Dio turned around.

  Cairo was standing there, a little taller, his features more mature after four years of silence, but the same mischievous smile was still painted on his face, and the same curious glint shone in his eyes.

  Cairo said Yo , his friendly sarcasm breaking the bubble of isolation that had surrounded Dio. Long time no see, huh? He glanced at Dio's waist, where a simple sword rested in a plain leather sheath. His smile widened. It seems you did it.

  Dio looked at his simple sword. Yes, he said coldly. I did it.

  Cairo laughed and reached out to punch Dio's shoulder lightly. I don't think I properly thanked you for saving my mother that day.

  There are no thanks between friends, Dio replied, the word itself sounding strange and heavy on his tongue, like an ancient language he had forgotten how to speak.

  Cairo said, You're right, and he seemed to feel the hidden tension. Anyway, welcome to the hell of tests. Or as they call it, 'Elysian'.

  Before Dio could answer, a voice echoed in the immense hall. It was not a loud voice, but it carried a weight and authority that silenced thousands of students in the same instant.

  Welcome to my home.

  On a raised platform at the end of the hall, a woman appeared. She was surprisingly short, barely reaching Dio chest, but her presence filled every inch of the space. Her short black hair was cut with a sharp precision, and her eyes were a deep violet, holding a glint of ancient intelligence and absolute boredom. She was Lily Knoxville, the director of the academy, and one of the most powerful sorcerers in the world, an ancient Eighth Circle sorceress.

  she said quietly ,Whoever came here to play, may leave now, her voice flowing through the hall like cold silk. Here, we do not make soldiers. We forge weapons. From Anvil Artisans to Sorcerers, everyone in my home is equal in opportunity, and equal under my laws. I don't care if you are the son of a king or the son of a baker. Your diligence is your only currency.

  Beside her, three professors stood like pillars supporting her throne. A man with explosive muscles and a savage smile, Gabriel Philanter, a Sixth Circle sorcerer. An elegant man wearing glasses, Mathis Eisengard, a Sixth Circle sorcerer, who was looking at the students with intellectual disdain. And a short woman wearing glasses, looking eternally tired, Sophie van der Wood, a non-combatant Anvil Artisan genius.

  We will now begin the three tests that will determine who deserves to stay in my home, Lily continued, and who will be thrown out.

  Gabriel shouted in a booming voice, The first test! Follow me!

  The Hall of Echoes was a nightmare of crystal and mirrors. An infinite hall that reflected a thousand distorted versions of each student, creating a sense of dizziness and nausea. A faint energy hum filled the air, pressing on the senses and making concentration almost impossible.

  Gabriel's voice echoed ,The goal is simple . Find the real exit. You have ten minutes.

  The students began to move hesitantly. One of them touched a wall that seemed solid and screamed in pain as his hand passed through the illusion, feeling a sharp magical shock.

  Dio saw Isabella Revimont, a Third Circle sorceress, with her fiery red hair, close her eyes. She didn't try to see; she began to feel. She walked confidently through the hall, passing the illusions as if walking in her own garden, and reached the real door in less than twenty seconds. Beside her, Alessandro Philanter, a Third Circle sorcerer, was punching the walls with his fists, creating small explosions of energy, trying to find a weak point with brute force. As for Matthew Eisengard, a Third Circle sorcerer, he was walking calmly, analyzing the angles of the reflections as if solving a complex mathematical equation.

  Cairo whispered ,I don't believe this, , standing next to Dio. I have never in my life seen reality manipulation magic with such precision and craftsmanship! How long did it take to create something like this? After he finished muttering, he walked directly to the real door and exited. So obvious.

  In the observation room, Gabriel was laughing with pride. That's my son! Pure power!

  Mathis said with boredom Your son is a barbarian .

  Gabriel said ,It seems the Van der Woods will be humiliated today, winking Sophie. If it were a beauty contest, maybe he would have won.

  Sophie said with a yawn I don't care, When will this be over?

  Dio looked around, and felt disdain fill him. How ugly this work is, he thought. Whoever created it understands nothing about true reality manipulation. It has so many flaws. The work of children.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  He didn't try to find the door. He decided to break the game.

  He closed his eyes and felt the chaotic energy that formed this illusion. It wasn't solid; it was just thin threads of will. He extended his hand, not to push, but to grasp those threads. Then, he pulled.

  There was no sound of shattering glass. Instead, there was a tearing sound. As if an old silk curtain were being slowly ripped. All the illusionary walls in the hall rippled and vanished like smoke in the wind, revealing the bare, real stone walls behind them.

  A stunned silence fell in the observation room.

  Sophie whispered Unbelievable... , the tiredness vanishing from her eyes for the first time. He destroyed a meticulously crafted spell from the best sorcerers in the world... with such ease.

  Gabriel said angrily ,That's nothing . In the end, he's powerless.

  But Lily, who had been watching in silence, leaned forward slightly, a glint of cold curiosity appearing in her violet eyes for the first time.

  The second test was simpler and crueler. In a white, sterile room, each student was given a single flower, glowing with a soft, ethereal light, kept alive by a simple spell.

