Chapter 7 – Cards and Crowns
The plaza hummed with the aftertaste of battle. Students, dusty and winded, were herded back to the same open square where the trial had first begun. The air still carried the faint metallic tang of sorcery, and somewhere in the crowd a nervous laugh escaped — a release after the chaos.
David walked with a tired but steady stride. His palms still tingled from the fight, and the cheers and groans behind him blended into a haze. The light bounced off the cobblestones, making the world almost too bright.
Up ahead, Mr. Lucian — the academy's pale-eyed instructor — stood waiting. His coat swayed in the breeze, hands folded behind his back.
"Attention!" Lucian's voice cut across the crowd like a blade. "Each of you… take out your card."
David slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out the slim, black-edged card they had been given at the trial's start.
The second it touched open air, the card lifted from his palm, defying gravity. Gasps rippled across the plaza as dozens of cards began to float in unison. David blinked — then the flat surface rippled, like ink reacting to a drop of water.
The card's sheen split into symbols, glowing faintly, and then —
WHOOSH.
The flat surface bloomed into a translucent status window. Numbers. Bars. Labels.
Name: David Chimma
Rank: 11
Contribution Points: 243
Skill Points: 12
Affiliation: Group C 10
Mentor: Ms. Relane
"Your status cards," Lucian said evenly, "are more than proof you survived. They show your performance metrics, your accumulated skill points, your contribution totals… and the group you are assigned to. That mentor will be responsible for your training going forward."
David tilted his head at the Group C line, but before he could think too hard about it, Lucian raised a single hand.
The plaza darkened as a massive sheet of light unfurled above them, wide as a billboard. Rows of names and faces appeared, ranked by total score.
Lucian's voice had that faint curl of amusement he always got when revealing something that would stir competition.
"Behold," he said. "The Leadership Board."
LEADERSHIP BOARD – Top 6
1 – Kara Steelborn – Points: 286
A towering young woman with braided hair and a body like forged metal. Her posture was squared, unyielding — she moved like someone who believed her body itself was a weapon.
2 – Rex Tidehunter – Points: 270
Tall, lean, with sea-dark eyes. His stance was low, predatory, as if ready to dive. Speed and depth were written into every line of him.
3 – Jayden Blaze – Points: 265
Bright smile, a hint of flame in his hair, stance wide and confident. The living embodiment of a comic book hero — fighting not just to win, but to inspire.
4 – Nyssa Vermis – Points: 261
Petite but fierce, with restless fingers and a strange stillness in her eyes. Her coat seemed to shift like it had its own will. A master of insect swarms that shield and devour.
5 – Seraphine Liora – Points: 257
Ethereal, with faint halos of light curling from her shoulders. Carried herself with lofty calm, as though every step had been measured before she took it.
6 – Axel Pyro – Points: 255
Rough-edged, soot on his cheek, and a restless energy in every movement. Believed in explosions as art — fireworks, bombs, firecrackers — and didn't hide his short fuse.
Murmurs spread. Some cheered their favorites. Others groaned at their own lower rankings.
David's eyes flicked down to find #11 – David Chimma. No gold glow, no spotlight — but he felt a quiet satisfaction settle in his chest. For someone barely expected to make it past the first round, top fifteen wasn't bad at all.
A few paces away, the top six — the ones the continent presidents had quietly debated during the observation phase — found themselves standing loosely in the same space. It wasn't planned, but neither was it avoided.
Kara (arms crossed, voice blunt):
"First again. That's all anyone needs to know."
Rex (smirking):
"You can have first place today . But am coming for it next time. The ocean doesn't falls back and moves forward — only those who survives the current win."
Jayden (grinning, tone loud enough for passersby to hear):
Haha third place and you guys condem second class sorcerers it wouldn't take long before I take the first place for my self."
"You wish" Axel.
Says the noise maker in sixth place
"Sixth? That's garbage. I'm a top-three fighter. You all saw it. I'll blow this ranking — and half the training grounds — sky-high next round."
