Silence settled after Lucian stepped back into line, the mana smell of ruptured drones still hanging heavy in the cold morning air.
Athena didn’t say anything. She only flicked her eyes to the next name on her tablet.
"Silas. Step forward."
The big boy grinned, stretching his shoulders back until his joints cracked. His uniform blazer was open, showing thick forearms wrapped in mana compression bands. He stomped once onto the dirt, shaking out his legs before rolling his neck.
"Been waiting for this," he said under his breath, voice like gravel grinding in a barrel.
The drones reactivated, six of them aligning again as their rune cores pulsed blue-white.
Athena gave a simple nod.
Silas didn’t waste a moment. He launched forward with a short burst, his boots digging trenches into the dirt as he slammed his fist straight into the first drone’s chest.
The alloy bent inward like aluminum foil. The rune flickered and shut down immediately.
Another drone swung its spear at his head, but Silas ducked low, grabbed the metal shaft mid-swing, and ripped it out of its grip with brute force. The drone staggered. Silas swung the spear in a wide arc, smacking the drone so hard it spun twice before shattering into mana fragments.
Two more approached him from the sides, weapons raised. Silas roared, his voice echoing across the field as his muscles swelled slightly under his uniform.
[Enhanced Condition – Physical Amplification Active]
He threw himself between them, taking a blade slice across his shoulder without flinching, then slammed both drones together with an explosive clap of his palms. Their rune cores collided, overloaded, and burst into sparks.
The last two drones tried to retreat, repositioning for tactical defence. Silas didn’t let them. He picked up one of the broken drones by its leg and hurled it like a club, smashing it into one drone and sending both sprawling onto the dirt.
He charged forward, jumping high, and dropped a heavy axe kick down onto the final drone’s head, crushing its rune core completely.
Dust drifted around him in slow spirals as he turned back to Athena with a grin.
Athena scanned the field, her eyes unreadable. "Nine seconds. Excessive force. Zero technique. But effective."
Silas laughed, rubbing the blood off his cut shoulder with his thumb. "Hey, it works."
He obeyed, still grinning, chest heaving with adrenaline.
Athena looked down at her tablet again.
Reia exhaled softly, adjusting her wrist brace once more. Her eyes flicked to Silas for half a second before she stepped forward. Compared to the heavy footfalls of Silas and the silent, precise steps of Lucian, hers were light, barely stirring the dust.
The drones activated in formation.
Athena raised a brow. "Begin."
Reia closed her eyes.
A flicker of mana drifted around her temples, light gold in colour.
[Telepathy – Combat Mind Link Active]
[Enhanced Intellect – Calculation Field Initiated]
She opened her eyes again, and they were glowing faintly. The drones moved, almost as if sensing her activation, but she was faster. She raised her left hand and snapped her fingers.
In the same moment, the first drone lunged forward.
Reia ducked under its strike in a perfect 36-degree angle shift, palm-striking its rune core with pinpoint accuracy. Mana pulsed from her fingertips, interrupting the energy circuit instantly. It shut down before it could even finish its attack.
Another drone swung at her from behind. She bent backwards, her hair sweeping across the dirt as the blade cut empty air above her. She pushed off her back foot, twisting mid-air, and delivered a sharp kick to the drone’s neck joint, breaking its structural balance. She landed and pressed two fingers into its rune core.
The drone flickered, then shut down.
She spun, eyes scanning the remaining four drones. Mana circuits flickered in her eyes, reading each movement frame by frame.
The third drone fired a mana bolt from its arm cannon. Reia reached out and redirected the shot with a slight tap, deflecting it straight into the chest of the fourth drone, disabling it instantly. She moved to the side, palm-striking the third drone’s chest twice in rapid succession, rupturing its rune core.
The last two drones charged together in a spear and shield combination. Reia inhaled, flicking her wrist brace to tighten it. She sidestepped the spear thrust, pivoted, and delivered a sharp, precise palm strike to the back of the drone’s knee joint, forcing it to kneel. She then pressed her palm against its head and released a compressed mana burst.
The final drone raised its shield to defend, but Reia didn’t attack it directly. Instead, she threw a feint strike to its left side. The drone reacted, shifting its guard, and in that half-second window she slid under its arm and drove her fist up into its rune core.
Silence returned as the drone powered down.
Reia exhaled softly, pushing her bangs away from her glowing eyes as the circuits dimmed.
