Another day begins and marks the end of the trials for officially becoming a research soldier in the Research Division.
A hush falls as a tall official in deep blue robes steps forward, voice amplified by a subtle enchantment.
Instructor :
"For the final phase of the Research Division trials—Test Three. Only strategy, adaptability, and perfect execution of your plan will determine your worth."
Another official stands up and utters,
"Six teams. Three versus three. Your task: neutralize the opposing squad through any legal magical means. Victory is earned not through brute force, but tactical superiority."
A scroll unrolls itself beside the official, ink shimmering as names etch themselves across the parchment.
"Step forward when your number is called out."
A line of three numbers are called out followed by the other three.
Kael remains calm as always, expression unreadable—before quietly stepping forward. Beside him, a girl with royal posture and calm eyes moves with poise, her name, Liane Seravelle ,a royal. The last, a boy with a nervous glance and fingers twitching at his sleeve, his name, Ren Varen. He hesitates before joining them. They are called out as team one.
Dareth Korren, Vaska Druth and Selin Sirlma are called out as their opponents.
---
The team stands around a rough battlefield diagram drawn into the dirt beside their tactical table. The duel will begin in mere minutes. The terrain: a forested plateau with scattered boulders and sparse ruins—plenty of places to maneuver and hide, but also to be ambushed.
Ren Varen steps forward, clutching a small notebook he's kept since day one. His voice is soft, but certain:
"I already assessed every recruit's magic back when we all entered the Division. I remember the opponents we've been matched with."
He flips to a marked page, reciting without hesitation:
• "Dareth Korrin: Shadow magic. Can replicate a lesser version of your abilities using your shadow."
• "Vaska Druth: Fire reinforcement—she coats herself in flame and attacks fast."
• "Selin Sirlma: Magnetic field manipulation. She can attract or repel metals—even pull weapons mid-flight."
He pauses, nervously glancing at Liane and Kael.
Liane Seravelle kneels and begins sketching a formation in the dust. Her voice is sharp, focused:
"Flame reinforcement is aggressive but burns stamina. We can isolate her—stall her movement until she overheats."
She draws a line toward Selin's symbol.
"The magnetist's advantage is terrain control. Don't carry anything metal near her range. Her focus is precision—not power."
She moves her hand to Dareth's mark. Then—stops.
"Shadow replication—that's different. A clone with your magic? That could ruin everything. We need a counter."
Silence settles.
Then Kael, still crouched, speaks in a quiet tone that's easily overlooked:
"Light. Maybe lightning. Shadows don't hold up well against either."
Liane narrows her eyes, thinking. Ren blinks in surprise.
"It makes sense," Liane says. "But neither of us has magic that truly counters any of their specialties. They outmatch us in raw compatibility."
She looks up at her team.
"We'll have to be precise. Our plan can't afford flaws."
Chapter Five: Trial of the Mind – The Tactical Clash Begins
A horn echoes over the plateau, signaling the start. The six recruits take their places on opposite sides of the ruined battleground. Jagged stones, patches of broken wall, and a dense scattering of trees obscure the field. Overhead, the sun casts long shadows—dangerous, with a shadow-mage on the field.
Kael, Liora, and Ren crouch behind a sunlit ridge. No words are spoken—only movement.
Ren, already sweating, grips his staff and mutters.
"They've split. Vaska's approaching left flank alone. Selin's waiting for reflex reaction. Dareth? He's hiding in the shade."
Kael replies flatly, "Then he's waiting to copy."
Liora nods and speaks low. "We'll collapse on Vaska first. She burns attention fast. Reorder wide, divide her attention. Kael—you push wind to scatter the smoke. I'll strike from above."
The trap begins.
---
Ren hesitates but runs left, deliberately loud. Vaska, already burning, sprints and charges—her body enveloped in swirling flame, leaving scorched grass in her wake.
She moves like a blade, aiming straight for Ren.
Liora leaps from above using a lightning-enhanced jump, casting a crackling barrier dome to trap Vaska between her and Ren.
But Vaska explodes outward with a fiery pulse—shattering the dome before Liora lands. The blast burns Lysette's arm and throws Ren to the ground. His robe catches flame—screams, rolling, eyes wide with fear.
"This isn't a mock fight!" he yells. "She's trying to kill us!"
Kael appears from behind a broken wall, his hand raised. A powerful wind pushes the smoke and heat away just in time, giving Ren space to crawl behind cover. Liora grits her teeth, bleeding, but still conscious.
---
While Kael helps Ren back to his feet, a low laugh echoes from the trees.
Dareth's voice comes from all around.
"Which one should I copy first—the noble? The coward? Or the whisperer?"
A form steps from Kael's shadow—his own silhouette, eyes glowing violet. A copy of Kael, swirling with the same wind magic.