Nyssa (flat, almost bored):
"others are wishing they could have a taste of you position yet you two aren't still satisfied ."
Seraphine (softly, but with certainty):
"Elevation wins wars. The first strike from above decides the battle before it begins."
Kara didn't look at him. Rex chuckled under his breath. Jayden spun his card between two fingers as if already posing for the next fight. Nyssa's gaze flickered to Axel only once, then away. Seraphine remained serene, wings of light folding close.
The tension between them wasn't open hostility — not yet — but the way their beliefs clashed in just a few lines told David everything: these weren't just competitors. They were the kind of people entire continents might one day rally behind… or try to stop.
Lucian's voice cut back in, breaking the side conversations.
"Study your scores. Study each other. The next trial won't be forgiving — nor will your rivals."
David let the words sink in as the board slowly faded from the air. The sun returned in full force, warm and sharp. His fingers tightened around the card as it floated back into his hand, still humming faintly with light.
Rank eleven, he thought. Not bad. Not the top — but enough to stay on their radar.
And if these six were the bar? He was going to climb.
One step. One fight. One point at a time.
Back in the main plaza, some students were thrilled with their rankings, showing their cards to anyone nearby. Others muttered curses or tossed their cards aside in disgust.
But they knew they dare not lose it.
David stayed quiet, hands in his pockets, eyes still on the board.
Eleventh place. Close enough to the top to feel proud, far enough to know there was more to climb.
Lucian's voice rang out again.
"Memorize your mentor's name. Report to them at the designated training hall tomorrow morning and find your group members. Dismissed."
The crowd began to disperse, buzzing with energy and speculation.
David turned his card over in his hand. The glowing status faded, leaving it blank again — but the numbers, the name, the image on that giant board, stayed .
The plaza was still alive with movement as students scattered in every direction, some waving their cards in triumph, others groaning at the names they saw there.
A pair of boys were loudly rejecting their assigned teams.
"No way I'm stuck with him—he nearly got me killed!"
"Better than being with you, twig-arms!"
Nearby, a group of girls squealed and hugged each other, thrilled that fate had placed them together.
David, however, wasn't feeling picky. He didn't know anyone well enough to care, and it was hard to dislike people you hadn't even met.
Still, he had orders. The card in his hand told him plainly: Group C-17, mentor Keira Ashthorn—though that last part, he assumed, would come later.
He scanned the crowd.
It didn't take long.
Three faces from his status window photo matched people nearby:
A tall, dark-haired girl with a distant, almost mournful expression. Her black hair framed her face in loose waves, and her deep brown eyes seemed to carry the weight of something unspoken. She was clearly of Indian descent, and her stillness had an almost sacred quality.
An African boy with a low cut haircut, standing with his hands stuffed awkwardly in his pockets. Recognition clicked instantly—he was the one David had tried to help during the beast fight before getting dragged into that mess.
And finally, a short-haired girl with a confident smirk, leaning against a marble column as though she already owned the place. She had been the third-class student David spoke to earlier in the trial.
David approached with a friendly wave.
"Guess we're teammates," he said.
The short-haired girl's smirk widened.
"Guess we are. Guess we meet again, we should probably actually introduce ourselves since we are going to be working together."
She pushed herself off the column, clapping her hands lightly.
"Let's make it formal."
David grinned, stepping forward first.
"David chimma. Fast learner, faster runner. Happy to meet you."
His easy smile earned a polite nod from the Indian girl, a curious glance from the African boy, and an approving grin from the short-haired girl.
The Indian girl spoke next, her voice calm and steady.
> "I am Marvelous Devi. My power… well I don't believe in magic therefore am immune to it."
David blinked.
"Really so you are like an anti magic sorcerer?"
She nodded once.
"So you don't believe in magic...."princess said with a grin and continued "yet you use magic to cancel out magic" am amazed.
Her eyes softened briefly.
