The Academy trial registration took place the day before the actual tests, a bureaucratic necessity designed to process the hundreds of desperate applicants who showed up every year. Jace arrived early, before dawn, knowing that his reputation as a three time failure would make the process more difficult than it needed to be.
The registration hall was a massive, cathedral like structure attached to the Academy's main campus. Crystal fixtures cast cold, efficient light across rows of processing desks staffed by bored clerks who'd seen thousands of hopeful summoners pass through over the years. Most would fail. A few would succeed. None of them mattered individually to the system.
Jace joined the queue, Kiri at his side. Her presence drew immediate attention. Seraphs were rare, even broken ones, and her obvious wingless state made her an object of curiosity and pity. Whispers followed them through the hall.
"Is that the failure who pulled a Mythic Lion last week?"
"Three time reject. Can't believe he's trying again."
"Look at his Seraph. No wings. What a waste of a contract slot."
Jace ignored the commentary with practiced ease. The Prince's discipline made shame into fuel, embarrassment into cold determination. Let them mock. Their ignorance was his advantage.
The queue moved slowly, each applicant required to submit to a stat verification scan before being allowed to register. The Academy needed to confirm minimum thresholds before wasting time on trials. Spirit of 60 minimum for summoners. Power of 150 minimum for contracted beasts. Anyone below those thresholds was rejected immediately and sent away.
Jace watched several applicants ahead of him fail the verification and leave in tears. The system was brutally efficient, designed to filter out the genuinely hopeless before they wasted Academy resources. He calculated his odds carefully. Spirit of 105 put him well above the minimum threshold. Kiri's Power of 290 was nearly double the requirement. They'd pass verification easily.
The real challenge would come during the actual trials.
Finally, Jace reached the front of the queue. The clerk, a middle aged woman with the tired eyes of someone who'd processed too many failures, barely glanced at him before pulling up his file.
"Name?"
"Jace," he replied simply.
Her expression shifted slightly as recognition dawned. "Oh. You're the three time failure." Her tone wasn't cruel, just matter of fact, stating an objective truth. "You're aware that this is your final attempt? Academy policy limits applicants to four registration attempts total. After this, you'll be permanently barred from reapplication."
"I'm aware," Jace confirmed.
The clerk sighed and activated the verification scanner, a crystalline device that hummed with spiritual energy as it analysed Jace's stats. Her eyes widened slightly as the results populated on her screen.
"Spirit of 105," she said, her voice carrying a note of surprise. "Constitution 105. You've improved significantly since your last attempt."
"Focused training," Jace said neutrally, offering no further explanation.
The clerk's suspicion was evident in her narrowed eyes. Stat increases of this magnitude in a short timeframe usually indicated either expensive enhancement materials or dangerous forced cultivation. But she couldn't prove anything, and the Academy didn't technically care how applicants improved their stats as long as they met the thresholds.
"And your contracted beast?"
Kiri stepped forward, allowing the scanner to analyse her. The clerk's expression shifted from suspicion to confusion as Kiri's stats appeared on her screen.
"Wingless Seraph. Rare Tier. Power 290, Speed 300." The clerk looked up at Kiri, then at Jace, her confusion deepening. "Your beast is stat capped at Rare maximum. That's unusual for a trial applicant."
"She's well trained," Jace replied, keeping his tone flat and unremarkable.
The clerk studied them both for a long moment, clearly trying to reconcile the data with the reputation. A three time failure who'd supposedly pulled a Mythic Lion only to be rejected, now showing up with significantly improved stats and a stat capped Rare Tier beast. It didn't fit the normal pattern of desperate applicants.
Finally, she shrugged. "You meet the minimum thresholds. Registration accepted." She handed Jace a crystal token marked with his trial identification number. "Trials begin tomorrow at dawn. Three stages: Spirit capacity verification, beast power assessment, and combat evaluation. Failure in any stage results in immediate rejection. Questions?"
"No," Jace said, taking the token.
"Then good luck," the clerk said, though her tone suggested she didn't expect him to need it. "You're actually qualified this time. Try not to waste the opportunity."
Jace nodded and turned away, ignoring the continued whispers from other applicants in the queue. He'd been processed and accepted. Now all that remained was surviving the actual trials.
As they left the registration hall, Kiri spoke quietly. "They don't believe in you. None of them do."
"Good," Jace replied. "Underestimation is a weapon. They see a three time failure who somehow scraped together minimum stats. They don't see the royal knowledge, the tactical genius, or the Royal Stat Floor advantage that makes you perform thirty percent above your tier."
He held up the crystal token, watching it catch the morning light. "Tomorrow, we show them what properly applied knowledge can achieve. We pass the trials, gain Academy access, and begin the real climb. Everything until now has been preparation. Tomorrow, the actual ascent begins."
They returned to the warehouse for final preparations. Jace spent the day reviewing his tactical knowledge, running through scenarios and contingencies for each trial stage. The Spirit verification would be trivial, his 105 easily clearing the 60 minimum. The beast power assessment would be straightforward, Kiri's 290 Power far exceeding the requirement.
The combat trial was the only real challenge. Jace's inherited memories confirmed it would pit Kiri against a veteran summoner's beast, typically Mid Rare Tier with defensive focus. The matches were designed to test not just raw power, but tactical awareness and adaptability under pressure.
Which meant it was the perfect stage for demonstrating what his royal knowledge could achieve.