Athena spoke, her tone neutral but her eyes betraying a flicker of approval.
"Fifteen seconds. No wasted energy. Minimum force, maximum output. Excellent analysis."
Reia bowed slightly and stepped back beside Silas, who gave her a playful thumbs up. She ignored it, eyes distant in thought.
The silent girl stepped forward, her black and grey robes drifting lightly as she moved. Her long hair trailed behind her like shadows on water.
The drones reactivated, humming softly.
"Begin," Athena said.
Vyn raised her right hand, fingers spread open. Mana swirled around her palm like ink dissolving in clear water.
[Magic Manipulation – Ether Weave Active]
She closed her fingers slightly. The air around her shifted.
The first drone lunged, but before it could reach her, a wave of shimmering violet mana lashed out like a whip, slicing its arm clean off at the elbow joint. She flicked her wrist, and the whip coiled around its neck, compressing until the rune core flickered and dimmed.
Another drone fired a mana bolt. Vyn drew a sigil in the air with two fingers, and the bolt froze mid-flight, then disintegrated into glittering motes.
She moved her hand again, forming a second sigil that pulsed dark red. The ground beneath the two approaching drones warped, forming spikes of condensed mana that shot up, impaling their legs and pinning them in place.
She flicked her wrist again. The spikes shattered upward, destroying both rune cores at once.
The last three drones circled her, forming a defensive triangle. Vyn’s expression never changed. Her fingers wove intricate symbols into the air, mana forming chains that wrapped around the drones’ limbs and necks, tightening until their rune cores compressed under the pressure.
The last drone struggled violently, but she didn’t even look at it. With a small squeeze of her hand, the chains constricted further, snapping its core.
Athena’s gaze hardened slightly.
"Twenty-one seconds. Overuse of mana constructs. Your control is impressive, but your output is inefficient. Refine it."
Vyn bowed silently and walked back to stand beside Reia. She didn’t even glance at Silas, who looked genuinely unnerved by her display.
Finally, Athena turned to Evelyn.
Evelyn swallowed hard. Her hands trembled as she tightened them into fists. She stepped onto the field, her red hair tied back in a low ponytail. Her eyes flicked to Lucian for half a second. He nodded once, slow and calm.
She faced the drones. They activated, rune cores glowing.
Evelyn raised her hands, trying to focus. Mana flickered around her palms in uneven bursts.
[Infinite Replication – ??? Status: Undefined]
The first drone lunged forward. Evelyn moved to dodge, but stumbled slightly. The spear grazed her arm, leaving a thin cut across her uniform sleeve.
She gasped, pain flaring hot under her skin. The drone pulled back for another strike.
Lucian’s eyes narrowed.
But Evelyn gritted her teeth, raising her hands again. The mana flickered more violently now, like a spark trying to ignite. The drone lunged again, and this time, just before it struck—
For half a second, an exact duplicate of Evelyn appeared in front of her, taking the strike before shattering into mana fragments. The drone staggered back, confused by the sudden replication.
Evelyn’s eyes widened. "What... was that...?"
The drones regrouped and charged together. Evelyn raised her hands again, and multiple flickering images of herself blinked in and out of existence, confusing their targeting systems. But the mana flickered unstable, and she couldn’t hold the replications long enough to attack.
Athena raised a hand. The drones froze mid-strike.
Evelyn fell to her knees, gasping, sweat dripping down her temple. Her mana flickered out, leaving her exhausted and shaking.
Athena’s voice was cold.
"You don’t know what your ability does."
Evelyn swallowed hard, trying to catch her breath. "N-no... not fully..."
Athena sighed softly.
Evelyn forced herself to her feet.
Athena’s eyes were sharp, but her voice softened by a degree.
"You have power. But until you understand it, it will kill you before your enemies ever get the chance."
Evelyn lowered her head, silent.
Athena turned back to the class.
"That’s enough for today. You’re dismissed."
Lucian walked over to Evelyn, offering his hand. She took it without a word, her fingers cold and trembling in his.
"You did fine," he said quietly.
She shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes.
"I... I don’t even know what I am anymore..."
Lucian squeezed her hand gently.
"Then find out. That’s why we’re here."
As they walked back to the dorms, the sun climbed higher over the Academy towers, its light harsh and unfeeling. But for a brief moment, with Lucian beside her, Evelyn felt like she wasn’t alone in its glare.
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