"It's not a flashy power. But it has saved my life a couple of times."
David was impressed, though he noticed her tone never shifted from that deep, solemn rhythm.
The African boy went next.
"Daimain. Third class."
He lifted his hands, showing gloves that looked part fabric, part miniature tech rig—small screens, faint glowing lines, embedded circuits.
"I believe everything can be hacked using my gloves," he said simply. "Systems, locks, animals, living, nonliving, reality… doesn't matter. The right key can open it. These—" he tapped the gloves "—are my interface. I used to be a programer and when I found this gloves I instinctively know it's purpose ."
David tilted his head.
> "Wait—you can hack reality?"
Charles gave a small, proud shrug.
"Magic, reality, and matter are all codes of the universe—just different languages and symbols to translate."
David was starting to think his new group might be dangerous in a very creative way.
Finally, the short-haired girl folded her arms.
"Name's Princess. And that's all you need to know."
Daimain raised a brow.
"Not gonna share your belief? Or your powers?"
Princess's smirk sharpened.
"Nope. You don't need to know too much about me. Information is more powerful than magic. And I'm not giving mine away for free."
David chuckled under his breath, but Damain looked faintly annoyed.
"You're the one who asked for everyone's names," he pointed out.
"Names," Princess repeated, "not autobiographies."
Charles frowned, but David stepped in before the tension grew.
"Alright," David said, hands raised. "How about I tell you this? I bet you would like this." he said trying to change the subject .
They turned to him expectantly.
"I have… an ability to move fast. Really fast. And there's something else—like a super-point targeting sense, I guess? It was my first time using it during the trial, so I don't fully understand how it works yet."
Marvelous tilted her head slightly.
"Your first time… and it worked?"
Damain whistled low.
"You realize if you'd failed the test, they'd probably have wiped your memory and kicked you out, right?"
David shrugged with a grin.
"Guess I got lucky. There's more. I don't know what I believe in yet. But sometimes, when something catches my attention, or when I fill like am in danger or desperate need of something then I to use magic ."
That got all three of them leaning in.
" maybe it's Copying others?" Damian asked. "Like mimicry?"
"Not exact," David admitted. "But close enough to make people suspicious."
They tried guessing what his belief might be—Charles thought it had to do with "Danger sensing" Marvella suggested "reflection," and Princess just smirked and said,
"Probably dumb luck."
David laughed.
"Maybe."
Then his expression shifted slightly.
"Actually… I should tell you all something."
He lowered his voice, leaning in so they could hear.
"I think I might have… single-handedly killed the boss monster."
For a second, silence.
Then all three burst out laughing.
Princess nearly doubled over.
"You? Alone? That thing would've eaten you in one bite."
Daimain was still chuckling.
> "Actually it did. Both of us infact."
David grinned.
"Laugh now. You'll see."
As if a scary mood shifting sound came out of nowhere
"Boo."
The voice came from right behind them, smooth and deep.
All four flinched—Princess even stepped back, fists half-raised.
They turned to see… someone who looked like they'd walked out of a fashion magazine for chaotic rule-breakers.
He had a silver piercing through his eyebrow, another in his nose, and several dangling chains woven into his hair. Diamond teeth glimmered when he smirked. A thick chain gleamed around his neck, matching the rings on nearly every finger with different gems.
His posture was pure bad-boy swagger with sunglasses—one shoulder forward, chin slightly raised, like he'd just walked into a room expecting everyone to notice.
He swept his gaze over the group, letting it linger on David for a beat longer than necessary, a knowing glint in his eyes.
Princess crossed her arms.
"And you are?"
The man pointed at himself with a single jeweled finger on his tumb.
"I go by many names; The dripper,Dr. swag, aura farmer ,mr.sexsy. But you can call me…"
He let the pause stretch, flashing that diamond-toothed grin.
"Sensei Rizz."
"And am your mentor"
David exchanged a quick look with Damain Marvelous, and Princess.