minute respawn cooldown at their base camp. During this lockout, their Soul Anchor suffers a temporary 10% defense reduction.
---
I read through the glowing screen, blinking as I tapped my chin.
Leena raised her hand from the second row, looking over at Rigel with a worried expression.
"Rigel," Leena asked softly, "what happens if one class has 50 HP on one Soul Anchor, but another class has 49 on their first anchor and 38 on their second? Does the second class win because they have more total health combined?"
"No," Rigel explained, shaking his head. "The system ignores total combined health. Only the highest individual soul counts. So 50 beats 49, and the first class wins. That means even if one of our soul gets crushed to 0, as long as our other soul stays above the enemy's best, we stay alive."
That means if our second random Soul falls, I have to keep my own health perfectly full... 🥺
"These rules are completely rigged against us," Novenol spoke up from the window, his tone dripping with cold irritation.
Rigel looked over. "How are they rigged, Novenol?"
"Look at the terrain and the mana drain," Novenol pointed out sharply, crossing his arms. "Class A is packed with noble bloodlines who have massive mana pools, and Class B is loaded with demons and beastkin who rely on physical muscle instead of pure casting. Our class has the weakest average mana capacity. In a dense forest with a 25 percent mana tax, we will run out twice as fast as Class A and B."
"That is why we have the Three Wishes," I chimed in brightly, offering an encouraging smile. "We can use our three wishes to request stamina potions, mana-storing crystals, or lightweight gear so both of our squads have exactly what they need!"
Novenol scoffed lightly, looking at Rigel. "Gear does not fix in-class coordination, Ravin. If your second unit coordinator role fails, our entire defensive line collapses."
Rigel met Novenol's gaze without wavering, his voice firm and steady.
"I take full responsibility for Unit Two," Rigel replied. "I gave you my word during the theological debate, Novenol. I will hold our perimeter and prove my tactics on the field."
"Then prove it when the horns blow," Novenol replied coolly, looking away.
Instructor Aisha clapped her hands together from the front of the room, yawning lazily.
"Alright, kids, that's enough strategizing for today," Aisha said, waving her hand toward the exit. "Go back to your dorms, rest up tomorrow, and make sure your gear is packed. Dismissed!"
Chairs scraped against the floor as everyone began packing their bags.
I quickly grabbed my satchel, turning to Kai with a bright, hopeful grin.
"Kai! Are you free today? Let's go to the market and get some sweet cake together!" ✨
Kai slung his leather satchel over one shoulder, adjusting his frayed red scarf as he stood up.
"I can't," Kai replied in his usual calm, flat tone. "I have a shift at the tavern today. I need to earn credits for replacement parts."
Aww... not the tavern again... 🥺
I puffed my cheeks into a tiny pout. Over the last two weeks, he had been running off to that tavern or working in his little workshop so often that we barely had time to just sit and talk like we used to!
Kai turned and began walking out the door.
I wasn't about to let him slip away so easily!
I turned back to the podium and waved my hands frantically. "Rigel! Please handle the final wish paperwork for our class! Thank you, bye!"
Rigel blinked, holding the roster sheet with a bewildered look. "Wait, Elfie, bro—"
Axel immediately slapped Rigel's shoulder with a broad, dramatic grin. "Don't worry, man! The Dark Wolf and his right-hand tactician have everything under control!"
Rigel stared at Axel with pure, deadpan exhaustion. "Who is 'we'? Since when did I become your right-hand anything...?"
I didn't wait to hear the rest. I zipped out the door, jogging down the sunny hallway until I caught up right behind Kai.
I slowed my pace, tilting my head left and right... left and right... checking the hallway carefully. 👀
The corridors were mostly empty because other classes were still in their rule briefings.
Seeing that nobody was looking, I happily lunged forward, wrapping both of my arms tightly around Kai's left arm and hugging it against my side! ✨
Kai stopped mid-stride, looking down at me with a blank, deadpan expression.
"What are you doing?" Kai asked.
I looked up at him with big, round eyes, softly resting my chin against his arm.
"Meow~" I purred softly, giving his sleeve a tiny, affectionate nuzzle. 🌸
Kai sighed quietly, but he didn't pull his arm away. Instead, he reached out with his free hand and gave my pink hair three gentle, rhythmic headpats.
"Say my name, Kai," I murmured cutely, leaning into his hand.
"Why?"
"Because I like hearing your voice say it!" I beamed.
"You're being weirdly clingy today, Elfie," Kai noted, though his voice was soft and fond.
"I'm not letting go!" I giggled, tightening my grip on his forearm. "We haven't hung out together in forever!"
Kai gave me a dry look as we walked through the grand archway of the academy gates. "Elfie, three days ago I spent the entire afternoon sitting by your bed."
My cheeks warmed up, remembering my terrible cramps and how he had stayed by my side the whole time. 🙈
"That was sick-time!" I argued cheerfully. "Sick-time doesn't count as fun-time! Today is fun-time!"
"You're the Class Representative," Kai reminded me, walking with measured steps along the sunlit brick promenade. "You have to prepare for the Tri-Labyrinth Siege."
"Meow~" I purred again, shaking my head. "My most important responsibility is staying right next to you!"
"That is definitely not your responsibility."
"Yes it is!"
"No, it isn't."
"Yes it is!"
Kai glanced down at my hands locked securely around his elbow, lowering his voice slightly as a few merchant carts passed us on the street.
"We are on a public road, Elfie. You're holding my arm like you think I'm going to grow wings and fly away."
I buried my nose into his coat sleeve, smiling quietly to myself.
He thinks I'm just being silly...
The truth is... I've just missed this so much. 🥺
Back when we were little kids at the orphanage, we were together every single second of the day. Whenever we walked down the dirt paths to gather firewood or split a sandwich by the big oak tree, I always held his hand. I never had to worry about responsibilities, titles, or terrifying exams.
Ever since coming to Asura Academy, everything has been so loud, so busy, and so full of pressure. Everyone looks at me like I'm this untouchable Rank Zero sorcerer... but when I hold Kai's arm, I'm just Elfie again. The little girl who splits lunch with her favorite person.
I looked up at him, matching his footsteps with a little skip in my stride.
"Kai," I asked softly, my voice sweet and gentle. "Aren't you worried about the exam on the island?"
"Not really," Kai answered simply. "I already have a plan."
"I'm not worried either," I smiled warmly, squeezing his arm. "Because you're going to be right there with me. You'll protect me, right?"
"I already promised you that," Kai replied.
"Then make sure I don't take a single scratch!" I giggled, puffing my chest out proudly. "Protect me at all costs!"
Kai let out a soft, defeated chuckle, shaking his head with a faint smile.
"Alright, alright. I'll make sure my little princess doesn't take a single point of damage."
"Yay!" I cheered happily, swinging his arm back and forth as we strolled together under the warm afternoon sun. 🌸✨
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