"A first strike can echo louder than a thousand words."
———
The corridors smelled faintly of polished stone and old incense. I moved like a shadow, the echoes of the arena still clinging to my skin. This time, though, I wasn't alone.
Whispers followed me.
Not soft whispers. The kind that sneak under your skin.
"Did you hear?"a girl muttered behind me.
"She's a first-year… and she defeated Liora in one strike."
Another boy scoffed. "One strike? First-years always get lucky."
"Lucky?" someone else hissed. "Did you see her? Liora barely reacted before she was down."
"I'm telling you,"a third voice insisted, "she moved first. And she's fast… scary fast."
I kept walking, letting their voices trail behind me like smoke. Attention was dangerous. This—this was attention multiplied.
At the lounge corridor, a cluster of students turned to stare. Their eyes flitted between me and the walls, as if expecting something—or someone—to appear at any moment. Every step felt heavier. Every glance carried weight.
Seraphine's hand brushed lightly against my arm.
"Enjoy it while it lasts," she whispered. "Tomorrow, the rumors will be worse."
I raised an eyebrow. "Worse?"
She nodded. "You embarrassed a first-year everyone expected to shine. That never goes quietly in schools like this."
Evangeline's eyes swept the corridor coolly. "And the rankers are already watching."
Seraphine frowned. "You keep saying that."
Evangeline's gaze flicked briefly toward the upper terraces. "Because they were."
My stomach tightened. That glance from earlier wasn't random—not from her. Something had already shifted.
By evening, the academy buzzed with gossip.
The cafeteria hummed as students leaned across tables, whispering stories that grew wilder with each retelling.
"Did you see the duel?"
"They said it ended in one strike!"
"No way it was one strike!"
"She's a first-year, though!"
"Exactly. Who even is she?"
A senior leaned back, thoughtful. "Reminds me of last year's Trial of Arrival, when a new student almost toppled Rank Five on their first day."
Another nodded. "Yeah. But this… she didn't almost. She did it."
Someone muttered under their breath, "Still… the way she moved… it's precise, like she's done this before."
Then a sharper whisper cut through.
"Another Gold Dormitory student won in one strike too. Brutal—but it takes strategy and timing. A first-year doing that? Dangerous."
My pulse tightened. That wasn't just gossip. That was a warning.
Seraphine leaned closer. "Okay… were you actually trying during that duel?"
I glanced at her. "What do you think?"
She groaned. "Oh great."
Evangeline sipped her drink calmly. "Lower your voices."
"Why?" Seraphine asked.
Evangeline tilted her head toward the next table. Two older students were watching us.
Seraphine's sigh was audible. "Fantastic. Now we're interesting."
"That's not the problem," Evangeline said.
"Then what is?"
"The problem," Evangeline said quietly, "is someone from the Top Ten was watching."
Seraphine froze. "…Oh."
No names needed. Across the cafeteria, whispers drifted toward the terraces as if expecting her to still be there. Her presence lingered, though she was gone.
Later that evening, I had just returned to my room when the door burst open. Seraphine and Evangeline stepped in without knocking.
"Well?!" Seraphine panted. "Did you see it yet?"
"See what?" I asked.
"The rankings!" she said, eyes wide.
Evangeline closed the door behind them. "The Trial of Arrival results were released," she said evenly.
Seraphine grabbed my wrist. "Come on! The screen just turned on in the dorm lounge."
I followed them down the quiet hallway. The Gold Dormitory was peaceful, three stories tall, with six rooms on each upper floor. The ground floor served as a study lounge, mini-library, and training space for scholars.
Earlier whispers hinted at another scholar arriving soon. No one knew when—or why they hadn't appeared during the entrance trials. Only rumors. One fact was clear: the fifth scholar had failed to enter, leaving only four spots and three were already taken.
In the lounge, the large screen glowed pale blue. Students used their phones to track their names while the screen displayed official rankings: performance, tactics, reading opponents, combat style, arena efficiency. Time mattered long duels could deduct points, even if a strike was perfect.
Seraphine held up her phone. "Rank Fourteen. Mine appeared earlier."
I raised an eyebrow.
Evangeline tucked her phone at her side. "Rank Thirteen."
Seraphine nudged her. "Practically the same."
Evangeline ignored her.
Both turned to me. "Your turn," Seraphine urged.
Names scrolled slowly: Rank 40. Rank 29. Rank 21.
Seraphine leaned forward impatiently. "Come on…"
Then the screen shifted:
Rank 12 — Kyrren Tagayuna
"Rank twelve?!" Seraphine gasped. "You jumped over both of us!"
Evangeline studied the screen. "Upper ranks for a first-year. Unusual."
"Unusual? That's insane," Seraphine muttered.
The list continued:
Rank 13 — Evangeline Yumi Hoshigaki
Rank 14 — Seraphine Isolde Valens
Rank 15 — Marzena Leigh Kwiatkowski
My chest tightened. That name wasn't supposed to exist here. Two one-strike victories, one failure erased… and now her.
Seraphine whispered, "Did you see her duel? Brutal—but she's careful, calculating. Points are calculated for every move."
Evangeline nodded. "Efficient. Dangerous. Calculated."
I swallowed hard. Don't tell me… she followed me here? That wasn't possible. I had disappeared for a reason to live quietly, to leave the past behind.
A rapid doorbell shattered my thoughts.
ding-dong
ding-dong
ding-dong.
Seraphine jumped. "Whoa!"
Another knock came, sharper this time.
Evangeline approached the mini gate. "…The new scholar," she said calmly, pressing the release. Then she stopped.
I stepped closer. Seraphine beside me.
Standing there was a face I knew far too well.
For a moment, neither of us moved. Her gaze met mine, steady, familiar.
In that instant, the quiet life I had tried to build here shattered completely.
This wasn't a rival. Not an enemy. This was my best friend. The one person I had hoped to see again.