The sun dipped low over Arcania Adventurer's Academy, setting the banners aflame with molten gold. A hush fell as nervous students—knights in polished armor, mages in whispered incantations, beast-hybrids flexing claws—filed into the courtyard. From their silk lounges, nobles murmured behind fans, eyes flicking to the four ragtag wildcards: Rayan, Yeon, Tonio, and Cezar.
I. Registration Tent
Madame Velari's POVMadame Velari lifted her quill and stared at the statuses floating above each palm: S+, S+, S+, S. Not since the Battle of Shattered Moons had Arcania seen such raw power in mere freshmen. She cleared her throat as faint gasps rippled through the line.
Student A (whisper): "Commoners… but S-rank?"Student B (hushed): "Impossible."
Velari forced a courteous smile. "Welcome to the Annual Trials. Proceed to the Combat Gauntlet—best of luck."
II. Combat Gauntlet
Master Orrin's POVMaster Orrin, steward of the trials, watched the four with a grudging mix of admiration and dread. His carefully balanced spectacle was about to be upended.
"Teams—take your positions!" he boomed. At his signal, iron gates clanged open.
A corridor of animated dummies awaited: steel golems, phantom wolves, spitting serpents of stone. The quartet launched themselves forward.
Rayan felt the Timeless Blade hum at his side. A spinning blade trap leapt from the wall—
Rayan (whispering): "Time… stop."
The world stuttered and froze: sparks hung mid-flare, wolves paused in snarls, a drop of dew lingered on a marble seam.
The crowd gasped as Rayan stepped through the frozen gauntlet, disabling traps with silent precision. Then, with a soft—
Rayan (softly): "Flow."
—time snapped back. Blades clattered harmlessly to the floor as his teammates sprinted past the last statue.
Yeon (grinning wildly): "Teach me that, background boy!"Cezar (breathless): "Illegal!"Tonio (calmly): "Record time. Next challenge."
III. Arcane Locks Puzzle
Lady Seraphine's POVLady Seraphine of the Golden Crescent scoffed when the quartet arrived—until Yeon pressed his palm to a Blood-warded door. Runes glowed crimson, matching the pulse of his vampiric essence, and the door clicked open.
She bit her lip as Tonio's vines melted icy wards and Cezar's Beast-Form claw shattered crackling lightning seals. While her own team struggled to decipher the sequence, the wildcards moved on in effortless parade.
IV. Survival Gauntlet Under the Blood Moon
Sergeant Maelis's POVSergeant Maelis watched from his tower perch as a Blood Moon ascended. Flames hissed from hidden jets; the earth heaved cracks; spectral beasts prowled. Few teams dared this final trial. Yet here they came.
Cezar blurred into wolf form, teleporting behind a phantom bear to slash its flank.
Tonio summoned Binding Thorns that sprouted from the cracked ground, coiling around its ethereal legs.
Yeon, eyes blazing, unleashed a torrent of ice-laced blood blades that shredded mist and fur alike.
Rayan, grim-faced, whispered "Chronostasis," freezing geysers and collapsing walls long enough for his friends to seize the crimson flag.
They darted through the maelstrom—rolling flames and quaking earth—until Rayan's second "Flow" carried them across the finish line. The arena erupted in cheers that rattled the ancient walls.
V. Aftermath and Rumor Mill
Noble Spectators' POVWhispers spread like wildfire:
"The Angel froze time itself…""Blood magic that precise… unheard of.""That Dryad… Beast-Emperor… Dark Lord… this is witchcraft!"
Lady Seraphine, regaining her composure, leaned to her second-in-command:
Lady Seraphine: "Next year, we challenge them. No exceptions."
Registrar Velari's POVVelari hurried forward, scroll in hand. "Magnificent! Please report to the Hall of Summons for your rewards—and a special summons."
VI. Ominous Message
A crimson-feathered raven, its wings singed at the edges, crash-landed before the exhausted four. Its leg bore a scroll sealed with Elzure's emblem.
Yeon tore open the seal with dramatics worthy of any stage:
Scroll: "Your blade has betrayed you.Meet me where time stands still."
The crowd fell silent as the Blood Moon flared overhead.
Rayan arose, the Timeless Blade thrumming at his back. "Looks like the real trial begins now."Cezar flexed his claws. "Elzure's challenge. Let's answer it."Tonio adjusted his vine-woven collar. "Hope it's on the syllabus."Yeon grinned, aura flickering. "Prepare for destiny's duel."
With resolve in their eyes, the four misfit adventurers headed toward the Spire's shadow—ready to face whatever awaited in the silence of frozen time.
End of Chapter 18