The meeting room at the heart of the Academy was heavy with silence.
Tension simmered beneath the polished formality as instructors from the Eight Great Houses sat around the crescent obsidian table. The sigils of each House shimmered subtly above their designated seats—Flame, Water, Stone, Wind, Light, Shadow, Spirit, and Time.
At the head of the table stood Headmaster Erion Virellian.
Stoic. Neutral. The Empire's trusted steward within the Academy walls.
"This cycle's performance during the preliminary trial has been… satisfactory," said Captain Selai of House Anima, voice smooth as water. "Though I suspect they've only scratched the surface of their potential."
"Potential isn't enough," said Captain Ryven of House Ignis, sharp eyes glowing faintly beneath his crimson mantle. "They need to be hardened. Sharpened."
"They will be," Erion said. "The Empire has approved the next phase."
He paused, letting the words hang in the air.
"They'll enter The Proving Grounds."
The reaction was immediate. Captain Verra of House Umbra leaned forward. "You're releasing students into that space already?"
"It's time," said Erion. "A survival-based realm. One month. No intervention. No resets. Their success—or failure—will determine their place moving forward."
"An unfiltered crucible," Captain Dorn of House Petra murmured. "It may break them."
"It may forge them," Erion countered.
---
Kael Ryuu stood in the upper training courts, wind tugging at his cloak. The silence of the courtyard was almost comforting after days of noise, of drills and whispers and sudden expectations.
The Proving Grounds, huh?
The name alone had weight. And Kael could already feel the shift in the air—less about tests, more about something primal.
"You thinking about running?" a voice asked behind him.
Kael turned, lips tugging upward.
"Riven," he said. "Didn't hear you."
"I was quieter than usual," Riven said with a shrug, stepping beside him. "They posted the next trial. Skyship leaves tomorrow."
"Already?" Kael asked, surprised.
"Seems they want us in deep waters quickly. Survival realm. Full month. You go in with what you carry. No help. No instructors."
"No rules?" Kael asked.
Riven smirked. "Plenty of those. They just won't matter much once you're inside."
---
That evening, Kael was summoned to the office of Captain Selai.
He stepped into a chamber that felt more like a sanctuary than a war room. The walls were lined with ancient scrolls and soul-carved relics. Selai herself stood by the window, her gaze distant.
"Sit," she said softly.
Kael obeyed.
"You've come far," she began. "But not far enough. And you're still hiding."
He didn't answer.
"The Proving Grounds will change that," Selai continued. "One way or another. You'll be pushed. Tested. Alone. But not unobserved."
Kael raised a brow.
"There are eyes in the shadows. Old ones. Watching for something… or someone."
Kael stiffened.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
"I don't know," he said honestly.
"Good. Stay uncertain. Stay alert. That's how people survive the Proving Grounds. And sometimes… that's how they ascend."
---
Morning came with the cry of engines.
The students assembled at the eastern edge of the Academy. Vast skyships hovered like sleeping titans, their metallic hulls gleaming in the rising sun.
Kael scanned the group. Riven was there, arms folded. Dorn stood like a statue. Lira's hair whipped in the wind, eyes focused ahead.
Then, the main boarding ramp lowered.
A cloaked figure stepped aboard—tall, imposing, crimson-lined. No one could see their face.
Whispers stirred.
"Is that an instructor?"
"They didn't announce anyone..."
"Maybe someone from the Empire?"
Kael's eyes narrowed.
He didn't recognize them. Not yet. But something about their presence felt... familiar.
He stepped onto the ship without a word.
The real trial had begun.