The applause didn't last long.
Reed and his squad stepped out of the ring, boots leaving shallow impressions in the worn-down dirt. The shadowy mist that had once coiled around Reed had long since evaporated, leaving behind only silence — and a dozen sets of watching eyes.
No one spoke to them as they returned to their spot near the edge of the field.
Not yet.
But they were looking.
Marek rolled his shoulders, breathing out through his nose with a satisfied smirk. "Well," he muttered, just loud enough for Lannis and Reed to hear, "that felt good."
Lannis glanced sidelong at him, her expression unreadable. "They won't underestimate us again."
Reed didn't answer. He stood still, hands at his sides, gaze fixed on the center of the field as the next match was called.
His mind was already working, analyzing how the other squads had fought, calculating which leaders adjusted on the fly, who panicked, who leaned too hard on raw power. They'd have to face them all eventually.
And now that his squad had drawn blood, the others would come in with sharpened blades.
Across the field, Yanis was still kneeling beside one of his teammates, helping him to his feet. The boy wobbled slightly, clutching his ribs with a wince.
Yanis's jaw was tight, lips drawn into a thin line.
He didn't look in Reed's direction — not once.
But Reed could feel the heat of his frustration anyway.
Yanis wasn't used to losing.
He certainly wasn't used to being outmaneuvered by a squad of three.
And as the whispering picked up again, carrying across the field like dry leaves on wind, Reed didn't miss the shift in tone.
Before, it had been doubt.
Dismissal.
Pity.
Now?
Uncertainty.
And under that… something colder.
Jealousy.
"Hey," a voice whispered nearby.
Reed turned his head just enough to catch sight of a boy from another squad — one of Hare's group, he thought — elbowing his teammate and nodding toward Reed.
"Did you see that gravity stuff? She practically pinned a guy in place. With one pulse."
His friend snorted. "Yeah, and the water mage set up like three counters. They weren't just throwing spells around. That was—"
"—a trap," the first one muttered. "The whole fight was a setup."
Reed said nothing. Let them talk.
Let them wonder.
They'd see the truth in time — or not. Either way, he'd move forward.
The matches continued.
Squads Juni and Cath faced off next, and the contrast was immediate — where Reed's match had been quick, tight, and tactical, this one was bright. Juni's water magic was flamboyant and swirling, full of flourishes; Cath's golden shields burst with radiant energy that shimmered like sunlight on metal.
It was a spectacle — and the crowd loved it.
But Reed noticed something else: Cath was holding back. Calculating. She only stepped in when absolutely necessary, directing her team with precision while barely breaking a sweat.
Reed watched her the way a hunter watches movement in tall grass.
Marek leaned over slightly. "She's saving herself," he murmured. "She doesn't need to show everything. Knows there's more to come."
Lannis gave a small nod. "Smart."
"She's dangerous," Reed added, voice flat.
Neither of them disagreed.
Eventually, Cath's squad won — not with a knockout blow, but by systematically overwhelming their opponents with coordinated bursts of pressure and control. By the end, there was no real doubt.
Harlen called the result with a nod. "Victory — Squad Cath."
There was more applause, louder this time.
It didn't surprise Reed. Cath was charismatic, sharp, and commanding. Everything the academy wanted in a golden-light squad leader.
And her team was strong — five carefully selected students who moved like they'd trained together for weeks.
When she returned to the sidelines, she didn't look at Reed — but her eyes passed briefly over his squad anyway, unreadable as always.
Then the last match was called: Squad Hare versus Squad Juni.
Reed's attention sharpened.
Hare stepped into the ring with that strange, loose-limbed confidence of his — the internal mana core carrier. Younger than most of the others, but with a reputation already starting to buzz through the academy halls.
And he didn't disappoint.
Where Cath was precise and composed, Hare was fluid. His magic didn't flare out in grand displays like Juni's — instead, it stayed close to the skin, reinforcing his body in ways that turned every movement into something just slightly beyond human.
He danced through blows. Redirected force. Moved like he knew what his opponent was going to do a half-second before they did it.
Juni held her own — she was fast, relentless — but her team couldn't keep up.
By the end of it, Hare stood at the center of the field, breathing lightly, four opponents surrendered around him.
"Victory — Squad Hare."
Another burst of applause — this one mixed with genuine awe.
Lannis narrowed her eyes slightly. "He's… odd."
Marek nodded. "All that magic's inside. Not flashy, but it's doing something."
"Amplification," Reed murmured. "Internal reinforcement. Strength, speed, probably balance too."
"And he doesn't waste any of it," Lannis added.
Marek exhaled. "Well. If we go up against him, I'm aiming for the knees."
Reed gave a dry half-smile.
The matches ended shortly after that.
Harlen stepped forward once more, voice raised.
"That concludes the first round of squad duels. You've all seen your peers. You've all felt the stakes. This won't be the last time you fight one another. In the field, there's no curve to lean on. Only survival."
He let the words hang.
The weight of them settled deep.
Harlen's gaze passed over the assembled students — and paused, briefly, on Reed.
Something unreadable flickered there — something distant and heavy, like an old memory surfacing.
Then he turned away. "Dismissed. Rest. Regroup. Next trials begin at dawn."
The crowd began to break apart.
Some squads stuck close together, walking in tight groups. Others drifted, some celebrating, others arguing about missed opportunities or poor coordination.
Yanis walked alone.
Cath rejoined her squad with nods of praise and advice.
Reed, Marek, and Lannis turned as one, heading for the shade of the nearest tree.
But they didn't make it far.
A group of students — three or four — intercepted them halfway across the field.
One of them stepped forward. The boy who'd whispered earlier during the duel.
"You planned all that," he said, eyes fixed on Reed. "Didn't you?"
Reed met his gaze calmly. "Of course."
"But you only had three people."
"We had enough."
The boy hesitated, then said, more quietly, "You're not what we thought."
"No," Marek said. "He's worse."
The others chuckled — uneasily.
But they didn't press further.
They stepped aside, letting the trio pass.
Lannis glanced sideways at Reed once they were out of earshot. "You could've said nothing."
"They needed to hear it," he said simply.
Marek nodded. "Let them talk. Let them wonder."
Reed looked up at the fading sky.
The wind was shifting.
They'd won their match.
But the real trials hadn't even begun.