Asteria Imperial Academy had never seemed so loud. From the moment the students entered the corridors, conversations about the inter-class training filled the academy. Some were already comparing their abilities, others were trying to guess who they would be paired with, while a few particularly confident students were announcing to anyone who would listen that they intended to rank among the best teams. In the main courtyard, several hundred students had gathered. Mages from different years spoke with trainee knights. Strategists were already studying the training grounds as if trying to understand their layout. Even some noble students, usually more reserved, seemed genuinely interested. Kael stood slightly apart from the crowd with Noah and Lysandra. — Do you think we'll end up together? Noah looked around at the students with an almost worried expression. — Probably not. — Why do you say that so calmly? Kael shrugged. — Because that would be too simple. — I hate when you answer like that. Lysandra let out a quiet laugh. — You could also get a balanced team. — Yeah. With Kael, you, and me. — And what if we end up with someone unbearable? Noah thought for a few seconds. — Then Kael will stare at them until they understand. Kael slowly turned toward him. — So that's my role? — Among other things. A faint smile crossed Kael's face. A few meters behind them, Darius stood with Gareth and Rowan. Unlike the students, the Black Raven knights didn't seem particularly interested in the teams being formed. Their attention remained focused on their surroundings. Darius eventually caught Kael's eye. A slight lift of his eyebrow. Kael answered with the same gesture. Noah watched them. — You two are doing that again. — Doing what? — Talking without talking. — You should try it. — No thanks. I already have enough trouble understanding you when you actually speak. Lysandra smiled. A bell rang. The conversations gradually died down. The director stepped onto the platform in the center of the courtyard. — For the next few days, you will take part in a series of inter-class trials. These exercises are designed to teach you how to work with students whose specialties, levels, and methods may be very different from your own. Behind him, several professors activated their enchantments at the same time. Lines of light appeared across the courtyard floor, forming large areas corresponding to different teams. — Your groups have been formed according to your abilities, level, and specialty. You will not be allowed to choose your partners. A murmur passed through the students. Names began appearing. Students gradually moved toward their assigned areas. Then a name appeared in front of Kael. Team Seven. He looked at the list. No Noah. No Lysandra. — Well... Noah checked his own number. — Team Three. Lysandra looked at hers. — Team Five. — We're separated. — Apparently. Noah pointed at Kael. — Try not to traumatize your team. — I make no promises. — That's exactly what worries me. Kael joined his group. There were five of them. A young mage specializing in defensive spells, two students from the knight division, and a boy Kael had never met. The boy had short brown hair and a thin scar above one eyebrow. He wore Asteria's black-and-silver uniform but carried no visible weapon. He studied Kael for a few seconds. — You're Veyron. It wasn't a question. Kael nodded. — Kael Veyron. — I know. The boy held out his hand. — Adrian Falken. Kael shook it. — Nice to meet you. Adrian briefly glanced toward the Black Raven knights standing behind the training area. — So they're here for you? — Among other things. — Must be convenient. — Depends. Adrian gave him an amused smile. — We'll see. A professor stepped forward. — First trial: retrieval. The terrain ahead of them changed. Part of the courtyard gradually transformed into an artificial forest. Trees rose from the ground, rocks appeared, and several paths formed between the obstacles. — Your objective is simple. A beacon crystal is hidden somewhere in the area. Retrieve it and return here. Traps are permitted. Combat between teams is also permitted, but no serious injuries will be tolerated. From the other side of the training grounds, Noah shouted: — KAEL! Kael turned. — What? — IF YOU FIND THE CRYSTAL, SHOUT! — Why? — SO I KNOW YOU FOUND IT! Kael stared at him for a moment. Lysandra, standing with her own team, burst out laughing. — He's hopeless. — I'm starting to get used to it. The signal sounded. The teams immediately moved. Adrian took the lead. — We stay together. No splitting up. The mage nodded. — Agreed. Kael followed without arguing. A few minutes later, they reached a crossroads. Three paths. Adrian examined the ground. — Left. — Why? — The others are too obvious. Kael looked at the branches above them. — I agree. They took the left path. A few dozen meters later, a magical arrow suddenly shot from a tree. The mage immediately raised a barrier. The impact echoed through the artificial forest. — Trap. — No kidding, Adrian muttered. Two more projectiles appeared. This time, Kael simply raised a hand. A faint pulse of aura crossed the path. The projectiles veered away before disappearing into the ground. Adrian stared at him. — You could do that from the beginning? — Yes. — I would've liked to know that. — You didn't ask. — Right. I'll start asking more questions. A noise came from behind them. Someone was approaching. Adrian turned. Three students appeared between the trees. — Team Four. One of them smiled. — Give us the map. The mage frowned. — What map? — The one you were given at the start. Adrian looked at the piece of paper in his hand. Then at the three opponents. — No. The first student raised his hand. — Then we'll have to take it. The fight began. The mage raised a barrier while