**Chapter 5: The Lake of Division**
The shallow lake lay hidden deep within the forest, cradled by gnarled dead trees whose twisted branches reached like skeletal arms shielding it from time's decay. Here, the human students gathered—pale faces flickering with suspicion, eyes darting in silent fear.
Then Aaron came.
His boots crushed brittle leaves with deliberate confidence. That piercing gaze scanned the crowd like a prophet seeing tomorrow's tragedies today. When he climbed the withered tree trunk, he didn't posture like some preening noble—he stood with the unshakable authority of a born conqueror.
"Listen carefully." His calm voice cut through the tension like a scalpel.
"This isn't a test to pass. It's a reckoning." A muscle twitched in his jaw. "Survival favors neither the strong nor the clever—but those who turn everything into weapons. Even..." His fingers curled around empty air. "...the strength of others."
The crowd shuddered as one.
"I don't ask permission." His whisper carried across the lake. "Follow me to live. Wander alone to die."
His eyes cataloged their trembling—recording who flinched, who swallowed hard, whose fingers twitched toward hidden blades.
"The dwarves hoard secrets. Elves see us as insects. Dragons?" Aaron's smile showed teeth. "They only respect bloodstains. Unite or become kindling for their pyres."
Beneath his princely mask, darker calculations unfolded.
*They don't need a leader... but a messiah. Very well.*
"I want your minds, not your oaths." He spread his arms. "Follow me, and we'll carve human names into this academy's history—in blood or marble."
**CRACK.** A twig snapped as a scrawny boy raised his hand.
"W-won't grouping together provoke the other races? Like... reigniting the wars?"
All heads swiveled toward the speaker—a mage with dull eyes and frayed robes, his entire body screaming 'commoner'.
"Filthy gutter-rat!" A noble's spit landed near the boy's foot. "You dare question Prince Aaron?!"
Aaron's raised hand froze the coming storm.
"Enough." His smile didn't reach his eyes as he approached the cringing boy. *How amusing—a cockroach with opinions.*
"He's right." Aaron's grip on the boy's shoulder looked benevolent. "Your name?"
"R-Ronnie, Your Highness."
"Brave Ronnie." Aaron produced a tarnished pendant—its faint glow like the last sputter of a dying candle. "Take this heirloom. It shields the worthy."
As cheers erupted, Aaron's true thoughts uncoiled:
*Die screaming, fool. That pendant calls monsters like rotting meat summons vultures.*
---
**Monitoring Room — Academy**
Julius leaned forward as screens flickered with student footage. "At last..."
A new feed erupted—a black-haired youth moving with lethal grace, his sword carving through monsters like a poet's pen through parchment.
"HA!" Raiden's wine sloshed as he roared with laughter. "That boy channels mana like a veteran! Finally—a real swordsman!"
In the shadows, Xenon adjusted his glasses, saying nothing.
The door hissed open. A blonde woman in bloodstained medic robes sniffed. "Any corpses yet? My dissection table's empty."
---
**Forest Border — Where Fires Collide**
Leona incinerated another beast when moonlight exploded nearby.
"Moonshot!" Lisa's arrow vaporized a level-four monster. She winked at the fuming dragon princess. "Admiring my work?"
"You bi—"
The earth trembled. Trees splintered. Something *impossible* approached—its footsteps cracking stone.
Leona's flames guttered out. "That's... not in the trial parameters."
Lisa nocked another arrow with shaking hands. "Because that's a level-six..."
---
**Monitoring Room — Chaos**
Screens died. Alarms wailed.
Julius was already moving. "Containment breach!"
Raiden's sword ignited. "Those damned—"
[TO BE CONTINUED...]
---
Author's Note:
Hey everyone, I just wanted to say thank you for reading this chapter. I know it's a bit shorter than usual, and I truly apologize for that. I've been feeling quite unwell lately, but I still wanted to give you something instead of skipping the update completely.
Your support means the world to me, and I appreciate every read, comment, and like more than you know. Hopefully, I'll be back to full strength soon and deliver longer, action-packed chapters again. Thanks for your patience and understanding!
— Author