The gates of Arcane Academy opened without a sound.

  Leor felt it before he truly saw it—the pressure. Not the kind he created with his palms. This was quieter. Heavier. The kind that settled in your chest when you realized your life might split into a before and an after.

  Arin walked beside him, hands tucked into his jacket. “So this is it,” he muttered. “No more empty lots. No more privacy.”

  Ahead, the main examination hall stretched wide and circular, its ceiling high enough to swallow echoes. The floor shimmered faintly, reinforced with layered constructs designed to withstand ability output. Candidates stood scattered across the massive room, some alone, some pretending not to size each other up.

  Leor immediately noticed a tall boy near the center with ash-brown hair tied back loosely. The air around him shimmered faintly, like heat distortion.

  Arin noticed him too. “You see that?”

  “Yeah,” Leor replied. “Atmosphere’s bending around him.”

  Before they could say more, someone approached them from the side.

  “You’re Leor Nova. And you’re Arin Vale.”

  The voice was casual—almost amused.

  Leor turned. The speaker was a slim boy with sandy hair and a relaxed posture, hands in his pockets like he was at a social gathering instead of an elite entrance exam.

  “And you are?” Arin asked.

  “Not important,” the boy said with a shrug. “I’m not scouted. I barely made it through regional qualifiers. But you two? Everyone knows you were flagged on awakening day.”

  Leor exchanged a glance with Arin.

  The boy leaned closer. “If you’re going to survive this thing, you should know who else they handpicked.”

  Arin smirked slightly. “We’re listening.”

  The boy jerked his chin subtly toward the tall ash-haired candidate.

  “That’s Cassian Drax. Kinetic Redirection. Anything that hits him? He can bend its momentum. Punches, projectiles, probably even shockwaves if he times it right.”

  Leor narrowed his eyes. That’s dangerous.

  A girl nearby scoffed as she flicked her wrist. Thin ribbons of water coiled around her fingers like living serpents.

  “And that,” the boy continued, “is Mira Solenne. Hydromancy. But not just water control—she can alter its density. Saw her turn mist into something solid enough to block a strike.”

  Arin exhaled softly. “That’s… versatile.”

  “Very.”

  A sharp crack split the air across the hall.

  Everyone turned.

  A muscular boy with copper skin had slammed his fist into the ground. Instead of cracking, the reinforced floor dented inward as if gravity had momentarily increased.

  “That’s Bram Korr,” the informant said. “Mass Amplification. He can increase his body’s density and weight at will. Hits like a falling building.”

  Leor instinctively imagined pushing someone like that.

  Would push even work normally? Or would the resistance multiply?

  “Over there,” the boy continued casually, nodding toward a girl leaning against a pillar, arms crossed.

  She had short silver hair and eyes that didn’t blink much. The lights above her flickered faintly.

  “Lyra Voss. She can generate and manipulate magnetic fields. Metal bends toward her without her even touching it.”

  Arin stiffened slightly. “So if there’s metal in the simulation—”

  “She owns it,” the boy finished.

  Leor scanned further.

  Near the far wall stood a quiet, dark-skinned boy with braided hair. The ground beneath his feet looked… uneven. Like it wasn’t entirely stable.

  “That’s Rhett Calder,” the boy said. “Spatial Displacement. Short-range warping. Not teleportation exactly. More like he ‘slides’ space a few meters at a time.”

  Leor’s stomach tightened.

  That’s… complicated.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Next,” the boy went on, pointing subtly toward a red-haired girl stretching her fingers. Every time she moved, faint afterimages lingered half a second too long.

  “Talia Rune. Temporal Acceleration—but only on herself. She can speed up her personal time flow in short bursts.”

  Arin blinked. “So she moves faster than everyone else?”

  “For a few seconds, yeah. But it drains her hard.”

  The sandy-haired informant shifted his weight again.

  “Then there’s Gideon Marr.”

  A lean boy stood calmly near the center, eyes closed. The air around him felt… quieter. Muted.

  “Energy Dampening,” the boy explained. “He can suppress ability output in a radius around him. Not permanently. But enough to disrupt control.”

  Leor’s jaw tightened.

  “That’s going to be a problem.”

  “Oh, definitely.”

  “And the last?” Arin asked.

  The informant smiled faintly.

  “You’ll notice her.”

  Leor followed his gaze.

  Near the entrance, speaking briefly with an instructor before stepping aside, stood a tall girl with long black hair tied high. Her posture was straight, expression composed—too composed.

  As she stepped forward, faint golden lines traced along the floor beneath her feet before fading.

  “That’s Seraphine Valecrest,” the boy said quietly. “Construct Manifestation. She creates solid structures made of pure energy. Blades. Shields. Platforms. Whatever she imagines.”

  Leor felt something stir in his chest.

  Eight.

  Eight others like them.

  All scouted.

  All dangerous.

  The sandy-haired boy clapped his hands lightly. “So yeah. That’s the competition. Welcome to Phase One.”

  Arin tilted his head. “You’re pretty informed for someone ‘not important.’”

  The boy grinned. “Information is free. Survival isn’t.”

  Before Leor could respond, a sharp chime echoed through the hall.

  The floor shifted.

  Circular platforms rose from beneath each candidate’s feet, separating them into designated sections.

  An instructor’s voice boomed overhead.

  “Phase One: Control Assessment will begin momentarily. Demonstrate precision. Demonstrate restraint. Excessive collateral output will reduce your evaluation score.”

  Leor flexed his fingers slowly.

  Across the hall, Cassian rolled his shoulders.

  Mira’s water tightened into a spinning ring.

  Bram cracked his neck.

  Lyra’s eyes flicked briefly toward the metal framework above.

  Rhett’s form blurred for half a second—then snapped back.

  Talia inhaled sharply, her body seeming lighter.

  Gideon opened his eyes.

  Seraphine raised her hand—and a thin blade of golden light formed effortlessly in her palm.

  Arin leaned slightly toward Leor. “No pressure.”

  Leor let out a slow breath.

  “Push isn’t about destruction,” he murmured to himself. “It’s about direction.”

  Above them, hidden behind reinforced glass and layered barriers, several professors observed the live feeds.

  A tall woman with sharp features folded her arms.

  “Interesting lineup this year.”

  A gray-haired man beside her adjusted the display.

  “Two of them were flagged with instability markers,” he said, zooming briefly on Leor and Arin. “Nova and Vale.”

  “And the others?”

  “Valecrest has exceptional control. Drax shows defensive adaptability. Marr could become disruptive in group simulations.”

  The woman’s gaze lingered on Leor’s platform.

  “The boy with Push,” she murmured. “If he learns fine vector control early… he’ll become very difficult to counter.”

  “And if he doesn’t?” the man asked.

  Her lips curved faintly.

  “Then he won’t survive Phase Two.”

  Below, the signal tone rang out.

  The first phase of the Arcane Academy entrance exam began.

  And ten scouted candidates stepped into the crucible.