The vast stone platform pulsed with spirit light, runes glowing like molten rivers across its surface. The first trial of the Academy had begun.
Above the crowd, Master Orion Kaelis raised his hand, and silence fell. His voice thundered across the plaza.
"This trial is called the Path of Endurance. The Martial Path is endless, and only those who can endure its weight may take a single step upon it. Each of you will face the pressure of the Path. If you collapse, you are unworthy. If you withstand it, you may proceed."
The words echoed like divine law.
A hush followed, heavy with tension. Tens of thousands of heirs braced themselves as the runes flared brighter. The platform shimmered — then a crushing force descended like a mountain.
The weight of the Martial Path.
The first wave pressed down upon every disciple. Air thickened, bones groaned, and bloodlines cried out.
Many staggered instantly. Some screamed, collapsing on their knees as the invisible pressure bent their spines. Dozens of weaker heirs were flung off the platform altogether, gasping for breath like drowning mortals.
But the Zenith heirs stood tall, their golden auras blazing like miniature suns. The Drakonis heirs laughed, dragon-blood burning as they exhaled smoke and flame. Even Selene and Draven Aurelius stood straight, their power stabilizing their forms.
Draven smirked as his aura flared, absorbing the pressure as if it were nothing. "Pathetic," he muttered, watching outer house heirs crumble.
Selene's voice was like ice. "The weak deserve to break."
Kaelith felt the weight slam into him, harder than a mountain, heavier than the hatred of gods. His chest compressed, his ribs screaming in protest. His veins burned with unstable spirit energy. His knees buckled.
So this is the Path of Endurance.
It was worse than he remembered. In his last life, this pressure had crushed him instantly. The old Kaelith Aurelius had collapsed here, mocked as useless, expelled from the trial before it had even begun.
But Kaelith Varion refused.
Every fiber of his body screamed to kneel, to collapse, to surrender. But his soul — the immortal soul forged across countless regressions — burned hotter.
I endured gods' hatred. I endured death a thousand times. I will endure this.
His teeth ground together. Blood trickled from his lips. His vision blurred red.
Yet he stood.
---
The pressure grew heavier. A second wave fell.
Even heirs of the top 10 clans began to strain. Moonveil disciples dropped to their knees. Obsidian Fang cultivators clenched their fists, trembling. Outer houses screamed as they were thrown from the platform.
The Zenith heirs only sneered, standing tall with arrogant ease. The Drakonis heirs spread their dragon wings, scales shimmering under the strain.
Selene exhaled, her aura cutting like moonlight — firm, unyielding. Tier Six brilliance shone around her.
Draven stood firm, unmoved, his Tier Seven might swallowing the pressure whole. "Is this all?" he laughed.
Kaelith shook violently. His bones cracked audibly. His spirit veins threatened to burst. Blood streamed down his nose and from the corners of his eyes. His body screamed to collapse.
And still… he stood.
He swayed like a dying tree in a storm, but his eyes blazed — brighter than any heir's. Not calm like Zenith. Not arrogant like Drakonis. Not stable like Aurelius. But burning.
A soul refusing annihilation.
---
By the third wave, the platform was littered with bodies. Nearly half the heirs were eliminated. Instructors Kaelen Veylor and Lyra Duskbane pulled the fainted youths aside, while Instructor Torvak Dran barked cold laughter at their weakness.
"Trash," Torvak spat. "Not even worth my shadow."
On the stage, only the strongest remained.
Draven Aurelius stood with a smirk. Selene glimmered with unshaken poise. Zenith heirs looked as though they bore no burden at all, their arrogance unchallenged.
And Kaelith…
Kaelith stood trembling, soaked in blood, his every breath a ragged scream. His body was breaking — but his spirit climbed higher with every heartbeat.
Whispers spread.
"He's still standing?"
"That's the Aurelius failure…"
"He's bleeding out. He'll collapse any second."
"He should have already fallen."
The Zenith heirs sneered. "Pathetic. What's the point of clinging when he's destined to fail?"
Draven laughed coldly. "My little brother is stubborn, I'll grant him that. But even stubbornness won't make him worthy."
Selene's gaze was flat. "He's an embarrassment. He should accept the inevitable."
But above them all, Vice-Master Sylara Noctis leaned forward slightly, her eyes narrowing.
Her Tier Two presence shimmered faintly as she watched Kaelith. Not his body, not his broken veins — but his soul.
While others mocked his struggle, she saw it for what it was: a light burning higher than most of the proud heirs around him.
Interesting…
---
The fourth wave fell.
Screams split the air. Outer houses shattered. Even some top ten heirs collapsed. The Zenith heirs stiffened, their smug expressions cracking for the first time. Drakonis bloodlines strained, smoke thick around them.
Selene exhaled slowly, sweat beading her brow. Draven roared with power, refusing to bend.
And Kaelith…
Kaelith dropped to one knee. His body finally cracked under the pressure.
Laughter erupted across the platform.
"There it is!"
"He's finished!"
"The Aurelius failure falls again!"
Draven sneered. "As expected."
Selene looked away, dismissing him entirely.
Kaelith coughed blood, his vision flickering. His body wanted to collapse, to let the weight crush him flat.
But his soul whispered:
Stand.
His fingers clawed the ground. His knee trembled. His spine shook.
And slowly, agonizingly… Kaelith rose back to his feet.
Gasps echoed.
He was still breaking. Still bleeding. Still weaker than nearly everyone. But his spirit blazed high, so high even the Vice-Masters exchanged glances.
---
Master Orion Kaelis finally raised his hand. The pressure vanished in an instant. Dozens collapsed in relief, gasping.
He spoke, voice thunder. "The Path of Endurance ends here. Those who stand at the end are worthy. The rest are unworthy."
Cheers rang from Zenith, Drakonis, Aurelius elites. Draven crossed his arms proudly. Selene brushed her hair back, her poise unshaken.
Kaelith swayed, barely conscious, his body shredded by the trial. He had failed by the academy's definition — he had fallen to his knee.
But then, Vice-Master Sylara stepped forward.
"Master Orion." Her voice rang clear, cutting across the plaza. "This disciple… I will take him."
Gasps erupted.
"What?!"
"The Aurelius failure?!"
"Vice-Master Sylara herself…?"
Orion's gaze flicked to Kaelith. He studied him for a long moment, then gave a faint nod. "Very well."
Sylara's eyes locked on Kaelith, sharp as blades, cold as midnight.
"You burned higher while struggling than most did while standing tall. That is what I seek. From this day, you are my disciple."
The plaza exploded in chaos.
Kaelith stood trembling, bloodied and broken. Yet within, a faint smile curved his lips.
The gods called me a sinner. The world calls me weak. But now, even the highest of mortals begin to see.
And thus began the first step of Kaelith Varion's rise in the Academy of Martial Ascension.