  Mathis said in his calm voice The task , is to make this flower die. In ten minutes. The use of any destructive magic is forbidden.

  This was a test of understanding, not of power.

  Isabella took the flower, and with an icy coldness, she began to slowly pull the threads of life from it. It withered and died in her hand. As for Cairo, he elegantly studied the spell, found its weak point, and dismantled it like an expert dismantling a complex watch. The flower died quietly.

  As for Dio, he was facing a problem.

  He tried to persuade the flower, to calm the flow of life within it. But his will was too strong, too violent. Every time he tried to touch it gently, it trembled as if in pain. Time was running out.

  Manipulation from the outside...

  He remembered the words of the book and his dream of moving the leaves. He couldn't persuade it. But he could steal from it.

  He placed his hand over the flower without touching it. He didn't focus on the spell, but on the very essence of life within it. Then, he pulled.

  The flower did not wither. It suddenly lost its color, as if the world had been drained from it. It turned from vibrant colors to a pale gray, then to black, then it crumbled into a fine dust that scattered on the white table, as if a hundred years had passed over it in a second.

  In the observation room, Lily's eyes narrowed. She had seen something. Something violent, radical, and dangerous.

  The massive circular arena was the stage for the final test. The professors stood on a raised platform, watching like ancient gods.

  Gabriel announced ,The third test . A shadow duel. Two teams. The goal is not to win, but to protect your partner. Show us your essence!

  The names appeared on a large magic screen.

  Dio van der Wood and Cairo de Foix versus Isabella Revimont and Matthew Eisengard.

  Cairo said with a smile ,It seems we're stuck with each other, huh?

  Dio laughed. Do you think these nobles can defeat Cairo de Foix... he emphasized the word de Foix, ...and Dio van der Wood?

  Of course not. And I'll take the girl.

  Definitely.

  The fight began. It immediately split into two duels. On one side, a storm of colored magic erupted between Cairo and Isabella, spheres of shadow clashing with walls of ice. On the other side, the fight was silent and brutal.

  Dio charged towards Matthew , his sword in hand. Matthew was a powerful sorcerer, summoning walls of earth and tongues of flame to create distance. But Dio was like a phantom, breaking through his defenses with his speed and strength, forcing him constantly to retreat. It was a fight between raw power and calculated defense.

  Matthew shouted panting,You damned dog! .

  I am a dog, and you are a fleeing cat, Dio retorted sarcastically.

  Cairo and Isabella's duel was a deadly dance. Cairo was using a variety of magic, launching chains of lightning. But Isabella was a wall of ice, her defenses perfect and her attacks sharp and deadly. Slowly, she began to push him into a corner, her precision overpowering his chaotic genius.

  Suddenly, Dio heard the sound of an ice explosion, followed by a muffled cry of pain. He glanced over for a moment.

  Cairo was on his knees, his shoulder bleeding profusely, a shard of ice embedded in it. He was panting, his face pale.

  In that moment, Dio's mind stopped working.

  The scene before him merged with another scene. The white floor of the arena turned to black marble. The smell of magical ozone turned into the sharp, metallic smell of blood. He no longer saw Cairo; he saw the headless corpse of his mother lying on a luxurious carpet.

  Cut.

  The sound came from within him, not as a whisper, but as a thundering roar.

  Cut. Cut. Cut the world.

  He moved.

  He was no longer fighting. He had become a killing machine. He charged at Matthew with a blurry speed. Matthew didn't dodge; Dio broke through his earth wall as if it were paper, and his sword passed through his chest, breaking his bones and sending him flying to crash into the far wall, unconscious.

  Then he turned. His golden eyes were now just two points of cold, deadly light. He looked at Isabella.

  It wasn't an attack. It was an annihilation. He rushed towards her, a pure, terrifying killing aura emanating from him, making the very air freeze. Isabella was fast; she dodged the first killing blow that would have split her in two, but she felt the cold air of the blade as it passed by her face.

  Sophie screamed ,Gabriel! .

  Gabriel moved like lightning, appearing in front of Isabella and blocking Dio blade with his crossed arms. A violent clang echoed, and Gabriel took a step back, shock on his face.

  he growled ,Calm down, child! .

  Isabella screamed from behind Gabriel ,I can still fight! .

  Gabriel said sternly without taking his eyes off Dio Look at your stomach first, .

  Isabella looked down. There was a thin, clean red line extending across her uniform. She hadn't even felt it. Then the wound burst open, blood gushed out, and she collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

  Suddenly, a long, unnatural shadow extended from beneath Director Lily's feet. It wasn't an ordinary shadow; it was alive, wrapping around Dio like black serpents, paralyzing his movement in an instant.

  Dio felt an icy coldness pierce his soul, a coldness deeper than any winter.

  Sleep.

  Lily's voice came, calm, as if an order to the universe itself.

  Dio collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

  Lilywas looking at him from her platform, her violet eyes gleaming coldly, as if a scientist had finally found the most dangerous, and the most interesting, specimen for her collection.