Kiri spent the day conserving energy, meditating in the corner of the warehouse while Jace made his preparations. Through their bond, he could feel her calm confidence. She trusted his planning, trusted his knowledge, and most importantly, trusted that he wouldn't waste the sacrifice she'd made in supporting his dangerous cultivation.
As evening fell, Jace called her over. "Final review. Tomorrow's combat trial will be one on one, your opponent will be a Mid Rare Tier defensive beast. Probably an Earth Golem or similar tank type. What's your tactical approach?"
Kiri answered immediately, her golden eyes focused. "Exploit the Speed differential. My 300 Speed with Royal Stat Floor advantage gives me effective 390 velocity. Even accounting for their defensive bonuses, they can't track me. I hit weak points, structural joints, overload their Constitution through sustained precision strikes."
"And if they try to tank through your assault and counterattack?"
"I don't let them. Every strike is calculated for maximum impact with minimum exposure. I'm not trying to break through their Constitution stat directly. I'm trying to accumulate structural damage until their defensive formation collapses."
Jace nodded, satisfied. "Good. Remember, the judges will be watching for tactical awareness, not just raw power. They want to see if you can adapt and exploit weaknesses. Show them precision. Show them intelligence. Make them wonder how a supposedly broken Seraph fights like a trained military asset."
Kiri's expression hardened with determination. "I won't fail you tomorrow, Jace. We've come too far to fall at the first real test."
"I know," Jace said quietly. The bond between them pulsed with shared conviction. Not master and servant, but partners committed to a mutual goal. "Get some rest. Tomorrow, we change everything."
The night passed slowly. Jace couldn't sleep, his mind running through endless tactical permutations and contingencies. The Prince's consciousness, usually cold and analytical, was tinged with something approaching anxiety. Not fear of failure, but awareness of how much hinged on tomorrow's performance.
If they failed, he'd be conscripted into debt slavery. Kiri would be confiscated and likely destroyed as a failed asset. Everything they'd suffered through, every agonizing cultivation session, every sacrifice, would be rendered meaningless.
But if they succeeded, they'd gain access to Academy resources. Training facilities, material repositories, knowledge archives, and most importantly, the Warp Gates leading to the Wild Continent. The path to true power would finally open.
Dawn arrived with brutal efficiency. Jace rose, his body still aching but functional. His Rare Tier Constitution meant he'd recovered enough to perform at peak capacity for the trials. Kiri was already awake, her golden eyes fixed on the warehouse entrance with predatory focus.
"Ready?" Jace asked.
"Ready," Kiri confirmed.
They left the warehouse and made their way to the Academy's trial grounds. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting long shadows across the city. Other applicants were converging on the same destination, some confident and well dressed, others desperate and threadbare like Jace.
The trial grounds were a massive open arena capable of accommodating hundreds of simultaneous tests. Crystal barriers separated different testing zones, each one designed to contain the potential damage from combat trials. Academy officials and veteran instructors moved through the crowds, organizing applicants by their registration numbers.
Jace presented his crystal token and was directed to processing zone twelve. Kiri followed, her presence drawing the same mixture of curiosity and pity as it had during registration. The broken Seraph and her failed summoner, attempting the impossible one final time.
An Academy instructor approached, a stern faced man in formal robes marked with multiple merit badges. He studied Jace and Kiri with professional detachment, clearly having seen thousands of similar applicants over the years.
"Jace, registration four seven three?" the instructor confirmed.
"Confirmed," Jace replied.
The instructor consulted his tablet, reviewing the registration data. "Spirit 105, Constitution 105. Significant improvement from your previous attempts. Contracted beast: Wingless Seraph, Rare Tier stat capped." He looked up, meeting Jace's gaze directly. "You're actually qualified this time. Don't waste it."
It was the second time someone had told him that in twenty four hours. Jace simply nodded, refusing to offer excuses or explanations.
"First trial begins in thirty minutes," the instructor continued. "Spirit capacity verification. You'll be directed to testing station seven. Pass that, and you'll proceed to beast power assessment. Pass that, and you'll face combat trials this afternoon. Understood?"
"Understood," Jace confirmed.
The instructor moved on to process other applicants, leaving Jace and Kiri to wait. The tension in the arena was palpable, hundreds of desperate summoners preparing for tests that would determine their entire future. Some were praying. Others were reviewing notes. A few were vomiting from stress.
Jace simply stood still, his mind calm and focused. The Prince's discipline transformed anxiety into fuel, uncertainty into cold calculation. He'd prepared for this. His stats were sufficient. His tactics were sound. Success wasn't guaranteed, but failure was no longer inevitable.
"Jace," Kiri said quietly, drawing his attention. "Thank you. For everything. For seeing my value when no one else did. For suffering through that cultivation to become strong enough to support me. Whatever happens today, I want you to know that I'm grateful."
Jace met her golden gaze and felt something warm bloom in his chest, cutting through the Prince's cold calculation. "We're partners, Kiri. Your success is my success. Your strength is my strength. Today, we prove that broken things can be made whole again. And then we climb higher than anyone expects."
A bell rang across the arena, its clear tone cutting through the nervous chatter. The first trial was beginning. Jace took a deep breath, steadying himself.
The climb continued. And everything they'd suffered through led to this moment.
Time to show the Academy what a reincarnated Prince and an exiled Seraph could achieve together.