The glyphs above the arena shimmered, academy names swirling in a spiral of light before snapping into pce.

  Victoria’s eyes narrowed. “We’re up eleventh out of eighteen teams,” she said after a moment, as composed as ever.

  “Not first, thank the gods. I couldn’t imagine going blind into this thing.” I said after a long exhale.

  Kier was leaning zily on his staff, his hood shadowing the sly twist of his lips. “Also gd we’re not st. By then, everyone else would’ve already shown off their best tricks. Hard to impress an audience that’s seen it all.”

  “That’s correct,” Victoria agreed, still studying the names on the glowing list. Her fingers squeezed the hilt of her sword like she was already itching to get her turn. “Eleventh is good. We’ll have time to observe and adapt—but not so te that the field is worn out.”

  Tilting my head at the dispy. “Middle of the pack. Survivable. Fingers crossed the monster doesn’t kick our asses.”

  Kier chuckled. “Always the optimist, Luna.”

  The crowd shifted as the first team marched through the barrier. The announcer’s voice boomed across the mountainside as he rattled off the names of each academy in the lineup. They echoed, each one eliciting a different reaction from sections of the stands. Around me, competing cadets whispered and fidgeted, their nerves pinly evident.

  Victoria focused forward, assessing, like she was already three moves ahead on a board no one else could see. “We’ll use the wait. Study the others, their strengths, their mistakes. Every detail matters.”

  I tugged at my gauntlet, groaning. “Victoria... you’re always so diligent. Can’t we just sit back and watch the show?”

  “Not unless you want to embarrass yourself in front of the entire Alliance,” she said, a rare giggle escaping.

  “Ugh, don’t make me imagine that,” I muttered, picturing myself face-pnting in front of all these people. Nope. Nope. Nope.

  The horn sounded. The crowd roared as the shimmering creature bounded toward the first team, a hulking wolf made of glowing mana.

  “They’re charging in too fast,” Victoria murmured, focused.

  She was right—the team didn’t even pause to form up. They attacked the beast head-on, bdes swinging wildly. To their credit, the raw power worked. The beast dissolved in under three minutes, colpsing into a shower of sparks. Cheers rained but Victoria’s lips pressed thin.

  “Messy,” she said. “No discipline. They won’t st past round two.”

  The second team entered next. They moved with caution—too much caution. Their mage barked spells, but the swordsmen hesitated, circling the creature instead of committing. A swipe nearly took one out, and the audience gasped.

  Kier tilted his head. “Well, that seemed... painful.”

  “This team cks trust,” Victoria observed. “Their hesitation ruins timing.”

  I chewed my lip as the fight dragged on. The team finally managed to pin the monster and overwhelm it, but it had taken them nearly six minutes. When the beast finally burst into light, the appuse was polite at best.

  By the third and fourth teams, the knots in my stomach eased. Some were strong—but sloppy. Others careful—but painfully slow. Yep. Definitely way better than those clowns.

  The announcer’s voice boomed again, and the seventh team strode into the arena.

  “Asher Deylin, heir of House Deylin, leading the team from Astaria Royal Academy,” the name excited the crowd. The stands surged with noise, louder than it had been for any team before. Clearly, everyone had been waiting for this.

  “They really like him,” I muttered, brow raised. Victoria’s expression stayed steady, though a hint of recognition flickered across her face.

  Inside the barrier, Asher moved like he owned the pce, confident—smooth, everything calcuted. At his signal, the mage raised their hands. The ground cracked beneath the wolf; jagged pilrs of earth shot up and locked around its legs before it could lunge.

  The spear user was like a ghost, zipping around in a streak of precise jabs synchronized to the mage’s hold. The wolf bucked and howled, every thrash funneled into a predictable rhythm.

  Then Asher stepped forward. He lifted his bde, runes crawling awake along the steel. He brought it down, and the beast blew apart in a spray of light.

