The sky was clear, but Aurox felt the air heavy on his shoulders — as if the world expected something from him that he wasn’t sure he could give.

  He walked slowly along the wide sidewalk leading to the Babel University campus, where hundreds of young people with special abilities trained to shape the future... or survive the present.The backpack on his back was light. What truly weighed him down was the Book of Legends, dormant like a tattoo slithering across his back. Invisible to others. Restless for him.

  The campus was a spectacle of restrained energy. Students tested their powers with impressive freedom: superhuman jumps, bursts of light, bdes formed from air, dancing shadows.Babel wasn’t a school. It was an arena disguised as an academy.

  Aurox stopped, his fingers unconsciously touching the base of his neck — the point where the book began."You’re not going to use it today. You don’t need to."He repeated that often. Like a prayer. Or a fear.

  The memory came back strongly. The scar in his mind was old but vivid: the day he, during a childish fight, had summoned something... ugly. A simple monster, but aggressive.The other boy spent weeks in the hospital.And Aurox was marked — by rumors, sideways gnces, and the guilt of having enjoyed the power for a moment.

  Since then, his creations had been... safe. Small animals, round-shaped creatures, slow, harmless.He didn’t know if that was self-control or cowardice.

  “AUROX!”The familiar voice pulled him from the spiral. It was Mika, hopping between two sparks of heat she created under her feet. Her eyes gleamed like gss in the sun, and her lic hair was nearly white under that light.“You always stop in the same pce! Do you think you’ll be abducted by drama or something?”

  He smiled shyly and responded with just a nod.Right behind her came Kael, with a giant backpack and a metal pipe banced on his shoulders like a professional bat, and Nina, lightly floating with her hands in her hoodie pockets.A strange group. But his.

  “Did you see today’s bulletin?” — said Kael, in a low, precise voice. “They’re listing the first exhibition matches of the week. Open fights for the whole campus to watch.”

  “I didn’t sign up,” Aurox replied immediately, almost reflexively.

  “I didn’t ask if you signed up,” Kael replied with a slight smile. “Just said it’s happening.”

  “You should participate,” said Nina, still floating slowly around them. “You know how to. You’re just scared.”

  That hit him like a rock in the chest, though said with the same calm as someone commenting on the weather.

  “He’ll go when he’s ready,” Mika countered, creating a ring of light around her wrist. “But if he doesn’t... I’ll go in his pce, and you’ll just have to deal with me.”

  Aurox smiled. A bit of truth. A bit of relief.A bit of fear, too.

  “Tournaments, friendly matches, duels... That’s the rhythm around here.”“Do I even have the right to summon anything after what I did?”

  The book, quiet on his skin, seemed... to pulse. As if it were listening to everything.

  And waiting.

  The room was spacious, with windows that filtered sunlight through a golden film — a simple enchantment that kept the heat from bothering the students. The chairs were too comfortable to keep anyone awake during a css on Hunter Safety Regutions. Aurox was slouched in his, eyes half-open, notebook bnk in front of him, pen spinning between his fingers.

  The professor spoke without pause, like reciting an ancient spell, in a monotone voice with complete disinterest in life.“...cases of ability use outside of reguted areas may result in warnings, license suspension, or, in severe situations, preventive detention...”

  Aurox yawned and rested his face on his hand. The Book of Legends, invisible as always, seemed even quieter than usual. Not that he expected an exciting lecture about bureaucracy, but being there felt like torture.

  A subtle buzzing cut the air, followed by the clear sound of the University bell. Css was over.

  With an automatic movement, Aurox gathered his things, but before he could get up, the professor’s voice echoed louder than expected:

  “Before you leave, a notice: today, at the end of the day, some licensed Hunters will be here for a talk. It’s optional, but highly recommended for those thinking of joining this semester’s Tournament.”

  There was an excited murmur among the students. Hunters were respected figures, almost mythical among them. They were those who had made it through the entire University and, with government approval, could use their powers freely for missions, hunts, rescue operations, or enforcement. For many there, being a Hunter was the ultimate goal.

  For Aurox, it was just a distant idea.

  He walked out of the room with zy steps until he found Mika leaning against the opposite wall, spinning a small sun between her fingers. Kael was sitting next to her, sharpening a piece of wood with a bde that probably shouldn’t be outside his backpack. Nina floated in slow circles above them, like a bored balloon.

  “Did you hear the announcement?” Mika asked, her tiny sun bursting into colorful sparks.

  Aurox nodded. “Hunter talk. Sounds... exhausting.”

  “At least it’s better than hearing Professor Cen talk about containment rules for the third time this week,” said Kael, without looking up from the wood.

  “We could go just to see what it’s like. Better than being bored in the dorms,” Nina suggested, nding like a feather. “Maybe it’ll get us pumped to join the tournament.”

  “You sure you want to see me getting beaten in public?” Aurox asked, half-ughing.

  “Only if it’s stylish,” Mika replied, winking. “Come on, come with us. It’ll be fun. Or at least... less boring.”

  He hesitated for a second. Part of him wanted to say no, go back to the dorm, draw another harmless creature, flee the world.But the other part — small, stubborn, and hungry for something new — whispered for him to go.

  “All right,” he said. “Let’s see what those Hunters are made of.”

  And with that, the four of them walked together through the halls of Babel University, unaware that this simple talk would change far more than just a boring afternoon.