The morning air was cold when Kaen and the other stepped outside. The sky was clearer today but the cracks in the sky still glowed. It felt like reminders that the world had not healed. Light from the cracks shined faintly, forming larger shadows than normal.
Students gathered in the courtyard. The training ground felt different today serious and tense. The instructors had clipboards and serious looks. Not even a single person smiled.
Everyone already knew what today was.
The Exam.
Some recruits looked confident. Some looked terrified. Others tried to remain calm, but their shaking hands made it clear.
Fin whistled loudly beside Kaen.
"Man, they really went all out."
Kaen looked ahead and yes, the academy went beyond their expectations.
A huge obstacle course stood in the middle of the training field. Tall towers
The spinning blade moved slowly, making a sharp shadow on the ground.
Long poles hung in the air like vines swinging back and forth. Air jets fired a sudden burst of wind. At the end, there were beast dummies made of metal and crystal, with a glowing core hard to hit.
A message floated over the field with flowing letters.
Aerial Winger Test.
Riku crossed her arms and looked at the message quietly. Draxion's eyes moved slowly, analyzing every angle, every trap, every opening. Darren stared at it with eyes wide open.
"I'm pretty sure this is illegal." He muttered.
Fin laughed, but even his voice carried a bit of nervousness.
"If we die, at least we die learning something cool."
Kaen didn't respond. He felt something different today. Something quiet, waiting inside him. The mark on his chest hadn't glowed since last night, but he could feel it. Heat beneath his skin like a flame breathing slowly.
Commander Hale walked forward with his hand behind his back. His voice echoed across the ground.
" Listen carefully. Today it is not about strength. Not about power. Today is about instinct. The beasts you will face in the future will not give you time to think and react. They will not wait for you to choose a move."
He looked around the recruits slowly.
" If you hesitate it over for you."
Silence Spread among the recruits.
" For this exam, you must complete the Aerial Winger test. There are no retries. There are no pauses. If you fail the course end for you. Then try again next year."
Few students swallowed hard.
Hale continued his voice firm and loud.
"Every obstacle is designed to test your reaction speed, balance, control, and adaptation. You will jump, grapple, dodge, and strike."
"And remember Solar beasts adapt instantly. If you don't learn to move quickly without thinking, you'll never survive out there."
Kaen felt his heart heavy, his heartbeat slowed.
Hale pointed toward the test track.
"One by one come forward as your names are called."
The exam started.
The first boy, named Soren, was nervous. He stepped onto the platform his body shaky. When the horn sounded, He jumped to the first moving pole. The air jets blasted him, and he hit the safety cushion below.
The instructor wrote something down.
"Next."
The next student jumped. He crossed the moving pole, but when he tried to cross the moving blade, he lost his balance and also fell to the ground.
Some students completed half the test before failing. Some made it far enough to fight the beast dummies only to lose the balance at last.
The courtyard was filled with gasps, cheers, and groans.
Fin pushed Kaen slowly.
"At least we know the ground is soft." He joked.
His palms were sweating.
The instructor called his name.
"Fin Rayson."
Fin adjusted his shoulders. Smiled at his friend and stepped forward.
The horn sound blasted.
Fin jumped to the first pole not just landing, but swinging with smooth motion. The second pole moved faster, but Fin reacted instantly. He ducked through the spinning blades and sprinted forward as if he had practiced for years.
Kaen smiled slightly. Fin always reacted playfully, but when it was about the test, he was something else: smart, calm, and focused.
When he reached the beast dummies, he struck at the glowing mark in a quick pattern.
Slash. Slash. Slash.
Three hit.
The dummy shut down.
Then he sprinted to the final platform and landed with a roll.
Commander Hale raised an eyebrow, impressed.
"Time: 1 minute 43 seconds."
He raised his hand in victory.
Other recruits clapped for him.
" Show off" Darren muttered.
But inside he was happy for him.
Riku went next.
She didn't show excitement. She didn't smile. She didn't breathe loudly. She stayed calm.
Her body flowed in the air like a bird, No wasted motion, no panic, no rush. Where others forced strength, she used timing. Where others jumped far, she stepped precisely.
She didn't match Fin's speed. But her movements were smoother.
"Time: 1 minute, 58 seconds," Hale announced.
Riku stepped down without reacting, but Kaen noticed her eyes searching only for him.
Then she looked away quickly.
Next was Draxion.
Instead of running, he walked slowly.
Someone whispered, " Is he a fool or what?"
But as the first pole moved his body moved with speed. From a distance, his movement seemed slow, but his steps were perfect. He didn't dodge early or late he waited for the exact moment.
His motion was controlled.
Calculated.
When the beast dummy activated, he didn't attack it directly as Fin did. Instead, he made it jump forward, stretching his tendons just like Professor Norwin taught them.
Then he struck it.
The dummy shut down.
The student stared at him in shock.
"Time: 2 minutes, 04 seconds," Hale said. "Sharp strategic thinking."
Draxion only nodded and walked back.
Darren stepped up next.
He jumped too early.
He dodged too slowly.
He nearly fell twice.
But every time it looked like he would fail… he fought.
He grabbed, rolled, and shouted to his own body.
" Move don't think much. You can do it."
He finally reached the finish platform and fell on his back, breathing heavily.
Some students laughed at him not mockingly but proudly.
"Time: 2 minutes, 46 seconds. Messy but determined."
Fin clapped him on the back.
"That's the spirit."
Only Kaen remained.
The wind felt colder. The courtyard grew quiet. Even the spinning blades sounded sharper.
Kaen stepped forward.
Something inside him moved.
Not fear.
Not excitement.
Something older.
Something is waking up.
The mark on his chest pulsed again.
The horn blasted.
Kaen moved ahead.
Not fast at first but steady.
But then the first air jet fired.
But Kaen didn't dodge it.
His body dodged on its own.
Before thought.
Before reaction.
Like instinct.
His movements grew faster, blades spun, but he passed them like he knew their timing. Poles swung, but he held them perfectly and crossed them.
His movement was controlled and calculated just like Draxion.
Students stared.
Fin whispered, "That's not training."
Riku clenched her gloves."That's not normal that's instinct…"
Kaen reached the beast dummy. He raised his hand
Then paused
For a second
His eyes narrowed.
Then, instead of attacking the glowing core, he changed his strategy.
Tap the right tendon.
The beast's body trembled.
Tap nerve gap.
Its body froze.
Tap core.
And his body shut down.
A perfect three step attack with precision.
Hale Face looked shocked.
Kaen sprinted to the final platform and landed softly, he breathed slowly.
The courtyard erupted with cheers.
Fin shouted loudly, " That's my friend."
Darren shouted, " he flew like a demon."
Riku didn't shout but she stared at him with wide eyes.
Not fear.
Not admiration.
Something in between.
Commander Hale checked the time.
His voice was low.
"Time: 1 minute, 43 seconds."
Same as Fin's.
He looked at Kaen.
" That was not just skill. Not practice."
His voice became loud and clear.
" It was instinct."
Kaen didn't understand why but his mark pulsed again.
Like something inside him was waking up.
He looked at his trembling hands.
Not from fear.
The Exam was over.
But something inside Kaen was awakening.
Something that he couldn't ignore.