The announcement of the final exam made the atmosphere at the Academy heavier than usual. The challenge was clear: each group had to face a floor 10 monster in the dungeon. These were creatures at the very limit of what the Supreme Institute allowed students to face… with a 30% recorded death rate in previous trials.
Ares's group — consisting of him, Dana, Agust, Liana, and Tony — remained silent as they descended the floors. No one said a word, but everyone knew what was at stake. Even Liana, who was always smiling, wore a deep frown.
Upon reaching the tenth floor, a gigantic beast awaited them: a Steel Vorgrak. It looked like a mix between a lion and a reptile, with scales as hard as obsidian and red eyes glowing with hatred.
—This is it —Agust said, forming ice over his arms.
The battle began.
Each one gave their all. Dana unleashed devastating lightning strikes, Tony used the earth to create protective shields, Liana wrapped thorny roots around the beast's legs, and Agust froze its movements. Ares, for his part, kept his enhancement active while coordinating attacks on weak points.
Everything seemed to be going relatively well… until a brutal swing of the beast hurled Dana against a rock wall. Dazed, she didn't see the final blow coming — the beast's tail rushing straight for her chest.
—Dana! —Liana shouted.
But it was Ares who reacted first.
With a speed he had only shown in life-or-death moments, he dashed across the battlefield, surrounded by a trail of blue fire. He still couldn't fully control it, but at that moment, he didn't care. He was only thinking about saving her.
With a roar, the fire engulfed his right arm. One punch — powered by his magic — was enough to deflect the attack, though he was injured in the process.
Dana, trembling on the ground, looked at him with wide eyes. He stood in front of her, panting, blood trickling down his side.
—Are you… okay? —he asked, not looking directly at her.
—You… saved me —she whispered.
Something lit up inside Dana. Something she had never felt before. For months, she had seen Ares as the weird guy in the group — strong, yes, but nothing more. But in that instant, with his blue fire glowing like a comet in the darkness, she saw something else.
A protector.
A warrior.
A possible love.