The days following Anthony Maxwell and Erina West's transfer into the core class were anything but quiet.
Starcrest had always thrived on competition, but now the intensity was palpable. With the core class housing some of the strongest first-years—and now two elite transfers—it was like flint and steel clashing with every interaction.
Arthur walked through the sparring grounds, his odachi strapped across his side . He hadn't spoken a word to Alec since his arrival that wasn't filled with malice, though their eyes had met multiple times—each time colder than the last.
"Training again?" a soft voice asked behind him.
Arthur turned to see Lucia, her crystalline-gray eyes studying him curiously.
"I need to stay sharp," he replied, his voice stiff.
She tilted her head, her voice playful. "Or are you trying to outrun your thoughts?"
He paused, his grip tightening on the sword's handle. "You think too much."
Mira smiled. "And you hide too much. If you need someone to talk to—"
"Not now Lucia" he said quickly, then sighed. "...Thanks though."
They stood in silence for a while, the tension slowly fading, then Lucia sits down . Quiet companionship. No pressure.
---
Elsewhere in the Academy
Leo leaned against the railing of the rooftop garden. The night sky stretched overhead, stars flickering like distant whispers. Beside him stood Kevin, his red hair gently tousled by the wind.
"You know," he said, arms folded, "I didn't expect you to rise so quickly."
"Neither did I," Leo said honestly. "At first, I thought I was cursed. That the strength I remembered having would never return. But now… I'm starting to feel like myself again."
Kevin turned toward him, eyes searching his expression.
He hesitated.
The memories fused. The emotions, the drive… even the pain. It's all me now. Leo thinks to himself
Inside his head the flame speaks again after days of silence " Grow your strength, there are many more things to discover"
--- Elsewhere
Far from the academy, in a hidden stronghold beneath a shattered moon temple, a man shrouded in pure darkness stands before a large black flame with ever changing red hues etched with ancient sigils.
As he looks into it another person appears
"They're gathering strength," a feminine voice says . " The prophecy is accelerating."
"Let them. It makes the hunt more fun."
At the end of the hall stood another cloaked figure, face hidden in shadow. His voice was cold, calculated.
"Let them grow. When the time comes… we will take everything from them."
A soft chuckle echoed from another . A man, half-shrouded in smoke, glanced toward the glowing orb showing Leo's group in the academy.
"You can't break what hasn't bonded yet," he murmured. "But once they start to care for each other… that's when they'll be weakest."
The orb pulsed.
The countdown had already begun.
---
Back at Starcrest
Later that evening, the students sat by the firepit behind the dorms—an unofficial tradition after a week of heavy training. Alex and Seth argued over who had the fastest reaction time. Mathew and May played a strange game involving riddles and echoes.
Leo sat quietly, watching the flames flicker.
Sandra sat beside him again. No words, just presence.
Across from them, Arthur walks towards Lucia who turns away
He frowned. "Something wrong with my face?"
"No," Lucia replied flatly. "Just wondering if you always brood this much, or if it's a recent development."
Veronica smirked. "He's just stressed because his brother's prettier."
"Not prettier," Erina said, walking over and joining the circle uninvited, Anthony behind her. "Just less complicated."
Arthur groaned. "Great."
"Don't mind her," Lucia says dragging Arthur away "She just likes stirring things."
"Like someone else I know," Leo added with a glance at Veronica
She winked. "Guilty."
The night stretched on with laughter, small competitions, and quiet bonds forming between unlikely pairs.
But high above, a flicker of shadow watched them. Observed their warmth. Calculated their breaking points.
The storm had not yet come—but the skies were darkening.
******************************
The sun hung low above Starcrest Academy as murmurs filled the training courtyard. Students stood in formation, clad in their regulation combat gear—grey jackets over crisp white shirts, and matching grey trousers. Excitement crackled in the air, mingling with tension and uncertainty. For many, this would be their first real test outside a controlled environment.
Master Ren stood at the front with his arms folded behind his back, face emotionless. His eyes scanned the gathered students before he spoke.
"You will be entering the Verdant Shadow Forest for your first combat evaluation," he said. "Inside, you will face beasts, natural hazards, and your own limits."
He gestured toward the northern gates, which slowly creaked open to reveal the dense expanse of trees beyond. Mist hung over the forest floor, and an unnatural stillness emanated from its depths.
