The conversation spread through the academy faster than anyone expected.
Not about Kael.
About Tovin.
"A Rotation Path defeated three students?"
"I heard they underestimated him."
"No, I heard the bullies were already exhausted."
"Rotation isn't that strong."
"It isn't."
"Then how did he win?"
The rumours changed with every telling.
Some claimed Tovin had hidden his true strength.
Others believed Kellis and the others had simply been careless.
No one reached the correct conclusion.
No one imagined that Rotation could be used the way Tovin had used it.
The academy simply accepted the easiest explanation.
They had underestimated him.
Nothing more.
---
Kael wasn't interested in rumours.
He stood before another battered wooden training post, throwing measured punches into its centre.
His breathing remained calm.
His stance was stable.
His mind, however...
Was elsewhere.
Tovin...
Every movement from yesterday replayed inside his head.
The angle.
The timing.
The efficiency.
Kael had analysed thousands of movements throughout his life.
He understood martial arts.
He understood momentum.
He understood balance.
Yet every conclusion led him to the same answer.
"I don't understand it."
That frustrated him.
Not because Tovin was stronger.
Because Kael hated unanswered questions.
---
The bell signalling the end of afternoon lessons echoed across the academy.
Students poured into the stone pathways.
Kael walked alone.
As he passed the central courtyard, he noticed an unusually large gathering.
Instructors.
Students.
Even several members of S-Class stood silently.
Curious, Kael stopped near the back.
At the centre of the courtyard stood a black granite monument.
Hundreds of names had been engraved upon its surface.
An elderly instructor stepped forward.
"Every year before the first-year evaluation," he began, "we remember those who once stood where you stand now."
His voice was calm.
"They trained."
"They fought."
"They dreamed of becoming the strongest."
A pause settled over the courtyard.
"Some achieved greatness."
"Others never returned."
Silence.
"The monsters beyond our borders do not care about talent."
"They do not care about noble blood."
"They do not care what class you belonged to."
"They only care whether you are strong enough."
Kael stared at the monument.
Rows upon rows of names.
People who had once attended this academy.
People who had believed they had time.
---
Without warning...
A memory surfaced.
A warm wooden table.
The smell of fresh bread.
His mother's gentle smile.
His father's laugh.
"One day you'll become stronger than both of us."
The image shattered.
Darkness.
Rain.
People shouting.
Then...
Silence.
Kael blinked.
The courtyard returned.
His chest felt strangely heavy.
He clenched his fists.
---
That night, sleep refused to come.
The academy dormitories were quiet.
Moonlight poured through the windows.
Kael sat on the edge of his bed for several minutes before standing.
Without making a sound, he left.
The training grounds were empty.
Exactly how he preferred them.
He stepped onto the worn stone.
Raised his fists.
And began.
One punch.
Another.
Again.
Again.
Every strike carried purpose.
Every movement sought perfection.
Sweat rolled down his face.
His muscles burned.
Still...
He continued.
The black-and-crimson spark from days earlier lingered in his thoughts.
"What was it?"
He tried to recreate it.
He struck harder.
Nothing.
He changed his stance.
Nothing.
He slowed his breathing.
Nothing.
The strange phenomenon refused to appear.
Eventually, Kael lowered his fists.
"...Forcing it won't work."
If there truly was something hidden inside him...
It would not awaken through desperation.
Only through understanding.
Taking a slow breath, he returned to refining the basics.
Footwork.
Balance.
Timing.
The things nobody could ever take away.
---
Far above the training grounds...
A lone figure stood upon the academy rooftop.
Tovin.
His expression was as unreadable as ever.
The cool night wind moved through his dark hair.
Below him, Kael continued training alone.
Punch.
Step.
Punch.
Correct.
Repeat.
Tovin watched without speaking.
Without moving.
After several minutes, he quietly closed his eyes.
"...Not yet."
The words disappeared into the wind.
No explanation followed.
Only silence.
---
Morning arrived sooner than expected.
The academy bells rang across every building.
Students hurried from their dormitories, uniforms freshly pressed, expressions tense.
Today felt different.
There was excitement.
Fear.
Expectation.
Every first-year student understood what was coming.
An instructor's amplified voice echoed throughout the campus.
"All first-year students are to report immediately to the Grand Evaluation Grounds."
"The annual academy evaluation will commence shortly."
Kael looked toward the distant arena.
Hundreds of students walked in the same direction.
Some confident.
Some terrified.
Some determined.
He quietly tightened the bandages around his hands.
His grey eyes remained calm.
Seven months of relentless effort had led to this moment.
Whether the academy believed in him or not...
Whether the world looked down upon No-Paths or not...
None of it mattered anymore.
The only thing left...
Was to prove himself.