"Today," Instructor Margo announced, "you'll be tested for re-ranking."
The entire training yard froze.
I nearly dropped my toast.
Kairen stood a few meters away, his mouth halfway into a smug grin. "About time. Been stuck with these bottom-feeders for weeks."
I stared at Margo, half-expecting her to be joking. But Margo never joked. Her version of a joke was not killing you completely.
Someone in the back whispered, "Re-ranking? Isn't that only done for special cases?"
Exactly.
You only got a re-rank exam if something major changed.
Like, say… you woke up with black flames that made demons scream like puppies.
Later, I was called into her office.
Margo was already waiting.
Her face was unreadable, but the air was tight with something that felt like warning.
"You've been placed on emergency re-evaluation," she said. "Three rounds. If you pass all three, you'll be moved out of E-Rank."
"And if I fail?" I asked.
She looked at me dead in the eye. "Then you'll be expelled."
"…Oh."
"Tomorrow morning," she said. "You'll be watched by the council, by nobles, and… by some people who don't like surprises."
My chest tightened. "What kind of people?"
"Important ones. The kind who think your kind should stay quiet."
That night, sleep didn't come.
I sat by my window, watching rain drip down cracked glass. The city beyond the academy walls was glowing like it always did, but it felt far away.
I wasn't scared of fighting.
I was scared of failing in front of the same people who always said I didn't belong.
I touched my chest. I could still feel it—the flame. Quiet for now. But awake.
What if I lose control again?
What if they see the fire and decide to kill me before I become a threat?
The Next Morning
I stood alone on the testing ground. It was a wide stone platform surrounded by rows of watching eyes. Students, teachers, even a few men in dark robes who smelled like secrets and politics.
Margo stood at the edge.
"This is a three-part trial," she said. "Physical. Magical. And control."
My hands were sweating already.
"First round," she shouted. "You'll face five ranked trainees in direct combat. No weapons. No magic."
No magic?
Thank the gods.
"Send in the first."
A guy stepped forward. Big. Smiling.
I recognized him. D-Rank. Named Renn. Famous for being the guy who broke three ribs on someone during practice and called it "a love tap."
He charged at me without warning.
I ducked.
His punch skimmed my hair.
I moved faster than usual—like my body was just reacting on its own.
I stepped to the side. Slipped past him.
And elbowed him in the gut.
CRACK.
He dropped.
The audience gasped.
I stood over him, blinking at my own hand.
Did I… just win that?
The next three fighters came fast.
One tried to trip me. One grabbed my arm and twisted. The last one punched me straight in the jaw.
But I kept moving.
The fire didn't flare, but I could feel it — helping me. Guiding me. Like instinct had gotten stronger.
After the last one fell, Margo nodded.
"Round One: Passed."
The students started to whisper.
I heard someone say, "That was too easy."
Another: "He's holding something back."
They weren't wrong.
Round Two: Magical Ability
This was the one that scared me.
A mage in purple robes walked up with a silver staff. He nodded politely and drew a glowing circle on the ground.
"Stand inside," he said. "We'll measure your mana type and output."
I stepped in.
Immediately, the air shifted.
The circle lit up.
Then—BOOM.
It shattered.
Flames rose from the cracks. Not red. Not blue.
Black. Wild. Unstable.
The crowd stepped back.
One of the robed men stood up. "Stop the test!"
But Margo raised her hand. "Let it finish."
The circle tried to reform—but failed. Again. Again. It couldn't read me.
The flames rose like they were laughing.
The mage stepped back, shaking. "I—I've never seen a reaction like this."
The robed men whispered among themselves.
Margo's voice was steady:
"Round Two: …Passed."
Then came the hard part.
Round Three: Control
They put me in an empty chamber. Nothing inside except stone walls and a floating crystal.
"This will push your power to the surface," the attendant said. "You must not lose control."
Easy, right?
Wrong.
The second I touched the crystal, it felt like someone pulled the trigger inside my chest.
Fire.
It surged out like a dam breaking. Through my hands. My mouth. My eyes.
I couldn't move.
The chamber started to melt.
I heard screaming—from outside.
I clenched my jaw. I forced myself to focus.
But the fire didn't listen.
"Let go," the voice said again. "Let me burn everything."
"No," I growled. "Not like this."
The flames kept rising.
I dropped to my knees.
I slammed my fist into the ground.
The fire exploded upward—and then—
Stopped.
Right at the edge of the room.
Frozen.
Controlled.
The room was half-destroyed. The crystal was gone. My body felt like I'd wrestled a volcano.
But I was still awake.
Still breathing.
Still me.
Outside
The crowd was silent.
Even the robed nobles didn't speak.
Finally, Margo stepped forward and raised a hand.
"Rai Nozomi…" she said clearly, so all could hear. "You are officially promoted to B-Rank. Effective immediately."
Gasps.
Someone dropped a cup.
B-Rank?! I skipped two whole ranks?!
Kairen's mouth hung open.
Someone in the crowd mumbled, "He's a freak…"
Another: "That wasn't a re-ranking. That was a warning."
But I didn't care.
For once, they weren't laughing.
For once… I stood above them.
Even if just for a moment.
That night, I stood in my room again.
Staring into the cracked mirror.
Same bruises. Same tired face.
But now?
They knew.
I wasn't just some E-Rank loser anymore.
I was something else.
Something dangerous.
And somewhere out there—
That demon was still watching.
Waiting.
And so was the voice in the flame.