The Veld Hall was no mere room — it was a monument.
Stone walls, tall as towers. Floors of black basalt. In the center: the testing ring.
A circle, about twenty paces wide, lined with glowing Chi crystals.
Kael stood at the edge. Behind him, dozens of students waited, all dressed in dark uniforms, hands folded or clenched into fists. He heard quiet murmuring, the shuffle of feet. No one spoke to him.
A gong sounded.
"Silence!" called a voice — high, clear, piercing.
A man stepped forward. Tall, with silver hair and serious eyes. The symbol of the High Warrior shone on his chestplate.
"I am Naro, in charge of your examination. You are all Unaligned. That may change today."
He swept his gaze across the gathered students. "Or it may not."
Kael felt his heartbeat quicken.
"The test has four sections. We begin with the proof of your Chi. Step forward, one at a time. Place your hands on the crystal."
A massive crystal was brought forth — as tall as a man, glowing gold from within.
One by one, students stepped up. Some touched it and the crystal changed color — blue, red, green, grey.
Elements were announced. Fire. Water. Earth. Wind.
Some shone brightly, others dimly. One of the examiners recorded each result.
Then it was Kael's turn.
He stepped forward. His hand trembled only slightly as he touched the crystal.
One second passed.
Then two.
Nothing.
Silence filled the hall.
A quiet clearing of the throat from one examiner. "…No reaction."
Kael withdrew his hand.
Again, no proof. Not even a spark.
"Back to the line," Naro said neutrally. No harshness. No pity.
Kael felt the stares. They hurt more than any words.
The second part of the day was the combat-style test.
Now they stood in pairs inside the ring. Each duel lasted only a few minutes.
It wasn't about winning — but showing they knew how to fight.
Flame Fist versus Wind Kick. Water Grasp versus Earth Strike.
Elements flared. Dust swirled in the hall. The examiners observed every move.
When Kael's name was called, his opponent stepped forward with a smirk: Eder.
"Oh, this'll be easy," he whispered. "One breath and you'll fall over."
"Begin," the examiner ordered.
Eder activated his fire almost instantly. Red light flickered around his hands.
Kael dodged, ducked under the first strike, blocked a kick. His movements were clean — but without Chi, they meant nothing.
Then a strike came faster than expected, hitting him in the ribs.
Pain burned through his side. Kael fell to the ground.
"Stop!" the examiner shouted.
Eder stepped back, satisfied. Kael gasped for air.
The examiner helped him up. "Technically clean. But… powerless."
Kael lay on the cold stone floor. The spot where Eder had hit him throbbed with a dull ache. The fire had struck more than his ribs — it had scorched the last bit of his pride.
Murmurs rose around the room.
"Why is he even here?"
"Without Chi, he's nothing."
"What a waste of testing time."
The examiner turned away, ready to end the match.
But Kael's fingers dug into the ground.
Something inside him resisted.
Not like this. Not again.
Slowly, trembling, he pushed himself to his knees. Then to his feet.
His legs shook, but his gaze stayed steady — not on the examiner, but on Eder.
Who was no longer smiling.
"I want to continue," Kael said.
The examiner blinked. "You have no chance, Kael."
"Maybe not. But I want to take it."
A pause. Then a nod. "Continue."
Eder scowled. "Fine. Your funeral."
He charged, fists blazing like a firestorm.
Kael dodged. Not like a trained fighter — like someone trying to survive. Pure, raw instinct.
A kick grazed him, but this time he stayed on his feet. Another strike — he ducked. Then, almost reflexively, he raised an arm, deflected the punch — and kicked forward.
A clean, solid strike to the stomach.
Eder stumbled back. No Chi, no flame — just sheer determination.
The hall fell silent.
Kael's breathing was heavy. His gaze never dropped. And Eder… hesitated.
A flicker passed over his face. Just a second — but there it was.
Fear.
Kael recognized it. He'd seen it once before — in the eyes of a man who had shoved him away as a child.
That look: as if someone had seen something that shouldn't exist.
The examiner stepped between them.
"Enough."
Eder retreated without a word. Kael still stood.
The examiner's voice was calmer now. Measured.
"Kael. You… may not possess Chi. But you have will. And that counts."
Kael said nothing.
But inside him, something flickered. Not fire. Not light.
Something else.
After the combat section, the students were led to another area — a cordoned-off field behind Veld Hall, filled with obstacles, small towers, and trenches.
Kael was the last to step out.
He felt every bruise, every pulled muscle. But the examiners looked at him differently now.
No pity. No mockery. Something more appraising.
"Tactics and endurance test," Naro explained. "Reach the goal without being seen or struck. The towers use Illusion Chi — if they detect you, you'll be marked. Three marks and you're out."
Some students grinned. Others clenched their teeth.
Kael studied the terrain.
No Chi. No speed. No stealth.
But he had observation.
The others started before him — sprinting, ducking behind cover, leaping trenches.
Alarm sounds echoed — illusion crystals marking students who had been spotted.
Then Kael's signal.
He didn't run. He crouched.
He waited. Studied how the towers turned. Memorized the timing.
Where the blind spots were.
While others dashed through with Chi, Kael moved like a shadow among shadows.
Once, almost caught — he dropped into the dirt, holding his breath.
An illusion beam passed inches above him.
As he crawled forward again, he noticed:
Some examiners were only watching him.
He was the only one without Chi — and yet he advanced. Slowly. Efficiently.
At the goal, a small platform glowed once stepped on. Three students were already there.
When Kael reached it as the fourth, silence fell.
"He made it," someone whispered.
"How?!"
Kael heard it, but didn't react. His body was soaked in sweat, his hands scraped raw, but his gaze was clear.
Naro stepped forward, marked something on a Chi-paper, then looked Kael in the eye.
"You're not strong in Chi, Kael," he said quietly. "But your will carried you farther than others with power."
Kael didn't speak. Only one thought pulsed in him:
I did it.
At the end of the day, results were announced.
Many were ranked — from "Unaligned" to "Soldier," some even as "Warrior."
Kael's name was read last.
"Kael… remains Unaligned."
A short pause.
"But receives special observation."
A murmur spread through the hall.
What did that mean?