Kael wasted no time.
The next morning, students were awakened by blaring sirens.
"ALL UPPER-RANK STUDENTS—REPORT TO THE COLISEUM."
I blinked awake, tangled in sheets and suspicion. The moment I stepped outside, the air tasted like iron—tension thick enough to slice with a dagger.
The Academy's coliseum wasn't used often. Just for rare punishments or public duels. But now it was full—packed with uniformed boys, combat instructors, and Kael himself standing at the center like a god of war.
Kael: "You want to graduate? Then bleed for it."
He raised a hand.
Kael: "Pair combat. No rules. One partner wins. One fails."
Groans. A few excited smirks.
Lucian, Ryker, Vale—and me.
We were already marked.
Kael's eyes scanned the crowd.
Kael: "Start with them."
---
The first match: Vale vs a council heir.
He didn't hesitate.
Eyes cold, stance precise, the tech genius had wires embedded into his sleeves and pressure points memorized. His opponent charged, but Vale sidestepped, jabbed a paralyzer pin into the guy's neck, and whispered:
Vale: "Upgrade yourself."
Boom. Down.
Crowd silent.
Kael smirked.
---
Second match: Ryker.
Ryker: "About time I get to hit someone legally."
He fought wild, unpredictable. But with every punch, I could tell—he was holding back.
Not out of fear.
But out of strategy.
He wanted Kael to underestimate him.
It worked.
Kael's lips twitched. "Feral. But useful."
---
Then came Lucian.
Everyone went quiet.
He was elegance, precision, cold brilliance.
Lucian's opponent was the son of a Yakuza boss. Armed with twin daggers.
But Lucian moved like smoke—twisting, striking, disabling nerves.
One hit.
Two steps.
Silence.
And then—
Lucian: "This is boring."
He didn't even break a sweat.
Kael: "Cocky."
Lucian: "Confident."
Kael chuckled.
---
Then… it was my turn.
Whispers ran through the stands.
"The new boy."
"Looks weak."
"Too pretty."
Kael smiled as I stepped into the arena.
Kael: "Little Ghost. Impress me."
My opponent?
A brute. Six feet of arrogance and scars. He charged without warning.
I let him.
At the last moment, I slipped under his arm, twisted, and elbowed his spine—just enough to send him stumbling. He recovered. Swung again.
I dropped, swiped his legs, and kneed his ribs.
He growled. Grabbed my collar.
Mistake.
I smiled, grabbed his wrist, and dislocated it with a sharp twist.
He screamed.
Kael clapped once.
Kael: "Clean. Surgical."
I walked off without looking back.
---
Later, in the locker room, Ryker threw a towel at me.
Ryker: "Nice work, 'pretty boy.'"
I: "Thanks."
Lucian leaned on the wall, arms crossed.
Lucian: "He's testing us. Every move we make is data for him."
Vale: "He's also building something."
I: "A new army."
They nodded.
I sat down, breathing hard.
Then a soft ping echoed in my earpiece.
Encrypted channel.
Unknown sender.
Message: "You've survived the surface games. Now, let's see how you handle ghosts."
A chill ran down my spine.
Vale noticed my expression.
Vale: "What?"
I: "Nothing. Just another message from my past."
---
That night, I returned to my dorm to find a letter on my bed.
Not digital. Not traceable.
Just white paper, sealed with a red wax serpent.
I opened it.
"You've been marked."
"The ghosts you buried will rise."
"See you in the underground trial."
Below it—a symbol only I knew.
It was the insignia of Shadow Protocol—an elite spy unit that trained children in covert kill missions.
My first life.
I wasn't just being tested anymore.
Kael had just reopened my past.
And now?
The ghosts were coming.
---
End of Chapter 29