“Alright… I’m doomed.“

  The grandstands teemed with nobles from all across Falken-Riedt, and even a few houses from beyond. That pesky shorty hadn’t been exaggerating at all.

  The spring sun felt hotter than it should have. My stomach twisted again.

  I quietly ran a thread of stabilizing chemo-magic through my gut, forcing it to settle.

  I stood in the middle of the arena, facing Adina, who was, of course, childishly excited about all of this. This was supposed to take place in one of the school’s training halls, but with this absurd crowd, the school administration decided to move it to the main arena, even though it was only the third-quarter exams.

  My heart skipped when I saw Mom and Dad, Lord and Madam Ghadhanvar, seated right next to the Yuhanas. Lord Yuhana and Dad were chatting about the old days as if this were some social gathering. Mom was already giving me that look of preemptive disappointment, expecting me to mess it up again.

  And Madam Yuhana… she was staring at me with icy eyes. Her earlier words still echoed in my head.

  The strength drained from my knees as my gaze swept over the crowd. So many familiar faces. Among them, I spotted Teacher Yuhana, disguised from her family, but I recognized her immediately.

  What is she doing here?

  Why that glare?

  To guard her sister—or to warn me?

  Funny, isn’t it? I’m the one in danger here.

  My eyes returned to my little cutie of an opponent, though she was neither little nor cute in a fight.

  On her back hung a cylindrical container filled with nutrients, a long drinking straw between her lips. Normally, support nutrients were injected directly into the bloodstream, but she claimed she hated needles. Typical Adina.

  As for me, six rubber containers were strapped to my belt, each holding half a kilogram of a compound I had selected from the limited options.

  My choices this exam had shocked the safety curators. They probably thought I had finally lost my mind.

  We’ll see about that.

  The supervisor of the combat exams, Professor Rakshas the goblin, stood between us, barely a few inches taller than me, inspecting our equipment with lazy thoroughness.

  “Daughter of Yuhana,” he said, adjusting his spectacles, “are you certain you wish to take your supply nutrients orally?”

  “Yes, Professor Rakshas,” Adina replied, a straw resting casually between her lips. “I prefer it this way.”

  “And you.” His amber eyes slid toward me. “Chemio-lad. Confident in your choice of materials?”

  I gave him a flat look and exhaled slowly.

  “Professor… please. In front of everyone? Just use my name.”

  He scratched the back of his head. “Sorry, son. I use the nickname to distinguish you from your siblings. Afraid I forgot which one you are. I’ll just call you Fourth Ghadhanvar.”

  That’s even worse!

  But before I could protest, he had already turned to the crowd.

  “First round of the third-quarter combat exams! Adina Yuhana versus the Fourth Ghadhanvar!”

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  Lord Yuhana burst into loud laughter.

  My mother stiffened.

  My father’s jaw tightened.

  A murmur rippled through the audience.

  Referring to a noble heir by birth order—publicly reducing him to one of many offspring—wasn’t just informal.

  It was insulting.

  That was Professor Rakshas for you. Rude. Inappropriate. Completely unfazed.

  “Begin!”

  Adina moved instantly.

  Bio-magic surged through her body with terrifying precision.

  Muscles swelled.

  Limbs elongated.

  Her pupils narrowed into predatory slits.

  Fangs pushed past her lips.

  Claws extended with a soft, sickening click.

  I had faced this form before.

  The pain was familiar.

  So was the defeat.

  She ran at me like a predator unleashed, faster than any normal human reaction could properly track.

  Then she was on me.

  Her transformed body loomed over mine, now a clear head taller than me, broader, heavier, and built for violence. Stronger. Faster. More flexible. Her senses razor-sharp.

  Claws. Teeth. Impact.

  This time, I endured.

  I didn’t reach for my equipment. Not yet.

  She slashed, bit, twisted away before I could secure a grip. Slippery. Always just outside my reach. She knew my weakness, my magical range was painfully short. If I couldn’t reach her, I couldn’t do anything.

  Her skin secreted a viscous substance. Grabbing her felt like clutching oil over silk.

  And she never wasted energy.

  No reckless swings. No overextension.

  Perfect control. Perfect pacing.

  Waiting for her to exhaust herself was not an option.

  The assaults came again.

  And again. And again.

  I held my ground, barely, every second stretching, waiting for the smallest opening.

  Blood dripped down my skin.

  My body was covered in cuts, shallow but countless. I had guarded my face and torso carefully, sacrificing my arms and legs instead.

  This monster.

  Adina was number one for a reason. Efficiency. Energy control. Surgical precision. Full marks in the Magic Control module. Early recommendation for military and security divisions. She had not lost a single fight since entering middle school.

  But today... That changes.

  I staggered on purpose.

  Just enough to look unstable.

  She took the bait.

  She lunged.

  I pivoted and drove my knee into her inner thigh, then snapped my head forward and smashed it against her nose.

  Before she could recoil, I yanked two rubber containers from my belt and squeezed them hard toward her torso, forcing their contents out through the single outlets.

  The reaction was instant.

  A violent heat wave erupted between us.

  It scorched her chest.

  It burned me too.

  She reacted on instinct.

  A full-force kick.

  I raised my arm to block.

  Bone snapped.

  White pain exploded through my body.

  The impact hurled me backward. I hit the ground hard, the air blasted out of my lungs as I rolled and struggled to push myself up.

  Her scream followed half a second later.

  High. Raw. Uncontrolled.

  She collapsed to one knee, clutching her torso, smoke rising faintly from her uniform.

  I was barely breathing. Every inhale felt like knives cutting through me. My broken arm hung uselessly at my side, twitching with every pulse and sending fresh waves of agony. I struggled to push myself upright, forcing my eyes open. The world swayed around me, my vision scanning the crowd. Lord Yuhana rose, his expression as composed as ever. He had never stood for a match before. Madam Yuhana’s cold composure had cracked, fury burning in her stare. My mother’s jaw had dropped open. My father, however, watched me with a measuring, calculating gaze, unreadable. The weight of their eyes pressed down on me, unrelenting.

  Then my gaze flickered to the worried face of Teacher Yuhana. The conflicted fear in her expression was obvious. She didn’t know whether to pity her younger sister or her reckless secret pupil.

  A flash of memory struck me—this morning’s training in the marsh with her older sister.

  I lunged forward. She expected something flashy: fire, acid, or a blast of magic. But I heated water in one hand and froze it in the other.

  When they collided midair, the rapid thermal shock from the clash of scalding heat and biting cold sent steam and frost shards erupting violently across her face, scorching her skin. Despite her quick reaction, the blast tore across half her face, leaving superficial burns. She collapsed, smoke curling faintly from the scorched skin.

  Shaking off the memory, I grabbed the sleeve of my training uniform with my teeth and tore it free, then wrapped it tightly around my broken arm, binding it as best as I could.

  Pain blurred my vision. My body was still that of a child, fragile and untested; every pulse through my broken arm reminded me of my limits as I forced myself upright.

  Across from me, Adina had stopped screaming.

  She pushed herself back to her feet.

  The skin across her chest and stomach was swollen and inflamed beneath her torn jacket.

  She wiped the blood from her nose with the back of her hand. Drool mixed with it.

  Her eyes locked onto mine.

  No fear. Only challenge. Only revenge.

  She bared her bloodied teeth, a grin that was more of threat than smile, with unyielding challenge.

  In the background, Professor Rakshas clicked his tongue, his casual amusement cutting through the tension. “Oh boy,” he muttered. “Seems the noble brats are done playing.”