The academy courtyard was still buzzing after the duels. Dust had settled, but the heat of battle lingered in the air. Staryo's Cosmos Eye, which had flared from level 10 to 11, still pulsed faintly, leaving students whispering about the strange aura they had witnessed.
Then the head instructor stepped forward, a scroll in his hands, his voice booming:
"Students! The results of the Mid-Year Grand Examination are to be announced!"
Silence fell. Everyone straightened, the nervous energy almost electric.
The instructor unrolled the parchment.
"First in rank—Staryo, who cleared every written test, physical test, and duel match with unmatched results."
The courtyard erupted. Cheers, gasps, and some groans of envy filled the air. Staryo, still catching his breath from the final duel, blinked in disbelief.
"Second—Aru Ardentis. Her results match the top in nearly all fields, second only in duels."
Aru smiled faintly, pride glowing in her eyes as she glanced at Staryo.
"Third—Dreven Kaelor."
The crowd murmured. Dreven's jaw clenched, his pride wounded after losing so spectacularly to Staryo. He muttered to himself, "This isn't over… I'll crush you when the real tests come."
As the names rolled down, students began gossiping, and the whispers quickly turned into open chatter.
"Did you see how Aru leaned on his shoulder after the fight?" one girl snickered.
"They looked like lovers, not rivals," another chimed in.
"Pfft, Cosmos Couple. That's what I'm calling them."
"No, no—Star and Flame! Perfect nickname."
Laughter spread through the courtyard. Aru flushed red, trying to hide her face, while Staryo rubbed the back of his neck, unsure whether to be embarrassed or oddly proud.
Not everyone was amused. In the shadows of the crowd, a boy neither cheering nor laughing watched Staryo with calculating eyes. His name was Kael Veyth, a prodigy ranked just below the top three. He had skipped battles, conserving his strength, and now his smirk curved as he whispered, "So this is the boy who thinks he can steal the spotlight. Interesting…"
Before more could be said, the air suddenly changed.
A ripple of power surged across the courtyard. Clouds gathered unnaturally, and the temperature rose until the very stones beneath their feet glowed faintly. Students froze. Teachers stiffened.
A massive golden carriage descended from the sky, drawn by beasts wreathed in eternal flame. The symbol of the Ardentis Empire gleamed on its side.
The crowd gasped.
"The Emperor…?"
"He's come here?!"
"Why—why would he appear in an academy?"
The golden doors opened, and a man stepped out. His robe glimmered with threads of molten light, his crown forged from the core of a fallen star. His mere presence was suffocating.
Emperor Kaelith Ardentis.
Aru's heart froze. Her lips trembled as she whispered, "Father…"
Kaelith's gaze swept over the students, but it lingered only briefly on Aru before locking onto Staryo.
"This is the boy who dares walk beside my daughter?" His voice was a thunderclap, heavy with disdain.
The crowd dropped to their knees under his aura. Only Staryo remained standing. His chest burned, his limbs shook, but his Cosmos Eye ignited, violet flames flickering as he met the Emperor's gaze head-on.
"I don't claim to deserve her yet," Staryo said, voice trembling yet firm. "But I will."
The crowd gasped. Whispers turned sharp. "He spoke back to the Emperor?!" "Is he insane?"
But then—Kaelith faltered.
Behind Staryo's gaze, the Emperor glimpsed something no mortal should possess. A throne in the void. Stars bowing in submission. The endless cycle of creation and destruction swirling inside a single eye.
His heart skipped. His soul whispered: This boy… no, this being… he is not mortal. He is the Deconstructor, the Creator…
For a fleeting moment, fear cracked his mask. His hand trembled before he forced a cold laugh.
"Arrogant boy," Kaelith thundered, though unease lingered in his tone. "If you wish to stand beside her, you must prove yourself. I will test you—three trials of Will, Strength, and Soul. Fail, and you shall be erased. Succeed… and perhaps I will acknowledge you."
"Father, no!" Aru cried, her voice breaking. "Don't do this! His cultivation already destroys him from within—he'll die!"
But Staryo placed a hand on hers, his touch steady though his body trembled. "Aru… if I can't endure this, how can I protect you from what's coming?"
Tears filled her eyes. "Then promise me. Promise me you'll rise back to me. If you fall… I'll fall with you."
The Emperor turned sharply, concealing the storm inside him. Yet inwardly, he admitted the truth: If this boy grows unchecked, even I, Kaelith Ardentis, may one day kneel before him.
The first trial was declared. The Trial of Celestial Flames—a fire that had devoured empires.
And as the crowd roared, Aru gripped Staryo's hand desperately, while in the shadows, Dreven and Kael Veyth exchanged knowing smirks. Rivalry was far from over.
Kaelith's voice echoed like divine judgment:
"The first trial—The Trial of Celestial Flames. A fire that devours not only flesh, but will, soul, and destiny itself. Step in, and if you falter for even a breath, you will vanish into ash, leaving not even a name behind."
The Emperor raised his hand, and with a ripple of cosmic authority, a portal of searing golden fire erupted before them. The flames twisted into the shape of dragons, their roars shaking the heavens.
Gasps spread through the courtyard. Even the instructors looked pale.
Aru's grip on Staryo's hand tightened until her knuckles turned white. "Don't! This isn't a test—it's an execution!" she cried, tears threatening to spill.
But Staryo's Cosmos Eye glimmered, the violet hue burning fiercer than before. He did not look at the Emperor, nor the flames, but at Aru. His voice was steady, almost gentle.
"Aru… I promised I'd rise. Even if this fire burns me to nothing, I'll climb back from the void itself."
Kaelith narrowed his gaze. This boy… is he speaking of rebirth? Impossible.
Staryo released Aru's hand and stepped forward. The crowd held its breath. His foot hovered at the edge of the flames—then descended.
The instant he touched the golden fire, the world screamed.
The flames surged like a beast unleashed, consuming Staryo whole. His body vanished in the inferno, and even his aura flickered out as though erased.
"STARYO!" Aru's scream tore through the courtyard, her knees buckling. Students gasped, some already whispering in grief, others murmuring, "So this is how he ends…"
But just as despair drowned the air, the Cosmos Eye deep within the flames flickered open. A pulse—quiet, but immeasurably vast—shook the trial ground.
For an instant, all who watched felt it: a power older than empires, deeper than heavens, staring back at them.
The Emperor's breath caught. His fists clenched. That aura again… it cannot be… not him…
And then—silence. The flames swirled violently, collapsing inward as if bowing to something inside them.
No one could see what was happening within.
Would Staryo rise… or would the fire devour him forever?
The answer would only be revealed in the next trial of destiny.