  It was over in less than a minute. I forced a wry smile, folded my arms like I hadn’t been moved at all. “Huh. Not bad.”

  Kier turned to me with a shocked face. “Not bad? That’s what you’re going with?”

  “Of course.” Victoria chimed in. “Well-drilled synergy. No hesitation. Fwless execution.”

  I shot her a sideways grin. “Vic giving such high praise? Should I be jealous?”

  Her lips thinned; a faint blush crept into her cheeks. “Luna, don’t be ridiculous.” Yes, evidence presented. Case closed. Also, she is adorable.

  “Mm-hm,” I teased. “Definitely jealous. You’ve got that noble blush going and everything.”

  “Luna,” she warned, eyes narrowing.

  “Careful, Luna. Sounds like you’ve got competition for Victoria’s heart. Should I be worried?”

  A ugh escaped me, loud enough to draw a few stares. “Please. Him? Cute shield tricks don’t make a rival.” I struck a heroic pose, chin lifted. “When I strike, people remember. No rehearsed choreography required.”

  Victoria was staring daggers into me. She knew me too well—enough not to call me out, but more than enough to hear the crack in my voice I prayed no one else had missed.

  Kier bowed in a mocking manner. “Ah, Luna the unshakable, already staking her pride.”

  “Damn right.” The words heavier than my sword. Pride was my armor. And my armor had to shine brighter than any shield, even if Asher’s strike still burned in the back of my mind. Not that I’m bothered. Nope. Totally fine. Just... not going to forget that swing anytime soon.

  “Anyway.” I forced a shrug, trying to seem casual. “Victoria, it seems like you know him?”

  She looked down at the field, where Asher and his teammates were already leaving to thunderous appuse. “Asher Deylin. House Deylin has trained warriors for generations. His father commands the cavalry Legion.”

  I whistled low. “So he’s a noble with a shiny pedigree. Figures.”

  Kier raised a brow. “And you’d know that how, Victoria?”

  Victoria gave a small shrug. “Our families crossed paths at formal gatherings. He was... promising, even back then. Discipline, strategy, focus. It’s no surprise he’s made a name for himself here.”

  “Promising, huh?” I echoed, exaggerating the word.

  Then I leaned closer, with a bratty grin. “Damn, Vicky. Keep talking like that and people might think you’ve already picked your knight in shining armor.”

  Her head snapped to me, eyes like drawn steel. “Luna... ”

  “Rex.” I ughed it off, waving a hand. “I’m just saying—you don’t need someone else’s sword and shield. You’ve got me.” I tapped my chestpte, my ego swelling. “And really—who could measure up to this?”

  Kier gave an amused snort. “Yes, Yes. Luna the Magnificent, forever her own competition.”

  “Exactly.” I turned and pointed at him.

  “Enough,” she said, her tone cutting through our theatrics. “Our turn will be called soon. Focus.”

  I tucked my hands behind my head and leaned back with an easy smile. “Wow. Serious voice. Guess I hit a nerve.”

  “You did,” she said crisply, adjusting the strap of her sword belt. “And since you’re so eager to boast about your strength, Luna... we’ll build our next maneuver around you.”

  My chest swelled. “Finally, some recognition—”

  “Not recognition,” she said, spping my belly with her knuckles. “Responsibility.” She turned to Kier. “You’ll prepare a wind channel. Controlled, directly to the monster and timed with Luna’s signal. While you’re preparing, I will be taking the beast’s attacks.”

  Kier arched a brow but gave a small nod. “I can give her speed. Might throw her stomach out of pce, though.”

  “Good,” Victoria said smoothly, like she wanted me rattled. “Luna, you’ll get into your stance, ready to unch. “When you give the signal, Kier will release the burst. You take all that pride of yours and actually put it to work—right through the monster in one clean strike.”

  I folded my arms, pulse hammering. “Wait... so you’re basically flinging me at it like some human arrow?”

  “Exactly. One shot. Clean. Miss, and we all fall behind. Hit... and you finally have something to brag about.”

