The gates shut behind them with a sound like rolling thunder. Dust swirled around their feet, and Kael felt the weight of a thousand eyes on him.
A voice cut through the crowd.
"First years, gather!"
Kael glanced around. Hundreds of students from distant lands had arrived—faces painted with determination, fear, or arrogance. Some whispered in strange tongues, some laughed nervously, some flexed their hands as if ready to fight.
A tall man with silver hair and a staff stepped forward. His eyes swept over the crowd like a hawk.
"I am Master Elren," he said, voice carrying effortlessly. "Welcome to the Academy. You have come here to endure, to prove yourselves. Only those who pass the examinations will continue on the path to ascendancy."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
A boy beside Kael, short with dark hair, leaned close. "Ascendancy… that's the thing everyone talks about, right? The path they say only one in ten ever completes?"
Kael nodded, keeping his voice low. "Then nine will fail."
The boy shivered. "I… I hope I'm not one of them."
Master Elren raised his hand. "The examinations are simple in instruction but cruel in execution. You will be tested in three areas: strength, perception, and will. Each of you will be transferred to your trial path according to your innate potential. Some paths are treacherous, others… deceptive."
A girl in front of Kael, with hair the color of midnight, whispered to her friend. "Treacherous or deceptive… it's all the same. If you fail, you're expelled—or worse."
Kael clenched his fists. "Expelled or worse?"
The girl didn't answer. She just turned away.
"Everyone will now be summoned to your trial paths," Elren continued. "Step forward when your name is called. Remember—endurance alone will not save you. Adaptation is required."
From a massive scroll, he read names.
"Kael Duskryn."
Kael stepped forward. He felt the crowd's eyes drill into him, some curious, some judgmental.
A booming voice rang from the crowd. "Where are you from, first year?"
Kael hesitated. "The southern continent… small village. Not far from the mines."
A murmur ran through a cluster of students. A tall boy with a scar across his cheek said, "Plains? You'll need more than that to survive here. Watch yourself."
Kael ignored him and walked onto the glowing platform Elren had summoned. The ground beneath shimmered and hummed.
"Concentration, focus," a soft voice whispered from somewhere behind him. "The path will know if you are ready."
The platform shifted. Light wrapped around Kael like liquid fire, and suddenly the crowd was gone.
***
"Where…?" Kael whispered.
"Your trial begins here," the voice said. "The path chooses you as much as you choose it."
A wall of energy erupted, forming a winding corridor lined with shifting symbols and floating stones. Shadows danced along the edges, whispering threats.
Kael felt movement. A shape appeared—another student from a distant land, their eyes glowing faintly.
"Looks like we're partners… or competitors," the figure said, voice teasing.
Kael tightened his grip on his satchel. "I'm not here to make friends."
"Neither am I," the student replied. "But surviving together might… help. For now."
Kael didn't answer. The path pulsed beneath their feet.
"Step carefully," the voice warned. "Every choice matters. Every misstep… will be remembered."
From the shadows ahead, whispers drifted—other students' voices, their fears, their doubts.
"You're not ready…" one hissed.
"Move faster…" another urged.
"Don't falter…" yet another warned.
Kael swallowed. "Then I won't."
He stepped forward.
The trial path awaited.
And the examinations had only just begun.