"You are to operate independently. No teams, no shortcuts. This is a test of your survival instincts and strength. Each of you will be monitored, but do not expect us to save you from your own mistakes."
A few students gulped.
"There's a border ward fifty miles in. Do not cross it under any circumstances. Doing so will result in immediate expulsion or worse."
Leo's heart beat steadily as he watched the misty woods. His body still buzzed from his recent training and growing synchronization with the strange power within. Though no one knew it, he had grown stronger—faster, sharper, more focused. Yet a weight still tugged at him, like a presence watching from deep within his core.
Beside him, Seth stretched lazily, the morning wind swirling around his fingers. "Finally, something fun," he smirked.
Arthur stood calmly on Leo's other side, his odachi slung across his back. His ice-blue eyes were narrowed toward the forest. "Don't underestimate it. Verdant Shadow isn't called a deathtrap for nothing."
"You're such a killjoy," Seth muttered, before flashing a grin at Veronica and Lucia who stood nearby.
The rest of their group fanned out in the crowd—Sandra, Alex, Mathew, Kevin, Summer, May, June and the recently added Alec, Arthur's twin brother. Though Alec still wore a casual scowl, he now stood closer to the group, especially near June, who had drawn him in through subtle yet persistent effort.
"Is your brother still mad at you?" Leo whispered to Arthur.
Arthur gave a small shrug. "He's quiet, but not angry. Just… confused."
"Or proud," Leo added with a grin.
Arthur didn't reply, but the corner of his mouth twitched.
Master Ren raised his voice again. "You will each be given a tracker scroll to mark your kills and distance traveled. Top performers will be rewarded. Dismissed."
The students surged forward, each receiving a scroll before vanishing into the trees. One by one, Leo's group split into the foliage, scattered across different entry points. The silence of the forest quickly swallowed the chaos behind them.
---
Within the Forest – Two Hours Later
The shadows beneath the trees danced in the soft light. Beasts stirred within the underbrush—horned wolves, vine serpents, and burrowing claws. They were not mindless creatures, but territorial and cunning.
Leo crept through a thicket, his eyes scanning his surroundings. His fists were wrapped, his jacket slightly open, revealing his chest . He didn't fully understand it yet, his hearth pulsed with celestial energy—and something darker beneath.
A rustle in the brush.
A low snarl.
He turned just in time to meet the charge of a black-furred horned wolf. Instead of dodging, he stepped into it, his fist slamming upward into its jaw with a crack that echoed like thunder. The beast flew back into a tree, slumping unconscious.
Leo exhaled and looked at his glowing fist.
"Still not at full strength… but getting there."
---
Elsewhere in the Forest
Seth cartwheeled between tress pulses of gravity blasting beasts away. He laughed, leaping onto a rock and crashing down on a vine serpent that had ambushed him. His blows exploded with bursts of force.
"You guys are so dramatic!" he called into the wind, not knowing who he was talking to.
******************************
A distance away, Sandra glided silently through the forest, her movements wrapped in illusion. She disoriented her prey—large stalker lizards—before slashing with moonlight daggers. Her face was calm, but inside, her thoughts burned with confusion. Her bond with Leo had deepened during the last training, and now every heartbeat she felt near him made her nervous.
"What… are you to me?" she whispered, crouched beside a fallen beast.
******************************
In another part of the woods, Arthur's odachi flashed with cold light. Every swing was measured, graceful, deadly. Ice spread across the ground in elegant arcs, freezing creatures mid-leap. He was focused—until a voice interrupted.
"You're too flashy," Alec muttered from behind a tree. He stepped out, holding a pair of curved short swords and a half-finished grin.
"You followed me?" Arthur raised a brow.
"No. I was hunting. Saw you. Stayed."
Arthur turned back to his path, but Alec added, "You're not bad, you know."
It was the closest he'd ever come to a compliment. Arthur said nothing, but a small smile touched his lips.
---
Back at the School – Unknown Chamber
In the lower depths of Starcrest, Master Ren met with a few robed figures. Among them stood a man with long black hair tied in a knot—stern eyes and a strange mark pulsing on his wrist.
"The forest test has begun," Ren said.
"Good. Let's see who makes it back alive," the man said coldly. "The weaker ones will fall. Only the strongest will survive long enough to face the coming war."
Outside the sealed chamber, the sky darkened. Something ancient stirred in the depths of the forest, beyond the forbidden line.
A threat none of them could predict.
---