Shadow-Kael launches a mirrored gust-ball counter with a downward drift, but the impact blows Ren back again. The shadow is fast—sloppy, but relentless.
Liora, limping toward the center, draws lightning into her palm and throws it—but the copy anticipates, and the bolt hits Kael's shoulder instead.
He winces but doesn't cry out. His sleeve chars.
"Too slow," he mutters.
---
From the edge of the battlefield, Selin finally makes her move—raising her arms, she pulls Lysette's dagger from her belt and flings it toward Kael using magnetism. Kael spins and uses a sharp wind arc to knock it aside.
They're surrounded. Shadow, flame, and steel closing in.
Ren crouches behind cover, shivering.
> "We're going to lose," he mutters.
"They're too aggressive—they counter everything."
Kael steps beside him, voice calm.
> "They rush. They want to overpower."
He looks at Liane, who's now shielding herself with a barrier—breathing heavily, her lightarts flickering.
> "Let's overextend them," Kael says.
"Pull them into mistakes."
---
Kael runs wide—intentionally entering the forest shade. Dareth grins and pulls more shadow from Kael's feet—another copy forming.
But this time, Kael shifts the sunlight using a wind burst—blinding the new shadow as Liora hurls a high-voltage bolt straight through the forest canopy.
Lightning splits the air.
Both shadows disintegrate.
Dareth screams, his link severed—momentarily stunned.
Selin, caught in the open, pulls metal from the ruins to defend herself—but Kael's wind lifts a cloud of dirt and leaves, breaking her line of sight.
Ren finally rises, eyes gleaming with resolve. He tosses his metal staff away—making Selin's magnetism useless.
> "We're not done yet!" he shouts, pointing. "Kael—her focus is to your right!"
Kael nods. He dives forward, rolling through the dirt, flinging compressed wind into her side. She crashes into a wall and falls.
---
Only Vaska remains, panting and burning low. She charges Kael blindly—her flames flickering—but Liora, burned and bruised, raises her hand for one last cast:
> "Yield."
A barrier drops around Vaska as lightning explodes from above, knocking her flat.
The horn sounds again.
Match over
------------------------
**Aftermath and Judgment**
The field has quieted. Students are lined in front of the elevated stone platform where one of the senior Research Division instructors, Instructor Halric, watches with a piercing gaze. A lean, silver-haired man in a worn military cloak, his voice carries across the field—not loud, but impossible to ignore.
He does not smile. His eyes sweep across the six students of the match.
> "You call that a strategy?"
His tone drops like iron.
He looks directly at Selin, who stands stiffly, a bandage over her brow.
> "Your metal control is fast—but not subtle. You tried to pierce through a coordinated defense with a linear assault. That's brute force disguised as precision. You had Ren cornered twice. Instead of pulling his weapon, you should've pulled *him*. Shift the battlefield—don't just fight on it."
Selin nods silently, eyes low.
He turns to Dareth, who avoids eye contact.
> "You relied too heavily on your shadow copy. It's clever magic—but only when unexpected. The moment your opponent anticipated it, your whole offense collapsed. Strategy isn't just how you use your magic—it's knowing when not to use it."
Then, his eyes shift to Vaska, defiant even in defeat, her arm still scorched from lightning.
> "You have force. Power. But no control. You spent half your stamina on a single engagement, and still failed to eliminate either of your targets. That barrier counter nearly ended you. If Selin hadn't covered you mid-match, you'd have been down in the first phase."
He breathes out through his nose and turns to the winning team—Kael, Liane and Ren.
His eyes settle on Ren first.
> "Your hesitation nearly cost your team the match. You're not here to react—you're here to lead. You *knew* their affinities. You had the advantage from the start. Yet you let fear dictate your movement. You have the mind—learn to use it in motion.
Ren lowers his head.
Then, to Kael:
"You distracted well, but not efficiently. Wind alone won't disable an opponent unless used at the right moment. You waited too long before drawing the shadows into light. Were Liane half a breath slower, your entire team would've fallen to your mirror."
Kael doesn't respond. He stands calm, unreadable.
Finally, he stops at Liane, whose arm is wrapped tightly in cloth, burn marks visible beneath.
"You held the team. Directed the flow. But—"
He leans slightly forward.
"Your first instinct was defense!?You used your best spell only after injuries mounted. If you had cast that barrier-charged strike at the beginning—before Vaska gathered momentum—the match would've ended in seconds. Don't stall in the presence of overwhelming magic. Control it."
A brief pause.
"But—your team held under pressure. You adapted, recovered, and coordinated. That alone puts you above the rest today."
He straightens, taking one last look at all six.
"None of you are ready. But all of you are learning. Remember: here, we don't care who's stronger. We care who lasts."
He turns and walks away, the trailing ends of his cloak flapping behind him.
The recruits remain in silence. The weight of his words hangs in the air—heavy, but unmistakably clear.