I stepped through the portal and landed on the sixth platform.
Denser air. Focused auras. Sharpened edges.
This squad wasn't coasting.
Five mana signatures stood out immediately — all strong, all distinct. The closest pulsed with clean, determined focus — a rhythm I recognized.
"William," I said, nodding toward him.
His outline shifted. "Annabel. Didn't expect you."
"You're stronger," I noted. "Good to see."
He gave a slight shrug. "Trying to keep up."
"You're keeping up quite good just from the feeling of your mana."
He let out a quiet laugh.
Two more figures stepped forward — the first one sharp and fast, his mana like a whip being coiled and uncoiled. Short. Maybe my height, maybe shorter.
Shinobu's height, I guessed.
"This is Renji, earth and fire mage" a familiar voice said from nearby — Shinobu, tone bright. "Sharpest reflexes on the squad second to me. Still somehow late to everything."
"Nice to meet you," I said.
"Already a fan," Renji said, and I could feel the grin behind his words. "Saw you in the pits a couple years back. You were outmaneuvering grown killers without blinking. Real freakshow stuff."
"Appreciate it," I said simply.
The second figure stepped forward beside him — taller, far taller. Not quite Raphos height, but damn close. His mana was weighty. Not sluggish — just grounded, like a boulder that knew it couldn't be moved.
"Geras," Shinobu said. "Our personal siege weapon."
I gave a small nod toward his outline. "I like knowing who to avoid."
A low grunt — maybe a laugh — vibrated from his direction. "Same here."
Then Shinobu herself stepped into place beside me. I felt her arm wrap around my shoulder, light and easy.
"Annabel," she said cheerfully. "Look at you, dropping in like a ghost. What brings you to floor four?"
"Cross-squad spars," I said. "I'm setting up rotation matches for the week. Wanted to check if your squad was interested."
Her arm stayed around me a beat longer than needed. Her mana felt warm on the surface. sunny, relaxed, confident.
But under that?
Boiling.
A storm sealed in glass. Rage, coiled so tightly it was indistinguishable from resolve. And not at anyone here.
The devils. It always came back to them.
"Matches, huh?" she said, finally stepping back. "So that's what the blind prodigy is up to."
I tilted my head. "I prefer Annabel."
Nora, standing off to the side with arms crossed, spoke without shifting. "Rotation sounds smart. We've mostly trained with each other so far."
"That's the idea," I said. "Fighting people who don't match your rhythm. Getting caught off guard now so you don't die later."
William nodded. "Makes sense. This related to the test next week?"
"It is," I said. "Lincoln's sending mages disguised as devils. Field trial conditions. If we pass, we go deeper."
A few beats of silence.
Even Geras's mana seemed to stiffen at that.
Renji whistled. "Then yeah. We're in."
"Good," I said. "I'll portal you a time slot. Just need to track down one more squad."
"Planning to fight everyone yourself?" Shinobu asked, voice light again.
"Ideally."
She giggled. "Figures."
I turned to leave, but paused. "Glad to see you're all still sharp."
"Glad to see you're still blind and terrifying," Shinobu said cheerfully.
I didn't bother answering. Just stepped into the next portal and let it pull me away.
I dropped through another portal and stepped out into the fourth platform.
Nothing.
Just stale air and a few training echoes in the distance — faint ripples of mana mid-swing, mid-cast, mid-breath.
No Alven.
Next.
I blinked sideways — to the second platform. Too crowded. Too loud. Not his style.
Backstep. Portal snap. Third platform.
The moment I landed, someone walked straight into me.
Hard.
"Oof!"
I didn't move.
They did.
His outline hit the stone with a grunt, and I caught the edge of his shirt just in time to stop him from fully collapsing.
"Alven," I said dryly, still holding the back of his collar.
He groaned. "Stars, you really do appear out of thin air."
I pulled him upright with one arm. "You're welcome."
He steadied himself, brushing imaginary dust off his coat. His outline was broader than it used to be, taller too. His mana had weight now. Still uneven around the edges, but full. Alive.
"You've grown," I noted.
He gave a soft, embarrassed snort. "Training'll do that. And i'm not the only one, you're like a brick wall."
Before I could reply, two more outlines stepped out from the war tent ahead of us — laughing loudly, one light and agile, the other short and wide, both instantly familiar.
Feanor Einar.
Thorkell Bloodforge.
Their mana hit like old songs I'd forgotten the words to — clear, distinct, and steady. I'd only spent a short time with them before the platforms were built, but they hadn't changed much. Just a lot denser mana.
I stepped forward, inclining my head slightly. "It's good to see you again. Thanks for taking Alven in."
Alven made a strangled noise, but before he could say anything—
Thwack.
A solid hand smacked the back of my head.
"I'm not some kind of rescue!" Alven snapped. "I awakened Rank 1 same as you, I'd argue I'm a damn prodigy too!"
I grinned, already reaching back and slapping him lightly across the back of his head in return.
"Good," I said. "I wondered where that punk was hiding at, good to see he's still here."
Thorkell's laughter rumbled like boulders being dropped. "That's how you know they're friends," he said.
Feanor's outline shifted forward, her hands behind her back, stance graceful. "We've got two more on the squad. They're down at the academy for breakfast."
"Was just about to ask," I said.
Feanor tilted her head. "And what brings the demon tamer down to our little floor?"
"Organizing a cross-squad sparring session," I said. "Rotation matches. Fresh opponents, unexpected rhythm. We're getting stronger, yeah, but too much repetition is a trap."
"Smart," Thorkell said immediately. "Very smart. We'll tell the other two. Just let us know when and where."
"Yes sir," I said. "I'll portal you the time and place."
Feanor gave a slight bow. "Looking forward to it."
I turned to leave, already spinning my staff lightly behind my back as I opened the next portal beneath me.
"Hey, Alven," I said as the magic tugged.
"Yeah?"
"I'm still gonna wipe the floor with you."
I didn't wait for a reply — just let gravity pull me through and vanished into the dark.