One Week Until the Tournament
With the Dawnforge Tournament only days away, every first-year returned home with a single goal in mind—prepare.
The academy buzzed with rumors, predictions, and excitement.But the real preparation happened far from school grounds.
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Astra Noire — Above Everyone Else
Astra had never encountered anyone close to her level.Not in strength.Not in speed.Not in flight.
To her, most opponents were obstacles, not challenges.
So while others trained desperately, Astra simply soared through the skies above Nexara—free, graceful, and untouchable.
"Hmm… I suppose Bam will put up a fight," she murmured to herself, lazily spinning midair."But it won't matter."
Confidence, not arrogance.She simply knew her own power.
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Bam Relic — Fists That Shake the Ground
While Astra floated through the clouds, Bam was the opposite—grounded, sweating, muscles screaming.
Inside a reinforced underground gym, he hammered a steel training dummy repeatedly.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Each strike echoed like a sledgehammer hitting metal.
"I'm not losing the opener," Bam growled, wiping sweat from his face."Even if she's a monster… I'll push her harder than anyone ever has."
His brutal training continued long into the night.
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Roger Castellan — Speed in Motion
Inside a private running dome, Roger sprinted at full throttle.
Then he activated Momentum Shift.
FWSSHH!
He shot forward like a bullet, maintaining his initial speed as he zigzagged around obstacles.
"This'll be my edge," he grinned, leaping over a barrier."Control the speed… maintain the rhythm… and then—BOOM!"
He crashed into a padded wall and bounced off, laughing.
"Okay, maybe not boom like that."
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Rain Lancelot — Sculpting the Elements
Rain practiced alone in her family estate courtyard.
Water rose from her palm—glittering like liquid crystal.
She condensed it into ice.Melted it into vapor.Spread the moisture through the air, then froze it into tiny blades.
A soft breath escaped her.
"I need finer control… Voxen and Raze won't be the only strong ones."
Her focus sharpened.Calm, quiet, relentless.
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Zack Kreiger — Dancing With Flames
Zack trained in an isolated heat chamber.
Fire erupted from his arms, swirling wildly.
"Focus… don't lose control…!"
The flames roared higher, consuming the chamber's oxygen.
Then a shockwave burst outward—
BOOM!
The flames dispersed violently.
Zack sighed, smoke curling from his hair.
"Still not there yet… but next week, I'll show them real fire."
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Raze Arcwell — A New Weapon, A New Stage
Meanwhile, inside the Arcwell estate—in the deepest vault, beneath layers of security—a legend was forging.
Kael Forgebound, the world's greatest blacksmith, tightened his gloves and examined the shimmering dark alloy.
"What's left of the Abyss Alloy… it's barely enough," he muttered."But Arcwell requested a suit. And I never break my promises."
Hours… days… nights passed.
Until finally—
A sleek, reinforced, dark-blue combat suit lay on the forge table.
Lightweight.Flexible.Near indestructible.
And enhanced with microscopic nanotech threads woven through its frame.
Kael exhaled.
"It's done. The suit of a warrior with no Nexas… yet a heart stronger than steel."
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Training in the Arcwell Estate
When Raze wore the prototype suit for the first time, he felt it tighten and adjust to his body perfectly.
Luna circled him with her arms crossed.
"You look like you're about to jump into a war," she smirked.
"Isn't this a bit much for a school tournament?" Raze muttered, flexing his arm as the suit glowed faintly.
Luna flicked his forehead.
"Voxen Hale is not a normal opponent. And you're not a normal student."
She stepped back and clapped her hands.
"Again! Show me your evasion!"
Raze sprinted forward—Luna blurred—and the training session became a storm of motion, strikes, and counterstrikes.
Every misstep was punished.Every moment of hesitation corrected.
And every night, Raze collapsed into bed exhausted but determined.
"I can't lose… not after coming this far."
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The Final Days
Across Nexara, every first-year trained with desperation or confidence.
Astra soared.Bam struck.Roger ran.Rain shaped water.Zack burned brighter.Raze sharpened mind and body alike.
They each had their own goals.Their own burdens.Their own dreams.
And in just one week—
All of them would collide.
The Dawnforge Tournament awaited.
And none of them planned to lose.
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While the spotlight often fell on Raze, Astra, Rain, Roger, Bam and Zack…
there were seven other candidates in the Hero Class.
Seven students who trained just as hard—
with their own dreams, their own burdens,
and their own place in the coming Dawnforge Tournament.
This is their chapter.
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Gray Howitzer — Rank 2
Nexas: Weightshift
Gray Howitzer… the quiet storm of Class 1-H.
A tall boy with ash-silver hair, calm grey eyes, and a composed posture that almost made him look like a noble—though he came from an ordinary family. He rarely smiled, but when he did, it was genuine.
His Nexas: Weightshift
He can increase or decrease the weight of any object he can physically lift—
from making a pebble weigh as much as a truck,
to making a giant steel slab light as a feather.