  Kier grinned. “Sounds fun. Always wondered how far you could fly, Luna.”

  I scoffed, crouching low into a stance to prove a point. “Fine. Line me up. But when I slice that thing in one go, don’t forget who made it happen.”

  Victoria’s expression softened for a fraction of a second, pride peeking out from beneath her commander mask. “I won’t.”

  By the time the eighth, ninth, and tenth teams stumbled through—one a disaster, one sloppy, one barely hanging on—my nerves had faded away into pure electric anticipation.

  The glyphs above the arena shimmered, shifting until our name burned bright across the list.

  “And now,” his voice thundered, shaking the stands, “the eleventh challengers of the day—representing our very own Aegis Academy!”

  The arena erupted, a wave of cheers and whispers crashing together.

  “Led by Victoria Velstrad!” His tone hardened, her name nding with weight.

  A wave of appuse crashed over the arena.

  Should have expected it. She wore authority like armor. Standing next to her? Easy to forget I was supposed to shine too.

  “And with her—the storm mage Kier Ardent!”

  Another burst of whistles and cps.

  Then his voice dropped, pulling the audience in.

  “And st... Luna of Aegis Academy. A second-year. Just sixteen years old. A bde yet to taste battle. Will she break beneath the weight of expectation—or rise to carve her pce in history?”

  His words got an uneven appuse from the crowd. A few cheers, scattered, subtle compared to Victoria’s reception. A low murmur of confusion spread through the stands, faces tilting toward each other, unsure of what to make of me. The worst part? The boos.

  What the fuck? They’re really booing me? I haven’t even swung my sword yet. Okay—maybe they don’t know who I am—hell, maybe they think I’m some weak kid. Or—maybe they’re just assholes. Yes, let’s go with that. Assholes.

  Victoria immediately took point, bde in hand. She locked eyes with the wolf. With its teeth bared and cws gouging the earth, it snarled.

  She darted in, sshing low and dodging back before it could counter. Sparks flew with each strike, each cng resounding through the arena. She feinted an attack, then sliced a shallow mark along the beast’s fnk.

  Kier’s staff glowed, tracing precise sigils in the air. A gust of wind coiled behind me, taut as a drawn bowstring. He whispered under his breath, fine-tuning the angle and timing.

  The wolf lunged, jaws snapping—Victoria moved first. Lightning-quick, baiting it in, ducking under swipes. Every strike a heartbeat, every feint razor-precise.

  The arena’s noise faded. I put all my focus on her rhythm, the storm building behind me. Kier’s attention was split between me and the beast.

  I crouched, muscles coiled. Victoria cut in front of me again, steel fshing, sparks scattering. The monster roared, earth trembling, but Kier’s wind channel held, twisting like a living current.

  Then she leapt back, barely avoiding a cw. We locked eyes. I inhaled, grip tightening.

  “Now!”

  Kier’s wind burst, smming into my back like a piston.

  I shot forward.

  One instant, I was crouched. The next—I was there. Boots tore into packed earth. Muscles screamed. Faster. Stronger. Mana poured from both cores into my swing.

  The sword came down.

  Not neat. Brutal. Steel smmed into its hide with a deafening CRACK that shook the arena. Whoops. Okay, maybe a bit of overkill.

  The ground shattered, stone and mana sparks bursting outward. The wolf broke apart into glittering light before it could even let out a howl.

  Momentum dragged me forward. The wall rushed up, too fast to stop.

  Shit. Too fast. Wall incoming.

  Instinct took over. I wrenched my bde down, burying the tip deep in the arena floor. Metal screeched, carving a furrow that dragged me to a brutal stop inches from the wall.

  I clung to the hilt, chest heaving, arms on fire.

  I risked a gnce back at my team. Victoria’s face was shocked, but she gave a single curt nod of approval. Kier’s usual smirk was gone; instead, he was clutching his stomach, attempting to keep the ughter from bursting out.