The training field buzzed faintly after Harlen's declaration, a low, crackling tension rolling through the assembled students.
Team duels.
The words sank in with a slow, heavy weight. Excitement flared in some faces — wide grins, shifting stances, restless energy sparking like tinder.But just as many students grew tense, their hands flexing or clenching at their sides.
Reed stood silent among the shifting crowd, Lannis to his left and Marek to his right.
He could feel the buzz under his skin, the weight of dozens of eyes occasionally flicking toward him — curious, nervous.Not impressed.
Not anymore.
Harlen let the moment stretch just long enough before stepping forward again, hands clasped loosely behind his back, voice calm but cutting.
"You've been placed into your squads," he said."You've learned — or failed to learn — how to support each other in basic formation."
A ripple of embarrassed shuffling passed through a few squads. Someone coughed to cover it.
"Now, you will put that knowledge to the test," Harlen continued, letting the words fall like stones into a still pond."Team duels will begin shortly."
At his side, Professor Treesha gave a small nod, her face stern, arms crossed tightly over her chest.
"The rules are simple," Harlen said."Squads will face off within marked boundaries. Victory is achieved when all members of the opposing squad are rendered unable to continue, or when the instructors deem the match decided."
A few students, mostly from Hare's larger squad, nudged each other and chuckled under their breath.Cocky. Overconfident.
Reed barely twitched in response, but Lannis narrowed her eyes subtly.
"Magic use is permitted," added Professor Alden, his heavy voice grinding out from his barrel chest."But excessive force will be punished. You are not here to cripple each other. You are here to learn control."
Some of the more reckless-looking students grinned wider at that, as if 'punishment' was worth the risk.
Harlen paused, scanning the field with slow, deliberate movements.His gaze cut through bluster and bravado like a knife through mist.
"Victory is not just strength," he said, lowering his voice into a near growl."It is coordination. It is trust."
Treesha clapped her hands once — sharp, commanding.
"Final instructions."
The students stiffened, straightening automatically.
"Fighting alone is easy," Treesha said, her voice cool and measured."Fighting together is survival."
The silence that followed was absolute, the words sinking deep.
"You will be assigned matchups at random," Harlen finished, stepping back."Prepare yourselves."
At that, the professors moved swiftly, carving wide circles into the packed dirt with practiced sweeps of their boots and quick spells. Dust kicked up around them, the air thickening with the scent of earth and sweat.
The students broke apart into looser clusters, buzzing with anticipation.
Marek let out a slow breath beside Reed, running a hand through his dark hair.
"Well," he muttered, flashing a crooked smile. "No pressure."
Reed didn't answer immediately.
His eyes were on the field — not nervous, but calculating. Measuring.
The numbers were clear as daylight.Most squads had between six and eight students, packed tight like armored units.
Only one squad stood tiny and exposed.
Theirs.
Three figures — Reed, Lannis, and Marek — against larger, louder groups.
Lannis, standing straight-backed despite her slight frame, spoke quietly, "We have the smallest squad."
Marek laughed under his breath, the sound low and dry."You think they'll give us extra points for effort?"
Reed shook his head slightly.
"No mercy," he said.
Not here. Not in the shadow of the Gate, not in the eyes of Asteria's professors.
Marek chuckled again, but it wasn't careless this time. There was a flintier edge to him now.A readiness.
Lannis was already scanning the field, sharp and focused.
"Some of the bigger squads are messy," she murmured, just loud enough for them to hear."Too many people. Too many egos. They'll trip over themselves if we push the right spots."
"We will," Reed said simply.
Lannis gave a tiny, approving nod.Marek cracked his knuckles, loosening up.
Across the field, Harlen raised a single hand into the air.
Instantly, the noise dropped.
"First matchup," he called out, his voice carrying like a hammer striking an anvil."Squad Hare versus Squad Juni."
A ripple of excitement tore through the field.
Hare's squad, predictably, erupted into wild cheers and yells, a rowdy bunch slapping each other's shoulders and pumping fists into the air.
Juni's squad, in contrast, only nodded to one another — calm as still water.Collected. Dangerous in a quieter way.
"You'll be first," Harlen said, gesturing toward the largest marked ring.
Both squads moved quickly, gathering at opposite ends of the freshly carved arena.
The rest of the students stepped back, creating a loose perimeter.Spectators to the coming clash.
Marek tilted his head, watching the two groups line up.
"Any bets?" he asked lightly.
"Hare's got muscle, but no brains," Lannis said."Juni's people will pick them apart."
Reed agreed silently.
He wasn't looking for flashiness. He was looking for weakness.
Gaps in formation. Sloppy movement. Disorganized strikes.All of it would matter soon enough.
Juni herself stood calm and loose, her blue hair tied back, her squad falling into a simple, tight triangle formation behind her.
Hare, in contrast, practically vibrated with restless energy, his squad scattered and undisciplined.
Professor Treesha stepped into the center briefly, raising her hand.
"You may begin — on my signal."
A tense breath.
The world seemed to narrow, focus tightening to a single point.
"Begin."
The clash was immediate.
Hare's squad charged forward like a stampede, magic flaring recklessly — fireballs, stone javelins, bursts of raw wind.
Juni's squad moved like water.
Their formation shifted, bending without breaking.They let Hare's group slam forward, absorbing the momentum — then turning it violently back against them.
A tall boy in Juni's group threw up a reflective barrier, sending a fireball spiraling back into Hare's ranks.Another girl, wielding some kind of sonic magic, blasted two of Hare's heavy hitters off their feet before they could even react.
Reed watched carefully, arms crossed.
Marek whistled low under his breath.
"Yeah. They're good."
Lannis nodded once, analytical as ever.
"They're disciplined. They cover each other. No wasted movement."
Reed's gaze sharpened.
The lesson was clear.
Numbers didn't mean victory. Power didn't mean victory.
Only control did.
Hare's squad, for all their flash and shouting, were already faltering — tripping over each other's attacks, getting in each other's way.
Within two minutes, Juni's squad had pinned them against the ring's edge, forcing surrender.
Professor Alden stepped in with a raised hand, ending the fight officially.
Cheers and groans rose up from the watching students.
Hare looked furious, storming away from the ring while Juni merely bowed her head respectfully to her team.
Harlen stepped back into the center, clearing his throat.
"Let that be a lesson," he said, voice dry.
"Strength is nothing without discipline."
His eyes swept over the students again — lingering briefly on Reed.
"You will be called shortly," he said, stepping away.
Marek bounced slightly on the balls of his feet, rolling his shoulders loose.
"Guess it'll be us sooner or later," he said, grinning.
Lannis gave a tiny smile.
"Let them underestimate us."
Reed smiled faintly under his breath, the movement almost invisible.
Let them.
Their enemies would learn soon enough.
Together, they turned back to the field — three against many — and waited.
The storm was just beginning.