He doesn't bully, doesn't boast, and doesn't pick fights.
He is helpful, kind, and strangely humble for someone ranked second.
And yet—he trains harder than almost everyone.
In the academy training hall…
CRACK—!!
Gray lifted a massive boulder effortlessly, then instantly increased its weight to its maximum.
BOOM!
It smashed into the floor, cracking it.
Gray exhaled, wiping his brow.
"I need sharper control… Astra and Rain both are in different levels"
Despite being Rank 2, he never underestimated anyone.
Especially not the boy without a Nexas.
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Kaine Kaiser — Rank 5
Nexas: Material Assimilation
Kaine Kaiser was the mystery of the class.
Dark crimson hair, half-lidded eyes, always wearing gloves and a blank expression. His family was unknown—no records, no background, nothing.
His Nexas allowed him to absorb the properties of any material he touched.
Touch wood → his skin becomes bark.
Touch steel → his body turns metallic.
Touch stone → he becomes stone.
Inside the academy courtyard, he pressed his hand against a titanium plate.
His skin hardened, turning silver.
He punched the ground—
BAM!
A crater formed.
But Kaine just stared at his hand.
"…Still not enough."
He felt something deep inside—
as if his Nexas had not fully awakened yet.
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Selene Ward — Rank 7
Nexas: Electra Surge**
Selene was the girl from the neighboring kingdom.
Short silver hair, violet eyes, always carrying a dictionary in her pocket because she was still learning the language.
Despite her difficulty speaking, she was cheerful, friendly, and determined.
Her Nexas: Electric manipulation
Although powerful, it was still unstable.
In the practice chamber, lightning crackled around her fingertips.
"Ah… sto—stop—!"
BOOM!
Electricity exploded in a burst, knocking her backward.
She sat up, dazed.
"…Oww."
Then she smiled and got right back up.
Her determination shocked even the teachers.
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Alren Frost — Rank 8
Nexas: Frostfield
Alren had a calm, almost stoic presence.
dark blue hair tied back, pale eyes, always wearing thick gloves.
His family had produced several powerful ice-type heroes—
but Alren was considered the weakest.
All he could do was freeze water in a 15-meter radius.
Nothing more.
But he trained like a man possessed.
In the Frost Chamber, his breath turned into mist as he focused.
The moisture in the air crystallized—
forming small ice pillars around him.
His father's voice echoed in his head:
"You have more potential than you realize…"
He didn't know if it was true.
But he froze everything in the chamber again and again…
as if trying to prove himself wrong.
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Mira Goldhart — Rank 9
Nexas: Mimic Day**
Mira Goldhart was sunshine in human form.
Golden hair tied into two playful ponytails, bright green eyes, and a constant smile. She was niece of the country's No.1 hero—and proudly acted like the class president.
Her Nexas allowed her to copy another person's Nexas for one full day,
but only after five minutes of physical contact.
She trained by shaking hands, high-fiving mannequins, and chasing her classmates around.
"Selene! Give me your hand! Let me borrow lightning!"
"No! No! No!" Selene ran.
"Rain! Can I borrow your water powers later?"
Rain: "Mira… please don't chase me again."
She wasn't the strongest—
but she was the spirit of the class.
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Felix Cinder — Rank 10
Nexas: Sound Dominion
Felix was the quietest person in the class—ironically, considering his power.
Jet-black messy hair, tired eyes, and always wearing headphones.
He didn't speak much, always distancing himself.
His Nexas: Control over sound in a 100-meter radius.
He could:
amplify sound to explosive levels
silence an entire area
listen to whispers from floors away
disorient enemies with sonic waves
In the soundproof chamber, Felix stood still—eyes closed.
Then—
"—T H R U M—"
The air shook as a silent shockwave burst outward, shattering the floor tiles.
Felix opened his eyes slowly.
"…Still too loud."
His expression never changed.
But inside, he held a storm of power no one truly understood.
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Naomi crest — Rank 11
Nexas: Light Barrier
Lira, with pale pink hair and gentle amber eyes, was soft-spoken but incredibly hardworking.
She could produce solid barriers of light—domes, walls, and shields capable of blocking physical and elemental attacks.
In her backyard, she generated a barrier as thick as glass.
Roger punched it.
"Ow— ow— ow—! Okay, this is cheating!"
Lira smiled shyly.
"Sorry…"
She wasn't flashy, but her defensive power was top-tier.
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Thirteen Candidates.
Thirteen Stories.
One Tournament.
Each of them trained in their own world,
with their own reasons to stand tall.
Some trained out of pride.
Some out of fear.
Some out of desperation.
Some out of duty.
And some—like Raze—trained to change fate itself.
The Dawnforge Tournament wasn't just a battle.
It was the beginning of the future heroes of Vornis.
And soon…
their paths would collide.