The aspirants were soon led through an inner courtyard toward the coliseum grounds, a wide, circular open-air arena forged from dark stone and towering walls. Dozens of stone terraces ringed the space for observation. From above, light crystals floated and orbited like patient sentinels. These were scrying eyes, tools of light magic that would display the fights for instructors and nobles alike.
The ground underfoot was dirt, firm and dry. The ring was large enough to house a small army.
"This," one of the leading Knights declared, stepping forward, "is the Proving Ground. This is where you will spill sweat, blood, and pride."
He raised his voice, projecting it to all gathered.
"The First Assessment begins tomorrow at dawn. You will rest tonight. Eat. Drink water. You'll need it."
He gestured toward the wide leaderboard forming above the coliseum floor, light magic converging to display a massive grid with empty slots labeled RANKING – FIRST TRIAL.
"Defeat at least three opponents. That is the minimum. Your bands will track the impact, knockouts, and engagements. Strike below the belt, kill a fellow aspirant, or attack after surrender, and you'll be dismissed permanently."
The murmurs among the teens grew.
"You will be observed from above. Fight with honor, or don't fight at all. Let the coliseum judge who among you is worthy of knighthood."
The Knight's eyes scanned the group.
Ethan felt the weight of a hundred gazes find him again, nobles whispering, smirking, already planning.
Velina exhaled beside him. "It's going to be brutal."
He nodded. "Good."
---
Night fell like a curtain of stone over the academy. Inside a shared stone chamber with bunk beds and low-burning crystal sconces, Ethan sat by his bed, adjusting the grip of his blade. Velina lay in her bunk across from him, staring at the ceiling.
"You're really calm for someone about to face a hundred nobles with an ego problem," she murmured.
Ethan tightened a strap.
"Calm is what you learn when you don't have a choice."
Her eyes softened. "You really don't care what they said back there?"
"I care. I just don't let it show."
He looked at her. "And tomorrow, I'll make them remember the name they mocked."
She smiled slightly. "Then I'll be right beside you."
--------
The sun cracked over the stone peaks of Velleshire, gilding the edges of the coliseum in molten light. Crystals embedded along the arena walls hummed faintly, activating one by one, casting golden glows that rippled over the arena like war banners in wind. In the sky above, the floating Lightboard surged to life, rows of glyphs and names slowly forming in mid-air.
At the bottom of the rising scoreboard:
[ FIRST ASSESSMENT – ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS: 300 ]
[ Required Eliminations: at least 3]
And under that: a leaderboard with "RANK", "NAME", and "KNOCKOUTS" columns, empty for now.
Ethan stood among the crowd of aspirants in the center of the coliseum grounds, his feet grounded in dry dust. Around him, nobles tightened gloves, whispered strategies, adjusted family-engraved sword hilts. The less fortunate kids wore mismatched armor, rusted pauldrons, or leather boiled for protection.
Velina stood beside him, sword in hand, her eyes scanning the field.
"They're already forming alliances," she said, nodding toward a group of six nobles encircling themselves like a pack of wolves.
"Cowards hunt in packs," Ethan murmured. "Let them."
A loud clang echoed from the southern platform as three Knights descended the stone stairs onto a raised balcony. Each wore red half-cloaks and ceremonial black breastplates etched with the Academy's twin blade sigil.
The lead Knight, older, graying, and with a scar running across his jaw, raised a hand for silence. When he spoke, his voice thundered across the coliseum like a war drum.
"Aspirants! This is the First Trial of the Knights Academy Recruitment Grounds."
His gaze swept over them.
"Here, no title matters. No bloodline shields you. No house can strike for you. Only your skill, your mind, and your will determine your worth. Your Trial Bands will track every blow, every dodge, every victory."
The crystals on their wrists shimmered. Ethan glanced down. His still read:
[ Ethan Valdros – Participant ID: #197 ]
[ Knockouts: 0 | Status: ACTIVE ]
The Knight raised a red-gloved hand.
"The Trial begins in ten seconds. When the horn sounds, defeat at least three. You surrender by touching the crystal on your band. But if you fall without doing so, your fate lies in your opponent's mercy."
A pause.
Then—HOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNN!
The coliseum roared to life.
Dust exploded under sprinting boots. Blades clashed with iron shrieks. Screams rang as the once-orderly crowd fragmented into chaos.
---
Ethan didn't rush.
He pivoted slowly, eyes sharp, watching the battlefield like a hunter. His stance was coiled—not tense, but patient. A boy in ironscale armor bolted at him, screaming with wild energy, mace raised high.
Too loud. Too wide. Too desperate.
Ethan sidestepped, blade flicking low, cracking the boy's kneecap with the flat edge. The aspirant fell with a cry. Before he could rise, Ethan pressed the tip of his sword to the boy's throat.
The boy groaned, lifted his hand, and tapped his crystal.
A chime rang out from the coliseum's Lightboard.
[ Knockout Registered – Ethan Valdros: 1 ]
[ Leaderboard: Rank 98 ]
He turned away without a word.
A second came, this one wielding twin daggers. She circled him, fast, light-footed. Her strikes were precise, but her rhythm was flawed. Ethan blocked twice, then lunged—not with full strength, just enough to break through.
His blade kissed her shoulder, spun her sideways. She recovered—barely—but Ethan was already behind her. A flat strike to the back of the head knocked her cold.
[ Knockout Registered – Ethan Valdros: 2 ]
[ Leaderboard: Rank 95 ]
Still, he remained calm. His heartbeat steady. His system buzzed faintly inside his mind, tempting him, nudging:
[ ABYSSAL LUNGE – READY ]
[ ABYSSAL CLAWS – READY. ]
No. Not yet.
He spotted Velina a few meters away, surrounded by three. She parried fiercely, moving like a dancer on a battlefield. One lunged. She ducked, slashed across his thigh. Another came. She turned, parried, then struck him in the ribs.
The third tried to blindside her, but Ethan was already moving.
He crossed the distance in four strides, deflected the oncoming blade with his own, then spun and struck the boy's wrist with the hilt. The boy cried out, weapon falling. Ethan grabbed his collar and slammed him to the ground.
"Yield," Ethan said.
"I—" the boy tried to spit.
Ethan drove his knee into the boy's gut.
"I yield!" he gasped.
Crystal tapped.
[ Knockout Registered – Ethan Valdros: 3 ]
[ Leaderboard: Rank 95 ]