The Beastwood Forest — Trial Stage One.
The arcane airship landed at the edge of the forest, where towering ancient trees blocked out the sky, casting deep shadows. The damp scent of earth mixed with distant roars of beasts echoed through the thick air. The Trial Official, a tall woman dressed in a silver robe bearing the Starflame Academy emblem, spoke sharply:
"Stage one — traverse the Beastwood Forest and reach the Starflame Tower at its center. Beasts roam these woods. Teams are allowed; malicious attacks on companions are forbidden. Those who reach the tower's summit advance to stage two. Fail, and you face elimination… or death."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd as tension thickened. Elena tightened her grip on her dagger, feeling the pendant at her neck grow warm again. She whispered to Vera, "We stick together, back to back."
Vera nodded, flashing a confident grin. "Don't worry, with me here, no one will dare ambush us!" She drew her dagger, eyes sharp and alert like a hunting cat.
The Trial Official raised her hand, and a shimmering light barrier opened the forest entrance. Contestants surged forward. Elena and Vera walked side by side, with Kyle silently following behind — watchful and guarded. The forest was dim, the shadows of branches twisting like countless grasping hands. Low growls echoed nearby, the air thick with menace.
"Stay sharp," Kyle whispered, drawing his sword, its blade gleaming coldly.
Less than fifteen minutes in, a piercing scream shattered the tense silence. Elena froze, spotting several contestants surrounded by a pack of wolf-like beasts. Their fur was iron-like, eyes glowing red, and razor-sharp fangs capable of tearing steel plates. One contestant panicked and cast a fireball, but the beasts easily dodged it, knocking him down with blood splattering the ground.
"Ironmane wolves. Trouble." Vera cursed low, pulling Elena behind a tree to observe. Kyle frowned, "We circle around. No point wasting energy."
But Elena shook her head, "No, we save them." She pointed at the fallen contestant — a small, terrified girl. Elena knew helping others might expose them, but she couldn't just watch someone die.
Vera glared, "Are you crazy? We're barely armed!"
"This trial is not just about surviving, but proving ourselves." Elena's voice was firm, her emerald eyes burning with resolve. She darted from cover, grabbed a rock, and hurled it fiercely at an Ironmane wolf. The rock struck its eye. The beast howled in pain and lunged at her.
Kyle cursed, flashing his sword to sever the beast's front paw. Vera leapt into the fight, her dagger finding the neck of another wolf. Elena grabbed the girl and pulled her to safety, whispering, "Are you alright?"
The girl nodded, trembling and tearful. "Th-thank you…"
The fight ended swiftly. Kyle's swordplay was clean and precise; Vera's strikes quick as lightning. Several Ironmane wolves fell; the rest fled into the forest. Elena wiped sweat from her brow and noticed Kyle looking at her with a complex expression, as if reassessing her.
"You're reckless." Vera patted her shoulder, smiling wryly. "But not bad."
Deeper in the forest, danger escalates.
The trio pressed on, joined by the rescued girl named Mia, who claimed to be an apprentice healer. The forest grew thicker, fog heavier, with beasts' howls rising all around. Elena felt her pendant heat intensify, warning her of looming threats.
Suddenly, low, mocking laughter echoed ahead. Toby and a group of thug-like contestants blocked their path, wielding glowing magic scrolls radiating menace.
"Elena, lucky to still be breathing," Toby sneered. "Too bad your journey ends here."
Vera clicked her tongue, drawing her dagger. "Ready to lose face again?"
Elena stopped her with a hand, whispering, "Don't rush — they have scrolls." She noticed the runes on Toby's scroll — advanced magic far beyond their simple weapons.
Kyle stepped forward, sword pointed at Toby. "Step aside, or die."
Toby scoffed, raising his scroll. "Blackwood, your flames won't save you from my Inferno Blast!"
As he tore open the scroll, Elena lunged forward, pretending to stumble. She threw sand into Toby's eyes. He screamed, dropping the scroll, which Elena grabbed and handed to Kyle, retreating behind him.
"Nice one!" Vera laughed, slashing at a thug to force him back. Kyle's sword flashed, quickly dispatching two. Toby fled, rubbing his eyes and yelling, "Just wait, scum!"
Mia trembled, whispering, "Elena, how could you—?"
Elena smiled, passing her the scroll. "Keep it safe." Then she turned to Kyle and Vera. "We need to hurry. The Starflame Tower's close."
Kyle nodded, a flicker of approval in his gray-blue eyes. "Let's move."
Starflame Tower — Stage One's end.
Nightfall cloaked the tower's silhouette in mist. Built from dark stone, its peak burned with an eternal flame, like a star against the night sky. Elena's group emerged from the forest to find dozens of battered contestants already gathered. Lilith stood among them, flanked by Brandon and Theo, wearing triumphant smiles — clearly having passed the trial earlier.
Lilith spotted Elena and sneered, "Still alive, beggar? Lucky you."
Elena ignored her, leading Vera, Kyle, and Mia to the Trial Official. The official glanced at them coldly:
"#137 Elena, #112 Vera, #89 Kyle, #204 Mia — stage one complete. Rest tonight. Stage two begins tomorrow."
Whispers erupted among the crowd. Lilith's face darkened with fury. Elena exhaled deeply as the pendant's heat finally subsided. She glanced at Kyle and Vera, quietly saying, "Thank you."
Vera waved her off. "No thanks — we're teammates!" Kyle said nothing, but nodded slightly, his gray-blue eyes softer than before.
Under the night sky, the Starflame Tower's flame illuminated Elena's face. She knew this was only the beginning. Greater challenges awaited — but she was no longer the lonely orphan of Grayport. Clenching her pendant, her eyes burned with the light of a star's resolve.