the two trainee knights moved forward. Adrian positioned himself in the center. Kael stayed back for a few seconds. He watched. Not the opponents. His team. The way they moved. Their rhythm. Their mistakes. Then he intervened. A pulse of aura made one of the opponents stumble without injuring him. Adrian immediately took advantage of the opening and disarmed him. The mage protected their flank. The second opponent tried to circle around them. Kael appeared in front of him. — Bad idea. The boy stopped. A second later, his weapon was on the ground. The third student raised both hands. — All right. We give up. Adrian exhaled. — That was efficient. — We were wasting time. — Are you always like this? — Like what? — Calm. Kael thought for a moment. — Not always. Adrian smiled. — I believe you. They continued on. This time, they moved faster. The team was beginning to find its rhythm. The mage anticipated attacks, the knights covered the sides, Adrian made decisions, and Kael corrected weaknesses whenever he noticed them. Eventually, they reached a clearing. The beacon crystal stood in the center. Adrian approached. — We found it. He reached for it. An explosion erupted. The ground shook. Adrian was thrown backward. — What the— A deep rumble passed through the artificial forest. The academy's enchantments flickered. Then several trees disappeared. Not as intended. The magical scenery distorted. Professors immediately stood around the training grounds. — Stop the trial! The emergency signal rang. But something was wrong. The terrain wasn't responding. The barriers designed to prevent spells from leaving the exercise area began to crack. Several students backed away. — Everyone off the training grounds! The professors attempted to deactivate the main enchantment. Nothing happened. Another tremor shook the area. An artificial tree collapsed. The mage in Kael's team lost her balance. Kael caught her before she hit the ground. — Are you all right? — Yes... Adrian looked around. — This isn't part of the exercise anymore. Kael nodded. He had realized the same thing. Behind the barriers, Darius had already drawn his weapon. — Gareth. — I'm on it. The Black Raven knights immediately spread out. No panic. No shouting. Only short, precise orders. Darius crossed the boundary despite the professors' warnings. Kael saw him. — Darius! — Stay where you are! — I can help. — I know. Darius quickly scanned the area. — But right now, you help your team. Kael clenched his jaw slightly. He didn't like being ordered around. Even less when the order came from Darius. But he knew Darius was right. Another crack appeared in the enchantment. This time, the ground beneath Kael's feet warped. He reacted instantly. — Left! The entire group moved. A second later, part of the terrain collapsed. The students stepped back. Kael studied the enchantments. Something was overloading them. Not an attack. A malfunction. The safety system itself was spiraling out of control. — Adrian. — Yeah? — Do you see the lines on the ground? — Yes. — They feed the barriers. Adrian understood. — If we cut the main relay... — The entire system shuts down. The mage shook her head. — And if we're wrong? Kael looked at the terrain. — Then we'll have a bigger problem. Adrian gave a nervous laugh. — I really appreciate your optimism. They moved forward. Kael located the relay beneath a cracked stone slab. He placed his hand against it. His aura concentrated. No dark manifestation. No loss of control. Only precise control. He cut the flow. The enchantments stopped immediately. The artificial forest vanished. The courtyard returned to normal. For several seconds, nobody spoke. Then a massive collective sigh swept through the students. Darius reached Kael. — You all right? — Yes. Kael looked around. — You? — Still standing. Darius gave him a small smile. — That's something. A professor hurried toward them. — Is everyone all right? The students nodded. — The training is suspended for today. Whispers immediately spread through the crowd. Kael looked back toward the place where the relay had been installed. There was nothing mysterious. No trace. No message. No ancient inscription. Just a malfunctioning enchantment. And yet, something bothered him. He crouched slightly. A small piece of metal was lodged beneath the cracked stone. He picked it up. Adrian looked over his shoulder. — Was that inside the mechanism? — I don't know. Kael turned the piece over between his fingers. Just a small metal plate. Nothing unusual. He slipped it into his pocket. For now, he wouldn't tell anyone. Not because he thought it was connected to anything. But because he had learned not to jump to conclusions. Noah came running toward them. — KAEL! — What? — I thought you were going to blow up the entire academy again! Kael stared at him. — Why me? — Because you're always in the middle of weird things! Lysandra arrived behind him. — He has a point. — You're supposed to be my friends. — That's why we're saying it. Darius walked past them. — He does have a point. Kael sighed. — Wonderful. Noah grinned. — Come on. I survived my team, you survived yours. We deserve food. Kael took one last look at the training grounds, now completely normal. Then he followed the others. For once, there was no ancient door waiting beneath their feet. No message calling them into the shadows. And yet, without any of them realizing it, this day had created something far more important than another clue. For the first time, several students had fought alongside Kael. They had seen the way he thought, his control, and his ability to protect others without seeking attention. And some of them would begin to understand that the rumors didn't tell the whole story. At Asteria, the whispers were already changing direction.

The Class Trial